Uko Akpanuko
Daily Herald
The residents of Melfort are once again being treated to the annual Melfort Christmas Village organized by the Melfort and District Museum.
The attraction officially opened again for the season on Dec. 3. The Christmas Village will have drive-in sessions or days and the usual walk-in by their residents who may want to relax and enjoy the Christmas village.
“This is the fifth annual Christmas village that the Melfort and District Museum has hosted,” said Brenda Mellon, Curator Melfort and District Museum who also doubles as the Cultural Coordinator of the Christmas Village project. “We have a number of buildings on site, we a settler village, we have an Indigenous Peoples’ Archeology Building, plus a number of other buildings including the power house which is the main building that is open year round.
“With the Christmas village, we have everything lit up. We have lights and displays inside the power house, including Santa, so families can come and have photos taken with Santa. Lots of times he has some special friends—elves or grinches—with him as well.”
A few guests pose for a photo with Santa at the Melfort Christmas Village.
Outside the powerhouse other buildings and grounds are lit up. There is a big bonfire that is running during the walk through nights. They also have cider huts so visitors can enjoy a cup of hot cider while sitting around the bonfire.
This year’s village also includes a display at the museum school created by a volunteer. The Christmas village will also host carol singing each night at the Church and people are welcome to come in to listen or join in.
“It gets bigger and better each year,” Mellon said. “We keep adding on new features, new displays, new lights.”
The list of new features this year includes what they’re calling “The Museum Express”. Mellon described it as a wagon hooked up to an old tractor. The display is lit up with lights, and attendees can visit to get their photo taken.
They also have “kick sleds” available for guests to try out.
“They’re a lot of fun,” Mellon said. “They’re a hit with people of all ages.”
Mellon said they’d like the weather to cooperate a little bit more than it has so far this December. Although temperatures plunged below -20 C for a few days, Mellon said they have the bonfire going, and as long as residents are dressed in warm clothes they will be fine.
They museum has also held “drive-thru nights” every Wednesday. Mellon said it allows people to drive through the grounds and see the sights from the comfort of their vehicle.
The village will remain open until Dec. 23. Weather aside, Mellon said they’ve had a great year.
“The Museum Express” is one of the new attractions at this year’s Christmas Village.
“It’s been going really well,” she said. “The feedback has been really positive from those in attendance. Our volunteers have really put in a lot of work to make this happen.
“We go right from summer into Christmas planning the first week of September, so it’s been a tremendous amount of work for all the people involved.”
Entrance is by donation and the proceeds are used for the museum’s land expansion project. Mellon said they added on two new buildings this spring, and will start converting them into new attractions for the summer.
One of those attractions will be a “newspaper building” with artifacts and exhibits from the Melfort Journal.
The Organizers have extended the days for the Christmas Village to include Dec. 22-23. It is open from 6:30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
