If You Grew Up Watching Arthur, Hagerstown's Got Something for You.

Arthur was one of those shows where you could just sit down and recognize yourself in somebody's problem. People falling out with friends. Getting in trouble at school. Being jealous. Messing something up and trying to make it right. It was a kids' show, but the way it talked about regular life is probably why people still remember it.

Now Hagerstown is getting an exhibition about the person who actually drew that world. The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is opening Believe in Yourself: What We Learned from Arthur, The Art of Marc Brown on October 24. It'll run through February 28, 2027. And museum admission is free.

It's not just putting cartoon pictures on a wall

The museum says it'll show original illustrations, early book layouts, and creative work from before some of those stories even became finished books. There's stuff tied to Arthur Goes to Camp, Arthur's Christmas and the move from books to the PBS television series. Marc Brown made a world out of everyday situations, but before that came all the sketches, corrections and drafts nobody saw.

I think that's the part adults should pay attention to too. Kids grow up seeing finished things and think somebody just had an idea and it magically looked perfect. Showing the actual process is a different lesson. You can struggle with something and still make good art.

On opening day, the museum and the Washington County Free Library are putting on a free family costume party, with storytime, treats, and activities around the exhibition. If your kid wants to dress up as somebody from Arthur—or just wear a Halloween costume—the museum says that's welcome.

Something else I like about this is where it's happening. You don't have to drive to D.C. or Baltimore to let your kids see an art museum with recognizable work. We got one sitting right in City Park. And if you're someone who remembers that show, it gives you a reason to bring your own family through.

Not everything worth talking about in Hagerstown has to be drama or a bad headline. Sometimes a museum getting an exhibit like this is enough of a story. Take your kids, show them the drawings and let them see how something they recognize actually got made.