Artist of the Month - Judy Woods

This month, the Art Wall at the Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre displays the vibrant work of local artist Judy Woods.

Born and raised near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Judy moved to Peace River Country when she was sixteen. Judy's work reflects her love of horses and wildlife, although more recently she has been inspired to depict people in her art. While charcoal is her medium of choice, Judy also creates pieces using chalk pastels, coloured pencils, acrylic paints and photography.

As an E.A. with the Dixonville School, Judy has had the chance to share her love and talent for art with students. She inspires them to explore their own talents and organizes a local art show on their behalf entitled The Community of Artists.

We invite you to come and enjoy Judy's highly detailed and life-like work throughout the month of August.

Artifact of the Week- Clovis Point

This projectile point was found, along with several others, in the Nampa area by early homesteader, Logan Sherris. The point was likely hafted or attached to a short spear called a dart, which was mid-sized: between the length of an arrow and a spear. It is crafted from Peace River Chert which is a high quality stone material with outcrops along the Peace River. The craftsman made the piece by removing small flakes of stone from a core or nucleus using another rock or a softer material such as antler or bone until the desired shape was attained. What is of particular interest is the age of the piece. Considering the shape of the dart point, we can tell that it comes from the Clovis Culture meaning that it is likely around 11,000 years old. Near the base of the point, the craftsman removed a few extra flakes to thin it out towards the middle of the piece. This is known as fluting which may have aided in hafting the point and is the most telling characteristic of a Clovis Point.

Although some argue that the Clovis Culture may be older than 11,000 years, at around 13,200 years, it is the earliest known stone tool culture to have appeared in the Americas. The fact that this early Paleo-Indian artifact was found in the Peace Region suggests that the area may have been inhabited for many thousands of years! Be sure to stop by the Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre to see this ancient piece of history and the oldest man-made artifact in our collection!

Clovis Point- 89.35.4

Alberta Heritage Days!

This weekend across Alberta, people will be experiencing, tasting, listening and viewing the roots of Alberta's history. The Peace Country is hosting fairs, rodeos, art and museum exhibits and tours as ways to entice us to explore our heritage and our natural environment. With this in mind, our Museum is offering tours of the St. Augustine Mission Church and Cemetery between 1 and 4pm on August 3rd. Pack a picnic lunch, take a drive along the historic Shaftesbury Trail (Highway 684) and stop at the little church to learn about the early agricultural and spiritual life at the mission. Then on August 4th meet us at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery at 10:30am for a tour that will remind you of veterans from World War I, Councillors and newspaper editors of the past and firefighters who once protected our community, all in commemoration of 100 years as Peace River Crossing. Later the same afternoon, a walking tour of the downtown area, starting at the Museum at 1pm, will highlight some milestones in our 100 year history. these tours will go, rain or shine, so do come prepared. As we celebrate our 100 years as a community, we are reminded of our own role today in making Peace River a fine community to live in!

An Artifact of the Week to Dance in!

During the jive days of the 1950s, when cultural icons Elvis and James Dean influenced the fashion of the youth, saddle shoes like these donated by Alice Reed, were all the craze. These shoes could be worn with a lady’s poodle skirt and bobby-socks or a man’s trouser and looked good with nearly everything in between which might be why they became so popular. The versatility and comfort of the shoes led to them being worn for nearly every occasion, especially dances!

The museum invites you to a family-friendly, free event this Saturday, the 26^th of July from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. In celebration of the centenaries of the Village of Peace River Crossing, the Fire Department and the Record Gazette, the Town of Peace River is hosting a historic street dance in front of the museum with food donated by Freson Bros. and live music by local talent as well as The Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, joining us from Edmonton. We invite you to dress in dance attire from the decade of your choice within the last 100 years. So get out your poodle skirts, shine up your saddle shoes, and come dance with us to celebrate!

PRMA 99.58.1 A-B: Saddle shoes

This weekend with the Museum!

Join the Peace River Museum staff this weekend for two fun events. On Saturday, we will be at the 12' Davis Gravesite for Parks Day, along with Alberta Parks and Northern Sunrise County. Bear Smart, Park Awareness and Fire Smart will all be featured, along with on site interpretation about 12 Foot Davis, family crafts, musicians and of course, cake! 

Celebrating Alberta Parks Day at this historic landscape will create greater awareness about our environment and our social history. 

On Sunday July 20th, our Heritage Interpreter Christina will be on site at the St. Augustine Mission Church, along Shaftesbury Trail, from 1 - 4 pm. Tour the church and the cemetery to learn more about the Roman Catholic Mission from 1888 to 1952.

