The Iowa Hall of Pride in Downtown Des Moines will open one last time on Thursday before shutting down for good. Staff at the museum say it has been busy over the past week with hundreds of people coming into the museum, seeing the displays one last time before the closure. Over the past 17 years, that is the place that celebrates talented Iowans from all walks of life. Visitors say they're sad to see the physical museum go because it's a place for kids to learn and look up to role models in our communities. About 3,000 people visit the museum per year but with the COVID-19 pandemic, that number dropped dramatically over the past two years. "We just have to look at ways where we can pivot, what will be the best path forward for all the work that's gone in," Chris Cuellar, Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA), said. Nonprofit IHSAA operates the museum and told KCCI it's not cheap to maintain. It usually cost about $1 million per year to operate and staff. "It was good and did what it wanted to do but from a technology standpoint, we really struggled to keep up," Cuellar said. While the in-person celebrations will end, people can still learn about the hundreds of people honored. The program will transition online starting Friday, called Achieve. "Hopefully they can embrace the pivot to achieve and what that stands for. It's something we could grow and modernize," Cuellar said. IHSAA says it will spend the next few months trying to return all the items to the owners or their schools. Other headlines: