Prince George Exhibition: the train runs again!

Well, things are moving along quickly and the summer is almost over. I've been spending time lately adding to our Penny Station and Nechako coach exhibits. I've added almost everything except for a kitchen tablecloth.

With the help of our Katimavik volunteer, I've also started cleaning the old trucks we have out in the front of the park. It's a big job. After three truck cabs in the hot sun, I was exhausted. There are still four left, all full of interesting (and sometimes unhealthy) odds and ends.

My days at the museum have been shortened lately by the beginning of the 99th Prince George Exhibition. It was awfully exciting to shuttle between my usual work site and a fair ground. The exhibition has a decent number of rides, wonderful food vendors, games and competitions such as the lumberjack games, firefighting olympics, home arts contests (including everything from gardening to crafts to photography), and livestock showing by local 4-H groups. Our temporary home at Heritage Lane is a faux-historic building called the Cottonwood Station, with the mini rail train out in front.

The other inhabitants of the Lane are a fantastic mix. There's Huble Homestead, the Exploration Place, Fort St. James historic site, Barkerville, the Prince George Public Library, plus artists and craftspeople who provide demonstrations of wood turning, pottery-making, quilting, chainsaw-carving, painting, and blacksmithing. It's a fantastic place to explore! We also are lucky enough to have a traditional bluegrass/folk music trio strolling the grounds. I quite enjoyed their rendition of "Turkey in the Straw" the other day. And then there are the 1930s John Deere tractors that have been salvaged and restored by local families. Now they look and run like new!

It's a very exciting place to be during the day. At night, the midway lights up the sky and we turn on the train's headlight and sound system for guests. I actually made an embarrassing mistake with the train the other day by forgetting to remove the wooden brake. I corrected it as soon as I heard the grating underneath us, but it was still a rattling experience. Of course, my coworkers wouldn't let me forget it for the rest of the night.

So, although it takes time away from other projects, so far I've really enjoyed my time at the PGX. I can't wait to go back this afternoon and take in more sounds and sights of the fair.