The Grinch may steal more than Christmas this year. He may bar the doors of the James Monroe Children’s museum to the hundreds of inquiring youngsters who visit or would like to explore the site.
Funding for the unique, interactive western town on the campus of James Monroe Elementary School has dried up, and unless somebody steps up to the plate with $25,000, the student docents at Monroe will have to put away their costumes, and the characters they portray will just fade away.
Funding for the museum has come from the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians for the past two years as part of the grants given by the tribe annually to various nonprofit groups in Madera County.
This year, however, the museum didn’t make the cut, and attempts are being made to raise the $25,000 it takes to run the program for 2013-2014...