#FountainHillsFriday: River of Time Museum Opens New Exhibits

Fountain Hills has a jewel in town that many people don’t know about.  This jewel just so happens to be the River of Time Museum.  There are currently a number of special attractions there for people of all ages to enjoy. Boe James, one of the museum’s members of the board of directors gave the Fountain Hills Chamber some more information about all of the new and exciting exhibits, including the special Santas and the “Wild Fountain Hills” project.

Just in time for Santa’s big day, the ROT Museum has reopened their exhibit built completely around the “guy in the big red suit”. Where can you find over 100 different versions of Santa Clause on display?  Nowhere in Arizona except for inside the River of Time Museum right here in Fountain Hills.  These Santas come in all shapes and sizes and have been captured doing all sorts of activities, from playing sports, sunning on a Hawaiian beach, playing musical instruments, recreating on the ski slopes, etc.  These Santas are available because of a generous gift by Sharon Morgan, the Events Manager for the Fountain Hills Chamber.  More Santas are on display in a case in the Community Center.

The museum has a new temporary exhibit called “Wild Fountain Hills” with projects done by 4th grader students from Four Peaks Elementary School.  This temporary exhibit will be on display through February, displaying critters of the Sonoran Desert such as snakes, coyotes, birds, spiders and much more.  The student projects include pictures and dioramas. 

In addition to the temporary “Wild Fountain Hills”, a new permanent and interactive exhibit is also at the museum with the recent installation of a new Petroglyph Wall. This is  perfect for children to draw their own petroglyphs using chalk provided.
 
The ROT Museum encourages the Fountain Hills community, as well as visitors to town, to stop by and enjoy not only the Santa exhibit for the holidays, but also everything else that the museum has to offer. There are membership opportunities, which could be a great idea for those who like to visit regularly – not just for the holidays! Of course, the ROT museum is the perfect family friendly option for an outing, and could make a great day trip for families looking to entertain the little ones while they are out of school for the winter break!

You can learn more about the River of Time Museum on their website here.