We have received many new donations, including a large collection of documents and memorabilia from the Goodfellow family. Exhaustive work through 2023 also allowed us to launch our huge Collections Access website in early 2024. Check the website princetonbcmuseum.com which includes digital copies of photographs and newspapers as well.
The Government of Canada sponsored two contract workers again this year. They processed over 5,000 images and made thousands of adjustments to our new website.
Province of BC Gaming funds enabled us to offer a number of free events featuring noted speakers such as Randy Manuel, John Henry, Bruce Archibald and Doug Cox. We also brought in the Fraser Valley Antique Engine Club to participate in the Princeton Car Show. A grant from the Province, administered by the BC Museums Association, allowed us to offer two free showings of the Disney movie Encanto for Family Day. The Museum Society brought in a travelling exhibit, Waterways, from Kelowna for the summer months, kindly sponsored by Fortis.
Our Interpretive Guides in several languages helped with the many foreign visitors we had this past season. Our visitor count was up by 25% over last year.
We continue to regularly host several groups such as, the Fiber Artists, Two Rivers Events Society, Vermilion Forks Field Naturalists as well as AGM events for the Granite Creek Preservation Society and the China Ridge Trails Society. As always, the local school students came in but this year we had special visits from the Town of Princeton Summer Day Camp, the Merritt schools, teachers from Abbotsford, a photography class, the Archive Association of BC and several visits from the Matrix program. Museum staff visited Vermilion Court to engage with the residents.
A grant from the Rainforest to Rockies Spark program allowed the Princeton Museum to promote the Highway 3 Museum Tour along with 19 other Museums and countless associates. Museum staff also attended a symposium of Okanagan Museums at the Kelowna Airport Museum.
We thank Black Press for including local history articles in the Similkameen Spotlight newspaper each week.
The Museum Society wishes to particularly thank the Town of Princeton for their generous support of the Museum and the Upper Similkameen Indian Band for their ongoing help in curating our collection.
Most of the work at the Museum is done by volunteers and we thank them for their major contribution. We always welcome anybody interested in helping out with the multiple tasks involved in administering this important collection
