Stuffie Boot Camp will put ‘best friends’ to the test

Superior’s Bong center to host fun children’s event

BY ALISON STUCKE PHOTOGRAPHY BY AYLA ANDROSKY

It’s going to be the best stuffie sleepover ever! Stuffie Boot Camp at the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center will be a fun and educational event for children ages pre-K through fourth grade, or for anyone who loves stuffed animals. The event begins March 30, when children can bring and leave behind their favorite stuffed animal, who will have an “overnight adventure” in the museum.

Throughout the evening, stuffies will be put through various “boot camp” activities set up in the museum gallery, including a vigorous gummy worm crawl where the stuffies crawl over a path covered in gummy worms. Photos will be taken throughout the activities, so each stuffie’s owner will get to see evidence of all that his or her stuffie accomplishes.

“The stuffie will get drafted into service,” explained Hayes Scriven, executive director of the center. “The stuffie’s owner will bring the stuffie here to get enlisted. The stuffie will go through fun and cute boot-camp activities. The following day, the owner returns for the stuffie. The child will get discharge papers telling what the stuffie did, and individual photos of his or her stuffie as evidence, plus customized dog tags for the stuffie and child, and admission for the child and an adult to wander through the museum.”

Hayes got the idea for the event from his 9-year-old daughter, Aneliese, who participated in a stuffie sleepover in their hometown, Two Harbors.

“This will be our first foray into programming for young children,” Hayes said. “It’s a family-friendly event that will get kids excited about history and aware of how military is involved in their lives.”

“It’s going to be a cool way for kids to learn about the museum and the armed forces,” said Carys Jeffrey, a history major at the University of Minnesota Duluth who is interning at the center. “The main story in the museum gallery is the Richard I. Bong story — his growing up, combat tour and untimely death. And there’s a plethora of other veteran stories, plus a bunch of cool vehicles to see.”

Bong flew a fighter plane during World War II and was called “The Ace of Aces.” He grew up in Poplar. The veterans center is dedicated to preserving and telling the story of America’s heroes who served our country from World War I to today. Each exhibit at the center provides a personal perspective on service and sacrifice. Bong’s fighter plane also is on display.

For more information on the Stuffie Boot Camp and more, visit www.bvhcenter.org or call (715) 392-7151. — MDT