The Putnam Museum closed for four months during the onset of the pandemic, and partially reopened in July, with attendance lagging all of last year. Attendance started to rebound in January and February, with the roll out of vaccines. And attendance exceeded pre-pandemic levels in April and May by more than 500 visitors, said museum President and CEO Rachael Mullins.
Like the Figge, the Putnam saw a significant hit to its earned income, but held its own thanks to donations and support from the Quad-Cities Cultural Trust, Payroll Protection Program, the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and National Endowment for the Humanities.
“We are now stable and starting to see our earned income returning, which is tremendous and a great sign, I think, of future success for our community that we’re starting to see our community open back up again,” Mullins said.
That, she said, includes a return of school and local youth groups, as well as facility rentals and summer camps, half of which are already sold out.
“We’ve already been hearing … that kids and parents are really wanting kids out from behind those computer screens … and want that engaged, hands-on learning,” Mullins said, adding the museum is anticipating a busy summer.
“We also welcome a large group of out-of-towners to the Putnam,” she said. “We’re still seeing those out-of-town travelers in town. That certainly will be picking up, I think, now, especially with such a large number wanting to get out and visit friends and families in the Quad-Cities area. Tourism represents a large piece of the Putnam audience, I think.”
Originally Appeared On: https://qctimes.com/news/local/covid-19-turned-the-travel-industry-upside-down-what-it-means-for-the-quad-cities/article_402b56f9-fb3e-59ac-9a10-e84efe8fd7d6.html