ESTEVAN — The Souris Valley Museum turned into a real Halloween hub on Saturday.
They invited the community to come and enjoy their Spooky Museum. The project was spearheaded and hosted by the museum and involved several local organizations and groups. Melanie Memory, director/curator at the museum, said the event went well.
"It was really, really good. We had an awesome turnout. Lots of families and young kids were here to participate in all activities that we had. We had some excellent groups that came out to help us celebrate Halloween, and we did a lot of activities and games," Memory said.
The preparations for the event started in August when the museum staff was bouncing ideas off each other and brainstorming what they would like to do at the end of October. Then in September the museum reached out to Estevan organizations to check if anyone was interested in putting their heads together to create something memorable and fun. The Spooky Museum Family Fun event was a collaboration between the SV Museum, Estevan Art Gallery and Museum, Estevan Area Literacy Group, Estevan Public Library, Estevan Early Learning Family Resource Centre and Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS). The Estevan Comprehensive School's student representative council (SRC) also provided resources for the event.
"We had nine ECS students volunteer, which was very helpful. We needed them to pull it off as far as helping us get everything like manning different stations, and just different jobs I needed them for," Memory said. "They helped at the front, just keeping track of people coming in the door and handing out treat bags, helping at craft tables with the different organizations. It was very, very good to see them come and want to help. I was grateful for all their help."
The museum also rented a cotton candy machine from the Estevan Kinette Club, and students helped make and sell the treat as well.
People were invited to dress up and come over to the museum to do fun Halloween crafts, have their faces painted, cook witches' stew, enjoy treats, take pictures at the photo booth and just have a good time. Over 400 people used the opportunity and spent their Saturday afternoon at the museum.
Memory said for them it was a great opportunity to get to know the people they serve better, and also to show off what the museum has to offer.
"It gives children and families another opportunity to wear their costumes, celebrating Halloween … We wanted to offer families another thing to do. Young people are always looking for things to do with their kids, and this is definitely one of those things," Memory said. "And I think, for us [celebrating Halloween at the museum also allows] to stay relevant in the community and [remind people] that we are here. It may increase our profile in the community and [let people] know that there is another museum here. We want to share that and become noticed in the community, and I just think it's important that we do that."
While kids were doing crafts or waiting for their faces to be painted, many adults took time to explore the museum's collection, look at items on display and check out antique cars and the fire truck.
Memory said they were really happy about how the day went and was grateful to the community.
"I just want to thank the community for supporting it and making it a really successful event."
For more information on Souris Valley Museum’s programming and collection check their website at sourisvalleymuseum.com or follow them on Facebook.
