Latest News
St. Peter’s Comox Celebration
Postmark indicates mailing August 27, 1915 from Point Grey. CDM 989.96.8. Save the date! September 11-12, 2021 There is a site that reaches back to the earliest days of European settlement in the Comox Valley. St. Peter’s Church on Church Street in Comox, built in 1891, celebrates its 130th anniversary this September 11th and 12th. Hundreds of families across the Valley over those decades have worshipped, socialized, sung, danced, eaten and been baptized, married or buried within its walls. All the activities of the weekend at 218 Church Street are open to the whole Comox Valley community. Saturday, September 11 The [...]
August 2021 Stepping into Wilderness
Here now is an image from the museum's newest award-winning book Step into Wilderness – A Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley. Photo credit: Community organizations would often organize picnics at which sports were a feature. At this 1926 board of trade picnic, Dorothy Hames, Nora Lloyd, Daisy Kerton and Gwen Fairbairn race on the sand. Photo: CDM Stubbs Collection. Inside cover.
Queen of the Fair
Jemima Isbister and Lena Cairns in historical dress, c. 1970. CDM 998.219.51. Since the 1890s, the Comox Valley Fall Fair has showcased the gardens, livestock and crafts of local farmers and agriculturists, celebrating the bounty of the harvest. Over the years, women competed in homemaking skills such as knitting, canning, pickling, bread making, quilting, handwriting, and floral arranging. (Some years there was even a category for 'Best Baby'!) They nurtured friendly rivalries as they exhibited their work, but one woman in particular made a name for herself with the remarkably high quality of her entries: Lena Cairns. Lena Rebecca Farmer was born [...]
Climbing Higher with the CDMC
Sunbathing in hiking boots, Marjorie Biscoe strikes a pose beside the Mount Becher Cabin still buried in snow in June 1948. Photo from Step into Wilderness page 101, CDM Capes Collection. If you live in the Comox Valley, then you're probably familiar with the beautiful mountain peaks that surround us. The Comox District Mountaineering Club (CDMC) provides over 150 members with opportunities to explore this wilderness. But how did this diverse club, ranging in age from young adults to 80+ years, come to be? In 1927 a small group formed of people interested in exploring Forbidden Plateau. They blazed trails and explored the [...]
July 2021 Stepping into Wilderness
Here now is an image from the museum's newest award-winning book Step into Wilderness – A Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley. Photo credit: This photo appeared in the Comox Argus on August 4, 1927 (Powell River edition) with the caption “String of fish taken at Comox Harbour, largest 58 lbs, smallest 27 lbs.” S.B.W. (Dusty) d’Esterre photograph. Photo: 998.219.282. Page 137.
Sad News
The African Lungfish, Slugzilla, passed away peacefully in June. He will be missed by all his friends who came by on a regular basis to say “hi”.
It’s All There in Black and White: Comox Valley Landmark Torn Down in 1984
Some days it feels like there’s so much development going on it is hard to keep up with what's being torn down and what's going up in its stead. This article from the July 18, 1984 Comox District Free Press recounts a building demolition with ties to barge traffic on the Courtenay River. Click for Larger Image Click for Larger Image With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
A Look Back at the Renaissance Faire
From the mid-70s to the mid-80s, the Comox Valley's Renaissance Faire was a joyous celebration of West Coast folk arts and crafts, offering guests lively music, engaging workshops, international cuisine and children's entertainment. It provided an eclectic opportunity for local artists to showcase their work, for musicians and theatre folk to perform, and for guests to participate in a unique expression of unrestrained creativity.
July 2021 Gift Shop News
The gift shop has a large array of eco friendly enamel mugs, bamboo travel cups and water bottles. All are great to take on a trip to the beach, camping or just hanging out in the yard. The very popular enamel mugs pictured above are made by Thornback and Peel, a company known for quality products. These unbreakable mugs feature fun designs and retail for $11.95 each.
Dinosaur – work in progress
MUDE 4 by Alfredo De Stefano June 26 – September 4, 2021 artist: Alfredo De Stefano, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico “Dinosaur gives museological photography archives new readings, with interventions in the desert using real fossils or other materials from popular culture about dinosaurs.” Photographs by Alfredo De Stefano appear as a slideshow installation on a monitor in the museum’s dinosaur skeleton display area. This offsite installation is a collaborative presentation between the Courtenay and District Museum and the Comox Valley Art Gallery as part of the convergent program Offsite_Onsite that included a research and production residency prior to the current exhibition: Under One Sky (26 June [...]
Virtually-Dinosaur-Age Discoveries!
13th BC Paleontological Symposium July 9-12 If you're interested in dinosaur-age discoveries and hearing from the people who deal with them on the daily, go no further than your living room to participate in the BC Paleontological Alliance’s 13th Symposium hosted by the Vancouver Paleontological Society July 9-12. Keynote Speakers are Victoria Arbour, Royal BC Museum and Karma Nanglu, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. A roster of speakers from Canada and the U.S. follows on July 9 and 10. Field trips happen on the 11th and 12th. Click for Details
Museum at Campbell River Exhibit
Heading up island this summer? Don't forget to visit our neighbours at the Museum at Campbell River to see the “Sacred Journeys” exhibition. This temporary exhibit is on now until November 2021. Click for Details
June 2021 Gift Shop News
Looking for useful yet unusual items? Check out what we’ve got in store. String tins keep balls of twine from getting away from you! The shop carries three attractive designs to choose from and each retails for $11.95. "Loonie Pigs" offer an eye-catching way to round up your spare change. At only $5.95 they are a fun way to save. Unlike regular ceramic piggy banks, these metal pigs are easy to open and reuse.