15 years of WOW factor: Lodi science museum to host celebration on Sunday

Wes Bowers, Lodi News-Sentinel, Calif.
·2 min read

Feb. 29—What began as an inspiration after a trip to the Exploratorium in San Francisco has become a Lodi institution.

The World of Wonders Science Museum is celebrating its 15th birthday on Sunday, March 3, showcasing all of its programs and exhibits to the Lodi community.

"The focus will be on sharing with the community some of what we do here," program coordinator Kaila Craig said. "We're going to have tons of arts and crafts and experiments. We'll also have our Moon Walk experience, and lots of vendors from education and health care."

Some of the programs WOW staff will highlight during the event includes the WOW on Wheels — an educational bus that visits Lodi Unified School District campuses throughout the year — and its summer science camps, Young said.

The idea to open a science museum was hatched in 2004 when Dan Ingrum, owner of Downtown Lodi's Danz Jewelers, took his family to the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

Ingrum brought the idea to fellow members of the Lodi Rotary Club, who embraced it and immediately formed a steering committee to get the museum up and running.

The museum received its non-profit status in 2006, and the committee worked with City of Lodi to open the WOW at 2 N. Sacramento St. three years later.

"I'm just excited because we've been very successful," WOW president and CEO Sally Snyde said. "It's really fun that we're still here."

After opening in 2009, the museum expanded in 2014 — both physically and academically, when it opened a second building and implemented both the WOW on Wheels programs and its field trips.

Like other businesses in Lodi, the museum was forced to shut down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but reopened in late 2021 with a limited number of services and programs.

However, during the pandemic, the museum purchased several structures across the street to begin its next expansion phase, which includes a third building three times the size of the existing structure that will house classrooms and a learning lab, as well as a plaza, outdoor amphitheater and carousel. The new expansion project is currently underway.

In 2022, a second bus was acquired for the WOW on Wheels program, allowing museum staff to visit more schools throughout San Joaquin County during the academic year.

This year, Craig said the WOW on Wheels program has visited more than 129 schools.

In addition, she said more than 21,000 people have visited the museum this year.

The museum's birthday celebration is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free.

For more information, visit www.wowsciencemuseum.org.