Dickson Store Museum
www.dicksonstoremuseum.com
December 2014 Newsletter
Inside This Issue
2014 At a Glance
1
President’s Report
Manager’s Report
2
Membership News
4
Membership News
5
Letter To Santa
6
Christmas Poem
7
Season’s Greetings
8
3
Dates to Remember
2014 At a Glance
This year held some challenges with too little staff , too much hail and
very little internet. Despite this we managed to do education tours, groups
tours, special events, put up our telephone exhibit for opening day, get a
new internet provider, and build the information kiosk. Our most recent
event the annual Julestue was held on November 7, 2014 at the Spruce
View Hall. It was very successful.
Below are a few photos of what went on at our museum this year. We are
already busy planning for the 2015 season. We hope it will bring more
staff and less hail.
I guess we shall see...
Special Events for 2015
Annual General
Meeting
Feb. 7
Thrilling Thursday
July 23
Sunday Afternoon
at the Museum
July 26
Teddy Bear Picnic
Aug. 6
Julestue
(Scandinavian
Bazaar)
Nov. 7
Contact Information
Phone: 403.728.3355
Fax: 403.728.3351
Address:
Box 146
Spruce View, AB
T0M 1V0
Email: [email protected]
1
President’s Report
Written by Antonia Nissen, President
Well now we are ready to put the museum to bed for a few months. We got the building and the grounds
winterized at a successful work day in late October . We had a great turnout at our annual Julestue. At our
final board meeting I came home with a crescent wrench from the gift exchange. I'll be ready for work day in
the Spring. I hope we don't need it before that.
All of our bank accounts have healthy balances. We are going to get disaster assistance money from the
County over $5000. We will go ahead with repairs to the hail damaged building first thing in the Spring.
Sharon will still work full time running the museum in the winter. We have received a grant from Alberta
Museums Association to work on archives and transcribing older oral histories. Kelsey will help Sharon with
this project in the winter months. They will also be preparing for the next season ensuring that all grant
applications are in place.
Our museum really has a rural Alberta mentality. This is "Next Year Country". We all believe that next year
will be better. We'll have great weather ,no hail, and new enthusiastic board members and summer students
lining up at the door. Hey-- we already have one new board member who will help with financial duties.
We are starting to think seriously about plans for the 25th Anniversary of the Museum in 2016 . We may try
some changes to our Fall events to work in some activities during Alberta Culture Days in September. This
will be discussed at the Annual Meeting. It is set for February 7, 2015 Hope to see you there.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you to
all the volunteers and board members who worked hard to make all of our events and programs successful.
Thank you especially to Sharon , our manager, who was able to bring us through the last year and still is
smiling!
Please consider becoming a board member and you may be lucky enough to bring home a crescent wrench
from the next Christmas Party.
2
Manager’s Report
Written by Sharon Lightbown, Manager
I am sure loving this warm weather, it feels like spring. It will certainly cut down on our winter and we deserve it
after last year.
Thanks to Alberta Museums Association we received funding in the form of an institutional grant to transcribe the
oral history videos from the 80’s and to clean out a filing cabinet. Then we will know exactly what is in the drawer
and how we should take care of each file. The museum has a year to complete this and Kelsey Robertson will be
handling the project on a part-time basis. We still have our fingers crossed that we will receive the Operational
Staffing Grant. I just checked the status of it this morning and it is still being processed. It is such an important
grant for the museum as it helps to pay the wages for the manager to be there year round. The museum has
expanded its scope so much since it opened that it can no longer be ran by volunteers alone. Many of those
volunteers are gone and times have changed. The next generation volunteers in a different way (maybe for 1 or 2
events for a couple of hours) which we really appreciate. Thank you to
the Red Deer County for the funding to pay for hail damage that
Thank-you to the County of Red Deer
happened to our building this summer. This will be done in the early
spring. In the meantime I have a little friend who knocks at the museum
for the Rural Community Facility
daily. It is out there right now. Instead of welcoming it by opening the
Capital Assistance Grant to repair
door I bang on the wall to get rid of it. It is a woodpecker out there
hail damages to the museum.
pecking in one of the holes of the siding trying to feast upon some flies.
Annoying little thing, it is constantly knocking and it won’t take the hint
it is not welcome.
The museum sent in an application to become the official visitor’s information center for Dickson. We heard back
from the Provincial Government stating, “While reviewing your accreditation application, there was discussion
regarding your letter of endorsement from your municipality. One of the criteria to receive accreditation is that
your facility must be recognized by the municipality as being the “official VIC” for the city/town/village/county.
Currently, your endorsement letter states that they support the “Dickson Store Museum’s desire to become an
official Visitor Information Centre for the county. As an accreditation program, we are not able to grant “official”
VIC status to facilities, only the municipality or governing body can. The accreditation program is a support
program for existing VICs that meet specific criteria. Thus, we will require a revised letter of endorsement from
Red Deer County recognizing the Dickson Store Museum as the county’s “official VIC” and that they support the
Dickson Store Museum with its application for accreditation.” I sent in this request and the Red Deer County took
it to council at their next meeting and I am pleased to say that we had their full support. In the
spring the Alberta Culture and Tourism will pay us a visit to see if we meet all the requirements
and if not make recommendations for upgrades.
We collaborated with the Danish Canadian National Museum once more and held another
successful Julestue. I have been busy updating the matrix to keep it current so there is a record
of what, where, when, and how we do things here at the museum so when Antonia and I are
gone someone can pick up the matrix and have a good idea of how to carry on. Kelsey has been
busy with figuring out what is in the file cabinet drawer so she can document it and we will
decide where it belongs.
3
Membership News
Become a member today, give the gift of a membership,
share this form with a friend. Renew your membership
by using the form below or send us a quick note with a
check enclosed. Membership keeps you current on the
museums happenings and events. We value our
members and their support.
Thank you for your interest in the Dickson Store Museum.
2015 Membership and Donation Form
January -December
Name: ________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________
City/Town: _____________________Province: _______________
Thank You!
Thank you for making a
donation to the Dickson
Store Museum!
Solvejg Nielsen—General
Donation
Fran Leroux— In memory of
Lorne St. Clair & Laureen Becker
Postal Code: _______________Email: ______________________
Burnt Lake Gas Coop—
Phone: __________________
General Donation
Please choose which format you wish to receive.
Paper/Regular Mail
Electronic Email
Sonia Berg—General Donation
Orpha Donnelly—General
New Member _______
Membership Renewal _________
1 year membership
$10.00
5 year membership
$50.00
Single Life Membership (age 55 and over)
$100.00
Donation
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
General Donation
Every Donation Helps the Museum
Your donation can be designated to:
Museum Operations
General Donation
 2016 Celebration Donations  Wish List Donation
Ole Jensen—General Donation
Erling & Wilma Hansen—
Your Donation is Greatly
Appreciated!
Memorial donation in Memory of: ______________________
Donation Amount: _____________________________________
Make cheque payable to Dickson Store Museum
Mail to: Box 146
Spruce View, Alberta
T0M 1V0
Thank you to the
Alberta Museums
Association for the
Operational Staffing,
Institutional, and
Conference Grants.
Tax receipts will be mailed to you for donations over $20.00.
Thank You 
4
More News!
DON’T FORGET
2016 is the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Dickson Store Museum. It seems as if it is a
long ways away but before we know it, it will be here. We are hoping to celebrate this milestone and would like your input.
What would you like to see?
What would you like to do?
How would you like to celebrate?
Ligh
tB
Mom ulb
ent!
ave I
Boy h
great
got a
idea!
We would love to hear your ideas.
It is time to start planning now!
You are a member of our society so we know you
care and have a genuine interest in what we do. Let this anniversary be an opportunity for you
to tell us your wishes. No idea is too big or too small but please submit them to us. We cannot
give you what you want unless we know what it is. You can submit your ideas in writing and
mail them to Box 146, Spruce View, AB T0M 1V0 or fax 403-728-3351,
email: [email protected] or access our website and submit your story/idea. To
date I have not received a single story or idea.
Pebbernodders
Ingredients:
Directions:
1 cup butter

