Heritage Day wraps up a success 0
The Fort la Reine Museum will be incorporated into the Passport Adventure initiative by the newly formed Central Plains Pembina Valley Tourism. (File photo)
Heritage Day at Fort la Reine Museum and Pioneer Village in Portage la Prairie enjoyed a good attendance, with many visitors taking in the event.
“Things went really, really well,” said manager/curator Tracey Turner. “We saw a great turnout from the community. It seemed like they were having a really enjoyable time.”
Nearly 400 people came through the gates of the Museum on Heritage Day, July 21.
Turner said many people were checking out the educational displays -- such as the flnt-knapping and geological display tables.
“I got some great feedback,” said Turner. “We were really excited to see how stone tools were being made. It’s not something you get to see a lot.
“When you have people who have those skills it is really nice when they can come out and share their knowledge like that,” she added. “I think museums are a great place where you can share knowledge.”
Another highlight was the addition of gallery sound effects to a number of the exhibit rooms, which help to make the visitor have the experience of being back in time. Turner also noticed people were staying longer in the exhibit buildings as a result.
“I had great feedback about that,” said Turner. “The kids seemed to really adore it, and lots of adults too. They were saying, ‘Wow, is that ever cool.’”
Compared to last year, she said the museum was quite a bit busier she believes.
“Last year we ran it over two days,” said Turner. “This year just the one day.”
The Museum decided to opt for a one-day event this year since there seemed to be a number of other events occurring in Portage on the same weekend.
“It’s easier to concentrate a whole bunch of things over one day, than to spread them over two days,” Turner added. “It’s probably good for logistics, to be able to offer more things at once.”
The various attractions, such as the quilt show, also helped to bring a more diverse crowd of visitors.
“We didn’t have just families,” Turner said. “We had a lot of the over 50 crowd. So it seemed like the demographic was broader, because we had a lot of things that appeal to different ages.”
angela.brown@sunmedia.ca
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