Our Education/Public Programs Coordinator Karla is visiting the Grade II classes at Sunningdale School today to share our program, “Schools Then and Now”!

No, he's not driving the locomotive - this bunny was hiding at last year's Easter Funday. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled in the galleries on Saturday, March 31 between 1:00 and 4:00 pm...if you spot a bunny, mark down where and you'll be entered into a draw to win one of your own! For more info, call 306-693-5989 or check out our event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/529491094078070/

The spring line of our Oxford Station earrings have arrived and are on display in our WDM Gift Shop! This is just a small fraction of the earrings - stop by between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Tuesday through Sunday to see them all in person.

This model train display was a popular one with visitors last year; join us at the Thunder Creek Model Train Show later this month’s for some returning favourites as well as new layouts!

If you've an aptitude for writing and an interest in history, be sure to register for our upcoming Historical Fiction Workshop in partnership with the Saskatchewan Festival of Words!

FROM THE WDM COLLECTION: PROSTHETIC LEG Medicare Makes a Difference - One Man's Story Plagued by a broken hip, John Marcus had his leg amputated. Without much money and with little medical help available, the resourceful blacksmith from Surbiton made his own leg from 2 x 4 lumber, using a door hinge for the knee. A piece of rubber tire cradled his stump. Marcus finished off the leg with his own boot. He used the leg until his death in 1954. Stories like this are why we have Medicare. Thousands of Saskatchewan people like John Marcus suffered and "Made do" because they could not afford medical treatment. As a child, Premier Douglas himself almost had a leg amputated until a Winnipeg doctor offered to treat him for free. Douglas was determined to make medical treatment accessible to everyone. His dream for Saskatchewan was realized in 1962. The prosthetic leg is on display in the Winning the Prairie Gamble gallery at the WDM Moose Jaw.

SAULTEAUX PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE LANDSCAPING AND DISPLAY PROJECT AT THE WDM MOOSE JAW The WDM Moose Jaw in partnership with the Wakamow Valley Authority and Tourism Moose Jaw are thrilled to have the Thunder Creek Model Railroad Club working on a project to enhance the model of the Saulteaux Pedestrian Bridge. Visitors to the Museum will be able to see the Thunder Creek Model Railroad Club hard at work over the next few months. The 1/20 scale model of the bridge was constructed to serve as a template when the actual construction took place in September 2016. The Club will be adding landscaping features of Paashkwow Park for the model. "The WDM is thrilled to be part of this partnership and to help facilitate this project. We are proud of the work done by Thunder Creek Model Railroad Club and are pleased that visitors to the WDM will be able to witness the transformation of the bridge model," said Kathy Fitton, Manager of the Western Development Museum - Moose Jaw. Upon completion, the Saulteaux Pedestrian Bridge model will be permanently displayed at Tourism Moose Jaw. "Tourism Moose Jaw is both honoured and excited to be the future home of the Salteaux Pedestrian Bridge scale model, thanks to the Wakamow Valley Authority, the Thunder Creek Model Railway Club and the Western Development Museum. With more than 30,000 visitors at the Information Centre each year, we know this work of art and science will be an excellent and useful tool to promote Moose Jaw as a whole, and Wakamow Valley as the truly hidden gem that it is," said Jacki L'Heureux-Mason, Executive Director of Tourism Moose Jaw. "I am always so pleased when so many organizations can come together for a common goal, and we are so happy to be a part of this exciting project!" "Similar to the partnership Wakamow Valley established with Trans Canada Trail and the Canadian Armed Forces 38 Combat Engineer Regiment, Wakamow Valley is pleased to partner with the Thunder Creek Model Railroad Club, Western Development Museum and Tourism Moose Jaw to enhance the model of the Saulteaux Pedestrian Bridge located in Wakamow Valley," said Margaret Moran, CEO of Wakamow Valley Authority.

Did you know the WDM Moose Jaw does birthday parties? You bet we do! Primarily geared towards children turning 5 through 7 years, a birthday party booking includes invitations, a decorated room, cake and candles, dishes and utensils, water and apple juice, and admission to the museum for the birthday child and seven guests, plus two adults. As well, the Museum will provide a gift for the birthday child, loot bags full of goodies, a scavenger hunt and appropriate crafts and games. For more information or to book a party, please give us a call at 306-693-5989.

We're hiring! If you're a student returning to post-secondary studies full time this fall, have a love for Saskatchewan history and enjoy working with children and the public, we have an opportunity for you! Click the link below for a full description of our Education/Public Programs Assistant summer student position: http://www.wdm.ca/AboutUs/WDM_MooseJaw_EducationPublicProgramsAssistant_18.pdf

In partnership with the Saskatchewan Festival of Words, join local author, David Richards, as he leads an informative session about writing historical fiction. The workshop will also include a guided tour of the WDM galleries for inspiration! This workshop will provide practical guidance, tips, and hopefully a bit of inspiration in writing historical fiction. We will discuss focused research, using history to find characters and plot, how to let the history into your fiction, editing the blend of fact and fiction and more. We will discuss the issues of revisionism and voice/culture appropriation. We will tour the WDM, physically touching history, then end with a writing exercise that you can submit for critique – or not, as you wish. Pre-registration is required through the event link. Cost: $35 Refreshments

We've got a fun new event to raise funds for the $101 for the 101 Campaign! Click the link to learn more about our upcoming Mother's Day Plant Nite fundraiser at the Museuem - guests aged 12 years and up are welcome when accompanied by an adult.

Starting this week, the WDM Moose Jaw is pleased to welcome Grade 7 students from across southern Saskatchewan who are taking part in the Smarter Science Better Buildings program; today, students from Lindale School kicked things off! Smarter Science Better Buildings is a 2-hour, hands-on, teacher-led program that allows students to explore the concepts of heat and temperature through the practical application of making our homes more energy efficient. Students explore workstations that focus on: - Energy efficient lighting and appliances - Water conservation - Home retrofits - Building materials - Solar heating - A model of a net zero (produces as much energy as it consumes) home allows students to examine how all these concepts fit together into a home that is both livable and very energy efficient Students also tour Museum exhibits related to sustainable living (homes, transportation, etc.) Smarter Science Better Buildings has been developed collaboratively by the Saskatchewan Environmental Society, the Western Development Museum, VerEco Homes, with assistance from Saskatoon Public School Division, and Sun Ridge Group. Sponsored by SaskEnergy and SaskPower.