Celebrate the grand opening of the state-of-the-art Toy Halls of Fame exhibit at The Strong Museum on Saturday, September 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, September 20, from 1 to 4 p.m. with festive music, family entertainment, character meet and greets, and exciting games.
All weekend long, meet and take photos with life-sized versions of classic toys such as a rubber duck, a Crayola crayon, and Mr. Potato Head. Start and end the party with a toy character parade on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 and 4 p.m. Also, enjoy energetic music and dance parties. Once each hour on the hour, the dance party will be interrupted for a “Time Out for Toys” featuring games and challenges with different National Toy Hall of Fame toys such as bubbles, hula hoops, and beach balls. Play a game of chance and win prizes such as free train rides, bubbles, rubber ducks, jump ropes, crayons, and more.
On Saturday only, museum guests can see which talented yo-yo competitors have the winning moves during the New York State Yo-Yo Slam. Competitors from around the country, including some world-class players, will be in Rochester to dazzle museum guests with their slick tricks and flashy, routines in three divisions: Freestyle, Off-String, and Open. Check out the energetic half time show featuring professional juggler Joe Showers. And new this year, the winners will be chosen by a panel of judges and the audience. On Sunday only, local artist Gene Dailey will be on site sketching quick portraits for guests (first come, first served.) Portraits are drawn using solid graphite sticks on sketch paper and take approximately five minutes to complete.
About the Exhibit
The Toy Halls of Fame exhibit brings The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame and the Toy Industry Association’s Toy Industry Hall of Fame together in a cutting-edge, state-of-the-art museum installation that recognizes iconic toys and the people who make them. Throughout the exhibit, guests learn through play as they explore five interactive, themed areas—imagine, create, build, move, and compete—and corresponding toys beloved by generations.
The Toy Halls of Fame exhibit is produced by The Strong in cooperation with the Toy Industry Association. The project is supported by New York State's Empire State Development and the I ♥ NY Division of Tourism under Governor Andrew Cuomo's Regional Economic Development Council Initiative. Additional grant funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The project is also made possible in part by Neil B. Friedman, Funrise Toy Corporation, Hasbro Children’s Fund, Inc., The Hassenfeld Foundation, Tom & Karen Kalinske, LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc., LEGO Systems, Inc., Pressman Toy Corporation, Radio Flyer Inc., and Toys “R” Us, Inc.
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Museum Hours: Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
General Admission Fees (does not include admission to Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden®): age 2 and older $13.50, under age 2 free, members free. (Note: After November 1, general admission fees change to $14.)
Admission to Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden: General Admission fee plus $3 for members, $4 for nonmembers, under age 2 free. Entry is by timed ticket only.
Parking: Free parking is available at the museum for all guests on a first-come, first-served basis during regular museum hours. Please note that, on high visitation days, the museum lot may reach capacity early in the day. If space is not available on site at the time of your visit, additional parking is available at neighboring municipal garages for a fee. The Strong is not responsible for fees incurred at off-site locations.
