A total of 436 people signed the Visitors’ Book at the Canora Visitors’ Centre/Station House Museum during the 2015 tourist season, Joy Stusek said in her report to the Seneca Root Association’s fall meeting in Sturgis on October 21.

            Representatives from each of the museums in the network were asked to give an annual report. The other museum from Canora represented was the Canora Ukrainian Heritage Museum, which was represented by Walter Boyko.

            Not all the people who signed the Visitors’ Book toured the museum, but they were impressed with the newly renovated visitors’ centre which does feature some of the museum’s displays, Stusek said.

            The museum had a very busy summer, she said. For one of the special events during the Canora in Bloom week in July, the volunteers from the visitors’ centre served more than 350 hotdogs. During one day of the festival, the museum volunteers were extremely proud to have the town’s connection to its railroad roots addressed. The theme for the parade was the 100^th anniversary of the last spike in the rail line that went from coast to coast (and through Canora). The highlight of the parade was a scaled-down version of Canadian Northern Railway engine owned by the Wally Hubert family. The exhibit was so spectacular that the Hueberts were asked to park the flatbed on the street next to the town hall when the main program was held.

            Mayor Gina Rakochy, in period dress, had the honour of being the first to pound the ceremonial last spike. After doing her part, she passed along the honour to several retired railroaders.

            An event which brought a lot of traffic to the area was a farmers’ market held in front of the museum, Stusek said. Starting July, the market was held every Thursday to the end of September and it was very well received by the public.

            In August, a group of about 40 seniors from Winnipeg arrived by train and then went on a bus tour of the area. After spending  an afternoon in Canora, they were treated to a shishliki dinner at the station museum.

            There were a number of interesting tourists to drop in during the summer, she said. A couple of American families were searching for some connection to a long, lost history and were happy to see at least pictures or maps of Canora’s early days.

            Among the new acquisitions during the year were: a telegraph key called a “bug,”  horse equipment, a homemade loom and an enlarged map of the ranches in the area in 1896, said Stusek.

            The museum has gone through substantial changes since the town took over the Station and housed the visitors’ centre in it, she said. Now the museum volunteers share the responsibility of managing the museum and visitors’ centre from June to the end of August. Two volunteers man the visitors’ centre and museum in the morning and then another volunteer looks after the museum in the afternoon while a student worker from the town looks after the visitors’ centre where souvenirs are sold.

            Since all acquisitions of the museum now belong to the town, it was necessary to close the museum’s charity account, Stusek said. Some of the remaining funds were used to purchase a television for the visitors’ centre and the balance was given to the town.

Ukrainian Heritage Museum

            It was a busy summer, especially due to some special events – the last of which was to be a perogy-and-sausage supper on October 28, said Walter Boyko. This event is called “our post-harvest supper.”

            The museum is now coming to the end of its season, he said. In November, it is open four days a week and is then closed during December and January. The new season begins on February 1.

            For most months, the museum is open from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week but in July and August, it is open six days a week.

            During the Canora in Bloom festival, the museum held a borsch-and-homemade bread fundraiser which raised $148.

            On August 18, the museum board was happy to offer tours to a large group from Winnipeg. The group arrived by train and then toured the area on a bus.

            During Culture Day on September 25, the group sold perogies and sausages and made a little over $300, Boyko said.