The Whiting-based Mascot Hall of Fame will host a celebration for its last day on Sept.14.
The museum recently announced it will be permanently closing. Until a new location is found, it will continue online. For its final day, it is planning a celebration filled with fur, pancakes, confetti and a balloon drop.
The Grand FURnale will kick off with a pancake breakfast with Chris Cakes from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Chris Cakes offers “pancakes with an attitude.”
“You might have to catch your pancake if you want to eat … but Chris has pretty good aim,” according to a museum announcement. “He is the fastest and highest tossing flapjack flipper in the world. He once threw one up to the second floor here at the museum.”
Mascots will make appearances throughout the day from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn more about the event here.
On July 22, the Mascot Hall of Fame announced its closing. Since its opening in 2018, thousands of students have visited for field trips. The museum provided free and reduced programs and hosted food banks, blood drives, backpack giveaways, sensory days and reading programs.
“It has been an honor,” said museum officials in the announcement. “How lucky are we to have worked with the mascot community — such talent and kindness. It is magic when a mascot visits the Mascot Hall of Fame.”
The Mascot Hall of Fame preserves and celebrates the cultural aspects of mascots. The museum offers interactive exhibits and memorabilia honoring popular mascots, such as Boomer of the Indiana Pacers and Tommy Hawk of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Mascot Hall of Fame’s mission is to educate, promote fun and honor mascot hall of fame inductees.
Earlier this year, the Mascot Hall of Fame earned the designation of the No. 1 Pop Culture Museum in the nation by USA Today readers.
(Photo provided by the Mascot Hall of Fame)
