Exhibit encourages outdoor activity

As the first cold snap of the season eases off, it’s time to end our hibernation and take part in some outdoor winter activities.

That’s the message behind the newest exhibit at the Yellowhead Museum and Archives in Jasper, called Where Only the Bears Hibernate.

Exhibit and programming coordinator Val Delill put the show together. “It’s to encourage more people to get out there,” she said.

On display are pieces from the museum’s collection, including sports equipment, photographs and documents. “Tobogganing, curling, skating, hockey, skiing,” Delill said. “Pretty much anything you can come up with.”

One part of Where Only the Bears Hibernate that stands out for Delill is a collection of materials about the old Jasper Winter Carnival. An annual event, the carnival started in 1926 and ran through to the 1960s.

Not unlike the current-day Jasper in January, the carnival was a way to pick things up in what’s always been a quiet time of year. 

Having items from the town’s past on display is particularly important to Delill, who said they cause long-time residents to reminisce. “When some of the older crowd comes in we get more stories about it,” she said. “We’re trying to spark memories for people to tell us more about the past that we don’t know.”

The exhibit, which will be shown until the end of March, also offers people a place to go when the mercury dips, Delill said.

Sandy Robinson’s Travels in Watercolours opens Jan. 9 in the Showcase Gallery and coffee time resumed on Jan. 6 at 10:30 a.m. at the museum. The weekly coffee gathering goes on the road to the Alpine Summit Lodge next week on Jan. 13.