Soften butter at room temperature. (Do not use microwave)
1cup sugar

Set oven to 350 °F
2 eggs, beaten

Beat together the butter with the sugar, eggs, and lemon juice.
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Mix dry ingredients. Sift dry ingredient into the butter mixture. Mix
well. Then work dough with your hands into a ball. It will be very soft at
this point. Place ball of dough on the counter.
1 1/2 tsp. baking
powder

Put the 1 cup of extra flour into a sifter or cup. Mix some of this extra
flour into the cookie dough, until dough doesn’t stick to your hands.
1/4 tsp. salt

Separate dough and roll to make narrow snakes. Chop across snake to
make tiny cookies (fingertip size). Put cookie on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 3 minutes on low oven rack, then about 4-8 minutes on high rack
until light brown. Or middle rack the entire time. Watch carefully-they
burn easily.

Remove from cookie sheet onto brown paper to cool.
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 1/2 tsp. cardamom
2 cups flour
(plus up to 1 cup of
extra flour at the end,
to get the texture right)
5
Manager’s Letter to Santa
6
Christmas Poem
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/216383957071109855/
7
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8
Sutton Landmark Realty
1-5000 51st Avenue
Red Deer, AB T4N 4H5
Office (403) 347-0751
Cell (403) 350-7424
Email:
[email protected]
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Call today to find
out how.
403-728-3355
9