Community museums need your support

St. Vital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/11/2023 (1044 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I recently had the great pleasure of visiting the Prairie Mountain Regional Museum, located on Highway 16 between Shoal Lake, Man., and Strathclair, Man. I was there for a meeting with museums from the Westman region.

After a full morning of sharing successes and challenges, we enjoyed a delicious home-made lunch of perogies, meat balls, pickled beets, and fresh desserts. A few people went outside to check out the museum’s new miniature golf course with its educational theme. The mini-golf and horses in the museum’s pasture catch the eye of highway travellers. Those who stop to play a quick round of mini-putt discover the museum and its gift shop filled with antiques and fresh farm produce.

Although the horse-drawn wagon tour at the end of our meeting was cancelled, our visit still ended with a “Wow!”

The large barn door in one wall of our meeting space was rolled up, and we were ushered into a large exhibit hall housing the Rollie Clegg collection. Smiles were contagious as we explored the second-largest public collection of horse-drawn vehicles in Canada.

There was a milk wagon, a bakery wagon, a First World War ambulance, a fire “truck,” a police wagon, a school bus, a hearse, farm equipment, and dozens of buggies and sleighs – all horse-drawn. Board members and volunteers shared stories of how horse-drawn vehicles were used in the local area up to the early 1960s. Community pride resounded as they showed off this unique collection.

Across Manitoba, volunteer boards are taking care of historic buildings and heritage collections. They are coming up with innovative ways to attract tourists. They are organizing community events and fundraisers. They are delivering education programs, day camps, and tours.

And they are aging out.

The average age of many volunteer boards is over 70. They worry about succession and sustainability. The museum sector relies heavily on volunteers and summer students. This is proving to be unsustainable. Museums are losing older volunteers with vast knowledge, skills, and lived experience. They are finding it difficult to attract new board members, employees, and volunteers.

Manitoba has a new minister of sport, culture, heritage, and tourism. The time is right to ask the province for an action plan that will ensure that community museums will not only survive – they will thrive. In the meantime, show that you care. Donate to your favourite museums this holiday season.