Scarsdale Support Builds for Westchester Children’s Museum

After nearly eight years of planning and collaboration between the museum's dedicated volunteers and the Westchester County government, the Westchester Children's Museum will open in late 2011 as a colorful, vibrant learning space filled with water play, science, art, music, nature and places to climb, build and explore. The museum will be a vibrant, hands-on cultural and educational institution for children and caregivers; a dynamic resource for schools; a welcoming environment for special needs children; a vital entity to serve underserved communities of our region, and a tool for building tourism. Additionally, the Museum will be a self-sustaining, not for profit organization and will not present a burden on taxpayers.

Legislation is currently before County Government to approve a lease for the Westchester Children’s Museum to take site control over the Bathhouses at Playland. The Bathhouses, located directly on the Sound, are historic landmark buildings situated on parkland owned by the County of Westchester. When the buildings were identified as a potential site for a children’s museum back in 2003, they had been empty for more than 40 years, and fallen into disrepair. The opportunity to renovate the buildings for use as a museum was unprecedented and irresistible. The Museum leadership took the County’s challenge – if the Museum could raise $7million, thereby proving an ability to be self-sustaining and raising the necessary capital to undertake the renovation project, then the County Government would turn over the site. The Museum has exceeded the fundraising challenge goal and is in the midst of the final intended step in the site control process, which is to negotiate and sign a lease with County government.

Concurrently, the County Government is pursuing a plan to revitalize Playland Amusement Park in Rye and make the complex more profitable for the County. An RFP has been issued seeking proposals to come up with new ideas and usages for Playland Amusement Park. A notation in the RFP makes note of the fact that the Westchester Children’s Museum is the proposed tenant of half of the Bathhouses – a space of 22,000 square feet along the Boardwalk.

When built, Westchester Children’s Museum can be the cultural, educational, and economic hub of a revitalized Playland, in whatever future form the park takes. In the meantime, the Museum provides educational outreach at a variety of community centers and out of school programs.

Scarsdale individuals and businesses are getting behind the campaign to build the Museum. Among our local partners in raising awareness for the Museum and providing special programs are Citibabes and Last Licks. Scarsdale resident Andrea Tucker is co-chairing the first annual Charity Tennis Outing, to coincide with the Museum’s annual Golf Outing, both to be held at Quaker Ridge Golf Club, September 20. Below are event descriptions:

Charity Tennis Outing Featuring Tennis Pro Jim Courier
Quaker Ridge Golf Club, September 20

The first annual Charity Tennis Outing features on court instruction and rallies with former world number one tennis player Jim Courier. Every participant will have the opportunity to rally with Jim Courier. All levels are welcome to participate. Each court will concentrate on a specific skill. Join us for this truly unique tennis experience and raise funds for the Museum at the same time! For ticket information, please visit www.discoverWCM.org/events

A Sweet Way to Build a Museum
Last Licks Creates A Special Flavor to Benefit the Museum

Saturday, September 25, 10:00am - 10:00pm
Sunday, September 26, 10:00am - 9:30pm

All three Last Licks locations will feature Explore S'More, a special one-of-a-kind flavor of orange-colored vanilla ice cream with marshmallows, fudge, and graham crackers in honor of the Museum. 100% of all sales of Explore S'More will benefit the Museum.

Armonk - 395 Main Street
Rye Brook - 104 South Ridge Street
Scarsdale - 1074 Wilmot Road

For more information about the Westchester Children's Museum, please click here.