Adults will take over the Hands On Children’s Museum Friday for a playtime of their own
Generally, adults must be accompanied by children to visit Olympia’s Hands On Children’s Museum. On Friday, Jan. 26, though, grown-ups are invited to play and learn like kids — while enjoying adult beverages — at the museum’s After Hours.
After Hours — this time with the theme Fossils, Friends & Old-Fashioneds — is a reincarnation of Adult Swim events, which the museum hosted from 2014 until 2020, when the Feb. 28 Mad Hatter’s Gin & Tea Party was the museum’s last public event before the pandemic shutdown.
“It was such a beloved event for so many years, and people kept asking us, ‘Is it going to come back?’ ” said Amanda Wilkening, one of the event’s organizers and the museum’s assistant director of visitor engagement. “This really felt like the right time. We love this topic.
“People are excited to have it back,” she said “The tickets are selling well.”
The program for the evening will include a program about fossils led by paleontologist Kelsie Abrams of Seattle’s Burke Museum, and members of Portland’s Fossil Team sharing fossils, replicas and stories.
It also will include cocktails — specifically old-fashioneds made by Chelsea Farms and whiskey. There’ll be beer and wine available, too, and the first drink is included with the ticket price.
“Whiskey has been a trendy thing lately, and the process of distilling is so interesting,” Wilkening said. “It felt like whiskey and fossils kind of went together in a funny way. I’m thinking about an archaeologist with whiskey in hand.”
The Hardware Distillery of Hoodsport will be sharing information about distilling and offering free tastings. Participants also can learn about infusing whiskey with ingredients such as coffee and ginger.
Education is a big part of the event’s appeal, Wilkening said. “You don’t ever grow out of wanting to learn about things, and you don’t ever grow out of wanting to play.”
“Playtime and doing fun and creative things are just as important when you’re an adult as when you’re a kid,” says Christine Hoffman of Lacey, who attended several Adult Swims with friends. “There is alcohol there, but it’s not just another night out at a bar. It’s going to engage folks and have them be active, creative and silly in this beautiful setting.”
Hoffman, who’s hoping to get a group together for Friday’s event, said she particularly enjoyed doing craft projects at past events. “For space prom, there were DIY corsages with a whole bunch of different art items,” she said. “Another time, you could do your own screen-printed or glow-in-the-dark T-shirts.”
At Fossils, Friends & Old-Fashioneds, attendees can make dinosaur egg bath bombs (with plastic dinos inside), laser-printed coasters and friendship bracelets.
Those at the event also can try out any of the museum’s regular exhibits and attractions, and have a bite to eat at the Play Day Café, which will be serving “walking tacos” made with corn chips. There also will be dancing to tunes chosen by DJ Wes Jamieson.
Though no more After Hours events have been announced, the museum is aiming to offer more, including a resumption of the always-popular Beercraft, which Wilkening describes as a mini beer festival — with, of course, an educational component.
“We would talk about things like ‘Why are there bubbles in beer?’ or ‘What’s the difference between the bubbles in a light beer versus a Guinness (stout)?’ or ‘What is skunky beer?’ ” she said.
Hands On Children’s Museum After Hours
- What: The museum is resurrecting its popular adults-only night.
- When: 7-10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26
- Where: Hands On Children’s Museum, 414 Jefferson St. NE, Olympia
- Tickets: $35 in advance (till 5 p.m. Jan. 26), $40 at the door
- More information: https://www.hocm.org/events-programs/annual-events/hocm-after-hours-2/