All of these events are free and we hope to see you there!

PRMA 75.657.060  St. Augustine Mission Church 

Artist of the Month - Rhonda Warren

Our Art Wall this month features the works of Rhonda G. Warren: a visual artist of many mediums. She paints with watercolours and acrylics, fabric paints on silk, and works in the arts of mask making, papermaking, wet felting, and photography.

Rhonda's northern Alberta roots have instilled in her a strong appreciation for the natural environment and all that it has to offer. She often incorporates natural materials into her works of art.

Rhonda's love of art expands beyond her own work: she works with a kids' art club and organizes various art events. She also makes sure to visit as many art events as she possibly can.

Visit the Museum to see a sample of Rhonda's work and make a stop in the Gift Shop where she has a few pieces for sale.

Rhonda G. Warren standing by her art work

Artifact of the Week and a Street Dance

This week's featured artifact is a record by Patti Page. This artifact is a particularly fitting choice as we come ever closer to our 100th celebration dance.

This Patti Page record was donated to the museum by CKYL. Well known for being one of the most illustrious artists of the 1950s and '60s, Page sold over 100 million records throughout her career. 

This record, entitled Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte, was released in 1965 and features the hit single of the same title, released a year earlier. The song Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte was featured in a 1964 film, also of the same name, starring Betty Davis. The single was nominated for an academy award in ’64 and went on to become one of Page’s best known songs.

The countdown is on: we're only 18 days away from the dance! On Saturday, July 26th, 2014, join us on the street in front of the Museum, from 4 - 10 pm, for an historic street dance. Enjoy the musical talents of local musicians as well as the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels of Edmonton as we dance our way through the decades. 

Come dressed in attire from your favourite decade of the last hundred years to celebrate the centenaries of the Village of Peace River Crossing, the Fire Department and the Record-Gazette. 

PRMA 98.1.8

Historic Tours start tonight!

Hi, my name is Christina Sasseville. I am a heritage interpreter here at the Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre. As a summer student employed through Young Canada Works, so far I have been involved with school programming, tours, and the museum gift shop. In July and August I will be offering heritage interpretation at three heritage sites: St. Augustine, Mackenzie Cairn, and Twelve Foot Davis. Tours begin on July 4, continuing until August 24. These tours will be a great opportunity for teachers, locals, or visitors to learn more about the Peace Country and the significance of each heritage site.

In total, there will be six St. Augustine tours, four Twelve Foot Davis tours, and two Mackenzie Cairn tour opportunities. I hope you to see you at one of the sites. Have a great summer!

Drop by at any time during the scheduled times below. 

St. Augustine: Provincial Historic Site, Shaftesbury Trail, River Lot 22, Highway 684. 

• Friday, July 4, 6:30 - 8 pm
• Sunday, July 13, 2:30 - 4:30 pm 
• Sunday, July 20, 1 - 4 pm 
• Sunday, August 3, 1 - 4 pm 
• Sunday, August 10, 2:30 - 4:30 pm 
• Sunday, August 24, 1 - 4 pm 

 Twelve Foot Davis: Fairgrounds Road off Highway #2 South.

• Saturday, July 5, 2 - 4 pm
• Saturday, July 19, 2 - 4 pm
• Friday, August 17, 2 - 4 pm
• Sunday, August 22, 6:30 - 8 pm 

Mackenzie Cairn: National Historic Site, Shaftesbury Trail, River Lot 19, Highway 684.

• Sunday, July 13, 11 - 1:30 pm
• Sunday, August 10, 11 - 1:30 pm

Tonight's tour takes place at St. Augustine Mission site from 6:30 - 8 pm. 

Please Complete our Survey

The Peace River Museum is creating a Five Year Strategic Plan and we would appreciate your help. Your response to the following survey will help ensure that our goals and objectives are centered on creating a dynamic community museum that is responsive to the surrounding community and the visiting public. The survey is open from July 2nd to August 31, 2014.

To take the survey, please click here.

We are a community resource that preserves and celebrates local heritage through exhibits, programs, research and collections. Our current plan has guided us in our exhibits, programs, and research for the last 6 years, and this new plan, when completed, will guide us for 2014 - 2019.

This survey follows a community consultation session that was held in May and a discussion session held by the Advisory Board of the Museum and Museum Employees in June. The information from both of these sessions, along with responses from the above survey, will be integral to the creation of an effective and community-centered Five Year Strategic Plan.

Once completed, the Five Year Strategic Plan will be available to the public in October of 2014. It will be accessible via this blog and through the Museum's website.