Events: Arizona - Phoenix - Scottsdale

The global pandemic took its toll on many businesses across the Valley, including the L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum & Exploration Center, located in Fountain Hills. For nearly two years, the nonprofit establishment has been closed, but now, the museum is ready to welcome back visitors. Saturday, March 26, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. doors will be open again to the public.

During the forced closure, a nearly $100,000 renovation was done at the facility, thanks to grants and support from donors.

“After more than 18 months, and lots of construction, we are thrilled to announce our interior space has been reimagined with interactive displays, increased interpretive elements and expanded stories,” said Cherie Koss, the museum’s executive director. “We are ready to welcome back patrons and share the remarkable history of the Lower Verde River Valley.”

The grand opening, family-friendly event on March 26 is a special entrance fee, $5 for adults, kids get in free. It will include crafts, hands-on exploration activities, a scavenger hunt, prizes and lessons on Arizona’s native plants and indigenous animals. There will also be live characters in costume sharing facts of important historic people along with dignitaries from the community welcoming back guests.

The L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum & Exploration Center explores how the history of this region and present-day lives are connected. As visitors journey through the museum, its exhibits showcase the ways desert dwellers – from the ancient Hohokam and the Yavapai to early ranchers and modern-day settlers – found ways to create an oasis in the Verde Valley as well as Fountain Hills.

As part of the significant renovation, the museum was updated to include an art gallery and exhibition space where it will feature stunning works by Fountain Hills’ first resident, Sally Atchinson. The gallery will change several times throughout the year and feature a selection of artists and exhibits related to the Southwest.

Additionally, the museum’s first gallery hallway exhibit features the Smithsonian Traveling Poster Exhibit titled “Journey, Stories” exploring how movement has shaped the nation. The display takes a broad look at expansion and migration from earliest settlers and Native American displacement to the effects that advancements in transportation have on mobility. Visitors are challenged to compare their “migration” stories to those depicted in the exhibit.

Interactive displays at the museum include a one-of-a-kind, augmented reality sand table. The hands-on exhibit can be manipulated to create topographic representations of mountains, streams and various weather patterns. Visitors can also play archaeologist, digging in the sand to uncover dinosaur bones.

“Our mission is to engage, entertain, educate and inspire people across the state about the importance of the Lower Verde River Valley through ever-changing, relevant topics and experiences,” Koss added. “While the last couple of years have been trying, we know the reopening will provide visitors an eye-opening view into the region by using natural and social sciences to not only preserve and interpret the past, but to understand the present and promote future sustainability.”

The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65+ and $7 for children six to 18, as well as veterans and health care workers. Members, Fountain Hills students with ID and children under five are admitted free. The museum is located at 12901 N. La Montana Blvd., Fountain Hills, 85268, (480) 837-2612. For more information, visit https://www.riveroftime.museum/