Heritage stands the test of time
Heritage Week is nationally celebrated the third week of February each year. It is a week-long series of events designed to raise awareness and appreciation of our local heritage.
Heritage Week 2018 takes place from Feb. 19 to 25 and the national and provincial theme is “Heritage Stands the Test of Time.”
Heritage Week 2018 will be celebrated throughout the Central Okanagan with heritage displays, museum exhibits, community activities, and public presentations. Join us at the kick-off breakfast on Feb. 19 to find out more about the events and ways to celebrate our local heritage.
There is so much to celebrate
Our collective history is told in our languages and our music, in photographs, maps and documents, in regalia, objects and traditions — so many treasures passed down through history to present day. Learn more about the tangible and intangible heritage of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples, of the many cultures that came after, and of our new Canadians. Visit museums, historic sites and cultural centres that preserve and share this heritage for posterity.
Our special places endure as physical records of the people and events that shape our past and our future: Our heritage buildings were built to last!
Often made of materials that are durable and environmentally friendly, their reuse, re-purposing, and renewal results in less construction and demolition waste than new construction. And our cultural landscapes bear the imprint of generations of Canadians.
Our stories endure! Some have been retold for thousands of years. Our traditional knowledge keepers, educators, parents and grandparents have stories to share that help us understand the past.
Some of the Heritage Week 2018 events are as follows:
Monday, Feb. 19
HERITAGE WEEK 2018 KICK-OFF BREAKFAST with keynote speaker Krystal Lezard of the Sncwips Heritage Museum. This event will be held at the Okanagan Regional Library (Kelowna Branch), 1380 Ellis Street, 9 to 10 a.m. A continental breakfast will be provided by the Rutland Residents Association and the Eldorado Hotel, by donation.
Wednesday, Feb. 21
CENTRAL OKANAGAN HERITAGE SOCIETY (COHS) AWARDS PRESENTATIONS AND LUNCHEON, Benvoulin Church and Reid Hall, noon to 2 p.m. The COHS Annual Heritage Awards is in its 34th year and recognizes heritage conservation projects, compatible new construction, and those who have played a significant volunteer role in the field of heritage. Tickets $25. Please call 250-861-7188 or email cohs@telus.net
A VARIETY OF FUN AND INTERACTIVE CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES! Offered at the Lake Country Museum and Archives. Drop-in between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., by donation. Light refreshments will be served. 11255 Okanagan Centre Rd., West, by donation. For more info, email lcmuseum@shaw.ca
Thursday, Feb. 22
LECTURE, KELOWNA’S HERITAGE TREES AND THE 1998 HERITAGE TREE REGISTER by Erica Bell-Lowther. Ellis Street Library, 7 to 9 p.m., by donation. Hosted by the Kelowna South-Central Neighbourhood Association (KSAN).
Friday, Feb. 23
MYSTERY AT THE MUSEUM! Okanagan Heritage Museum, 470 Queensway Avenue, Kelowna, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. We believe that at night, when the staff has all gone home, the objects, artifacts, and animals have a great time. Well, something has gone awry. A carriage has gone missing! Using your detective skills, discover and decode clues to help us find the missing carriage. Some of our friendliest museum animals and most talkative people from the past might have some information to share. The clues they have will take participants all over the museum, even to places that visitors don’t normally go! This detective work is for all kids, big and small, by donation.
STEAM with the Men’s Shed. A variety of children’s activities and a “green screen” photo booth with costumes and historic backgrounds at the Okanagan Regional Library (Kelowna Branch), 1380 Ellis Street, 1 to 4 p.m., by donation. Partnered with the Lake Country Museum and the Kelowna Public Archives.
CELEBRATING ARTISTS 2018, Westbank First Nation exhibits, activities and entertainment hosted by the Sncewips Museum and Westbank First Nation. Westbank First Nation Community Gymnasium. 1 to 7 p.m., by donation. For more information, please phone 778-755-2787.
Saturday, Feb. 24
HISTORY MYSTERY BUS TOUR, 1 to 4 p.m. Who? What? Where? We’re not telling! Journey to historic places and unravel a mystery from our local history. Tickets $35. Please call 250-868-4836 or email education@kelownamuseums.ca for registration information.
HERITAGE TEA at the Hotel Eldorado, 2 to 4 p.m. Tickets $29.95, reservations required. Phone 250-763-7500 to reserve.
In 2001, the COHS initiated and coordinated the Central Okanagan’s first Heritage Week, contributing to the provincial and national events celebrating Heritage Week.
Our local Heritage Week planning committee includes representatives from museums and organizations throughout the Central Okanagan: Kelowna Museums, Westbank Museum, Sncwips Heritage Museum, Lake Country Museum & Archives, the Okanagan Historical Society – Kelowna Branch, the Kelowna & District Genealogical Society, the Rutland Residents Association, the Kelowna South-Central Neighbourhood Association, Westbank First Nation, the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society, the Okanagan Regional Library, the Hotel Eldorado, and the Central Okanagan Heritage Society.
We invite you to join us in celebrating Heritage Week 2018!
For more information about Heritage Week 2018 events, please visit our Facebook page Heritage Week in the Central Okanagan at facebook.com/ heritageweekokanagan/ or phone 250861-7188.
Please check this newspaper column, on Monday, Feb. 19 for further, up-to-date information about Heritage Week 2018 events and activities.
Shannon Jorgenson is the Managing Director of the Central Okanagan Heritage Society (COHS). This article is part of a series, submitted by the Kelowna Branch, Okanagan Historical Society. Additional information would be welcome at P.O. Box 22105, Capri P.O., Kelowna, B.C., V1Y 9N9.