While the newly expanded Shawnigan Lake Museum located in the heart of Shawnigan Lake Village has not officially opened their doors for people to explore the community's rich past, the ones to their gift shop are open, and curious community members are already peeking in to see what's new.
"It's a pretty nice gift shop, I'm really excited to bring people back into the museum, and those who have stopped in are already really enthusiastic," said Shawnigan Historical Society Executive Director Lori Treloar. "I've run into residents of over 40 years who have never been in here and when I ask why no one really ever has an answer. I feel because there was no way to look into our original building, it could have came across as we were closed. But, now I have people who have never been here wandering in all the time and asking when we will be open."
The Shawingan Lake Historical Society, which first formed in 1977, has been dreaming up ways to make this project a reality for the last eight years, and now the big picture is looking clearer than ever. Shovels first touched the dirt for the $2.1 million expansion of the Shawnigan Lake Museum on June 3, 2023 at Elsie Miles Community Park. Since, crews, Treloar, and countless volunteers have really been digging in with a few bumps and snags along the way, such as uncovering a 70-year-old oil tank that had been buried underground, as well as construction being pushed back by 10 months, which is not all that uncommon for for projects of this magnitude. Crews were finished by the end of February, and through the help of some core volunteers they've been putting things in place and beautifying the interior bit by bit, since.
"A lot of it is due to the care of our volunteers who have given their time to do something wonderful here," said Treloar. "We have seen a tremendous amount of help from them to get it done and much of it has required special skill sets."
There is still some work to do before everything is all set including beautifying the landscape, and perfecting a replica of the exact studio that Canadian artist — and Shawnigan Lake's own — E.J. Hughes used to sketch and paint some of his masterpieces in. The studio is just one marvel inside the museum's E.J. Hughes Gallery, which is just over half complete. According to Treloar, one of Hughes's paintings sold in May 2023 for $1.8 million, and past pieces have sold for well over $2 million, while several of his pieces have gone to big art collectors across Canada. Hughes, who is one of the most famous individuals to hail from Shawnigan Lake, lived in Duncan until his death in 2007. Treloar said her six core volunteers, particularly one named Peter, who has been putting his perfectionist personality to good use, have been putting in countless hours to honour Hughes in the way that matches Treloar's vision.
"The galley is going to be amazing,'" said Treloar. "Hughes had a passion for his boat, and loved to be out on the lake in it sketching. When I started applying for grants, I had said that I wanted to have a boat that represented him with the bow in the gallery and the stern coming out the other side, it has just been completed and it looks fantastic, and will be an 'oh wow' moment for our visitors the first time they see it."
The new expansion, has 'oh wow' moments at every turn including an over-the-top interpretation of the Kinsol Trestle that will have the ability to be pushed against the wall when the society needs use of the space for an event. Over the past few months Treloar has hosted guided tours at the Kinsol Trestle, something she is well known for, but recent trestle trekkers were given a special treat as she brought hem back to the museum for a sneak peek of the exhibits with the caveat that the museum was not ready. They were also treated to a showing of the video on the Kinsol Trestle that the society created, and reactions have been great.
Along with guests getting a taste of the trestle exhibit in the museum's event space, which is equipped with a full kitchen, they will also get an eyeful of the fantastic forestry exhibit created by Thetis Island carver and exhibit fabricator Ross Argo. He produced an extraordinary, realistic looking hand-carved Douglas fir tree, along with a nurse tree.That's a larger tree that has died and fallen in the forest and now the miracle of nature fosters the growth of other young trees, and plant life such as ferns and fungi upon it. Both of these works of art bringing the new space to life.
As hours are put in to bring the past to present perfectly into the new expanded museum, Treloar has been testing out the space with a myriad of smaller events until a soft opening in June, with a date yet to be determined, followed by a grand re-opening in July. In the meantime the society celebrated their third annual storytelling event, which had been held at the Shawnigan Lake Community Centre the past two years. The event, to break in the new room intended to bring community together, featured four storytellers with this year's headliner being Jared Williams, who on top of being a terrific tale teller, is also an advocate for Cowichan Tribes. Held in April, with 75 in attendance it proved to be a smashing success.
"I wanted to have it here, and we were just ready enough to do so, and it was magical," said Treloar. " All four storytellers made it a magical night, it was truly a great way to break in the new space, and now I know the limits."
This was followed up by a fundraiser dinner on May 10, which featured crab and prawn that was prepared on site in their new full kitchen with 48 in attendance. Trelor said she has a few more events in store before the museum celebrates with really rolling out the red carpet to invite the entire community in come July. She expects that as time goes on event prices will have to be increased a little so they can be sustainable.
While Treloar feels the building and its event space could have been a little bit bigger, she actually prefers the intimate events, as it allows for more connection for all in attendance, and with all the tables round, it's hard for guests to avoid seeing eye to eye, and it's a much better way to interact.
Another room that encourages information at one's fingertips and social interaction is the museum's new library space where members can take out books like a lending library, and non-members can stay to peruse all they like at their leisure. To add to the fun, the society has also purchased six wooden board games from a company in Ontario including classics like chess, checkers, crib, as well as snakes and ladders for kids of all ages. Treloar hopes to eventually offer dedicated game nights where instruction would be offered for those who don't know how to play.
Admission is by donation. There are currently 35 volunteers who are patiently waiting for the doors to open. If you are interested in being one of them or becoming a member, which is $20 annually, email [email protected], or visit their website at [email protected].
The space, which was the original museum in its entirety, is also getting a clean fresh look, with new pieces hung and adjustments with new displays including one on Shawnigan Lake Asian history which sits just outside the theatre, where Treloar hopes to also reel in people for film viewings. The ideas seem to be endless to get community to meet and connect at the museum.
"The most exciting thing for me is that I want people to know how big our story is," said Treloar. "A lot of people think that Shawnigan Lake is just a place you visit and enjoy cottage life, and things like swimming and water skiing, but the history of the community is really big here. I hope there is pride of place once they explore inside, and realize that this space belongs to the community. I want to engage people, and host events for seniors so they may socialize over soup, or even bring day care kids over one day. Mostly, I want it to be a place where people feel they can be in community here."
