The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum will honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 21, 2019, with special programming. Families with young children can celebrate MLK’s achievements by participating in the museum’s Freedom Bell Community Art Project. Children will create paper doll self-portraits to add to a giant freedom bell. When the collaged bell is finished, it will hang in the museum for all to see. This activity is free with museum admission.

Special StarLab Planetarium shows are also planned for January 21, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, at 2:30 pm and 3:30 p.m. The shows will begin with a reading of the storybook, “Follow the Drinking Gourd” by Jeanette Winter. The story tells about slaves escaping via the Underground Railroad, using constellations to guide their way to freedom. In the StarLab Planetarium, children will learn how to find the “Drinking Gourd” constellation, along with other important constellations in the night sky. There is a $5 fee per child for StarLab, plus museum admission. Space is limited.

The Museum is located in the heart of the historic waterfront in Poughkeepsie, nestled between two city parks, just steps away from the Poughkeepsie Metro-North Train Station and restaurants.

The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on select Monday holidays. Admission is $10 per person. Members and children under 1 year old are free. Visit mhcm.org or call (845) 471-0589 for more information.