On September 26th, the Western Development Museum (WDM) in Moose Jaw held a special day of events in continuation of their 50th anniversary that was celebrated earlier this summer on June 26, 2026. The day started out with BMO Day, a celebration that mirrored the museum’s first opening on June 26, 1976.
Operations Manager of the WDM, Karla Rasmussen said, “Things were very wonderful. We had a lot of (people) come and go. Archival pictures were shown, a timeline of our history here, from the groundbreaking and the sod turning, all the way up to moving artifacts in.”
Built in ’76: A Groovy Night at the Museum, held in the evening was the icing on the cake with a celebration featuring The Uncoolas playing hits from the era of the museum. There was lots of dancing to special hits from the K-Tel era.
“Aaron [Ruston] and the band are terrific folks,” said Rasmussen. “They were just tremendous to have out here playing all those danceable songs that people remember from their high school years. It was just tremendous!”
The hall was set up cabaret style with the dancing in the centre and Rasmussen said, “We had lovely charcuterie cups from High Regard Catering. It was just fantastic and lots of fun was had.”
To celebrate the 1976 birth of the museum, clothes from the 70s were brought out and put on display. One of the museum’s summer students, who had a background in vintage textiles, did research to dig up some of the history of the items. “This is the flower power era. There’s a lot of big, vibrant prints. The neat thing about the fashion is it’s very personal; it’s not just something that just exists in a catalog. Somebody chose that dress for an occasion and often we have the stories of where it was purchased and what events they were purchased for,” Rasmussen said.
Another element of the event was a 1976 themed Seek and Find. “We had a staff member go through archival pictures and records to identify what artifacts that were here when we opened the doors in back 1976. We made up fun graphics that were set beside all the artifacts that were there that long.”
No celebration is complete without some photo opportunities. “We borrowed a number of fun things and props from Diana Gamble; she has a remarkable collection.” Guests were able to use these historic props to take some selfies and “ussies” with friends and family. There was also a costume contest for guests to dress in 70s styles.
The evening also featured a hands-on table including pieces from the EDM’s Reminiscence Kits. These kits are filled with historical artifacts from the 1950s to the 1970s that can be rented for $75 for two weeks from the museum. The artifacts include popular food and drink, famous movies and music, common household items, clothing, accessories, trends and fads. “There was everything from platform shoes to corduroy pants and swatches of wallpaper. You can imagine the avocado green and burnt umber.”
There was even a button-making station where attendees could create and take home images from the artifacts in the museum from the 70s.
If you missed the event and are feeling some FOMO (the fear of missing out), you can still stop by the gift shop and pick up one of the 70s-styled T-Shirts that commemorates the opening of the building. Fittingly it says “Born in 76.”
By Dustan J. Hlady
For Moose Jaw Express
