No matter how long you plan for the opening of a big project, there are always last minute details to manage before the public peeks in.
Such was the case for the opening of the final exhibit in the Western Development Museum’s Winning the Prairie Gamble display. Some volunteers and staffers worked throughout the night to make the July 11 opening in Saskatoon a success.
It was worth it. The WDM knows its subject and its audience. That was evident in the ceremonial cutting of the binder twine, rather than the more usual ribbon, to open the new section of the display.
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This final portion of the Prairie Gamble exhibit takes visitors into the modern era of agriculture.
“Mechanization has progressed so far that some farm boys never learn how to ride or drive a horse,” proclaims one quote on display, published by Macleans in 1955.
Another gem, posted at the entrance to the latest display, has resonance today as Saskatchewan celebrates boom times.
“The material comforts of urban living are becoming more attainable for farm people as a result of greater mobility, better roads, higher average farm income and improved rural-urban communication through press, radio and, more recently, television,” reported the Royal Commission on Agriculture and Rural Life in 1955.
That’s sort of true today, if you add high speed internet to the end of the sentence.
The Winning the Prairie Gamble exhibit traces agricultural history circa 1905 to 2005. It was about 16 years in the making, fraught with funding challenges but supported by a loyal group of volunteers.
Mary Jean Martin was on the board when the concept was first embraced, and she was there for last week’s opening. She says it’s a modern museum with displays and hands-on experiences that appeal to all ages.
She’s right about that. Myriad displays in the new area include the front end of a school bus, a simulated combine-driving experience and a clever audio-visual presentation of the differences that electricity made to farm life and living.
One other new element in the display is alone worth the price of admission. Developed by Mediacom of Saskatoon, it’s a tri-screen presentation that contrasts the old methods of farming with the new.
Thirza Jones of Mediacom is the creative mind behind it, with Dwayne Moore and Adrienne Thomas adding their technical and organizational expertise. It’s impressive.
The WDM will open new Prairie Gamble displays this year in Moose Jaw, Yorkton and North Battleford. It’s worth a visit.
