Often overlooked in the Saskatchewan tourism scene, small-town museums are hidden gems for travellers.

When road trips were still something that took place in a pre-COVID world, those small, eclectic stop-overs were something of a treasure; offering local lore and history that was as unique as the particular area of the province on which it sat.

Few industries in Saskatchewan have been harder hit by the pandemic than the tourism sector, and those small-town museums are not immune, with many having to close their doors during what was traditionally their busy traffic season.

Some have managed to stay open, and others have found alternative ways of fundraising beyond the gift-shops and visitor donations that typically serve as the mainstay of their finances.

Amber Kapchinske is the chair of the board for the Prairie Wind Silver Sage - Friends of the Grasslands eco-museum in Val Marie.

"When people come and visit the Grasslands or Val Marie, they'll usually come into our museum, get a coffee and have a look at the books, pick up some gifts and walk through our museum. We also have a native prairie garden on our grounds, which is the first thing you see when you approach the school building."

Built into the old Val Marie schoolhouse, the museum has been able to keep operating; spending its time tending to the garden and other duties that they share with the Grasslands National Park visitor centre across the street. But through most of the tourist season had been unable to open their doors to the public.

As a result, they've launched a 50/50 fundraiser to help not only themselves but the local Val Marie Heritage, Culture and Youth Elevator Committee; a volunteer group working to restore the town's 1927 grain elevator; on of the last remaining old elevators and open it as an interpretive centre for agricultural and community heritage.

"We stayed functioning. Which was really fortunate. I don't know those small museums were able to do that this year, but we do get a lot of our revenue from visitors coming into the building, so...50 percent will go to whoever wins the lottery and the other 50 percent will go to Prairie Wind Silver Sage and a portion of that to the Val Marie elevator committee."

The draw date for the lottery is November 30, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. and more information is available at https://prairiewind5050.ca/