The Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville (cMoe) is filled with experiences that kids dream of — playing in water, making music, launching things into the air, dressing up and putting on shows, creating artistic masterpieces. Giving kids those kind of experiences was the dream of my mother-in-law, Karen Donovan Magan, who passed away earlier this month.
Karen is widely regarded as the founder of cMoe, having carried the project from idea to implementation, which included two temporary locations in local shopping malls before the move to its permanent location in the former Central Library in downtown Evansville.
Here are a few things about cMoe that Karen loved:
- Millie the Dinosaur. Millie greets visitors outside the museum, pointing out the entrance to fun. Millie’s no spring chicken, however. For years, she was on duty outside the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis before being moved to her post at cMoe.
- The multi-level Quack Factory. Up high, kids can use the ball launcher and climb through a 20-foot duck named Moe. On the lower level, the Wet Deck lives up to its name and offers a variety of water-based fun.
- The talking Mark Twain head. Think an electronic version of magnetic poetry. Push the buttons to select the words in the order you want them and listen to Mr. Twain speak back your creation.
There is much more to see and do at cMoe — the Live Big gallery, the magic harp, the Speak Loud gallery. Karen was proud of it all. I hope you’ll take the time to visit and learn for yourself.
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