Volunteers and staff at the Qualicum Beach Museum are ready to officially swing open the doors for their summer season.
Spokesperson Gerthe Russell said the opening, slated for Saturday, May 26 at 10 a.m. will feature a very special guest — the carved replica of a statue commemorating the Qualicum Beach hermit, Guiseppe Roat, who moved to the area in the 1920s and ran a natural history museum there.
The new statue was carved by internationally-recognized artist Francois Mongeau, the creative genius behind the large wooden wall beach scene sculpture in the foyer of the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre.
The unveiling won’t be all that’s going on.
Russell said the opening will also feature music by the Old Time Fiddlers and will be kicked off by Qualicum Beach town crier Len Mustard. Civic officials will also be on hand for the big day.
Russell said the summer opening provides a great opportunity for history buffs to take a tour of the facility.
When they do, they’ll be able to see the beginning stages of the museum’s latest foray into local history gathering — an oral history project that is collecting recollections of some of the longtime residents on tape and adding a slideshow of historical scenes.
“We are working on an oral history project and at the end of the summer awe will make a theatre area in the upstairs,” Russell said. “That’s our big push right now. It’s a fair bit of work to collect the histories and combine that with photography on the screen.”