THEMUSEUM welcomes 1,500,000 guest

THEMUSEUM in Kitchener marked a major milestone Sunday morning as they welcomed their 1,500,000 guest.

When Vincent Feng, Tamryn Feng, and their children Izzy and Matthew walked into THEMUSEUM, they had no idea what kind of surprise waited just beyond the doors.

“[It was] quite surreal. We totally weren’t expecting it,” Tamryn said after the family was greeted by a round of applause and given gifts worth over $500 as a show of appreciation.

“We were caught a little off guard when they said 1.5 million,” Vincent smiled. “We’ve heard a lot of great things about THEMUSEUM and we’ve been really planning this trip to Kitchener for a while. So catching this is just the cherry on top.”

The family was looking forward to creating some art and doing some dancing during their visit.

The whole experience made for a very exciting first visit to THEMUSEUM for the family.

“My sister actually told us that she’s been here before and said it was great. It’s been a few years since we’ve been back to Kitchener so we decided to check it out,” Vincent told CTV News.

For staff at the museum, the moment is more than just a milestone.

“We’re very pleased that people want to come here. It validates our model – that people like what we do,” THEMUSEUM CEO David Marskell said.

“I’m very proud of the unique arts and entertainment organization we’ve built.”

Looking around the packed room, he reflected on what draws people back time and time again.

“I think the museum is not afraid to take risks. We bring truly world class exhibitions for all stages of life. We have evening programing, we have school groups, we have 55 and better programming. It’s just got something for everyone. And we work hard. We work hard to make sure people have a good time and enjoy.”

Marskell said he hopes THEMUSEUM will be able to welcome their 2,000,000 guest soon after it took almost 20 years to reach the 1,500,000 mark.

He hopes their upcoming exhibit about giraffes will continue to raise the bar and bring excitement to a new height.

THEMUSEUM in Kitchener welcomed their 1,500,000 guest, the Feng family, on May 19, 2024. Left to right: Maverick THEDINO, CEO of THEMUSEUM David Marksell, Tamryn Feng, Vincent Feng, Matthew Feng, Izzy Feng, Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, THEMUSEUM board of directors Vice President Linda Fabi, THEMUSEUM board of directors member Jacqueline Hewson, THEMUSEUM board of directors member Pejman Salehi, Waterloo MP Bardish Chagger. (Shelby Knox/CTV News)

Mini Makers Market

The celebration coincided with THEMUSEUM’s first Mini Maker Market featuring young entrepreneurs selling hand crafted items.

Vendors were selling everything from keychains, to mugs and glasses, and even amigurumi, a kind of crocheted stuffed animal.

“Even as a little kid I always loved trying to do a small business,” 14-year-old owner of The Imagination Shop Emilia Fernandes said while minding her booth at the market. “It just feels cool that I can make my dream as a little kid come true.”

Although she had been working hard on crochet for months now, Sunday was her first visit to THEMUSEUM. “I think it’s a really nice building,” she said.

For two other young entrepreneurs, starting up their own business helped their friendship grow even deeper.

“We started making things during COVID. We got really bored so we just decided, oh let’s start making bracelets,” 12-year-old Gia McCallstroh said.

“Once we figured out what we could do we started making mom stacks. And then we signed up for the Youth Creativity Fund grant,” 13-year-old Mckenzie Gingrich said.

The grant is presented by the Business & Education Partnership of Waterloo Region, the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, and the Creative Capital of Canada movement. Funds are provided to students who ‘want to bring a creative idea to life.’

“I like how there’s this fun mascot Maverick,” Mccallstroch said, referencing THEMUSEUM’s dinosaur mascot, Maverick THEDINO.

“We were kind of worried that the tail, since it was so big, would smack the cups and they’d fall down and break,” Gingrich laughed, gesturing to the pair’s display of glassware.

Thankfully the cups, and the rest of the table, were safe from the dinosaur’s tail.