Kelly Krumenacker is on a mission
to make Bucks County’s narrative more
accessible to young minds.
By Kristin Boyd
Kelly Krumenacker isn’t the kind of lady who colors inside the lines.
Always dreaming big, she’s never limited herself to perceived boundaries, continually stretching her imagination like it’s a rubber band. She exudes a childlike enthusiasm, but given her role as founder and executive director of the Bucks County Children’s Museum, her fearless-as-a-five-year-old, yes-we-can attitude is very much welcome – and needed.
As the driving force behind the museum, Krumenacker spends her days juggling meetings, making calls and working tirelessly to ensure it opens by spring 2011, or sooner, either in a physical building or as a mobile exhibit.
“My new job is the children’s museum,” says Krumenacker, a mother of three and a former special education teacher in the Pennsauken (NJ) School District who previously operated a private tutoring business. “It’s taken on a life of its own.”

Living lessons
The mission of the Bucks County Children’s Museum is to provide a fun, educational, hands-on environment for children, parents and schools that celebrates the history and uniqueness of Bucks County, according to the organization’s Web site, www.buckskids.org.
Once completed, the museum will feature a host of interactive exhibits about archeology, geology, history and heritage – all with a Bucks slant, Krumenacker says. Visitors, for example, can complete an archeological dig and unearth artifacts from the county’s early days; help out at a traditional Bucks farm stand by harvesting local crops and tending to livestock; or explore watersheds while learning how to preserve lakes and streams. Krumenacker and the museum’s board are in the process of interviewing various exhibit designers and fabricators.
“There are 70,000 young learners in Bucks County who will benefit from this,” she says.
Establishing the museum became Krumenacker’s dream several years ago, after she visited similar institutions throughout the country, including the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.
Having a children’s museum here, she says, will only add to the area’s already rich culture and provide another creative and educational outlet for children and their families.
“When I was a teacher, I was always looking for hands-on activities for my students and my own children,” she says. “We would stop at children’s museums, and they were terrific places where children could go to learn, have fun and see educational exhibits.” Krumenacker initially shared her idea for the museum with several community and business leaders, as well as parents groups and educational foundations. Everyone she spoke with, she says, considered the project worthwhile and encouraged her to move forward with it. She incorporated as a nonprofit charity in August 2006, shortly after gathering feasibility data and creating a 12-member advisory committee. She then established a board of directors in February 2007; a month later, the museum received its 501(c)3 nonprofit status.
Growing roots
The board is scouting four possible locations throughout Central Bucks, though Krumenacker declined to provide further details about the sites. A final selection is expected within six months, at which point board members will launch a capital campaign to obtain funding for potential exhibits. In the meantime, Fulton Bank recently donated office space for museum organizers at its executive building on Main Street in Doylestown. “It’s great to now have a home base,” Krumenacker says. “Our number one need right now is for financial support. We’re always looking for businesses and community leaders and corporate leaders who want to come forward and help. And we’re always looking for volunteers and partnerships with community organizations.” The museum – expected to be between 10,000 to 15,000 square feet, depending on the size of the site selected – will be a green facility, Krumenacker says. Organizers will work with regional suppliers to cut down on transportation costs and support the local economy, and they will only use products and materials with no known dangerous toxins or chemicals. The museum also will utilize energy efficient equipment and recycled products. A recycling program will be implemented, too, for paper, batteries and computers, among other common supplies. But that’s nothing compared to the fun that will happen inside, Krumenacker says. Warnings like “Please Don’t Touch” and “Please Step Away” will be absent from the museum, which will be an interactive and innovative environment meant to spark curiosity and imagination. Staff will encourage children to touch, explore and, most importantly, play. They can climb a mountain and build a covered bridge. Or they can travel back to early 1900s-Bucks County and visit a general store, take a ride on a trolley and stop by a turn-of-the-century post office. The local emphasis makes the museum stand out from others nationwide, Krumenacker says. “The displays will be heavy on Bucks County influences. We looked at the best of Bucks County and came up with a few ideas based on what we wanted the kids to learn. What should be included? What would make for dynamic exhibits?” Krumenacker says. “Every time I sit down and talk to someone in the community, they’ll bring up a great aspect of Bucks County that our education committee hasn’t even thought of yet.  “It’s so exciting,” she says. “This will be a place not only where kids can have fun but also develop a sense of place and a respect for their community.”