COLD LAKE – The Cold Lake Museum is not just for tourists, according to the curatorial manager of the Cold Lake Museum, Linda Dunn.
“It’s about us. It’s our museum, it tells our stories,” Dunn said. “When Cold Lakers come through, the experience they take away is completely different because it's their own history that they see on the walls.”
The Cold Lake Museum is unique in the fact that it is four separate museums in one, but they all share a different part of Cold Lake history. The museums include the Cold Lake Air Force Museum, as well as the Oil and Gas, Heritage and Indigenous Museums.
Walking through the exhibits and galleries of the Cold Lake Museum, something else is almost too intangible to put a finger on – creativity.
Dunn explained that most of the museum’s staff are also artists. The creative energy has spilled over into the exhibits that are featured throughout the museum.
Artifacts are not just displayed next to a body of text, items on display are paired with murals and other items of the era, telling a vibrant history. Installations at the Cold Lake Museum are nothing if not dynamic.
On May 17, the Cold Lake Museum hosted a VIP event where museum board members, special guests and supporters of the facility could take in the galleries and exhibits prior to the season’s official opening.
Long-serving board members were also recognized during the evening event. Cold Lake Museum board members Mark Power, Major Kael Rennie, and Chris Holoboff were presented with plaques for their years of dedication and service.
Starting just a couple days later on May 19, the museum was open to the public, and will remain open weekly from Tuesday to Saturday, during the months of May and June. In July and August, the museum will be open from Tuesday to Sunday, maintaining the same 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., hours of daily operation.
“The Cold Lake Museum is the perfect excursion for a rainy day,” noted Dunn.
