New family attraction is Imperial Market’s first establishment to open

The Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center – a very special project of the Children’s Museum of Houston – will hold its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9:45 a.m. on May 28. The project is Imperial Market’s first retailer to open in its much-awaited commercial property development on U.S. 90 in Sugar Land.

Led by capital campaign co-chairs Debbie Fash, Jan Leaman, Rachel Leaman and Charlene Pate, the Museum raised more than $4 million from individuals, foundations and corporations in Fort Bend County to bring the nearly decade-long dream to life. “It has been a long-time dream of mine to bring the exciting experience of learning in a Children’s Museum to the children of Fort Bend. Fortunately, so many others have felt the need and people from all over the county have joined together to make this happen,” said Pate.

Housed on the first floor of a 12,500-square-foot repurposed historical building at Imperial Market (formerly known as Imperial Sugar now being restored by Johnson Development), and with the mission to transform communities through innovative child-centered learning, six galleries will be managed as platforms for learning for children from birth to 12 years of age.

Each gallery will be focused on the following quintessential childhood questions:

• “Can I Solve That?” sponsored by ECOLAB^®
• “How Are We Alike?” sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants of Greater Houston in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Houston/Galveston
• “How Does it Work?” sponsored by Ann and John Johnson
• “Where Does It Come From?” sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Sugar Land.
• “Can I Do That?” sponsored by Charlene Pate
• “How Does My Baby Grow?” (sponsorship opportunity available)

Each gallery will contain the following exhibits respectively:

• Cyberchase – The Chase is On!: a virtual math adventure
• Dragons & Fairies: where modern-day Vietnam interweaves with centuries-old folktales
• How Does It Work?: a place to get your imagination cranking
• Kidtropolis: a Fort Bend city for kids, run by kids, will include the following businesses:

Art Academy sponsored byOcuSOFT®; Bank sponsored by Wells Fargo; Bank Building sponsored by Fred and Mabel Parks Foundation; Diner sponsored by Another Time Soda Fountain & Café; H-E-B Market sponsored by H-E-B; Kidtropolis Community School sponsored by Fort Bend Christian Academy; Municipal Building sponsored by Manmeet and Paul Likhari; News Bureau sponsored by Fort Bend Herald; Precision Center sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Sugar Land; Vet Clinic sponsored by ABC Animal and Bird Clinic;

• Tot*Spot: a one-stop spot for tots.

Programming will change weekly in each gallery, and the “How Are We Alike?” gallery will rotate annually to a new cultural exhibit. Once construction for Imperial Market is completed, the Discovery Center will provide PlayWorks, an outdoor playground on the Discovery Center’s south side.

The Museum has delivered outreach programming to low-income families living in Fort Bend since the mid-1990s. It has worked with more than 48 community partners to give underserved populations free access to the Museum and its family learning programming. Additionally, parents in Fort Bend have benefited from the Museum’s school-based initiatives such as Parent Stars and Para Los Niños, which provide bilingual resources and support to increase children’s learning and literacy skills, as well A’STEAM, (Afterschool Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), which is a program designed to give children opportunities to build levels of scientific and mathematical literacy.

“It has been a great honor to work with leaders from communities throughout Fort Bend County to make their vision come true. The bonds we have formed will ensue that together we make possible a world-class learning center in a beautiful museum setting located in a historically important area,” said Tammie Kahn, executive director of Children’s Museum of Houston.

Paint a Tile for the Commemorative Wall

The public is invited to purchase a ceramic tile to be part of the Discovery Center’s Commemorative Tile Wall. Several paint days will be planned in advance of the grand opening.

• 12-inch-square Grandparents Tile - $5,000
• 8-inch-square Family Tile - $2,500
• 6-inch-square Siblings Tile - $1,000
• 4.25-inch-square Individual Tile - $500

Contact Tracy Golden at 713- 535-7218 or [email protected] to purchase a tile or make a charitable donation.

About Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center

The Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center is located at 198 Kempner St., Sugar Land. Hours will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. General admission for adults and children (ages 1+) will
be $12. For more information, visit childrensdiscoveryfb.org.