GLACE BAY - A call for volunteers has been answered at one of Cape Breton’s popular tourist destinations.
The Miners Museum in Glace Bay was in danger of losing some programs without the necessary volunteer base, but locals have stepped up to keep the facilities running for the up to 18 thousand visitors that are expected to visit the site this summer.
The museum issued a call for volunteers to assist with programming in June, since then 20 locals have stepped up to contribute to the cause.
Qwendlyn Kasey is one of those volunteers, she says her father was a miner and since beginning her volunteer work at the museum two weeks ago, she has learned a lot.
“I knew a lot of things about the mine, but arriving here you learn a lot more because there are so many things from years and years ago,” she says, “you just learn more about your past and who would not want to know about that.”
Just a year ago the facility was in danger of closing all together before the government stepped in to assist with repairs and renovations as the infrastructure dating back to the early 1900’s began to crumble.
Since the government stepped in, renovations have been done to the exterior of the building, which includes everything from new ventilation to upgraded bathrooms. Work is set to begin on the inside in the spring, which is when the Executive Director, Mary Pat Mombourquette says visitors will begin to see real changes.
“Right now at the museums crown jewel is the underground tour but not everybody can do an underground tour – people with mobility issues, claustrophobia, etc. So we are going to have an exhibit that will accommodate people that can’t go underground,” says Mombourquette.
These coming changes will be ready for the 2019 summer tourism season, but until then Mombourquette says they are still accepting volunteers to join their team for this year’s tourism season.
