 |
 |
|
|
|
Reptile Day Slither on over to the Courtenay and District Museum Saturday, September 28 from 11:00-2:00
Visitors will have the opportunity to meet and touch a variety of snakes, lizards and other interesting insects. Check out giant millipedes, scorpions, tarantulas and hissing roaches, as well as boa constrictors, pythons and kingsnakes. There will be bearded dragons, blue tongue skink, savannah monitors and leopard gecko.
All the creatures will be viewed in a safe environment and handled with the expertise of Jennifer Lestage, Owner/Operator of CR Animal Parties. Kids can also participate in reptile crafts and this is a great opportunity to check out all the exhibits at the museum. Admission is by donation and all revenues from this day will go towards buying a new and larger home for the museum's resident and growing lung fish.
Museum Hosts Fall Line-Up of Award Winning Authors
The three authors the Courtenay and District Museum will host this fall have a few things in common. Paula Wild, Richard Mackie and Tom Peek are all award winners, intrigued with the natural and cultural historic world around them and willing to share their knowledge with a wider audience. Don't miss these exciting events.
Richard Mackie Lecture: Logging the Flats
Time and Date: Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013
In this talk, richly illustrated with rare photos and maps, popular historian Richard Mackie will follow the Comox Logging & Railway Company as it logged 60,000 acres of Douglas-fir forest to the north of Courtenay and at Comox Lake in the era of highlead logging, 1910-1945.
Click Here for Details
Paula Wild's Book Launch
Vancouver Island is known not only for having the highest density of cougars, but also the most aggressive cougar population in North America. Join local author Paula Wild as she celebrates the launch of her new book that explores our evolving relationship with this enigmatic animal, The Cougar: Beautiful, Wild and Dangerous (Douglas & McIntyre, $34.95), at the Courtenay and District Museum (207 Fourth Street) on Saturday, October 5 from 2pm to 4pm. This event is free, everyone is welcome and refreshments will be provided.
Click Here for Details
Tom Peek Lecture: Daughters of Fire
Time and Date: Friday, October 18, 2013
In addition to his adventures and novel writing, Tom has written newspaper stories and commentaries, magazine articles, public policy studies, and award-winning video productions.
The Courtenay Museum is Tom's only stop in Canada on his tour for his award-winning novel Daughters of Fire. He'll be presenting a talk on Friday October 18 about his work on Mauna Kea and Kilauea and how it inspired his new novel.
Click for more Information
Tom Peek Writing Workshop: Empowered by the Pen
On Saturday, October 19, Tom Peek will present an Empowered by the Pen workshop. Since 1991 hundreds of Hawai'i islanders have attended his popular Empowered by the Pen workshops, through the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, Volcano Art Center, and other venues on the Big Island, Maui, and Lana 'i.
Click for more Details
Photo of the Month
CDM #980.41.10
You can view more photos like this on our website. Click here to visit our holdings.
Your Membership Makes A Difference
Purchasing a membership to the Courtenay and District Museum, now in its 52nd year, supports heritage preservation in the Comox Valley through special events, lectures, education programmes, research and exhibitions. Your membership benefits these award winning programmes on a year round basis and we appreciate it!
Becoming a member provides you with discounts in the gift shop and on lectures and an opportunity to support one of the most active regional museums in British Columbia. Thank you for your support.
Click here to Join
It's All There in Black and White
What did it take to reach the "highest rung in the ladder of fame" in 1939? This September 28th Comox District Free Press article spells it out (for those of us with four legs, anyway).
Read this newspaper article from our archives
With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
Before Television
"Before Television" is a newsletter feature that shares the Courtenay and District Museum collection with readers.
This charming artifact is a perpetual calendar affixed to a thin sheet of decorated metal. It may have been a token gift from Rev. Menzies to his congregation.
Reverend Thomas Menzies (1870-1947) was a much respected figure in the Comox Valley. He came here with his family in 1900 and became pastor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in the spring of that year.
An article from The Courtenay-Comox Argus of March 20, 1947 briefly summarizes some of his contributions. "He spent 22 years in the district...He represented this riding in the B.C. Legislature from 1920 to 1924. During his residence in the valley he took an active interest in all agricultural associations...Before a church was built at Comox he took services in the hall and before St. George's was built in Courtenay services were held in the old Agricultural Hall. He was instrumental in getting both these churches built during his ministry here."....
Museum Sponsors
Dogwood
Arbutus
Fir
Seedling
Lawrence Burns
D. Mobley
Museum Funding
The Courtenay and District Historical Society was registered as a nonprofit society in 1961 to preserve and interpret cultural and natural heritage of the Comox Valley. It has functioned as an independent society since that time. Funds are derived from the generous support of the City of Courtenay, British Columbia Arts Council, Comox Valley Regional District, British Columbia Gaming Branch, and from museum generated revenues and donations.
Proud sponsors of the Courtenay & District Museum:
|
|
Tom lived his early life on the Upper Mississippi on a backwaters island of Minnesota river folk, beaver, and ancient burial mounds. After hitchhiking by boat through the South Seas, he settled on the island of Hawai'i, where he's lived for two decades. There, he's been a mountain and astronomy guide on Mauna Kea and an eruption ranger, firefighter, and exhibit writer on Kilauea, working closely with Hawaiian elders and cultural practitioners on both volcanoes.
Time and Date: Friday, October 18, 2013, 9:00-12:30
CDM 985.4.1
