Explore More Discovery Museum in Harrisonburg is preparing for a night of fun and fundraising on Friday night.
The museum will hold its annual “Night at the Museum” gala on Friday, starting at 7 p.m. The gala, which serves as the nonprofit’s annual fundraiser, will feature silent and live auctions, and food and drinks for attendees.
The gala will act as a “moving party,” with attendees being guided through different areas and exhibits as the evening continues. Partygoers will start on the first floor of the museum, then the second, before finally arriving at the third floor for the live auction.
Proceeds from the evening will benefit Explore More and help fund the museum’s 2026 operating budget. Sarah Sutt, the museum’s development officer, said the gala gives adults who might not usually visit Explore More a chance to learn about the museum’s work.
“We really hope that the adults who come really get a feel for the museum and how fun it is,” Sutt said. “We typically have over 80,000 kids a year come through the museum, including also within our summer camps. We see a lot of traffic through here, but this is the one night that adults really get to pay attention to all the great things in the museum.”
Sutt said Explore More staff are hoping to raise $125,000 at the gala.
Lisa Shull, the museum’s executive director, said fundraising like this is needed to keep admission prices low and ensure local families can visit the museum.
“It’s very critical to our mission,” Shull said. “Much of this is for operations and delivering our mission, which would be interactive exhibits, all the educational programs, and making sure that the museum is accessible for all families.”
Shull said the goal of the event was to ensure the museum could continue operating and fulfill its mission of helping children understand the world around them.
Mari Kyle, a member of the museum’s board of directors, said the gala took the place of annual jazz parties at board members’ houses when Explore More moved into its current home on South Main Street.
“We’ll have people whose children come to the museum on a school field trip, or with grandparents, or with a babysitter,” Kyle said. “When this started, we were thinking, ‘Oh, well, parents could actually play at the museum at night, and actually have some fun.’ You can experience everything actually at the museum. It’s just adults playing and having fun, just like our kids do.”
The gala is crucial for keeping the lights on at Explore More, Kyle said.
Shull also said that Explore More, which maintains a relatively small full-time staff, wouldn’t be able to host events like this without the help of dedicated volunteers.
“The community has supported us for a long time,” Shull said. “It’s incredible to see how much work, time and energy our volunteers put into this. Without all these dedicated volunteers putting in hours and hours and hours, many months in advance, we could never pull off something of this magnitude. It’s really fun to see that environment transformed for adults.”