Doukhobor Village Museum

The Vision of Peace Youth Choir performing at the opening

Spring means looking forward to various things for various people. Inquiries to the Doukhobor Village Museum are concerned with what is new and what can our visitors look forward to throughout this year's season.

We are happy to report that many new developments have fallen into place on this important 35th anniversary of the Doukhobor Museum.

After 35 years, it was important that the shakes were replaced before they wore out and roofs started leaking. So far the two main doms are being completed. In the fall the rest of the outbuildings will be done. This is a major expensive project.

Our new exhibit for this anniversary is the history of the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood, the Doukhobor commune which at its demise in 1938, was the largest communal organization in North America, encompassing many industries and 76,000 acres across the three western provinces.

This exhibit will focus on the most successful industries of the Doukhobors at the time; the orchards and jam factories, lumbering, brick factories and the construction of the famous Doukhobor Suspension Bridge, now an historic site. The bridge will be exhibited through a specially commissioned model by skilled model maker Herbert Learmont of Nelson, along with the official plaque wording of the Department of Heritage.

The CCUB exhibit will soon be revealed in a complete online presentation of its history.

A display of some of the personal
belongings of Peter "Lordly" Verigin from
the CCUB exhibit.

This year will also mark the debut of the Village Bistro, the Doukhobor restaurant, under museum management. With the restaurant's new roof already completed, this building is also undergoing a face lift.

* Our 2006 calendar was such a success that we have now prepared a calendar for 2007 with some of the new exceptional views from the present exhibit is now available for purchase in a limited edition; now is the time to obtain a truly classy, authentic Doukhobor Christmas gift for your friends and relatives!

** A special compilation release of some old 78 rpm recordings is in the works right now, which we hope to have restored and re-mastered onto CD, and have ready for this season as well.

The season means friends old and new to us at the Doukhobor Discovery Centre. Left to right: Visting Russian Doukhobor Alosha Aslopov, Ann Sorokin, Helen Kabatoff, Johnny Popoff, Andrei Sherstobitoff, Steve Lapshinoff, Larry Ewashen and Campbell Orr. Johnny Popoff and Andrei Sherstobitoff ( a 3-year veteran guide) were in town for the Youth Festival, appearing and promoting their new CD, The Victoria Doukhobor Choir - a highly acclaimed, highly professional compilation of Doukhobor favourites.

After a guided tour and a visit of the CCUB exhibit including the Alberta CCUB display and the Peter "Lordly" Verigin display, these pose under the watchful eye of Lev Tolstoy.

Left, curator Larry Ewashen, middle, Koozma Tarasoff, and right, visiting Doukhobor from Russia, Alosha Aslopov.

A recent special special guest was Marolyn Mahon, whose father-in-law actually named the city of Castlegar after a city in his home of Ireland. Left to right: Larry Ewashen, Marolyn Mahon, Greg Nesteroff, Walter Volovsek and Eleanore Dempster.