 The Summerland Museum would like to invite you to bring your kids or childrens group to our Summer History Program! We have on display a new and exciting exhibit about Summerland's Japanese community which will be the core focus of our summer history program this year. As most of the town's children have been to the museum with their school classes and have 'seen it all before' we want to put special emphasis on this new exhibit. We will be offering an hour and a half program which will include a tour of the museum, a craft or two, a game and a small Japanese snack. For more information please contact Carmen at summerhistoryprogram@gmail.com or contact the Summerland Museum at 250-494-9395 located at 9521 Wharton Street. SUMMERLAND MUSEUM'S NEW EXHIBIT EXPLORES THE HISTORY OF THE FIRST JAPANESE COMMUNITY IN SUMMERLAND. To celebrate Asian Heritage Month in May, the Summerland Museum opened their new exhibit Doe Shi Kai “Coming to the New World with Great Hopes”. The exhibit tells the story of the first Japanese community in Summerland from its immigrants, its difficulties and successes while maintaining the community’s identity and eventual integration into a predominantly caucasian settlement. It presents the Japanese community’s own history through family photographs and interviews, as well as individual forms of expression (e.g. carving, haiku, calligraphy, dancing, etc.). In the early years Summerland had a large Japanese Canadian population. They made many contributions towards the growth, development and cultural diversity of the town. Most of the second generation following the Second World War left Summerland to continue their education and careers elsewhere. The present Japanese Canadian population of Summerland is reduced. This display in the Tait Room celebrating the Asian influence of our town’s history is important to honour the older generation, obtain their stories and celebrate their culture. The local Japanese community has been very generous in loaning and/or donating their personal treasures to the Museum for the exhibition and donating their time and expertise to ensure that it is properly presented. The Museum is open in May, Wednesday to Saturday, 1pm to 4pm and from June to October, Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm. (email: info@summerlandmuseum.org or phone 250-494-9395 for more information) |
