The SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention, one of Whatcom County’s most popular indoor tourist attractions, reopened to the general public on Saturday, February 20, 2021. “We are thrilled to be once again serving our community,” says director of operations, Tana Granack. “We’ve missed our visitors—especially the kids!”
Like most other Museums and businesses facing the pandemic in our area, SPARK had to temporarily close its doors to the general public. “COVID-19 has been a challenge everyone’s had to face,” says Granack. “It’s given us time to reassess our place in the community, regroup, and develop an enhanced safety and sanitation policy.”
Safety is always a top priority at the SPARK Museum, for obvious reasons. Their signature demonstration involves one of the biggest lightning machines in the country, a Tesla coil called The MegaZapper. “4.6 million volts of loose electricity is pretty serious business,” says Granack. “And with this many interactive devices and areas to monitor—and all the kids and families—safety is always on our mind.”
“We’ve also done some additional reconfiguring, to take full advantage of our amazing space, and maximize everyone’s ability to safely enjoy the museum” says Granack referring to the newly modified front desk area, complete with new protective transaction shield. “We want our visitors to be as comfortable as possible with these necessary safety measures.”
In Response to Covid, SPARK has created a modified approach to their customer service, and feels the Museum — and the visiting public — will ultimately be better for it. To follow safety guidelines SPARK is requiring all guests over the age of two wear masks, and they are limiting the number of people in the building to 25% to allow sufficient space for social distancing. They are not doing timed ticketing but recommend you call to purchase seats to the weekend MegaZapper in advance since seating is more limited than usual. When you visit, there will be no shortage of interactive, dynamic experiences when you visit! With a team of experienced docents, always ready to perform demonstrations throughout the Museum’s many galleries and the Museum’s Performance Center.
“It’s more labor intensive and proactive on our part,” says Granack. “But our Team of docents and educators welcome that opportunity, because we know, that SPARK is a place where everyone wants to have a fun and memorable experience with science.”
For more information about the SPARK Museum visit www.sparkmuseum.org or contact abby@sparkmuseum.org
