North Iowa Children's Museum

05/12/2026

🌟 North Iowa… Imagine THIS! 🌟

What if our kids had a place created just for them—a space exploding with creativity, discovery, and hands‑on fun? What if families had a year‑round destination where learning feels like play and imaginations run wild?

That’s exactly what we’re working toward with the North Iowa Children’s Museum… and we need YOU to help bring it to life! 💛

Here’s why a children’s museum would be a game‑changer for Clear Lake:
✨ A Hub of Curiosity & Creativity
Kids learn by doing—and a children’s museum is a place where they can build, experiment, imagine, and explore every single day.
❄️☀️ A Weather‑Proof Family Destination
Rain, snow, heat, cold—no problem! A children’s museum gives families a fun, educational place to go all year long.
💼 A Boost to Local Businesses
More visitors. More traffic. More people choosing Clear Lake as a place to spend the day (or weekend!). A children’s museum strengthens the local economy and attracts new families to the area.
🧠 Support for Early Childhood Development
Play builds confidence, problem‑solving skills, social skills, and creativity. A museum amplifies all of that in a safe, nurturing environment.
🌈 A Community Space We Can Take Pride In
This isn’t just a building—it’s a legacy. A place that will shape childhood memories and strengthen our community for generations.

We’re in the capital campaign phase, and every bit of support—sharing, donating, spreading the word—helps move this dream closer to reality. 💫

Let’s build something amazing, North Iowa!

Learn more and join the journey:
👉

The North Iowa Children’s Museum is poised to become a transformational regional asset, serving families, schools and visitors across North Iowa through hands-on, play-based learning.

05/07/2026

✨🐄 Guess what, North Iowa? Your next Chick-fil-A Mason City playdate just got even cooler! 🎉

Next time you’re at the Chick-fil-A play space, be sure to grab one of our North Iowa Children’s Museum brochures—they’re hanging out right by the door, ready to brighten your day and share all the fun things we’re up to! 🌈✨

A HUGE shoutout to Kevin Mellott for giving us a cozy little spot to spread the joy. 🙌❤️

💡 Are you a business that wants to help spread our mission?
Drop a comment below and we’ll happily swing by with a brochure holder—delivered with a smile! 😄📬

05/04/2026

Our sign is UP — and we couldn’t be more excited! ✨

Seeing the future home of the North Iowa Children’s Museum officially marked at 2405 15th Ave N is such an energizing milestone. One more step toward creating a space where curiosity grows, imaginations run wild, and families learn through play.

A heartfelt thank you to all our supporters who have helped us get this far. Your encouragement, generosity, and belief in this project mean the world to us. 💙

If you’d like to help bring the museum to life, we’d love for you to join us.

You can support the project here: https://northiowachildrensmuseum.com/

Together, we’re building something special for North Iowa. 🌈

04/15/2026

💡✨ We are so excited to welcome Hearing Associates as our newest “Spark Ignitor” sponsor! ✨💡

At the STEM Festival, Hearing Associates hosted their own sound-focused exhibit — and through those hands-on interactions with kids, they witnessed something powerful: curiosity, excitement, and the magic of learning through SOUND. 🎶

Those moments sparked something more. 🔥

Inspired by the experience and a renewed belief in our shared mission, Hearing Associates chose to put action behind that inspiration — supporting our work and helping us gain momentum in creating a space filled with meaningful experiences for children in our community.

Even more, they are hoping to inspire others to do the same. 💙

👉 Interested in joining them and making an impact? Learn more about our capital campaign here: https://northiowachildrensmuseum.com/capital-campaign/

Thank you, Hearing Associates, for being “hear for our community.”

04/02/2026

Big things are happening in Clear Lake… 👀✨

The North Iowa Children’s Museum is no longer just an idea — it’s becoming a reality. From pop-ups reaching 25,000+ families to a future home built for curiosity, creativity, and hands-on play… this is something special for North Iowa.

💡 This isn’t just a museum — it’s an experience.
💛 And it’s being built by YOU, our community.

Take a minute to read the story and see what’s ahead — you’ll want to be part of this.

🎉 MOMENTUM BUILDING FOR A CHILDREN’S MUSEUM IN CLEAR LAKE

The vision for a children’s museum in Clear Lake is gaining traction — and it’s about much more than just a building.

As highlighted in our latest story, this effort is focused on creating a space where kids can:

Learn through play
Explore hands-on experiences
Build curiosity at an early age

👉 It’s the kind of investment that strengthens families and helps communities grow.

Projects like this don’t happen overnight — they take vision, support, and people willing to step up.

And right now… that’s exactly what’s happening.

We’ll continue to follow the progress and bring you updates every step of the way.

Follow North Iowa Free Press for local stories that matter.

full article here: https://open.substack.com/pub/northiowafreepress/p/a-place-built-for-curiosity-north?r=7uczdr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

04/01/2026

🚨 BIG ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

We’re excited to share that we’ve officially secured our first exhibit for the new museum space… 🕷️🌀

Spiderman has volunteered to test out the spinny chair and help us determine if it meets superhero standards for fun.

Early feedback:
✔️ Very spinny
✔️ Slightly dizzy
✔️ Kid-approved

Now we just need the building to put it in 😄

Stay tuned… we’re getting closer every day! 💛

03/31/2026

🎉 Big news for the North Iowa Children’s Museum! 🎉

Please join us in giving a warm welcome to our newest Board Member—Amy Hogg! 👏

Amy serves as Community Bank President and Business Development Officer at Bank Iowa and has been a proud member of the Clear Lake community for more than 20 years alongside her husband, Chris.

A North Iowa native, Amy brings a passion for people, connection, and community growth. Her extensive experience in relationship-driven banking, business development, and strategic planning has helped her build strong, trusted partnerships with local businesses, entrepreneurs, and community leaders across the region.

As the museum enters a critical phase focused on fundraising, donor engagement, and long-term sustainability, Amy’s ability to connect big-picture vision with meaningful action will be an incredible asset.

💛 Amy is passionate about helping create a space where children and families can learn, explore, and grow—for generations to come.

Outside of work, you’ll find her enjoying lake life, playing pickleball, reading, walking her dog Jimmy, or catching live music. She’s also a proud mom and grandma who loves spending time with her family.

We are so excited to have you, Amy—welcome to the team! 🎉

03/27/2026

🎉 Happy Friday! Let’s play a little game…

A children’s museum is basically __________ for kids 👀