After a long journey beginning with shovels hitting dirt for the first time in June 2023, the ribbon was cut on July 26 on the Shawnigan Lake Museum's expansion.
All involved revelled in finally seeing this long-lived dream finally come to fruition as the newly expanded museum makes history more fun, and present.
“We’re incredibly excited to welcome our community and visitors back,” said society executive director Lori Treloar. “This project has been a labour of love made possible thanks to the generous support of funders, donors, volunteers, and local partners, over many years of planning. The new space will allow us to offer more information and events to visitors from Shawnigan and beyond.”
More than 200 people were in attendance for the momentous moment when the ribbon was cut during the ceremony at 2 p.m. The long-waited event included remarks from key speakers, and local officials as well as a guided tour of all the new exhibits.
Guests can now learn more about Shawnigan’s story through the ambitious expansion that added 3,000 square feet of new space including a full kitchen, interior washrooms, exterior public washrooms for the community, a library programming and event space, added storage as well as new exhibits showcasing artist E.J. Hughes, the Kinsol Trestle and more. The project reflects the museum’s purpose to celebrate local history, and culture through accessible and engaging education and the new facility reflects this as it has also been upgraded for accessibility.
"It was a great feeling, if not a bit surreal, to finally reach this milestone, after almost 10 years of planning," said Treloar.
