ROCKINGHAM – Discovery Place Kids at 233 East Washington Street in Rockingham was the site on Thursday evening, July 19 for “Connections After Five” for members of the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce. A large crowd was on hand for this networking event which included community leaders, business owners, politicians, attorneys, school board members, and other members of the community.
For some of the attendees, this was their first visit to the local children’s museum, and they expressed how impressed they were with the beautiful facility. Others stated they have visited Discovery Place Kids in the past with their children and grandchildren and how much the children enjoy coming there, exploring the exhibits and participating in different programs. For example, the month of July has been filled with a variety of activities focusing on dinosaurs, as well as the weather and astronomy.
Pattan’s Downtown Grille catered the event, with a delicious buffet of their homemade chips and sauce, hot wings, corn salad, sliders, as well as homemade cookies. A variety of wines and craft beers were also enjoyed by the chamber members as they discussed current happenings in Richmond County.
Some of the RCCC members at “Connections After Five” included Tim Nevinger of the National Railroad Museum & Hall of Fame, Marley Schuster of Therafirm, Bobbie Sue Ormsby of the Richmond County School Board, Jonathan Buie of the Hamlet City Council, Ricky Vaughn of Farm Bureau Insurance, and Jeremy McKenzie of the Ellerbe Town Council.
Emily Tucker of RCCC welcomed the group and expressed her appreciation to Discovery Place Kids for allowing the Chamber of Commerce to hold the event there. Ken Hartley, Chairman of the Chamber, also thanked the members for such a large turnout and to continuing supporting each other in the community, including the new businesses that have joined the Chamber recently.
The exuberant staff members of Discovery Place Kids then put on a demonstration similar to the one they do twice a day for the children, singing and dancing on the Sandhills Stage to a variety of loud music and flashing lights, reminiscent of a disco. Elizabeth Davis, Katie Rohleader, Jessica Tullar, and Caleb Ricks entertained the group, encouraging others to participate, and also to visit again and bring others to enjoy the museum and all it has to offer.
Discovery Place KIDS “aspires to maximize the whole child by providing extraordinary and rich play experiences that value imagination, fun, and learning”. Richmond County is extremely fortunate to have this type of museum in our area. For more information, you can visit discoveryplacekids.org.
