Moose Jaw’s branch of the Western Development Museum (WDM) has a busy schedule for the upcoming late winter and early spring season that you don't want to miss.
The WDM remains open throughout the year for self-guided visits, and in addition to this, the museum holds regular programming to support its mission of sharing Saskatchewan’s history and bringing new life to the people who helped shape our province.
Celebrating 75 years
On Tuesday, April 2, the WDM will be celebrating its 75th anniversary.
The event will run from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and admittance will be fixed at 75 cents per person for the day, with pre-school children, museum volunteers, and active members still enjoying free admittance.
“We will have a PowerPoint (presentation) going through our history, and then we will also (serve specialty) cupcakes at 2 p.m.,” said Alexis Jones, the museum’s program co-ordinator.
To round off the celebration, the museum will also be hosting a special 75th anniversary scavenger hunt for the younger museum patrons with prizes to be announced.
Model train show
For two days on Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24, the museum will once again host its regular model train show with displays set up throughout the museum. Admission will cost the same standard rate, and the event runs from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on each consecutive day.
“We’re partnering with the Thunder Creek Model Train Show, so there will be a whole bunch of model train exhibits throughout the galleries,” Jones explained.
For the duration of the event, a concession will be available on site. This concession will run from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. each day and will accept cash only.
International Women’s Day
March 8 is International Women’s Day.
To celebrate the many achievements made by women in the province, the museum will be honouring their contribution with a seek-and-find event.
“You go through 100 years of Saskatchewan’s history – our gallery there – and look at different accomplishments that women have made throughout Saskatchewan,” Jones said.
To complete the scavenger hunt, participants will visit the museum’s displays featuring women’s achievements and write down the year the contribution was made. All submissions will then be entered to win a prize.
Easter egg hunt
To provide an entertaining venue for the museum’s younger guests, Easter will be celebrated with an Easter egg scavenger hunt at the WDM, and everyone is welcome to attend. The event will run from March 1 - March 31 this year.
“There will be Easter egg baskets hidden throughout the gallery and you will have to write down which artifact you found it on,” she said.
All participants can enter a draw to be held at the end of the month to win a specialty keychain.
Virtual Coffee Club
The museum’s ongoing Virtual Coffee Club will also have several upcoming presentations.
On Thursday, March 21, guest speaker Brian Gallager will talk about the Baby Boomer generation. Gallager’s presentation will focus on local history since the Second World War and delivers a “challenging, yet fun” look at what was possible for the generation who witnessed a level and speed of societal change never before witnessed in history.
On Thursday, April 18, Alexis Jones will present a timeline of the museum’s history spanning the past 75 years in Moose Jaw and will focus on a number of its major milestones.
Finally, on Thursday, May 23, the museum will be hosting guest speaker Dr. J.L. (Les) Henry, P.Ag., who will deliver a presentation on catalogue houses in the prairies including Eaton Mail Order Houses. This topic will focus on the Mail Order House business that thrived in the early 1900s.
Each coffee club presentation will take place on the Zoom app and begins at 10 a.m. To register, visit the museum’s website at WDM.ca/CoffeeClub.
The WDM is the largest human history museum in Saskatchewan and features a collection of over 75,000 artifacts across four locations. The Moose Jaw branch specializes in the history of transportation.
The museum is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. During the winter months, the museum is closed on Mondays from January to March and on stat holidays from October to April.
For more information, visit the museum’s website at WDM.ca/Moose-Jaw. Alexis Jones can be reached at 306-693-5989 or at ajones@wdm.ca.
The Western Development Museum is located at 50 Diefenbaker Drive.
