Funky Facts Found by Thousands of Museum Visitors

A lobster trap crafted from a tire in Lunenburg. A collection of animal scat in Halifax. The old-fashioned developing process used at Sherbrooke's ambrotype studio. These are some of the quirky finds found in museums by Nova Scotians and visitors participating in the 2001 Funky Museum Roadshow.

The Funky Museum Roadshow, a summer-long event featuring neat stuff at more than 70 museums in Nova Scotia, began on June 8 and ended on Sept. 1.

"This event encourages visitors to view museums with fun-filled curiosity, connect with our province's history and to value the role museums play in interpreting the many aspects of our community history for all to experience," said David Newlands, executive director of the Heritage Division, Department of Tourism and Culture.

People from communities across Nova Scotia and visitors from as far away as British Columbia, Florida and Japan participated in this cultural and natural heritage event.

More than 50,000 Funky Museum passports were provided to students in grades 4, 5 and 6 and made available at Visitor Information Centres and the 71 participating museums. Museum visitors could collect stamps in their passports and were asked to note what sparked their interest as they explored participating museums.

The result was 3,355 ballots entered in the Funky Finds Contest.

To encourage participation, the Funky Dynamic Duo of Garry Sowerby, professional adventure driver, and Peter Duffy, a columnist with the Herald Limited, led museum-filled day-trips to various regions of the province over the summer.

"We had great fun getting to know Nova Scotia and reporting on the neat things we saw and heard," said Mr. Sowerby. "Earning the Guinness Book of World Records title for fastest driving-time around the world took me to all ends of the earth, but I'm continually amazed at what I'm learning about my home province by travelling to the museums, from the Evangeline Trail to the Cabot Trail."

The Funky Dynamic Duo hit the road for the last time this year on Wednesday, Sept. 12 with a visit to the Funky Finale at Fisherman's Life Museum on Marine Drive. Local Humber Park Elementary students challenged the duo in an old-fashioned laundry relay, then relaxed to reflect on neat stuff at museums while sampling fisherman's biscuits, jellyfish jam and seaweed punch.

Winners of the Funky Find Contest were also announced at the Funky Finale. Congratulations to: Derek Tucker of Tatamagouche, Merle Spidle of Mahone Bay, Amie LeBlanc of Canso, Evan Schmidt of Dartmouth, Will McGivney of Fredericton and Sarah Wilson of Ottawa.

Prizes, donated by participating museums and sponsors, include one year's free admission for a family to the 25 Nova Scotia Museum sites, publications -- such as nature guides and heritage cookbooks -- t- shirts, a Parrsboro day tour, a kite, and hand-crafted items, such as an embroidered linen tablecloth and wooden barrel.

The third annual Funky Museum Roadshow is an event that promotes experiencing Nova Scotia's cultural and natural heritage in a fun and funky way by showcasing museums across the province. Two Parks Canada sites, the 25 provincial museums of the Nova Scotia Museum family, and 44 community museums welcomed visitors to make funky finds in 2001. This event is supported by Pontiac Aztek, the Herald, the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia, Breakfast Television, Advocate Printing and Publishing, Odyssey International and the Department of Tourism and Culture.

For more information on this event, including a list of participating museums, visit the Nova Scotia Museum Web site at http://museum.gov.ns.ca .