Wawota & District Museum celebrated Saskatchewan Culture Week with an after-school Kids' Carnival on Oct. 9. The event was designed to accommodate a late harvest and to encourage future museum-goers.
"We held our event later this year, due to the late harvest," says museum board secretary-treasurer Shirley Corkish. "We aimed the event at children ages three to seven, and with the help of some moms, lots of grandmas, and some teenage volunteers, we set up a series of games that were set up inside and outside the museum."
"We're hoping to get the kids to the museum in town and their parents, too. We're hoping that by starting them at this early age, they'll think of the museum as theirs, too."
The Wawota & District Museum is a series of four separate structures. It was opened in 1980, to commemorate both the province's and the Town of Wawota's 75th anniversaries.
The main museum building houses an array of historical items with displays ranging from early natural history onward. It holds a children's touch table, a reproduction four-room house, a Wawota room, and a Hall of Fame that honours local people and historical events.
A separate schoolhouse was saved from teardown by the museum committe and a shed and a firehall also house displays.
The museum holds numerous events during the year, including summertime teas, a Christmas tea and bake sale and a Santa Surprise raffle, sponsored by local merchants.
The Wawota and District Museum is open from Tuesday to Friday from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. and Saturday from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.
"We'll even open it upon request," says Corkish. "We're pretty proud of our museum, and we encourage everyone to stop in and have a look."
