Mural dedication features who’s who of local pioneers
Revamping of wall cost $100,000 and was underwritten by $37,000 in corporate donations
It read like a who's who of Westbank pioneers with names including Paynter, Brown, Drought and Reece as the Westbank Museum officially unveiled the dedicatory plaques of donors to the museum’s mural created by Barb Hanington Saturday afternoon.
Rather than the usual metal plaques, the ones on the museum’s mural were designed to look like labels on the wooden apple packing boxes.
The Westbank Museum had planned for years to revitalize the front of the building.
Now, rather than looking like another non-descript building, a new façade brings the early days of Westbank to life.
The façade is representative of the early days of Westbank, including a blacksmith with a realistic horse at one end, a middle section modeled on the Dobbin General Store and a brick section representative of the early packing houses that were common in Westbank and throughout the valley in the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s.
The museum decided the building needed more than just an updated front, and began a fundraising campaign for a mural on the side of the building.
Those who donated $1,000 or more could dedicate a plaque to themselves or their loved ones.
The mural on the side of the museum represents the loading dock of a packing house extending into an orchard. The dedicatory plaques, which were designed to look like the labels on the wooden apple boxes, are being loaded in the back of an old truck.
The revitalization gives the small not-for profit museum more exposure, said Jeremiah Ryder, executive director of the Westbank Museum.
“As a museum, our job is to teach heritage, teach history,” he added. “With the valley, especially West Kelowna and Kelowna, expanding so rapidly a lot of that heritage is being knocked down and redeveloped into larger buildings. This preserves and represents a piece of what pioneering European settlers brought to the area and an important remembrance of that time.”
According to Gordon Ficke, president of the board of directors for the Westbank Museum, the total cost including the frontage was just under $100,000, with close to $37,000 coming from donations from individuals, groups and corporations.
Ryder noted the museum has also started renovations on the museum’s side compound, as there are future plans to turn that area into a public picnic area, a space for kids’ activities and maybe a performance space.