The Parksville Museum had a busy year in 2024 and attracted more than 6,000 visitors — double the number it saw the year before.
Parksville council received the museum’s annual report during its Dec. 2 meeting.
"Our community has a rich and important history. At the Parksville Museum, we are committed to ensuring that this history is preserved and shared with current and future generations," said Susan Wismer, Parksville and District Historical Society president, in the report.
The Music at the Museum series returned for a fifth season and drew in many residents and tourists to the courtyard to hear talented blues and classical musicians, the report said.
The always popular Railway Day event welcomed train enthusiasts of all ages to check out the model trains on display.
New this year was a family-friendly Halloween event in the village courtyard and a traditional Christmas carolling event in the Knox Heritage Church. The museum plans to make both events an annual tradition.
Museum volunteers put in more than 3,800 hours during a season that brought visitors from as far away as Portugal, Cuba, Hawaii and Austria, the report noted.
Looking ahead, the museum hopes to partner with the Parksville Fire Department on a new exhibit about the history of firefighting in the community, to be housed in the original fire hall. Also in the works is a light-hearted exhibit about tourism and recreation in the 1920s.
One key priority in the historical society's five-year exhibition master plan is to build the membership and volunteer base.
2024 was the third year of the annual Friends of the Museum fundraising campaign.
The museum is facing some financial challenges, according to a presentation in November by board director Jon Walters, who told council that funding from the Craig Endowment has mostly been used. The museum has requested council consider increasing its yearly funding to $60,000 next year.
