Thank you!

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The crew at the Shawnigan Lake Museum would like to acknowledge, with much gratitude, the substantial support received from Granters, Donors, Supporters and Volunteers, and people in our community. You have made the dream to expand the museum a reality.

It would have been tough for the museum to survive without an expansion – there wasn’t adequate space for programming or events, no access to washrooms, zero storage space, and it was a challenge to find space to change exhibits.

Why is a museum important? Museums document life. Museums educate. Museums connect people provide a sense of community by celebrating a collective heritage. The Shawnigan Lake Historical Society was established in 1977 with the purpose of creating a museum. After a few temporary homes, the museum settled into the original Shawnigan Lake Firehall and has been there since. Why is the Shawnigan Lake Museum important? Shawnigan has a rich and vibrant history that needs to be shared and celebrated…the history includes famous people, significant historical events and other stories that make Shawnigan a unique community.

The beginning of the journey was a gift of $100,000. From there, we have had many private donations, including a second $100,000 gift. We have also written many grants to raise funds. When we started, the estimated cost was around $800,000. As time went on, the project costs soared to between $2.5-$3 million. We persevered, and we are nearly there…

There are many things yet to be done, here and there, but we are excited to be so close to the end…

We anticipate that our Grand Opening will be in February or March. We hope that you join us for the opening! The museum celebrates Shawnigan’s history. It is big! We hope that you will visit and learn about the amazing history of our community.
 

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