Museum hosting Icelandic Bun Day on Feb. 12 in the Lady of the Lake Theatre
Gimli’s New Iceland Heritage Museum has been given the all clear for a new exhibit that will take people to the skies.
The exhibit titled “Eyes on the Skies: Managing Air Traffic in Canada” looks at the evolution of air traffic control over the decades, technologies such as radar and the people managing air traffic to keep the skies safe.
NIHM executive director Julianna Roberts said they’re thrilled to have landed the large exhibit, which is on loan from the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum until May.
“This is a huge exhibit. We started unpacking it on Tuesday [last week] and it’s taken this long,” said Roberts last Friday. “You can’t believe it.”
Gimli is the only location in Manitoba where people will be able to see the exhibit.
The exhibit was developed by the Canada Aviation and Space Museum – which falls under the umbrella of Ingenium, a corporation encompassing three Canadian museums – and in collaboration with NAV CANADA, which oversees civil air traffic, guides aircraft safely through the skies and manages 18 million square kilometres of Canadian civil airspace, along with North Atlantic oceanic airspace under Canada’s control.
The interactive nature of the exhibit allows visitors to get their hands on the controls and try things out.
“I was in there pressing buttons and listening to the interactive videos and games. There’s a satellite, scheduling board and information about how an air traffic control tower works,” said Roberts. “And there’s a monitor that shows a video about the play Come From Away that was done after the plane landed in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, during the 9/11 attacks in September 2001.”
Ingenium president Christina Tessier said in a news release that the exhibit highlights Canada’s contribution to air traffic control.
“This exhibition helps to break down a very complex aspect of aviation that is often overlooked, and helps to underline the important contributions Canadians in this field have made – and continue to make – to keep our skies safe,” she said.
The exhibit runs until May 1.
Other NIHM news:
Icelanders can look forward to the upcoming Bolludagur, or Bun Day, that will be hosted by the NIHM. The museum has hosted the event every year except during the pandemic.
Bolludagur is an Icelandic celebration that takes place seven weeks before Easter.
“It’s a traditional event that the Icelanders have before Easter, like Shrove Tuesday [the traditional feast day before the start of Lent]. In Iceland the kids get little wands and however many times they can spank their mom or dad equals how many buns they get,” said Roberts. “The buns are filled with cream and have chocolate icing on top.”
Bolludagur is set for Monday, Feb. 12 at 2:30 p.m. in the Lady of the Lake Theatre in the Waterfront Centre. Admission is by donation.
Express Photos by Rayme Thomson
The “Eyes on the Skies: Managing Air Traffic in Canada” exhibit will be on display in Gimli at the New Iceland Heritage Museum until May 1.
