(Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

By Angie Rolheiser

Christmas village

Christmas Village raises over $6,000 for NCHCF and museum caboose restoration

Jan 10, 2022 | 6:00 PM

Over $6,000 was raised at the first ever Melfort Museum Christmas Village.

The Christmas village walk-thru was put on by the Melfort Museum in partnership with the Christmas Castle project.

Curator Gail Marie Anderson told northeastNOW they are calling the event a success.

“The people that came were very positive about having it again, they really liked it and enjoyed it,” Anderson said. “We had 1,050 people through over the 12 nights.”

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Along with the museum and Christmas Castle volunteers, the Northern Lights Wood Carvers made snow carvings on the museum grounds, and city crews moved snow to ensure there was always a clear path through the village.

(Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW staff)

Admission was by donation and the funds raised will be split between the museum 1912 caboose restoration and the North Central Health Care Foundation.

The Christmas castle project was a vision of a local doctor who felt there should be more activity on Main Street. Dr. Adeyemi Laosebikan and his wife, Foluke, created the Castle at the Historic Post Office in Melfort as something for people to do over the holidays while raising funds for NCHCF.

The Christmas castle ran for the 2018 and 2019 holiday season bringing in around $6,000 each year.

The castle could not go ahead in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but moved outside into the Heritage Village at the museum for 2021.

While things are currently unsure for the 2022 holiday season, Anderson said they have been discussing it already.

“In speaking with Dr. Yemi and the group, we are hoping that both can happen, depending on COVID,” Anderson said. “We also hope that the dates can coincide with the campground light tour.”

The museum welcomed some new guests with having the Christmas Village, according to Anderson.

“They were quite a few people that came that had never been here before and didn’t know all what we had and are excited to come back when everything is open, so that was a bonus,” Anderson said.

Only two of the village buildings were open during the Christmas Village walk-thru those being the schoolhouse and the church.

(Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW staff)

The museum powerhouse is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the heritage village will re-open for the summer in June.

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angie.rolheiser@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser