Museums and other cultural institutions were hit hard by COVID-19 social distancing measures, but the Colby Curtis has found a unique way to stay connected to the community.
While the doors of the museum are closed, since April 16 the Colby Curtis Museum Facebook page has been posting history challenges and interesting bits of trivia. The first challenge was a photo from the museum’s collection, taken in 1970. Followers of the page were asked to identify the event, location and the people in the photo.
A few days later the challenges are presented the museum posts answers, solving mysteries, sometimes with the help of comments from the public. The challenges are sometimes old photos, or pictures of artefacts from the Colby Curtis’ collection.
Over the weekend, the museum Facebook page posted a link to a documentary about Canusa Street in Stanstead. The film, called Canusa Street: Where the dotted yellow line is the official US-CAN border, was made by Toronto Filmmaker Perry Walker. While not from the area, Walker heard about the unique border street through his producer partner Galen Brown, whose family has a cottage in the area. Walker and Brown made two trips to the area in 2017 and 2018 interviewing locals about the history behind the street. They finished the film last year. It screened in a number of festivals and was also shown at Bishop’s University as part of the school’s lecture series.
The 10-minute documentary is available on YouTube by searching the name Canusa Street: Where the dotted yellow line is the official US-CAN border. While the museum may be closed until further notice, that hasn’t stopped the Colby Curtis from keeping a virtual door open to stay connected with the community.
Colby Curtis posting weekly challenges to stay engaged with the community
By Matthew McCully
