A special year end THANK YOU to our volunteers and generous benefactors this past year!

As this year concludes, staff at the Museum would like to express heartfelt thanks to the volunteers on our Museum Advisory Board (Verne MacRoberts, Terry Sawchuk, Carol Ridsdale, Liliane Maisonneuve Lavoie, Donna Welligan, Jerrold Lundgard, Klaas Sipma), our Heritage Places Committee (Karen Rumball, Audrey Randall, Geoff Milligan, Jeannette Rolling, Bev Henderson, Kate Churchill, Alisha Mody), Lois Stranaghan, Jim Umbach and all the Dance Through the Decades volunteers for help in making the Museum a community gathering place for new knowledge and fun. Thank you also for generous donations from the Peace River Running Club, Sir Alexander Mackenzie Historical Society, Eric and Leslie Ayre-Jaschke, Joan Wahl, Adele Boucher,Charles and Jacqueline Liebe, Valley Peacemakers' Quilt Guild, David and Sally Brule, MJ & Terry Kristoff, Paul Martel,Lesser Slave Lake Forest Education Society, Richard Rhodes  and Carol and Dave VanSlyke.

The Museum would not be as much a part of the community as it is without support like this, nor
without patrons and visitors dropping by to see the latest exhibit, author or speaker.
Thank you for a fine year and we look forward to celebrating more of our community's heritage in 2015!

Ready, set, go - into the New Year!

May the year 2015 be filled with peace and good health for you all!

From Laura, Stephanie, Beth and Megan

Centre Street School Track and Field races 1958

 

Gift Shop Sales, Donations and Fun with Toys

‘Tis the season to shop for others and the Peace River Museum and Archives Gift Shop is ready to help out. We have a wide variety of unique, locally crafted gifts on hand, as well as a selection of local history books. Perhaps a local outing is more to your liking? Bring the kids along and come visit our new exhibit, Toy Stories, featuring toys owned and loved by local residents. This exhibit is

Special thanks goes out to Paul Martel of St. Isadore. Mr. Martel  kindly donated three beautiful works of art to our gift shop. These unique paintings are on sale now. Hurry in – they won’t last long!

Toy Stories Exhibit Opening

While we were sorry to see our last exhibit, "A Sense of the Land and It's People" come down, we were certainly excited to see our new exhibit, "Toy Stories: You've Got a Playdate with the Peace River Museum" go up.

This new exhibit shows you a selection of toys and games from various eras and how they influenced children's roles in family life and in society. When you stroll through this gallery and play with all of the interactive components (a whole third of the gallery is dedicated to these interactive components), you get a sense of the toys and games popular throughout the decades.

Join us this Friday evening, December 5th, 2014, from 4:30 - 6:30 pm as we officially open this exhibit. Drop by to discover these toys, have a cookie, and play with us to celebrate the opening of this fun-filled exhibit.

If you choose, there will be a hamper for the Toys for Tots Drive accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys for local children.

Thank you to our speakers!

Inspiring Aboriginal Women

Our inspiring speakers panel shared their personal insights and memories as women who have and continue to contribute to their communities as mentors, leaders, mothers and grandmothers with an appreciative audience on the evening of November 20th, 2014. It was also an intimate salutation to the historical women who's artistry and work has been on exhibit these past months in A Sense of the Land and its People: an exhibition featuring the loaned artifacts from Dr. David Welch.

Featured left to right are Dianne Arcand Lavoie, Margaret Cardinal, Dianne Ireland and Tanys Oxman.

It's the last week to see the current exhibit "A Sense of the Land and its People" ...

We've been honoured to feature a personal collection of artifacts for the last year in our main gallery, those of Dr. Dave Welch. He began collecting First Nations artifacts and stone tools when he was 7 years old and it has been a lifetime passion for him ever since.

"A Sense of the Land and its People: A Personal Collection" features Northwest Coast and Plains First Nations artifacts, the majority of which feature the work and artistry of women. As a conclusion to this exhibit, we have invited a panel of women from the local region to speak about the influences their Aboriginal culture and heritage has on their work, community and family lives. Dianne Lavoie, Maxine Elter, Tanys Oxam, Dianne Ireland and Margaret Cardinal are mentors, leaders and artists in  unique ways.

Please join us on Thursday, November 20th, 2014 at 7 pm for the "Inspiring Women" panel discussion. This will also be the last chance to view the objects from Dr. Welch's collection. Check back on our blog next week for information on our upcoming exhibit, "Toy Stories: You've got a playdate with the Peace River Museum"

Lest We Forget

As we approach Remembrance Day, with many disturbing misadventures in real time, it is appropriate to reflect on those who gave their efforts and their lives in each of the wars in which Canada has been involved, to ensure the freedom of democracy in Canada.



