Children of all ages stacked blocks, blew bubbles and played a guitar with laser strings, all part of hand on science exhibits at the Montana Science Center.
But after September 24th, the center will go quiet and its doors will permanently shut.
Wren Allison-Bunnell started coming to the Science Center, first as a visitor, then a volunteer and was recently hired to help in the STEAM lab, where on the center's final day, they are watching over the 3D printing machines for the last time.
“I'm going to miss seeing people being so excited about stuff. It's a magical thing to watch something that you build on a computer come to life,” Allison-Bunnell said.
Lauri Moss, the board chair for the Montana Science Center, says it was not an easy decision, but after an all day meeting last week, the board decided to dissolve the organization.
“It was a quick decision, but we simply could not afford to keep the doors open any longer, ” Moss said.
According to Moss, the board faced similar financial hardships a year ago, and after some emergency fundraising and budget cuts, managed to stay afloat.
“What was different this time is we just did not feel it was responsible to continue to limp along so that we can face this 6 months from now. The people that work here deserve to have you know a stable job,” Moss said.
Moss cited declining funding, rising costs, and difficulty attracting and retaining staff as factors in the decision to close.
The nonprofit aimed to be affordable and accessible offering yearly family memberships at $125.
“It’s one of the few affordable places to bring your kids especially in the winter,” Moss said.
Long time visitors and former employees came to mark and mourn the closing day, including Makayla Rust.
“I'm really sad to see things happen like this. I have a 7 month old at home and I was really looking forward to bringing her to this place when she was able to like start walking,“ Rust said.
After the doors close, the non-profit will return donated assets and try to find new homes for exhibits and the hands-on experiences to nonprofits fulfilling similar missions.
