The Reach Gallery Museum hosts a free Family Day Extravaganza on Sunday, Feb. 17 from 1 to 4 p.m.
The event invites children, parents and grandparents to participate in a variety of arts and heritage hands-on activities, hear and share precious family stories, learn about artifacts that tell the community’s stories, and enjoy entertainment and refreshments.
Anna Williams, curator of learning and community engagement, said the event is also a kickoff to Heritage Week, which runs from Feb. 18 to 24.
“Since we’re home to the national award-winning museum exhibition Voices of the Valley, we want to invite everyone to take a tour and get involved in other activities on Sunday of the Family Day long weekend,” Williams said.
Kris Foulds, curator of historical collections and spellbinding storyteller, will share fascinating, sometimes-funny and always-insightful stories about Abbotsford’s past using objects from The Reach’s collections.
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Families can also take part in a How to Create Your Own Family Tree art project, where they will be guided through investigating, sharing and recording their family’s history.
Heritage Week at The Reach features a free C3 (Culture, Coffee and Cookies) presentation on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 10:30 a.m. with Kris Foulds on The Draining of Sumas Lake, which ranks among the largest earth-moving projects in Canada’s history.
On Saturday, Feb. 23 from 1 to 4:30 p.m., award-winning literary figure Philip Sherwood leads part one of his two-part Life Writing Workshop.
Seats are still available for this workshop, which will appeal to anyone who wants to write their life story or their family history.
Also in conjunction with Heritage Week, the new Trading Post Eatery at 3058 Gladwin Rd. will donate $1 from every 16-ounce Rye Amber Ale sold to The Reach’s history and archives programs.
The Reach is located at 32388 Veterans Way. Visit thereach.ca or call 604-864-8087 for more information.