The Sturgis Station House Museum recently announced that it has taken on a large scale project of building an Agricultural Heritage Building.
The project got kick-started when the museum’s pole shed that was used to store outdoor artifacts had collapsed and board members made the decision to replace it with a more permanent enclosed building. Members decided the new building will be located on the east side of the museum.
The site has been landscaped in preparation for the future building.
"The new building will hopefully be built and ready in 2021 and will be used to house all our agriculture-based artifacts," said Myrtle Boychuk, museum chairperson.
Some of the artifacts scheduled to be housed in the new building will include: all tools related to a blacksmith shop, old wooden equipment used for digging, a wagon, a tractor, a stone mill, a honey extractor and weigh scales from the Sturgis UGG (United Grain Growers) elevator. An old Minneapolis Moline thresher will also be showcased in the new building. The building will not be heated or have any electricity but will have large sky windows to allow appropriate light to view the artifacts.
"We are just in the fundraiser stage and will be hosting several fundraisers to help with the cost," said Boychuk. "We are really looking forward to the new building that will allow us to better display artifacts that have been in storage for years."
Fundraises scheduled will feature: a soup and sandwich at the Sturgis READ Club on March 13, a garage sale on April 25 and a Mother's Day brunch on May 10.
"We are encouraging the public to support the museum in its fundraisers and through purchasing memberships,” said Boychuk. “Memberships are an important factor in order to obtain grant monies. The benefits for members are discounts at the gift shop, free admission to the museum, voting privileges and receiving a newsletter. We would also like to encourage individuals who have artifacts that they would like to donate or make a monetary donation to please contact a member.".
The new season will feature a 100th year celebration for the Brookview School. The museum is currently seeking families or past students to register for the event that is planned for August 22 and 23 and are encouraged to contact a member or email the museum. The tentative schedule will see an opening ceremony, breakfast, supper, church service and tours of the school.
"We did a lot of renovations to the building when we first got it that included shingling the roof, rebuilding a wall, putting in electricity, flooring and painting,” reported Boychuk.
The museum will open to the public on May 15 and conclude with a volunteer recognition in August.
The museum will also host a Holodomor tour on September 29 and 30. The tour is based on educating the public regarding the Holodomor (death by hunger, in Ukrainian) which refers to the starvation of millions of Ukrainians in 1932–33 as a result of Soviet policies, according to information the Holodomor website. The Holodomor can be seen as the culmination of an assault by the Communist Party and Soviet state on the Ukrainian peasantry, who resisted Soviet policies. This assault occurred in the context of a campaign of intimidation and arrests of Ukrainian intellectuals, writers, artists, religious leader, and political cadres, who were seen as a threat to Soviet ideological and state-building aspirations.
Executive members for the museum include: Myrtle Boychuk, chairperson; Kim Rose, vice-chair; Verna Karpyk, treasurer and Greta German, secretary. Directors are: Hazel Urbanoski, Vern Poworoznyk, Karen Rose, Dale Bashforth, Linda Knutson, Verna Melnychuk, Barb Wagar and Stacey Wiebe (who was rehired as curator).
