UNITY — Volunteers and staff at the Unity & District Heritage Museum (UDHM) are starting to find themselves back on the grounds, but were not happy to be met with some major vandalism to some of the buildings and some of the tractors.
In late April, staff members started preparing the buildings for the 45th season of tours, finding broken windows on the Harness Shop and the Dusan Maljan Shoe Repair Shop and a broken taillight on one of the tractors located under the newly constructed structure that houses the non-running tractors. As work on the grounds was being done, a black baseball bat was also located on the grounds, which may have been involved in the damages.
“This is very concerning for our board as taillights, gauges and other parts for these tractors are very hard to come by. When damage like this is done, our volunteers become discouraged as they make the museum a tourist destination and a place for the community to enjoy. It’s very sad,” said museum director Chris Martin.
Those who frequently visit the museum will notice some new changes around the grounds, starting right at the entrance gate. Due to the increasing traffic along the road, there have been some close calls and one reported incident of vehicles being hit while opening or closing the gates. This prompted the board to add some length to the fence and move the gate further in. With some help from the Town of Unity and volunteers, the entrance was erected in six days.
Another noticeable change around the grounds is the new signage on some of the buildings. The Adanac School and Hall got new signs crafted by Masterhand Signs, while the sign for the Prairie Heritage Garage was made by Paul Marshall. All the signs were installed in April.
The July 1 activities are in the works, with a full day of things to see and do for all ages being planned.
“We will start the day off with the Pancake breakfast, which is always a tasty time for everyone. Under the tent will be Velvet Hand for entertainment as well as lots of other activities. The buildings will be open and there will be rides, demonstrations, bread baking, music and lots of food,” added Martin.
The UDHM has hired three summer workers for the 2025 season and looks forward to showing you all they have to offer.
