Artwork, cards and other items that poured in to Humboldt in the weeks following the Broncos’ hockey team bus crash have a new home.
The items became part of a tribute that sprang up in the city’s Elgar Petersen Arena after the SJHL team’s bus crashed on April 6 near Nipawin, killing 16 people and wounding 13 others. The tribute had to be removed in order to allow for the ice to be taken off the rink for the summer.
Now, the artifacts are back on display at the Humboldt & District Museum, with the collection curated by City of Humboldt Cultural Director Jennifer Fitzpatrick.
“Banners and drums and flags and jerseys. There are beautiful handwritten notes, there are drawings from children and artwork,” she explained Wednesday to Brent Loucks Show guest host Drew Remenda.
Fitzpatrick said putting the exhibit together was an emotional process. She said she was particularly struck after reading the messages of support that came with many of the items.
“The people talk about how they were impacted no matter what point of the globe they were at. So just to read that is inspiring,” she said.
The exhibit is on the second floor of the museum. Fitzpatrick said the display wasn’t placed right in the main entryway in order to give people who might not be emotionally ready to see it a choice on whether to proceed.
She said items will be rotated in and out of the display, since there wasn’t room to include all of them at once.
“There are so many people affected by this tragedy and if there is a way that we can assist in that healing and helping people to build community and come together, then it is certainly our honour to be able to do that.”