Museum Week kicked off on Monday (June 19) and will run until Sunday.

The international online campaign, organized by UNESCO, is an opportunity for museums and cultural institutions around the world to demonstrate their work and mission. For each of the next seven days, online hashtags will celebrate the themes of food, sports, music, stories, books, travels, and heritage.

A number of historic locations around Alberta were spotted by Alberta Culture and Tourism in honour of Museum Week. The local Nose Creek Valley Museum was not one of those sites, but Assistant Curator Karen Copley still thinks their work is important for Airdrie.

"I believe our mission is meaningful for the community because it is honouring and preserving the history of the development of communities."

Copley explained what the Nose Creek Valley Museum's purpose is.

"Our work and mission is to collect, preserve and display the history of the Nose Creek Valley."

The Museum highlights the region's development, including Airdrie, Crossfield and the rural areas midway between Airdrie and Cochrane to the west, and Airdrie and Irricana to the east.

The museum houses a number of artifacts such as First Nations' artifacts, antique vehicles and farm equipment, as well as archival documents that are available for research. There is also an exhibit on Canada's 150. The museum traces Airdrie's development from an agricultural and rail town to the growing City it is now.

Copley believes with the growth Airdrie has seen recently, many new residents might not have taken the time to appreciate the history of the region, but she thinks the museum can draw the past a little closer to the lives of today's residents.

"[New residents can] find out why this place that they're now calling home and have chosen to raise their families and make their home has been going on for over a hundred years."

 

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