THE CITY OF SODA SPRINGS/HISTORIC ENDERS BUILDING OPENING PART OF THE RETURN OF MUSEUM ON MAIN STREET BRINGING EXHIBITIONS TO RURAL IDAHO 

Spark!: Places in Innovation continues its Idaho tour on 8/26/2023-10/7/2023 when the exhibit opens at the Historic Enders Building, located at 76 S Main St. Spark! Places of Innovation is part of Museum on Main Street (MoMS), a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution that provides small and rural communities access to Smithsonian traveling exhibitions. Spark! Places of Innovation is the first bilingual (English & Spanish) and fully interactive MoMS exhibit produced by the Smithsonian Institution. 

In conjunction with official statewide MoMS partner organization, the Idaho Humanities Council, six Idaho communities will offer a variety of locally-directed public events that highlight the exhibit's themes. Spark! Places of Innovation will tour the communities of Priest River, Kellogg, Soda Springs, Twin Falls, Nampa, and Marsing. The tour begins in Priest River in May and concludes in Marsing in early March of 2024.  

For over 25 years, the Smithsonian has actively developed traveling exhibits based on traditional exhibits in the Smithsonian network of museums. These traveling exhibits are designed to be sent out into rural America, with the intention of bringing the Smithsonian out of Washington, D.C., and to engage people in local conversations across the country. Prior exhibits have included immigration, change in rural America, and the relationships communities have with their waterways.  

Typically, the host organizations of these exhibits see an increase of attendance and volunteer hours, and the cumulative economic impact for the communities has been estimated to be over $111.8 million across the country.  

The Spark! Places of Innovation exhibit focuses on not just technological innovation, but also the social, artistic, and cultural heritage components, with stories just from rural America. This exhibit showcases that innovation is not something only occurring in metro hubs, but something that is still happening in their own towns and backyards across rural America.  

The end of the exhibit also prompts visitors to take all the stories in the exhibit and explore how their own communities can (or are) hotspots for innovation. Before experiencing a Spark! Places of Innovation exhibit, 61% of youth surveyed felt their town contributed to the American story and 34% felt that their voices were heard & contributed to the town’s future. After the exhibit, the numbers jumped to 92% and 82% respectively. 

The City of Soda Springs/Historic Enders Building is excited to bring this exhibit to the Historical Enders Museum for everyone to experience and interact with in the summer of 2023. 

For more information on Spark! Places of Innovation held in Soda Springs, Email andreah@sodaspringsid.com. For more information on the Idaho Humanities Council and other Idaho tour dates for Spark! Places of Innovation, please visit www.idahohumanities.org. For more information on all Museum on Main Street exhibitions, tour itineraries, and Stories from Main Street, go to museumonmainstreet.org.  

Spark! Places of Innovation has been made possible in Idaho by the Idaho Humanities Council. 

Spark! Places of Innovation is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the state humanities councils across the country. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress. 

The Enders Building is a Historical Building on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 Click here to read.