Judy Seguin was recently honoured to accept the Heritage Museum of the Year Award on behalf of the St. Walburg Historical Museum. The organization received this recognition from the Rivers West District for Sport Culture & Recreation at a banquet held in the Neilburg Community Hall April 24.
The St. Walburg town council nominated their museum and the board for the award, which was well deserved. According to the details in the nomination, "The Museum is operated by a volunteer board and is housed in a municipal heritage building (the old Roman Catholic Church), constructed in 1922. The Museum opened in the spring of 1984 and is decorated with Count Van Imhoff's paintings. It is a great drawing card for visitors to the community and for the people visiting Count Von Imhoff's home and studio located just south of St. Walburg.
"In 2012, the St. Walburg Historical Museum acquired enough funding from various local community groups and some grants to start the process of revitalizing the building itself. It is anticipated that there will be considerable work done during the upcoming summer months and the present revitalization project will be completed this year.
"The St. Walburg Historical Museum Board is comprised mostly of seniors within the community and the immediate area. These volunteers donate a week - sometimes more - to operate the Museum during the time it is open to the public. Time is also spent prior to the official opening of the season, and after it closes, to dust, wash and maintain the Museum artifacts.
"The Roman Catholic Parish Council have been more than generous in covering the cost of the power used during the months the Museum is open and they have also leased the Church to the Museum Board on a long term basis for a very nominal fee. The Board, through this arrangement, has managed to maintain a historic building and, in so doing, have kept it as a landmark for the entire community."
As an interesting sideline, the awards which were presented by Rivers West had a direct connection to St. Walburg as they consisted of framed paintings by Susan Velder, a well-known artist in the region.
