The Frenchman Butte Museum has undergone an aggressive rejuvenation process over the past three months as it continues to be the premier small town museum in Saskatchewan following its 2013 award by the prestigious Prairies North Magazine.
President Tom Hougham continues to guide the executive’s endeavours as they follow a strategic plan with significant improvements to the museum, including a rejuvenation of the CN Railway Station and a striking new roof on their popular Log Cabin Tea-house.
They invite everyone to join in celebrating their Frenchman Butte Museum Day Festival Sunday, Aug. 9. Being a Sunday, the day begins with an under-the-tent multi-denominational church service.
The entire complex is open to visitors much of the day, with exhibits closing only at 1 p.m. for the annual parade on Main Street.
Live performers provide stage entertainment all afternoon while a huge silent auction offers the chance of a “real deal” on a variety of items provided by museum sponsors.
Don’t miss out on our famous selection of home-baked pies – add a heap of ice cream on top and enjoy.
Inspect a variety of classic cars and trucks on display.
For kids, there are games, face painting, historic mini-golf and a playground.
The grand climax to the day is a roast beef supper at 5 p.m., costing a reasonable $10 a plate (age six to10 $5.) Admission for the day is by donation, at the gate.
Over the last five years the executive has been able to develop a wide variety of services for visitors to the facility. This spring, school class tours were fully booked while regular museum building tours for visitors are as popular as ever.
The recently expanded RV campground provides the travelling tourist with a base of operations, which in turn contributes to an increase in traffic exploring the nearby historic sites of Fort Pitt and Frenchman Butte “rifle pits.”
Because the museum has developed far beyond being just a collection of artifacts from the past, one of the first tasks on the list of enhancements included a revised name to “The Frenchman Butte Heritage Centre,” because today we provide a wide range of activities for visitors to enjoy. It is an educational facility, an RV campground, a food and beverage provider, a historical document research centre, even a host location for corporate retreats. Developed have been a distinctive logo, new brochures and a greatly expanded Internet presence. Visit the centre’s website at www.frenchmanbuttemuseum.ca.
President Tom Hougham admits the organization has challenges to face, most certainly one of the major ones being attracting willing volunteers. Nearly all the tasks at the centre are either contracted out commercially or delegated to volunteers who provide what time they can to accomplish the task. A volunteer can only give what they can, he insists.
“We never demand, and in that way we create a pleasant, interesting and fun environment to develop friendships.”
The tasks at the centre vary widely, from greeting visitors in the teahouse to rejuvenating selected exhibits for operation or display to guiding visitor tours through the museum.
During the summer months the centre employs two university students for routine maintenance and conducting visitor tours.
If you have an interest in joining us we should have a chat. Call me at 306-825-2246 and I’ll outline a little more detail on our volunteer programs.
We recognize our centre is one of the premier history related attractions for all tourists travelling through the Lloydminster area on Highway 16. What visitors experience reflects directly on their expectation of what lies ahead during their holiday in Saskatchewan, so we set a high standard in highlightin
