JANESVILLE — Excitement filled the air in downtown Janesville on Tuesday as donors, board members and the community gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of the long-envisioned Children’s Museum of Rock County.
Attendees toured the historic First National Bank building at 100 W. Milwaukee St., that is being remade into the museum, and heard from speakers including Janesville City Council President Aaron Burdick, Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld and top donors including Clint Woodman of Woodman’s Markets, Ben and Macy Ryan and Steve and Marlene Bysted.
Kent Anderson, the museum’s newly appointed executive director, addressed the crowd with heartfelt gratitude and optimism about what lies ahead.
The museum, nearly 20 years in the making, is projected to draw more than 80,000 visitors annually. Anderson emphasized its future role in the lives of Rock County children.
“I’m excited about the road ahead—to be able to open up this museum and provide a place for kids in this community to play, to learn, to socialize, and to build connections with each other,” he said.
Anderson went on to express appreciation for donors and volunteers.
“Thank you all for being here. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your commitment to this project,” he said. “I understand it’s been a long time coming. This day cements a milestone that truly puts this museum on the map.”
Anderson also paid tribute to the board members — both current and former — who helped bring the vision to life.
“To be here today is because of the sweat equity that these board members and volunteers have put in to get us to this point,” he said.
Burdick said the museum will be important to the city and to Rock County.
“The Children’s Museum of Rock County will be more than just a building. It will be a place where curiosity is sparked, creativity is nurtured and young minds are inspired to dream big,” Burdick said. “This will be a space where children from every neighborhood can explore, play and discover the world around them in ways that will stay with them for a lifetime.”
The Children’s Museum of Rock County has raised $13.46 million towards its capital campaign, exceeding its initial goal of $10 million. The campaign, called “Let’s PLAY Together,” is continuing even after reaching the initial goal.
John Westphal, president of the museum board, said the idea of a children’s museum goes back to early 2008.
“This whole thing started as an idea by the Leadership Development Academy in Rock County,” Westphal said. “A handful of us formed a committee to bring a children’s museum to reality. Then the financial crisis in 2008 shut the whole thing down. It put an end to our dream.”
But the dream didn’t die, Westphal said. A small group refused to let it fade away, ultimately launching the capital campaign in 2022.
“I can promise you that the board and our volunteers are going to bring as much energy to (opening and operating the museum) as we have towards the goal that’s brought us all here today,” he said. “Now that we’ve reached this groundbreaking goal, it’s time to say to ourselves and our contractors, ‘Hey, man, let’s play.’”
Originally posted on the Janesville Gazette Here: ‘Let’s play.’ Ground broken for Children’s Museum of Rock County | Local News | gazettextra.com
