Not many people can say they’ve curated a museum, but 10-year-old Evan Schmidt from Pickerington can.
Schmidt has collected shells from all over the world, and last summer, he opened a shell museum on his lawn to share his collection with the community. This year, Schmidt moved his impressive collection of personal finds and donated shells to the garage for its second opening.
For those not located in Pickerington, Schmidt has a virtual shell museum tour video on his Instagram, which is run by his mom Daniella. In the video, he points out the numerous shell’s he’s received from fellow collectors and from his travels, such as a large collection of Welks from the Delaware Bay.
“All these Welks I found in one day. There were all in one beach,” Schmidt says in the video.
Throughout the museum, Schmidt has included opportunities to learn about the ocean’s importance, including at the ocean saving station where a small toy shark swims around a tub eating trash to shows how pollution affects ocean life.
Visitors can play shell-related games and even bring home souvenir shells.
Admission to the at-home museum is free, however donations are happily accepted by Schmidt to help support marine life. The museum is open July 16-17 as well as Sept. 18-19 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at 11771 Eddington Ave. in Pickerington.
Ellie Roberto is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