Nurses and Soldiers from WWI.
A. E. 'Hoppy' Hopkins is in the back row, second from the left
84.1377.2, gift of Barbara Crawford

During the Second World War, men and women from Peace River defended our country. It was well on its way by September 1940, when John Hopkins joined up with the Calgary Highlanders and leaving the next morning. “Of course, we knew it was inevitable and not long after, Michael enlisted in the Edmonton Fusiliers,” says their mother, Mary. Michael and Dudley Stranaghan enlisted at the “old” Legion Hall. John and Michael were following in the footsteps of their father, Hoppy, who had served in the First World War.

Four years after enlisting, Michael arrived in Europe. In the meantime, he truly was on guard for thee, O Canada, as he patrolled the West Coast after the Japanese might became evident at Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, and protected the Niagara Escarpment and the Welland Canal – a reminder – Canada’s Armed Forces protected from within, as well as without.

All Hopkins men returned home, safe. Many did not.

You are invited to view Museum Remembrance Day displays in the window of the Main Street entrance of Riverdrive Mall and at the Museum (open Tuesday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.).

This weekend at the Museum!

This weekend, the Museum brings you two events to take part in. We will start off on Saturday at 1:30 pm with the Jane's Walk. Following the walk, at 3:00 pm, the Museum is hosting a coffee session to gather information and stories about Heritage Buildings and Places in the Town of Peace River.


According to the Jane's Walk website, "Jane's Walk is a movement of free, locally led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs. The walks get people to explore their cities and connect with neighbours." Unlike traditional walking tours, the Jane's Walk is build on a premise of discovery and conversation, with participants being encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas. It isn't just about listening to the leaders talk!


Our Jane's Walk will be led by Laura Gloor, Museum Coordinator, Kate Churchill, Planner with Mackenzie Municipal Planning Service, Robin Barnes, Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, and Kate Morrison, Community Development Enthusiast. Join us at the Museum at 1;30 pm to take a stroll down 99th Street and share your thoughts about planning, environment and history in our community.


After the walk, join us at the Museum to have some coffee or hot chocolate, and bring your knowledge about heritage buildings and places in our town. The Heritage Places Committee is currently working on an interactive map of the Town of Peace River, circa 1924. Once finished, this map will be accessible for all on the Town's website.


This Saturday, we hope to add to the information we have the 1924 map but we are also looking to collect information, stories and photographs from other decades as well, in particular the 1960s and 1970s. Join us from 3 - 4:30 pm.

Fibre Artwork on Display and For Sale Until Christmas

The Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre is pleased to feature fibre arts by well known Peace River artists Margaret Stewart, Carol Scobey and Rhonda Warren.

One of the artists, Margaret Stewart, says, “I believe that I was born a fibre artist, and have continued to pursue that passion all my life.”

She goes on to explain it was in her early 20s she learned to quilt and discover her true passion. To emphasize, she says she has made hundreds of quilts and quilted items over the last 30 years. “I love to give quilts and quilted/sewn items as gifts to friends and family. I think every niece and nephew, as well as greats and many co-workers over the years have received a quilt to celebrate a birth.”

Margaret did not keep the quilting secret to herself. No, indeed. She shared it with others when Seam’s easy Quilt Shop opened in Peace River in 2005 where, for eight years, she taught many local women to quilt.

“I enjoy a wide variety of creative pursuits and find I am often drawn to one for a period of time at the exclusion of all the rest ... I have to say, I am never without multiple projects on the go at a time, but I love the freedom to move back and forth amongst  them as the muse leads me.”

Margaret's, Carol's and Rhonda's works will be available for sale from now to Christmas

Creepy Alberta! at the Peace River Museum

Every year, Archives Week takes place the first week of October, always with a different theme.

This year's chosen theme: Creepy Alberta! In the ‘spirit’ of Archives Week (no pun intended), we are inviting local residents to loan us their favourite ‘creepy’ artwork for inclusion in a temporary display. We want to see your wickedest homemade Halloween costumes, a ghostly landscape photo, or your very best paper mache cat. Both child and adult creations are welcome. During the month of October our visitors will vote for their favourites and the winner will receive a prize.
Artwork can be dropped off in person at the museum anytime before October 11.

A creepy photograph of unknown events at Vermilion Chutes
87.1492.48, gift of Jack O'Sullivan