$100K Grand Opening Gift For Peabody's North Shore Children's Museum

PEABODY, MA — The North Shore Children's Museum got a huge boost during its official grand opening this week when North Shore Bank presented it with a $100,000 donation to fund a banking exhibit at the region's only children's museum.

The exhibit, which is expected to be in place early in 2023, will include a piggy bank "Plinko" board a drive-thru ATM, play teller lines and cash registers with pretend money.

The exhibit is a fitting early interactive space for the Children's Museum, which was built inside the former TD Bank location at 10 Main Street. The exhibit will be in the same location as the original teller line in the building.

"We're proud to be a part of this wonderful project," North Shore Bank Chief Executive Officer Kevin Tierney said. "When we toured the museum in August and saw that the teller line from the former bank was still in place, it was obvious to us that the space would be perfect for the banking exhibit.

"The North Shore Children's Museum offers unique and hands-on educational opportunities, and this banking exhibit will allow children to have a truly authentic experience. We'd like to congratulate Mayor (Ted) Bettencourt, and all the city officials, on their achievement of bringing this museum to our downtown."

The donation was presented in conjunction with the official ribbon-cutting for the Museum, which opened to the public last month as part of the city's downtown revitalization efforts.

"Wednesday's ribbon-cutting ceremony was a wonderful opportunity to thank all of those who helped make the North Shore Children's Museum a reality," Bettencourt said. "Since it opened on Oct. 15, the Museum is running well ahead of projections and there are already plans to expand its operating hours to keep up with demand."

The North Shore Children's Museum is open four days a week and has several discount programs available, including the Museums For All initiative that allows admission for $3 for families with EBT cards.

"Access is a fundamental part of our mission at the North Shore Children's Museum," North Shore Children's Museum Executive Director Ali Haydock said. "We want every child on the North Shore to benefit from the museum — and that cannot happen without philanthropy.

"This donation from North Shore Bank will have a profound impact on our ability to serve families at all income levels."

The museum is open Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

Party rentals are also available.

Regular admission is $12 for adults and children over 12 months old.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)