The Melfort and District Museum welcomed a new curator and the City of Melfort welcomed a new Cultural Coordinator in the middle of May.
Brenda Mellon replaced former museum curator Gailmarie Anderson who retired earlier this year. Mellon said she has been adapting to the new job quite well.
“There’s lots happening at the Museum,” she said. “It’s a very busy time, time of year here. Our summers, our school tours have begun. We have four fabulous summer students and they all act as interpretive guides and they are all involved with other projects at the museum.”
The position is a dual role where she works both with the Melfort Museum and Museum board and the City of Melfort as a city employee. Mellon said she understands the importance of her position.
“Gailmarie definitely has a legacy in our community and I’ve been fortunate to work with her on many different committees over the years,” Mellon said. “I’m just excited to continue on what she started and then have my own twist on things.”
Mellon said she was always interested in the position, and thought about applying if Anderson ever chose to retire.
“I’m very active in the local arts scene and have been on a number of different committees and community groups over the years so I had lots of connections and I really enjoy the educational aspect of the museum,” she explained.
Mellon comes from a different kind of educational background in comparison to her predecessor. Mellon worked for over 30 years in post-secondary first at Cumberland College and then briefly at the University of Saskatchewan’s Prince Albert Campus.
She explained that the educational aspects at the museum are exciting.
“Every day you learn something new,” she explained. “When people bring in items, it’s so interesting to hear the stories. Even yesterday I had a personal connection with one. A woman brought in some information from an older school, like a country school, and sure enough, I found my dad’s Grade 8 records. Pretty exciting.”
Summer also means the Museum’s summer barbecues are back The summer barbecue series begins June 12, with a burger, drink, ice cream, and entertainment for $10. The barbecues are every Wednesdays throughout the summer.
“We have entertainment lined up for each night and next week (June 12) we have Doug Holoien and friends performing. It’ll be a good way to kick off our summer barbecues,” Mellon said.
Summer also means the Time Warp programming is back as well. It runs from July 4 to Aug, 22
“Our summer students have been busy planning themes for each week and they’re working on crafts and games and different activities,” Mellon said. “We have two sets, so ages six to eight will come Thursday mornings and then ages nine to 12 will be Thursday afternoons.
“We’ve started the school tours and we’re getting booked through to the end of June, but we are also open to other groups,” she added. “So if anybody would like to schedule a tour or just stop by the museum, we would be happy to provide an interpretive guide and take them around.”
The Melfort and District Museum is open Monday to Friday, the Powerhouse is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the Settler Village is open June 1 to Sept. 30, admission is by donation and the Museum accepts cash or e-transfer.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
