Close to 200 people took advantage of the chance to spend “A Night at the Museum” at the Vanderhoof Community Museum last Saturday night from 8:00 - 11:00 pm. Museums are interesting places during the day, but take on a life of their own after dark, and museum curator Riley Wallace made sure there was a lot to enjoy.
The event was his way to get locals to realize there’s something new at the museum. “Lots has changed there this year,” he says. “Most of the displays are new, and we want to show the museum, and all the work we’ve done, in a new light.” Visitors were able to wander through the buildings while listening to musicians on the stage set up in the centre of the grounds. There were also storytellers, and a chance for people to dress in pioneer costumes and have their pictures taken.
Also popular was an auction of home baked pies, cakes, and cupcakes, with the bidding on one beautifully decorated cake going into three figures. All the money raised by the auction will go to support the museum.
Wallace was enthusiastic about the turnout for the first ever “Night at the Museum”, and hopes it will encourage residents to realize there are a lot of new things at a place where many people probably think nothing ever changes. “There’s a different atmosphere here at night,” he says. He also hopes that more residents will be encouraged to come during the day. The site attracts many overseas visitors—one recent visitor from Mexico noted in the guest book that the museum was “Muy bonito!”—but Wallace believes the museum has a lot to offer to locals. “We’ve always been here for the residents, and I guarantee there’s a lot we could show and teach people.”
Barbara Roden