www.montereycountynow.com FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 831 A group of adults sits around a table inside a downtown Monterey building that is adorned with a bright blue and red facade, surrounded by a twisting slide, colorful stuffed animals and plenty of whimsical balloons. The woman at the head of the table picks up a card, reading triumphantly: “full-frontal nudity.” The group cheers and claps as the next round of Cards Against Humanity is set to begin. Further into the building, two adults sit cramped inside a miniature ambulance playing Battleship, while others grab a beer from Alvarado Street Brewery as well as some candied bacon a few booths over. A DJ remixes tunes popular from the 1980s into the aughts, as tiny superhero costumes hang on a wall. As people check in, ducking inside the building to escape a brief surprise rainstorm, they are given two tickets, good for one drink each. Bottles of wine are also available for $25 a pop. Is this a regular Friday night at a local bar? Or maybe an adults-only birthday party at someone’s house? If you answered with “MY Museum,” a place filled with activities for toddlers up to elementary schoolaged children, no one would believe you. Unless they were actually there. And many were. MY Museum’s annual Fun & Games Night returned Jan. 25, a 21-and-over event where the kids-at-heart had a chance to play classic board and card games (Scrabble, Uno), while also learning some new ones (who knew Taco Bell made a card game?), all at the same time raising funds for the museum, now in its 28th year. Executive Director Lauren Cohen says 120 people showed up to the 10th annual event, which typically generates more than $10,000 for the museum. It’s the one time of the year where you will see adults, but no children, in the museum—typically, adults are not allowed inside if they don’t have a child with them, although they are welcome to a tour with a staff member. (The flip side is true also: no kids without an accompanying adult.) It’s also a great way for adults whose children have aged out of the museum to check out what’s new— “There are a lot of families that come to the event and say their kids are in college now,” Cohen says. “It’s a nice way for adults to enjoy the museum.” Fun & Games Night is the first fundraiser of the year for MY Museum, which will hold a number of other fundraising events in the coming months, including an online auction in the spring. “We really want to raise money to do the good things with our mission, which is to provide an environment where children and adults can learn through experience,” she says. Those funds are used to constantly refresh and replace the museum’s various attractions, because “as you can imagine at a children’s museum, there’s so much wear and tear,” Cohen notes. Upgrades at the museum in recent months include a refurbishment of the house exhibit, where the young attendees can try their hand at building a structure, as well as a new grass sensory wall and bubble tube that has a calming effect on children. Looking forward, Cohen says the goal is to reach more families in South County. To that end, the hope is to attract a large traveling exhibit in 2026, similar to 2023, when the museum set up a space in the Del Monte Shopping Center in Monterey that was based on the book series Potter the Otter. “Next year we hope to do something big in South County,” she says. The goal also extends to meeting families who may not have the financial means to take part in a variety of activities that challenge both the brain and the body. MY Museum can be seen as a one-stop-shop, with its weekly offerings of gymnastics and activities in the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) realm. “We have a lot of families who maybe can’t afford to put their children in multiple programs, so they join the museum for $125 and can be engaged in gymnastics, STEAM activities and arts and crafts,” Cohen says. MY Museum 425 Washington St., Monterey. $10/daily admission; free/children under 24 months. 649-6444, mymuseum.org. Fun-Forward MY Museum’s adults-only fundraiser kicks off a year of activities for the family space. By Erik Chalhoub MY Museum’s Fun & Games Night was all for the adults, who gathered in spaces typically reserved for families throughout the downtown Monterey museum to play a slew of board and card games. “It’s a nice way for adults to enjoy the museum.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE ERIK CHALHOUB Presented By montereychamber.com In CelebrationOf: 2024 Citizen of the Year Jeff Davi The Monterey Peninsula Home Team and A.G. Davi, Ltd 2024 Ruth Vreeland Memorial Public Official of the Year Mary Ann Carbone Mayor City of Sand City 2024 Robert C. Littlefield Award for Lifetime Achievement Shawn Adams Owner, Monterey Signs 2024 Community Impact Award Sandra Button Chairman, Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Business of the Year Award To Be Announced During the Event GET TICKETS!
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