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Children's Museum Tucson celebrates 40 years of play

The Tucson Children's Museum is marking its 40th anniversary with a yearlong series of events, including Nostalgia Night, a 21-plus after-hours event on June 6 featuring food trucks, live music and full access to museum exhibits.

Children's Museum Tucson celebrates 40 years of play
Adults take advantage of photo opportunities during a previous Evening of Play event at the Children's Museum Tucson, which is hosting its 40th anniversary Nostalgia Night on June 6. Courtesy of Children's Museum Tucson.

The Tucson Children's Museum is marking 40 years with a full slate of events, including Saturday's 21-plus after-hours night for grown-ups who want to relive their childhood.

Nostalgia Night is June 6 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

The event offers the "kids who grew up here an opportunity to come back and play, even if they don't have kids themselves," said Director of Marketing Teresa Truelsen.

Attendees can make custom charm bracelets at the Sigfus Charm Bar or get a portrait drawn in minutes by Face Me Portraits by Linus, a local artist who draws portraits without looking at the paper.

The event will also feature live music by DJ Bay Bay Ruthless, with the museum courtyard transformed into a dance floor.

Attendees can purchase food from Chef Pablo Valencia's award-winning Scratching the Plate food truck, with alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages available from Crooked Tooth Brewery, Ray Ray's Sonoran, Los Milics Vineyards and Transit Tea.

General admission "plus" tickets include two drink tickets with the price of admission.

The museum and all its exhibits will be open for attendees to interact with and enjoy, alongside a photo booth and other "retro activities."

Live music is a staple of the Tucson Children's Museum's adult after-hours events, including the upcoming Nostalgia Night on June 6. Courtesy of Children's Museum Tucosn.

Truelsen said the museum has hosted other 21-and-up events in the past, including its annual "evening of play" event in October. Nostalgia Night is meant to be a more intimate and scaled-down version and is "really just a night to have fun, look back, and play."

The event is part of the museum's larger yearlong 40th anniversary celebration. The museum has already hosted events including Futureville Day, where kids got the chance to explore future careers and opportunities, and Desert Discovery Day, a celebration of community and culture within the Sonoran Desert.

In addition to Nostalgia Night, the museum is hosting a July 18 Birthday Bash to celebrate its history with a 1980s-themed after-hours event for all ages.

Summer is the busiest time of year for the museum, with kids out of school and parents looking for fun ways to keep them entertained, according to Truelsen.

Beyond expanded summer hours, the museum has partnered with the Downtown Experience Summer Event Series, which includes evening activities and experiences from four local museums.

On the last Friday of the month through August, the museum will host after-hours events included with the price of admission. The next is June 26, when the museum will host a Bubble Bash complete with foam cannons, bubble machines and other related attractions.

More information can be found on the children's museum calendar on its website.


Elias Bonilla is a journalism and political science major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact him at ebonilla1500@gmail.com.

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