Trailhead Children’s Museum reopens on Elk Avenue

By Katherine Nettles

As many people have noticed while passing down the east end of Elk Avenue lately, the Trailhead Children’s Museum has moved into a new location and is just about to reopen its doors to the community. Staff, board members and a team of volunteers and contractors are finishing up preparations and some exciting new playscapes in the new space at 501 Elk Avenue, with a soft opening planned for Saturday, June 17, and a grand opening to follow in the coming weeks. Anyone interested in getting involved is invited to help with time, donations and some enthusiasm.

It has been a few years since the Trailhead has had a physical place to call home, but that has never stopped the organization from having an enduring presence in the Gunnison Valley. The Trailhead first opened as a museum space in 2009 at the Treasury Center in Mt. Crested Butte. Its programs and variety of open-ended and often-rotating activities quickly established the children’s museum as a staple for families, whose loyalty has proven itself even as the Trailhead was displaced by various circumstances and moved to different spaces in Mt. Crested Butte and Crested Butte over the past 15 years. 

The Trailhead worked with the Crested Butte Center for the Arts for the past few years in an effort to reopen in the old Center building after the new Center was built; however, cost prohibitive repairs ultimately led the town and the Center to officially close that building to occupancy.

Meanwhile, the Trailhead forged on. From pop-up science discovery events to art camps and classes, movie nights and craft booths at local markets, festivals and other places, the children’s museum has continued offering a creative outlet to children up and down the valley. 

“We never gave up,” says board president Katie Mueller, of the many families, volunteers and staff members who have continually worked to find a lasting space for the museum. 

That space turned up when the Trailhead staff and board of directors found a partner in the Walter Group real estate investment firm. The Walter Group owns several buildings in and around Crested Butte, and when the Trailhead’s executive director Sarah Broadwell reached out, they happened to have the space on Elk Avenue available.  

The two organizations reached an agreement this spring and an army of Trailhead loyalists has been pitching in to help get the new space ready for its reopening this month. These efforts have come in a variety of donations, time, material, labor and general excitement. 

A reimagined space

The new location will allow for a dedicated art room, an open-ended “art bar,” STEM-based building and tinkering spaces, interior play structures and, in summer, an outdoor area for water activities and sunshine.

Mueller says the art room will be available for classes, workshops, private lessons and private rentals such as birthday parties. The classroom will also be key to building a preschool program, which the Trailhead relaunched last winter. 

“We’re really looking to dedicate some energy toward growing those programs, just because there is such a big need for it in the community,” she says. 

Mueller explains that the main mission is creativity and keeping materials as open-ended as possible. “We feel like those are real 21^st-century skills for kids to have, so giving them the opportunity to make all those decisions when they are young can help them have confidence to do that as they grow.” 

She adds that collaborating with other kids of varying ages, skills and interests within these exhibits helps kids with social-emotional development. There will be several rotating exhibits and some larger, permanent playscapes inside, and the street-facing outdoor deck will enable gathering and dining spaces with room for a seasonal water table and other “messy play” styles, as Broadwell describes it. 

While earlier plans had been for the Trailhead to reopen at the beginning of June, Broadwell says a few adjustments to that schedule were necessary. 

“The delay is due to some projects taking longer than expected, and the schedule of the contractors that have been helping us. They have been amazing! But they have been working around the clock to ensure that the building is accessible and safe for all,” she says.

“Now that all of the building updates are completed, we are taking the extra time to put finishing touches on things. We have some amazing volunteers from the community and board members who are helping us, and we are working with their schedules as well.” 

All hands on deck

Both Mueller and Broadwell say that the community connections run deep and have made settling into a new space not only possible, but the museum is shaping up to be better than ever. “It’s been great,” says Broadwell of all those who have been stopping in and volunteering their time. “A lot of people have served this organization over the years. And we’ve also been talking to people who were not familiar with the Trailhead too, and they are pumped.” 

And as the saying goes, it does take a village. According to Broadwell, the organization could use some additional volunteers as they approach the finish line. “We need help with simple construction, painting, landscaping, cleaning and organizing,” she says. 

“The main materials we need are art supplies for camps and classes, if anyone would be interested in supporting those programs. Another material we are still working on sourcing is a stand-alone fence for our parking area. Additionally, we would love to involve anyone who could contribute flower boxes, hanging baskets, etc. or gardening skills, to help make a beautiful and inviting exterior!”

Grants have come from both the towns of Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte, and according to Broadwell, “The Walter Group seems committed to making this a long-term relationship and supporting us however they can.” 

  Mountain Colors’s owner Kim Raines donated all new paint and lighting fixtures, which have given the space a bright, fresh interior. Several other individuals, businesses and organizations around town have contributed as well.

“It’s a true community effort,” says Mueller. “People that love the Trailhead just keep showing up for it.”

Summer activities underway

The Trailhead has already started its summer camp classes, from pre-k through elementary grade levels, and still has spaces available, mostly for children who are rising 3rd-5th graders. 

“We have professionally trained artists from Crested Butte and Gunnison teaching our Studio Art Camp, and have some amazing projects planned!” says Broadwell.

Camps are designed a la carte so that families can pick and choose any dates, whether it’s one day or 20 without session requirements. “However, parents must register ahead of time,” advises Broadwell. “They cannot show up day of to try to get into a group. If there is a day that is full, I highly recommend joining the waitlist! We are also open to hiring more art and outdoor teachers, which would help us make more camp spots available.”  

Mueller reflects that while the journey to find a new location has had challenges, in retrospect everything makes sense with a strong board of directors, strategic plan and now, a dedicated space.

“I feel really good about where we’re at as an organization moving into this next phase,” she says.

With their reopening they are launching a discounted membership drive, a business sponsorship campaign, and looking for annual underwriters and other donations to help with maintenance, programming and those beloved pop-up events they plan to continue holding around town. They also offer volunteer memberships for families to help keep membership accessible for everyone.

The Trailhead is hosting a summer block party and fundraising benefit with American folk band the Okee Dokee Brothers in Mt. Crested Butte on July 27. More information on classes, programs, membership and events can be found at www.trailheadkids.org.