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Date: 6/28/2021
SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Museums’ annual Summer Spectacular is kicking off on July 5 and runs through Aug. 11 with full-immersion, hands-on fun and learning activities for the entire family. This year, a majority of the events will take place outside to keep kids safe from COVID-19.
There will be a variety of activities each week, ranging from live reptile encounters to Arabic calligraphy to a Bring Your Own Blanket Concert with the Toe Jam Puppet Band.
Jenny Powers, family engagement coordinator, said that one event she is most looking forward to is the blanket concerts.
“We are really excited to welcome kids back to campus to have a lot of fun and a lot of play,” said Powers. “We haven’t had a performance on the Quadrangle in over a year, so these will be our first performances again.”
Powers said that the Toe Jam Puppet Band is interactive, funny and “the kind of show that makes your heart happy.”
All staff working with children will be required to wear masks, but the Springfield Museums are following all guidelines and lifts set forth by Gov. Charlie Baker.
Powers said that they wanted to host the events outside to make sure everyone is as safe as possible and then, hopefully, each year after can be closer to normalcy.
“We’re doing this for the kid’s safety since they’re not vaccinated yet,” she said.
After a hard year for both parents and kids, Powers said she is excited to be able to give children the opportunity to express themselves, learn, grow and interact with others.
“It has been a hard year and everybody on Earth pretty much has been traumatized. Kids need something happy, joyful, relaxing but also stimulating to their brains and I think that we’re going to help them combat that summer learning loss, but then we also are just going to give them some fun and some relief from this stressful year,” said Powers. “Families just want to be together and do something stimulating and get out of their houses.”
A full list of Summer Spectacular activities can be found on the Springfield Museums website at Springfieldmuseums.org. The cost of admission covers all five of the Museums and they also offer family memberships for $125. Summer Spectacular events are free with admission unless otherwise noted.