Claresholm museum opens for the season

By Rob Vogt

It is shaping up to be another busy and exciting season at the Claresholm and District Museum.
The museum officially opened for the season on Friday, May 16 and will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Aug. 29.
Bill Kells is the executive director for the museum.
He said, visitors who have been to the exhibit hall may notice a different look and feel to the building.
The office space that used to greet visitors as they entered, has been transformed into a space for the dental and hospital exhibits.
More, softer lighting has also been added around the hospital exhibit.
“It further enhances the inside lighting of the museum,” Kells said. “It’s exhibit lighting – not fluorescent.”
A reading room and research space have also been created beside the archive. This area is the new location for the scanner as well, which is being utilized for the museum’s digitization project.
This means that people doing research can now have materials brought to them.
“It’s going to make a huge difference,” Kells said.
The station building, immediately on the highway, has an expanded gift shop to serve visitors and local shoppers alike.
The museum also has a full calendar of events.
It has added two special events this year – a Spring Festival on May 24 and a Harvest Festival on Sept. 13.
Returning events are the Father’s Day Classic Car Show on June 15; Canada Day celebrations on July 1; Fair Days from Aug. 7 to 10; and Old Fashioned Christmas on Dec. 6.
To look after all these different initiatives, the museum welcomes three summer students to assist Kells and Jordyn Wallace, who looks after collections, visitor experiences, and manages the gift shop. She also supervises the summer students.
Emmit Carlson will be working in collections. That involves working on the artifact database and computer.
The museum experienced a flood in its basement on the August long weekend. That means collections have been re-located from the basement. Some artifacts were lost, while others will be de-accessioned meaning they will be removed officially from the collection.
“We’ll be updating the database,” Kells said.
Finn Buhmiller will be working in the visitor information centre and doing educational programming.
Spencer Cooper will work in the exhibit hall, hosting bus tours, greeting tourists, and much more.
“All of them will be helping with special events,” Kells said.
It promises to be a busy season at the museum.
“We’re looking forward to more Canadian tourism this year,” Kells said, attributing that to the global situation.
Last year, the museum welcomed 21 bus tours.
“We’re on track for as many bus tours as last year,” Kells said.
He stressed there is something for everyone, whether a visitor or someone who lives in Claresholm and the surrounding area.
“Everyone who comes through our museum says it’s one of the best museums they’ve ever seen,” he said. “Both local people and from afar.”
Locals have an added reason to check out the museum.
Kells said it shows the history of Claresholm and district going back to the start of the community and what existed in the area before that.
There is also history on ranching; the arrival of the railroad; the early development of the town; ranching; and much more.
“You can read and see photos of things that are no longer there,” Kells said. “Like our nine grain elevators that are no longer there.”
Actual artifacts also accentuate exhibits and history.
“That’s thanks to a lot of people doing a lot of hard work over a lot of years,” Kells said. “Without the artifacts to put that whole story together, it really isn’t anything at all.”
As an example, he cites a 1928 fire engine donated by Harold Seymour.
“We’re so grateful the community is still bringing in artifacts that are historically significant to the Claresholm story,” Kells said.
The museum always welcomes artifacts that have a strong connection to Claresholm’s story.
Anyone interested in more information can phone the museum at 403-625-1742.
The museum is always looking for volunteers as well.
They can be utilized to help with special events, sit at the museum while staff go on lunch break, and so much more.
Anyone interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities can contact Bonnie Downey of the Friends of the Claresholm Museum at 1-403-836-7018.
The next special event at the museum is the Spring Festival this Friday, May 24 starting at 11 a.m.
There will also be an important announcement to the public at 11:30 a.m.