History buffs have a new place to gather, thanks to the Western Development Museum's new coffee club.
The club’s first meeting was held earlier today. The morning kicked off with a presentation about the museum’s Vickers Vedette plane, its history, and the work completed by the local Vintage Aircraft Restorers group.
The Vickers Vedette is sometimes known as a flying boat. It was used in northern Saskatchewan throughout the late 1920s and into the 1930s. The plane was used for aerial mapping and forest fire patrols.
The museum’s replica Vedette was dedicated on Feb. 1, 2017. In total, the project required just under 24,000 volunteer hours and took around nine years to complete.
After the presentation, everyone enjoyed coffee and cookies and engaged in a lively discussion on a variety of topics.
Organizer Karla Rasmussen, the WDM’s education and public programs coordinator, says the club is a great way for participants to meet new people and to perhaps learn more about the museum and how to get involved. She was pleased with the strong turnout.
Rasmussen hopes to include a “show and tell” portion at future meetings. This would involve guests bringing an item for discussion and identification purposes.
The next meeting of the coffee club is scheduled for Nov. 20. The presentation will focus on snow planes. Other dates and proposed topics include Dec. 18 (A Christmas Long Ago), Jan. 22 (cabooses — winter travel), Feb. 26 (white steam car), and March 25 (Vulcan locomotive).
The cost to attend the coffee club is $3. It is free for WDM members. Museum admission is not included.
