By Lucie Roy
Morinville – Getting to ride a 100-year-old saddle and making some crafts were some of the activities Morinville Public Elementary Preschool’s Enrichment Program enjoyed at the Musée Morinville Museum tour Dec. 16. A miniature town, vintage Barbie doll, 1950s dolls, Christmas decorations from the 1920s and 1930s, and a living room with a gramophone and tree decorated with small candles and popcorn were all part of the student’s history lesson.
Every student had their picture taken on the saddle, which was donated to the museum by Avrielle Huot. A stand was made to safely support the students who sat on it.
.
Another historical display students learned from was a 1970s era miniature Christmas village on loan to the museum from Charles and Cecilia Chevalier. Cecilia said the village came together with years of work and donations from family and friends. Her daughters Carol and Anita made the miniature grain elevator, school, post office, auto centre and fire hall. Their son Dan donated the train and tracks as well as some of the small vehicles, which includes a Volkswagen with luggage on top, a bus and a milk wagon. A firefighter donated a fire engine, which sits in front of the fire hall. Someone had donated numerous small figurines and Cecilia spent much time painting them to fit into the scene. Santa was a little harder to find in the scale required for the village. She said they found a Santa cake decoration that was perfect for the display. The village can be used in a versatile manner. The skating rink in the winter turns into a pond for the summer. The display is always placed differently when it is set up and she never tires of looking at the many variations. Each building in the village is set upon a small bulb and lights up when plugged in.
The village captured the attention of the students, with the many buildings and small detail in the display on how life in Morinville may have looked years ago.
