Monday, May 18 might be Victoria Day, but it’s also pancake day at the Westlock Pioneer Museum.
The traditional season opener has been going for years and signals that the museum, which showcases early life in Westlock and the surrounding area, is ready to go.
“It’s the kick off for the year,” said Art Avery, president of the Westlock and District Historical Society.
“It’s become a tradition. It was happening long before I was involved, and it’s just to let the people know we’re open for business.”
The pancakes are free, although the museum does accept donations, and last year about 125 people took the opportunity to enjoy the sweet, buttermilk-based delights and then tour the museum.
Avery hopes that the weather is mild, as loads of sunshine means more people head out of town for the long weekend.
“If the weather is real good, a lot of people head to the lake,” he said.
“If the weather is a little on the crappy order, then we get a better turn out.”
With an array of artifacts from life on the frontier, including Canada’s largest collection of Aladdin lamps, phonographs, dolls, and display of old guns and firearms, the museum showcases how life was for the people who forged the Westlock area.
Some of the larger items in the museum’s include a vintage car and a horse-drawn hearse.
“We have a very good display of the history of the Westlock area,” Avery said. “It’s part of our heritage. If it weren’t for these people that came and broke the land, and dug out the stumps, we wouldn’t be here.
“It’s critical to pass the information on down through generations.”
It’s been a race against time for the group of dedicated volunteers who have been trying to work around the construction work on the museum’s roof.
The new roof is not completely done yet, but Avery is hopeful it will be in time for the opening.
“We wanted it done a month ago,” he said. “It really has to be done by the 13th — we have to get in and do some clean up.
The Westlock Pioneer Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Victoria Day until Labour Day, Sept. 7. Entry is $5 for adults, $2 for students, family passes are $10 and kids under 5 years old are free.
