A unique children’s museum is in the works in Scranton. This exciting new addition to the community will be called Timmy’s Town Center in honor of Timmy Kelly, a local boy who died of cancer at age five in 2003. The center is envisioned as a 16,000-square-foot museum with indoor and outdoor exhibits and classrooms where children can play and learn. Organizers plan to have it constructed in Nay Aug Park once sufficient funds are raised.

When Timmy spent six weeks in Philadelphia undergoing radiation treatments, one of his favorite things to do was visit the Please Touch Museum. When he died, his family decided to work toward establishing a similar museum in Northeast Pennsylvania. For the past three years, Timmy’s mother, Lexie Kelly, her husband Tim, and son Reese have worked to make the dream of Timmy’s Town Center a reality.

“We thought this would be a really nice thing to do in this area,” says Lexie Kelly. “The center will be a place where kids and their families can go and reconnect. Where children and their adult guests can relax and have fun.”

The center will be open to all kids from birth to age 10, but the primary focus will be on children between the ages of 4 and 7.

The center will have a “planes, trains, and automobiles” theme. The decor will mimic the natural environment of Northeast Pennsylvania boasting trees, mountains, and waterways. Along with play areas, an observation deck, and a nature explore classroom, the museum will also boast the following:

• The Artist Studio where children can experiment with multiple mediums and create their own personal artwork.
• Pennsylvania Builds where tools will be provided to help spark children’s natural curiosity to design and build everything from bridges to skyscrapers.
• The Adventure Tree which will promote physical activity and give kids a chance to explore life in the trees.
• Cultures at Home, a house where children will immerse themselves in different cultures. The featured culture will change monthly so kids can explore how children from other cultures live in their own homes. 
  
The cost of building this hands-on museum is $12 million. Approximately half of this money will be funded through grants, but Timmy’s Town Center still needs to raise $6 million from private funding sources.

“Right now we’re trying to educate and cultivate the public,” says Kelly. “We plan to have something in Nay Aug Park by Memorial Day in order to give people an idea of exactly what’s going on.”

To help raise money and awareness, Kelly has planned the Snow Ball, a party that will include music, dancing, and entertainment. A “kid friendly” dinner will also be included. In order to get the children really involved, a coloring contest will be held in January and the winner will be announced and awarded a t-shirt at the Snow Ball. The theme for this year’s contest will be announced on the website, timmystowncenter.org.

This year’s Snow Ball will be held at the Scranton Cultural Center on Friday, February 20, 2009 at 6:00 pm. Tickets are $25 each (for both children and adults), and families who purchase 4 tickets get a 5th ticket free.

For more information on the Snow Ball or ways to donate to Timmy’s Town Center, visit timmystowncenter.org or call 585-2931.