The BC Farm Museum was hopping on Monday, Feb. 20, as crowds of Family Day fun seekers sought something fun to do out of the rain in Fort Langley.
“They started coming in the door at 9:30 and it’s been non-stop,” said Grace Muller, one of the volunteers who operates the museum.
Although the museum is normally only open in the spring, summer, and early fall, they made an exception for Family Day and the place was packed with volunteers to help kids make rope, saw up some wood or pound a few nails, and to learn about B.C.’s agricultural history.
The museum is filled literally to the rafters with artifacts of late 19th and early 20th century farming history, including a hall full of tractors and heavy equipment, a crop dusting biplane hanging from the ceiling, hand tools, horse tack, domestic items like butter churns, sewing machines, and washboards, and hunting rifles.
Muller said the goal of the volunteers for Monday was to make sure there was plenty for the little ones to do.
“In a museum, there’s lots of stuff kids cannot touch,” she said.
So there was a treasure hunt, a rope-making station, and a buggy that kids could climb onto to take the reins.
One of the youngsters trying out the museum was Charlie Emack, two and a half years old. He tried his hand at operating an old hand pump, with his mom and dad’s help.
“He likes tractors,” said his dad Jon. He and Charlie’s mom Sara have been to the museum before, but this was Charlie’s first visit.
The Perkins siblings, Aurora, 11, Allegra, nine, and Alyssa, seven tried their hand at twining a rope with hand-operated machinery under the supervision of some volunteers.
“You have to be strong to hold it back, explained Alyssa.
All three sisters enjoyed rope making, but had different favourite areas of the museum on their first ever visit.
“I liked the part about the horses,” said Aurora.
“I liked the carriages,” said Allegra.
The museum will be open again daily starting April 1.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Blair family adds $10,000 donation to Langley’s farm museum coffers
Have a story tip? Email: matthew.claxton@langleyadvancetimes.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
