Paper dolls, pet rocks, Shrinky Dinks, and friendship bracelets.
This holiday season, those popular gifts from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s are being revived by the Langley Centennial Museum and Exhibition Centre in Fort Langley for its “Christmas through the Decades” hands-on exhibition Saturday, Dec. 7.
Julie Epp, arts and culture programmer at the museum, said museum will be celebrating the popular gifts from those relatively recent decades have been added to their annual Pioneer Christmas.
“We’ve jazzed it up a bit,” Epp told the Langley Advance Times.
Visitors will have a chance to experience the different decades as they move through the museum,. Epp explained.
“When they come in, they’ll get a passport to encourage them to visits all the activity stations to get stamps.”
At one station, visitors will have a chance to experience cutting out and clothing paper dolls from the 60’s.
Another will introduce them to the care and feeding of the popular “pet rocks” from the 70s.
Epp promises the new rocks will be a little more interesting than the originals.
“We’re going to make them a little more fun with hair and faces.”
Shrinky Dinks, a popular toy in the 70’s and 80s that used heat to shrink flexible, cuttable polystyrene into solid forms was something Epps discovered when a volunteer brought one in and she started experimenting with it.
“I’m obsessed with them,” she laughed.
For the 90s, there will be a course in how to make a friendship bracelet.
There will be games, crafts, and photos and other exhibits from the various decades, including one of the painted-white bikes from “Highway 86,” a sculpture/exhibit at Expo that consisted of a 217 metre, four-lane lane concrete highway that contained various modes of transportation.
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Pioneer Christmas fans will still have an opportunity to go further back in time, Epp advised.
Other stations and activities include Christmas stories with Mrs. Claus in the Michaud Family parlour, a letters to Santa’ station where children can write letters that can be dropped off later at the general store and post office and more.
As before, children will have a chance to spend a real penny in the museum store.
“We keep the pennies in a big jar,” Epp said (Production of the penny ceased in May 2012, and the Royal Canadian Mint ceased distribution in 2013).
Christmas through the Decades runs for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7th at the museum, which is located at 9135 King Street.
Cost is $10 for a family of four.
Pre-registration is required at recexpress.tol.ca or by phone at 604-532-3536 (tol.ca registration code 58228).
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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