SHAWNIGAN LAKE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The mission of the society to ‘Share the passion for Shawnigan Lake – past present and future’. Everything that we do at the museum is done to create community engagement opportunities for all ages. The Shawnigan Lake Museum offers a variety of family centered cross-generational programs and activities. Our intent is to foster a deeper understanding of local history for the community and visitors. Admission to the museum is by donation which removes any financial barriers. In 2024 we co-produced Shawnigan’s First Annual Storytelling Event with the local Arts Guild which was very successful – 100 attended. We also gave guided walk tours to the Kinsol Trestle. Visitor Experience The museum expansion broke ground in June 2023. Construction has affected our in-person attendance this year as we had to reduce our opening hours. In addition some key exhibits had to be dismantled due to the construction work. On the plus side our Social Media engagement has grown considerably and the Blog on our website has stories for people to access anytime. Note: The museum has been without washrooms and water in the museum since July 2023 which is one reason for the reduced hours.

We employed one full-time Executive Director one full time volunteer a part-time summer research student and a part-time bookkeeper. We held several volunteer events to find and engage potential volunteers for when we re-open. There are three main volunteers through 2024 and we recruited additional volunteer help as needed. It was a challenging year for volunteers due to space restrictions in the museum (and not washroom facilities). The volunteer contribution in 2024 was over 2500 hours. We have had a robust Social Media campaign with great stories and Project updates to keep interest in the museum. 4500 on-site visitors (down due to the construction/limited hours) Website - 20 000 visits Facebook - 1700 followers (up form 1500) Instagram - 10524 followers Total Reach - 148 248 followers Our Grand Re-Opening is scheduled for July 26 2025. We have many upcoming programs and events. Fundraisers - A Crab and Prawn Dinner A Car show and BBQ End of year School program for 25 Grade 8's and more planned for the fall. Art Shows and Storytelling events.