Lake Country Museum & Archives

Edward Hare: the house that Teddy built

by lakecountry | Aug 3, 2018 | Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Jacob Semenuik

Have you ever wondered where many of the old tools at Lake Country Museum came from? They were derived largely from a prominent builder in the area, Edward (Teddy) Hare. Teddy built many of the first homes in the area. Jim Gleed, a stone mason, partnered with Hare to...

Alec Beasley, the Controversy lives on

by lakecountry | Jul 27, 2018 | Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Jacob Semenuik

Most people know Alec Beasley through his donation of Beasley Park. However, Alec was also a prolific letter-to-the-editor writer. He wrote to many newspapers, sending over 1000 letters. Immersing himself into controversy, no subject was too edgy for him, including...

Wood and Elegance: the Era of Organs

by lakecountry | Jul 20, 2018 | Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Jacob Semenuik

Wood and Elegance: the Era of Organs This piano is classified as a reed organ. Many Canadians purchased them, through the mail order catalogue, from the T. Eaton Company, around year 1900. The manufacturer of this instrument was Bell Piano & Organ Co. LTD., from...

Fare thee well, Jack McCarthy

by lakecountry | Jul 13, 2018 | Announcements, Bloggers, Community Events, History of Lake Country, Jim Taylor

“This is the 1172th column I have written for the Lake Country Calendar newspaper. In the autumn of 1995, Jack McCarthy called me. ‘How’d you like to write a column for us?’ he asked. That’s how it began. Jack was the owner and publisher...

The Man of Accomplishments: Sigh Kobayashi

by lakecountry | Jul 6, 2018 | Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Jacob Semenuik

Anthony T. (Sigh) Kobayashi was the first born son of Denbei and Hiro Kobayashi. Sigh was born in a cabin, in the area now known as Seaton Park, on April 20, 1915. He was a model student, and he was well-liked by adults and children. Sigh would wait each day for the...

Pizza Piano

by lakecountry | Jun 29, 2018 | Guest Bloggers, Jacob Semenuik

This piano was once used by customers in a restaurant. People could drop a quarter in the front panel, and listen to a one-man-band variation of a player piano song. These instruments were the predecessors of the jukebox, as stated from The Canadian Encyclopedia. The...

The Birds of Summer: Osprey

by lakecountry | Jun 22, 2018 | Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Natural History, Pam Laing

Which birds might I see today? Osprey Which of us has not thrilled to the sight of an Osprey hovering over the lake, then diving down with feet outstretched to catch a fish and fly off triumphantly with it? I never tire of watching the performance; the search, the...

Alaskan Kodiak Grizzly Bear

by lakecountry | Jun 15, 2018 | Guest Bloggers, Jacob Semenuik, Natural History

This trophy, an Alaskan Kodiak grizzly, is an incredible artifact displayed in the Anne Land Room at the Lake Country Museum and Archives. One can wonder how dominant this creature would have been in the natural world. It is certainly a dominating specimen in the...

Endangered Sharp-tailed Snake found in Lake Country

by lakecountry | May 31, 2018 | Announcements, Dan Bruce, Guest Bloggers, Natural History

A specimen of the Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis) was identified in Lake Country on Sunday, May 27th 2018. At 10:15 pm, it was seen in an open pathway area with artificial lighting. Between 8 and 10 inches in length, the distinct head and sharply pointed tail...

Heritage Markers on the Okanagan Rail Trail, Part 5

by lakecountry | May 4, 2018 | Bloggers, Community Events, Displays, History of Lake Country, Thomson, Duane

Oyama during World War II The final featured Heritage Marker will be placed where the Okanagan Rail Trail crosses Oyama Road. Like the other markers in the series, this one was prepared with the assistance of a Canada 150 grant. The crossroads of Highway 97 and Oyama...

Mary Bull painting presented to Museum

by lakecountry | Apr 27, 2018 | Announcements, Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country

Lake Country Museum given Mary Bull painting by David Madison Vernon artist Bob Kingsmill made a purchase at a recent auction of some local paintings. One of the works proved to be an original, by the late Kelowna artist Mary Bull, of the cabin in which Father Pandosy...

The Birds of Spring: White-crowned Sparrows

by lakecountry | Apr 6, 2018 | Guest Bloggers, History of Lake Country, Natural History, Pam Laing

Which birds might I see today? White-crowned Sparrows Sometime in April my phone might ring and someone will ask, “I have lots of these birds in my yard I’ve never seen before; they have black and white stripes on their heads; what are they?” They are White-crowned...