KENNEBUNK — As a place about and for the community, the Brick Store Museum is refreshing its grounds, staff environment, and visitor experience to encourage life-long health and learning. As such, it is mounting several opportunities for visitors and community members to experience the museum in healthy ways.

 The Museum’s Victory Garden is returning for a second year, featuring an outdoor art space and garden that will grow vegetables to be donated to local food pantries. Every visitor to the museum and garden will receive free vegetable seeds to start their own Victory Garden at home, thanks to a grant by Kitchen Gardeners International. Included in the Victory Garden will be a StoryWalk, featuring children’s book pages on individual boards throughout the garden, which simultaneously encourages literacy and healthy activity.

 Southern Maine Health Care Dermatology has sponsored a shade structure to be built in the open garden space, to allow visitors shade while planting their own seeds, relaxing during their lunch break, or simply taking in the warm days of summer. The structure will open with the Garden’s official opening day, June 20. Area employees are invited to bring their lunches and enjoy the garden and mini-histories, provided every Wednesday.

 As part of Kennebunk’s Healthy Maine Streets initiative, the museum’s staff takes part in weekly health and walking challenges. They won a small grant to purchase a HEPA vacuum to keep air clean and filtered inside the museum and installed a bike rack near the building. The museum is also proud to announce that it received a grant from the Maine Cardiovascular Health Council to install an AED in its facility.

 In addition to encouraging active lifestyles, the museum has also altered its hours to allow families with small children and children with sensory sensitivity to visit the museum at their own pace. Beginning June 4, the museum will be open every Thursday from 9”“10 a.m. to allow families to explore local history, art, and the museum itself. This exclusive morning hour will enable parents to make connections with other families in the community, as well. “Family Exploration Guides” will be available at the front desk. Tickets are $2 per family. To learn more, visit: brickstoremuseum.org/BSMKids.