Old time music, beef on a bun, a type of scavenger hunt and of course, an afternoon of revisiting history are all on offer as St. Paul’s museums kick off their summer season with an open house, on June 21, from noon to 4 p.m.
Grade 2 students from St. Paul Elementary School got a sneak peek of the museum displays last Friday morning, as they explored displays such as a blacksmith’s store, a handcrafted replica of a sawmill, and the latest addition, a display on surveying in Alberta.
“I think it should add a great deal of interest, especially to the older generation that can relate (to it),” said Kitt of this year’s new surveying display, noting some of the descendants of homesteaders should be able to remember the original surveying that was done in the province.
And of course, there is the popular Destrube house, Alberta’s first two-storey log house, lived in up to about 1935 and lovingly restored to its original state by People’s Museum board members.
The house is becoming an extremely popular one for photo shoots, notes Kitt, adding board members have come to open its doors and shovel its path even on a -30 degree February’s winter day for a couple to have photos done. Since its opening, more finishing touches and everyday living items have been added to the home.
For Kitt, it is always fun to see the young ones come and visit the museum, as she notes, “They get so excited about the darnedest things.”
Shortly afterwards, the kids wander into the house, and true to expectation, are suitably impressed by the relatively aged structure.
“This is a very old house,” one says with awe as he enters the Destrube house.
During their visit to the museum, the children point out various artifacts to each other and revel in being allowed to touch certain displays.
Kitt explains that on the day of the open house, children and adults can take in a geo tour, in which they’ll be given a sheet of certain objects they need to find and clues to help.
The new surveying display will also include some hands-on activities. One of the five planned activity centres is called “Looking for Black Gold,” and has participants put markers on a grid to build a 3-D model of land elevations.
Everyone is invited to drop by the museum open house, enjoy some food and music, and learn more about the history of the area and province.
