Museum's Curator Speaks to Portage Rotary Club

The Portage la Prairie Rotarians heard a presentation about the Fort la Reine Museum at their weekly luncheon yesterday. Executive director and curator Tracey Turner says it was an exciting opportunity to share with the club members some of the museum's successes and hopefully get a bit of feedback about where the community would like to see Fort la Reine go in the future. Turner notes they've added several major implementations to their programming over the last few years, including the addition of temporary exhibitions which make the museum a more dynamic place with new things to see all the time. She says they also have new programming in terms of interpretive tours which focus on four different themes: the fur trade, the building of a nation, the pioneer and settlement of the Portage district, and social movements.

Turner notes they've implemented parallel programming as well, adding there are lots of small events throughout the summer in which folks can participate. She says at this point they've already doubled and are approaching tripling their admissions from two years ago. Turner notes in these difficult economic times when a lot of museums are struggling in terms of attendance, Fort la Reine is actually building its capacity and its base. She adds that means they're doing something right and they can keep on trying new things.

Turner says the museum not only establishes significant employment opportunities for young folks, it also injects a lot of money into the local economy by attracting tourists and travelers to Portage. She notes people who come to the museum stay and spend money at hotels, campgrounds and restaurants, so Fort la Reine is an important part of the cultural hub for visitors to our region.