Regular visitors to Barkerville get to know our cast of historical characters very well. We love welcoming repeat guests, and we love it when visitors appreciate the various roles we play. But there is a second cast of characters that adds a lot of life and heart to Barkerville – the animals. The animals of […]

When you work at a place like Barkerville for as long as I have, you tend to think of life as a series of summer seasons, each with its own set of tiny quirks and big, defining moments. We are now into August, the homestretch, the last weeks of summer before we slide into the […]

Early this afternoon I was in my Barkerville dressing room hunting for some fingerless gloves. The day had turned unexpectedly warm and I needed to shed my regular, now uncomfortable gloves and swap them for a cooler pair. As I was banging about in my costume drawers there was a knock at the door. I […]

A large part of my job as a first-person historical interpreter is to give voice to those who can no longer speak for themselves. I try to never lose sight of the awesome responsibility that has been entrusted to me. I represent my character, but I also have the opportunity, through that character, to represent […]

I can’t remember every aspect of every single day I have spent working in Barkerville. After all these years most of it is a pleasant blur of images and sounds. But I do remember July 17th, 2000. I remember it vividly. On the morning of July 17th, 2000 I went to the Visitors’ Reception Centre […]

In my life away from Barkerville I am very plugged in. I love social media. I live in Wells, a remote community with no cell phone service, so I rely on the internet to keep me connected. My computer is my lifeline to my friends and family far away. In my leisure time my iPad […]

Dominion Day always reminds me of how important Barkerville has been, and continues to be, in the story of my life. Twenty-two years ago – on July 1st, 1993 – I participated in my first Dominion Day celebration in Barkerville as Miss Florence Wilson. It was all very new and exciting for me, and as […]

  Standing outside of the Theatre Royal today as the one o’clock show let out, I chatted with several happy patrons who had just been well entertained. One lady said to me: “Such talent here! I had no idea there were so many great performers in Barkerville, inside the theatre and outside of it, too!” […]

Every summer from 1993 to 2003 I told the story of Billy Barker’s “discovery claim” at least once a day during the Barkerville town tour. It’s a great tale, full of suspense and plot twists and has a really big payoff at the end. It also happens to be true. In 2014, after an 11 […]

I have often found the best museum designers and educators perceive, interpret and consider stories in a constantly evolving way, according to what is happening in the modern world around us. Good historical interpreters will be mindful of where we are now, as a society, and will allow that awareness to shape their narratives. We […]