Museum handing out bookmarks and paging through history

Times Photo Submitted

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Taber’s Tank 77 Museum is open for Cornfest and is inviting all to walk in and step back in time. Formerly known as the Taber Irrigation Impact Museum, its mission is to preserve and share the history of Taber and the surrounding communities. The museum documents, catalogues, and displays artifacts that feature the cultures and the events that have shaped the community.

 When Cornfest arrives this week, the rebranded museum will continue to focus on marketing and connecting with the community. Manager Taia DeBona is excited about a new bookmark initiative that Tank 77 is delivering at the town’s public events.

 “At every major event that we do, we give out free bookmarks, and they have dates on the bottom. So if you get them that day, they’ll have the date. Sometimes we have leftovers that we give out at the museum, but then we snip the dates off,” she said. “For instance, the farmers’ market, we have a bookmark every single week of the farmers’ market, and it’s a unique design every week. They have a picture of a native animal to Canada, and then they have a pun to go along with that.”

 For Cornfest, the museum is doing a unique bookmark for each of the three days. The bookmarks will connect and when lined up together make one complete picture.

 “I won’t spoil what it’ll be,” DeBona said. “I think people should have to come in to find that out for themselves. But if someone collects all three, and they show us that they have collected all three, we will give them a free popsicle.”

 She hopes that the museum’s presence at every event will generate interest and draw people in.

 “We really want to start collecting them and getting excited about it. And I keep telling people in 20 years these first year bookmarks are going to be the rarest ones. I tell kids it’s kind of like collecting Pokemon cards, except even better, because these are free,” she said.

 At the weekly farmers’ market every week, DeBona and company are there to meet with people and talk about the museum. They sell picture frames as part of a fundraiser, and also bring out an artifact from the museum every week for people to guess what it is.

 “My favourite one so far is one of those really old Brownie box cameras. We have one that’s as old as Taber and I had them on display. The kids walk past and they have absolutely no idea what it is. They say, ‘Oh, is it a suitcase?’ I’ve had some really funny answers, and so that’s always fun,” she said. “I would really recommend people come out and kind of interact with us at those farmers’ markets and then Cornfest.”

 The museum, located in the community centre, will be open during Cornfest – a rarity, if not a first. A Cornfest display that shows the history of the event will be featured.

 “We’re right there next to the midway and we’ll be open,” she said. “It’s free admission. We always have free admission, and would love for people to come by. Get a tour, get a break from the summer heat, and then pick up those bookmarks.”