The Barlow Planetarium in Menasha. PC: Fox 11 Online
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — One of the busiest stand-alone planetariums in the Midwest is making its cosmic comeback in the Fox Valley.
Complete with a ribbon-cutting, Barlow Planetarium held its grand reopening Wednesday after a two-month closure.
“I was a little worried to start, because we’ve never been shut down for two months before, except for COVID. And so, starting from zero and coming back up I was really worried people might forget about us because it had been two months. But we have reservations coming in, we have some birthdays.”
For Barlow Manager Teri Gee, it’s been quite a ride, and Winnebago County has been extremely supportive of their re-opening efforts.
“There’s different procedures, different rules that they have in place that are not the same, education and government are not the same thing,” Gee explained. “Generally speaking, our transition over from UWO to Winnebago County is as smooth as it could possibly have been.”
The Barlow was closed to the public while it worked to transition to a county-owned facility, following the closure of UWO-Fox Cities.
The planetarium’s move to a county-owned property came with a hefty price tag according to Winnebago County Executive Gordon Hintz.
“The labor cost associated with the building is slightly, it’s about $294,000. We estimate right now revenue is coming in at about $190,000.”
Hintz said the county is working to rebuild interest and get new equipment for the Barlow to keep funds flowing as well as growing the tax base.
“We see this as an opportunity, but we are challenging the community to help come up with resources. County taxpayers can’t be on the hook.”
Hintz added the Barlow is an economic cornerstone of Winnebago County, and the county will keep supporting the Planetarium for as long as it can.
Continuing the celebration of its reopening is a special event set for Saturday. Family Astronomy Day is an immersive event featuring fun for the whole family. There will be free activities, exhibits and telescope viewing, as well as six planetarium/laser music shows.
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