Campbell River Museum

05/29/2026

Step into the Story This Summer at the Museum at Campbell River

Do you have a flair for storytelling, theatre, history, or working with children? This summer, the Museum at Campbell River is inviting volunteers to help bring history to life through puppet theatre and family programming.

Become a Puppet Theatre Narrator
Our Historical Puppet Theatre productions transport audiences into the stories of the people, places, and events that shaped our region — and we’re looking for volunteer narrators to help guide the journey.

As narrator, you are more than a voice behind the scenes. You are storyteller, stage guide, and scene-setter — weaving together the action, interacting with puppets and audiences alike, and helping kids become part of the story itself.

One moment you may be introducing Torri on the shores of Campbell River; the next, asking a room full of children to ask Ripple Rock how he feels about the explosion. It is theatre, history, and imagination all rolled into one.

Fair warning: watching children completely believe puppets are real is both delightful and contagious.

Help Create Fun Family Events.
We are also seeking volunteers for our summer events including:

🧸 Teddy Bear Picnic at the Haig-Brown House
🎈 Kids Day at the Museum

From guiding crafts and old-fashioned games to helping children explore exhibits and discover native plants, volunteers help transform these events into memorable experiences for families.

Whether helping a child identify a local plant, leading a game from another era, or welcoming a teddy bear guest of honour to a picnic blanket, you will help spark creativity, curiosity, and connection.

Join Us This Summer

This opportunity is ideal for anyone interested in:
• Storytelling and theatre
• Museums and local history
• Education and public programming
• Arts and culture
• Working with children and families
• Community engagement

To apply, message us or call 250-287-3133 ext. 234

05/28/2026

Some big days here at the Museum!

Last week, the newly constructed sled for the Museum’s 1916 Empire Steam Donkey was finally put into place. Weighing approximately 15,000 pounds, the new sled was hauled to the Museum by Tyler Cawley of Night Train Contracting, lifted by Discovery Crane, and expertly positioned onto its new bed of drain rock. From there, the newly painted boiler, winches, stack, roof, and ring were carefully reassembled piece by piece.

With the final assembly now underway, we’re on the last stretch before the steam donkey is ready for recertification.

This incredible day would not have been possible without an amazing crew of volunteers: Brad Beaton, Tony Van Bergen, Dave Hamilton, Megan Purcell (Museum staff), Gilbert Strebel, Bruce Visser, and Dave Christian.

We are so grateful for the countless volunteer hours, donated machine time, skill, and care that went into this project — not only on this particular day, but throughout the many months of work it has taken to reach this milestone. Projects like this are only possible because of the generosity, knowledge, and dedication of community members who continue to support the preservation of our region’s history.

Please join us in thanking this outstanding team!

Doesn’t she look beautiful?!

05/26/2026

Wow! What an awesome surprise by Domino's Pizza in Willow Point. Thank you for the pizza lunch!

05/25/2026

We’re hiring an Executive Director.

The Museum at Campbell River is looking for a community-minded leader to help guide our next chapter. Located on the beautiful east coast of Vancouver Island, this is a unique opportunity to lead an award-winning museum rooted in storytelling, culture, community, and connection.

If you’re passionate about leadership, reconciliation, heritage, and building strong community relationships, we’d love to hear from you.

Campbell River, BC
Competitive salary + benefits
Incredible lifestyle on Vancouver Island

Join us in shaping the future of the Museum at Campbell River. Full details available at https://crmuseum.ca/2026/05/21/leadership/

05/21/2026

There’s something incredibly satisfying about making something with your own hands — especially when you leave wearing it.

In our upcoming Bead & Loom Workshop with Tideline Gallery, you’ll learn the art of bead loom weaving and create your own bracelet or choker necklace like this one. Choose your colours, experiment with patterns, and watch hundreds of tiny beads come together into a stunning woven design.

No experience is needed — just a willingness to try something creative and enjoy a day of making.

You’ll take home your finished piece and your own handmade bead loom so you can keep creating.

📅 Saturday, June 20
⏰ 10 AM – 3 PM
📍 Museum at Campbell River
💲 $87.75 + tax
✨ All materials included

Spots are limited. Register at https://crmuseum.ca/2026/05/12/bead-loom/

05/19/2026

Climb aboard and experience the coast like never before. 🌊
The Museum at Campbell River’s 'History on the Water' tours combine breathtaking scenery with captivating stories of Indigenous history, remote coastal communities, logging camps, fishing routes, and legendary places like Ripple Rock and Desolation Sound.

In partnership with Campbell River Whale Watching & Adventure Tours, guests travel aboard comfortable covered vessels while

Museum guides bring the coast’s layered history to life.
🛥 Tours every Sunday all summer
📍 Multiple destinations & tour options
🎟 Book now at crmuseum.ca

Adventure. History. Coastal stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

05/13/2026

Ever wonder what museum research actually looks like? Sometimes it looks a lot like this. 🌲😂

This video shows Tamasyn, Project Manager of the Japanese Canadian Legacy Project, bushwhacking through dense forest in search of the lost historic site of Englewood — a former Japanese Canadian community on the northwest corner of Beaver Cove, between Port McNeill and Telegraph Cove on Northern Vancouver Island.

The Museum at Campbell River is currently undertaking a research project exploring the contributions of Japanese Canadians on the North Island prior to their forced removal and internment in 1942.

So far, the team has uncovered significant information about the early communities of Englewood and Port Alice, as well as the important contributions Japanese Canadians made throughout these areas, the Discovery Islands, and the Campbell River region.

One of the biggest challenges? Nature reclaims everything. 🌿

Old townsites in coastal BC are often swallowed by the forest, leaving little visible evidence that communities once thrived there. Finding these places can mean hours of bushwhacking, searching for traces of roads, foundations, artifacts, or other signs of life hidden beneath decades of growth.

Research like this helps bring these stories — and these communities — back into public memory.

05/07/2026

The Market starts this Sunday, May 10!

05/07/2026

05/05/2026

We are recognizing May 5 as Red Dress Day in Canada. Please join us.

05/04/2026

Interesting in trying a new kind of making? We are hosting a new hands-on arts workshop with weaver Katherine Rankin. She will lead you through creatubg a beautiful bowl that combines weaving with raffia onto a ceramic bowl. The result is a visually dynamic mixed-media bowl.

This video is a sample of what participants will try on Saturday, May 9. Come join us! Register on the Museum website.

40 likes. "Weave with me a handcrafted bowl with True Skeins of Raffia "