Watt's Up at local museum
Woodstock Museum attracts touring shows to augment their on-going displays
By
Mark Schadenberg
This
past Saturday, and during the March Break, I took my two children to the Woodstock
Museum National Historic Site in Downtown Woodstock.
The
museum in fountain square at 466 Dundas Street (Use the door on east side of
the building, which was once city hall) has many on-going displays surrounding
the city’s history, including the original council chambers. I stared for quite
a while at the pictures of past city councils and noted many names that I did
not realize were past mayors of Woodstock, including Trevor Slater, Joseph
Sudworth, Hugh Richardson, James Kintrea, William Grey and John McWhinnie. Of
note, all of those individuals have parks named after them just like more
modern mayors such as William Dutton, and Les Cook.
Before
leaving for this educational trek, I noted on Twitter that I was going to see a
Penny Farthing bicycle (pictured). I knew from previous visits that The Friendly
City has a storied past in cycling, including cycling races back in the 1800’s.
The
museum (www.woodstockmuseum.ca) features many old maps of this
community, recognition of the importance of railways in our past, a pictorial industry
timeline chart, recollections of world conflicts including the barracks at
Woodstock Fairgrounds, and of course a display about my favourite Woodstock
person of yesteryear – Klondike Joe Boyle.
Energy & Electicity
The
second floor of the museum is where you usually discover the touring shows. The
current attraction is Watt’s Up Renewable Energy, which is a hands-on
educational show created originally by the Waterloo Region museum, and is
calling Woodstock home until June 29.
There
are many reasons why your family should attend – it’s free, it’s fun, you learn
and it’s a great way to interact with your children. For example, and as they
say ‘proof is in the pudding’, your child can ride a bicycle (Not the Penny
Farthing one though) and see how this can create energy. The overall display
includes explanations on solar power, wind turbines, hydro-electric dams, and
dynamos.
An
easy-to-understand sequential series of pictures explain the footprint of our
ecology.
There
is also a set of blocks for the younger set to build a puzzle.
Reducing
energy consumption is a task for the whole family to aspire to.
The
local presentation of Watt’s Up is sponsored by Hydro Woodstock. Museum hours
are Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. For more info, contact (519) 537-8411
or curator Karen Houston (khouston@city.woodstock.on.ca)
You
can see by reading The Sentinel-Review story (See link for full version) that
with the teachers’ dispute pertaining to extra-curricular activities, students
are currently enjoying fewer field trips. This is a free family adventure.
()()()()()()()()
Museums also victims of labour dispute
Tuesday,
March 19, 2013
Edited Version
WOODSTOCK
-- Students aren’t the only victims in the ongoing labour dispute between the
public school teachers’ unions and the government.
For
months, staff at local museums and the art gallery have watched visitor numbers
dwindle because teachers are not allowed to participate in voluntary activities
such as field trips.
“The
frustrating thing is that we’re ready to go,” Jennifer Beauchamp, curator at
the Oxford County Museum School, said during a phone interview. “We’re ready to
swing into what’s typically the busiest time of year for museums, with the nice
weather and the end of the school year, and where are they?”
The
museum school’s annual Canadiana Challenge had to be cancelled because
volunteers were not allowed to go to classes to host the competitions.
In
Woodstock, the story at the museum and art gallery is the same.
Patricia
Deadman, curator of the art gallery, said January and February school programs
were down about 300 participants over last year.
She
admitted the decline was a concern knowing the gallery is still new at its
Dundas Street location and visitor numbers are part of the equation at budget
time.
“It’s
kind of out of our control but it does affect everyone,” she said. “There is a
definite ripple effect throughout the community and other organizations being
effected.”
Karen
Houston, curator at the Woodstock Museum, said the effects of the labour
dispute can be seen more starkly this year because, last year, more than 7,000
students participated in school programs and outreach programs. That number
represents almost a third of the overall number of visitors to the Woodstock
museum.
“That’s
huge, that’s huge for us,” she said. “We are aware of the fact this has a huge
impact on the things we do.”
Until
last year, the number of students involved in those types of programs was about
4,000. Staff at the museum put in a lot of time to make sure marketing efforts
to schools were on target, and that the types of exhibits they were choosing
fit into curriculum.
“It
is one of those things we have sort of ramped up over the last couple years. I
am aware that these things happen. These things happen but we have to figure
out a way to continue drawing people in,” she said.
Although
they still do some school tours with the Catholic and the private boards, the
museum has put extra effort in this year to reach out to seniors.
“You have to kind of think of different ways
to reach different audiences,” Houston said.
http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2013/03/19/museums-also-victims-of-labour-dispute
Mark Schadenberg, Sales Rep
Royal LePage Triland Realty
(519) 537-1553
Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com
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