Creston locals and tourists alike have plenty of chances this summer to learn about some of the memorable history of the Kootenay town, through hands-on activities and town tours.
The Creston Museum will be hosting five different Museum About Town tours, all with different locations and stories – including the iconic bank heist of 1925 being one of the most physically accessible options.
The Great Creston Bank Robbery tour stops people in their tracks every time, manager Tammy Bradford said.
“If John Wayne turned this into a movie, it would be the absolute stupidest John Wayne movie ever, but it’s all true,” Bradford said. “It’s got everything you could ever want in a melodrama that is too good to be true — but it’s all true.”
The Museum About Town tours are hosted by group reservation from Thursdays until Sundays. The museum also recommends reserving a spot for other planned programs, such as building log houses, apple packing and attending school a century ago.
The museum intends to launch junior curators programs over four Saturdays in August, giving kids aged eight to 12 a chance to experience what happens behind the scenes of a museum and create their own mini exhibit, Bradford said.
At the end of the program, junior curators will present their work to families and friends. The program is the newest development in the museum’s efforts to involve youth in exhibit design.
During the school year, Grade 7 students from Adam Robertson Elementary created an exhibit after learning from Elders and knowledge keepers from the Lower Kootenay Band of the Ktunaxa Nation.
“The students learned a phenomenal amount of information from the elders and have come up with exhibits that present how they would change the museum’s exhibits to better incorporate those perspectives.”
More information about the museum can be found at crestonmuseum.ca.