The diverse museum that is Prairie Wind and Silver Sage, housed in the little brick schoolhouse of Val Marie, is hosting a fundraiser in an effort to help restore the historic building. 

Originally built in 1927, the one of a kind building was saved by a group of volunteers in 1997 and is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a museum in 2022. 

The group of volunteers restored the little brick schoolhouse and had it declared as a municipal heritage site. It is now home to a Provincially recognized Eco Museum, gift shop, art gallery, and native Prairie Gardens. 

Amber Kapchinske, the chair of the Board of Directors at Prairie Wind and Silver Sage describes the Eco Museum and native Prairie Garden as a place to preserve the ecological and cultural heritage of Val Marie. 

“We work in partnership with the local community and Grasslands National Park to try to promote conservation on native Prairie landscape, but we also want to promote the exploration and appreciation of Prairie culture,” she stated. “We like to run programs in the summer if we can, in conjunction with the community and Grasslands National Park.” 

To honour the anniversary, a 50/50 lotto fundraiser is being held. Half of the proceeds will go to the winner, with the other half being put towards the restoration of the building. 

Kapinchinske said that specific restoration projects are already in mind. 

“We'd like to repair the brickwork of the building and window frames, and then we'd also like to be able to refinish the original wood flooring,” she said. 

The draw for the 50/50 will take place on October 29th  at 6 PM. You can purchase tickets at prairiewind5050.ca or by calling Prairie Wind and Silver Sage Museum at 306-298-4910.