Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – The upcoming NEA Children’s Museum is hosting a color run later in November to promote community engagement and the museum itself.
The museum will be hosting a half-mile color run that will begin in downtown Jonesboro. Museum president Jordan Carlow told JRN the run is intended not only to raise funds for and awareness about the project but also celebrate its recent land lease agreement with the City of Jonesboro.
The city agreed to allow 215 W. Monroe Ave. – which is city-owned property and the home of Winter Wonderland, a walk-through holiday-themed museum that opens during the Christmas season – to be the NEA Children’s Museum’s location. Winter Wonderland will be incorporated into the museum’s offerings at no cost to the community.
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The museum cannot begin any demolition or site improvement projects until it secures “verified, irrevocable long-term capital financing, enforceable grant awards, and/or committed sponsorships sufficient to complete the construction and opening of the museum facility,” and city leadership verifies that threshold has been met. The agreement is effective through Jan. 1, 2030.
“It’s just fun for kids to get involved,” Carlow said of the color run. “We plan to have strollers, wagons, kids running, people from all different speeds.”
In addition to the run, Carlow said the day’s festivities will also include inflatables, balloons, a petting zoo, facepainting, and food and drink vendors.
Registration is still open, and those who register by Nov. 1 are guaranteed an event T-shirt. Sponsorship opportunities are also available, which cost $100 and include sponsors’ names on the run T-shirts. Those are due Nov. 2. Those interested in registering or becoming a sponsor can click here.
With the land lease agreement approved, Carlow said next steps for the museum will be kickstarting a capital fundraising campaign. Provided the museum raises the required money, construction will begin in fall 2027, with the facility to open in fall 2028.
The project was announced in November 2023. The museum will feature numerous exhibits, including weather, agriculture, the human body, and more, as well as a low-sensory area. It is expected to draw 77,000 people annually.
“This is about fundraising and community support, but it’s more about a celebration of this milestone that we just accomplished and to be able to celebrate at the same location that we’re going to be building our future in,” Carlow said. “That is more why we wanted to do, for community involvement and kind of a celebration.”
The 2026 NEA Children’s Museum Fun Run is set for Sunday, Nov. 15 beginning at the Pavilion in downtown Jonesboro from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
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