The Western Development Museum (WDM) is celebrating all the great things this province has to offer by hosting several family-friendly activities this coming Saskatchewan Day.
There will be many Saskatchewan-inspired self-led activities on Monday, Aug. 5 that will take visitors throughout the building, while there will also be several films shown that highlight the province’s past and present, explained Karla Rasmussen, education and public programs co-ordinator at the Moose Jaw WDM.
Her summer students have been working hard to put together a program everyone will enjoy, including a new Saskatchewan Day scavenger hunt. There will also be a big board that features the phrase, “My favourite thing about Saskatchewan is … .” This will allow visitors to write or draw what they most enjoy about the province.
“It’s actually a very neat interactive mini-exhibit … and it’s going to be great to have here,” Rasmussen said.
Several craft projects are also being offered, including button making. These activities are popular, said Rasmussen, especially since the WDM attempts to offer something for all ages and abilities. She pointed out the museum receives many new visitors over the summer who come from the west and east.
“The museum is kind of a neat stopping point for them,” she said.
One of the newer exhibits the museum has featured during the last few years is a section called Winning the Prairie Gamble. This features a timeline of 100 years of Saskatchewan history, which wraps around the room and features little pieces of information.
Rasmussen believes this is a great place to start, especially for those new to the museum or even the province. There are photos, newspaper clippings and artifacts, all of which provide an immersive experience.
“It’s a good way to get a taste of Saskatchewan,” she said.
The National Film Board is providing five videos that will be shown throughout the day.
The first documentary is called The Regina Tele-A-Bus from 1973. This is essentially about buses acting as a taxi service by coming to people’s doors and taking them to their destination.
“The very first Uber,” Rasmussen chuckled.
The second video is entitled Ride and looks at bare-back bronco riding in the province. This was made in 2017.
A third documentary being shown is called No Other Place, which features five artists from Saskatchewan who travel to the place that inspires them.
The fourth video is We’re Here to Stay, a film that looks at seven farm families near Lestock who joined together in 1974 to pool their resources to keep their land. This helped them remain competitive with large-scale farming.
“It’s a neat little snapshot from that era when things were starting to change for families,” said Rasmussen.
The fifth video is called Grain Elevators, from 1981. This is a documentary that looks at the role grain elevators — dubbed Prairie Sentinels — played, their day-to-day operations, and the symbol they became.
Rasmussen encourages everyone to visit the Western Development Museum on Saskatchewan Day since the WDM loves the province and is all about telling Saskatchewan’s stories.
Several community and Saskatchewan vendors and artists will also be in attendance, while there will be a wide selection of crafts and wares to purchase besides the gift shop. A full list of vendors can be found on the WDM’s Facebook page.
The WDM will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Regular admission applies.
