One day as I was working in the food booth at Lang Pioneer Village reading the Village Vignettes Blog on our website, Elizabeth King my supervisor for the day, came in to see if I needed anything. We started talking about the blog and somehow she convinced me to write a story about the Food Booth. So here goes nothing!
Many people, when they visit Lang Pioneer Village, do not realize that one of the first buildings they see when walking west from the parking lot is the Museum Refreshment Booth also known as the Food Booth. Some visitors even mistake it for the Admissions, which it was at one time, sharing space with the original main office. It was used as a temporary building then. Construction of a new main building in 1983 resulted in the transfer of staff, leaving the temporary one empty and eventually it became the Food Booth.
Since 2007, the year I started working at Lang Pioneer Village, I have seen the following upgrades and improvements to the Food Booth:
- A new deck and accessibility ramps were built onto the east side of the building
- A shed was built by some of our fantastic volunteers to accommodate our small barbecue
- A second water tap assembly was installed for the 3 sinks
- A canopy was erected over the deck to provide shelter from the elements
- A small fridge was installed to hold condiments and dairy products
- Beautiful geranium hanging baskets were added to make it look pretty
- A portable air conditioner was installed to help keep us cool on some very hot summer days
- New shelving under the front counter was installed to improve storage space
- New flooring was installed in the front of the food booth
- In 2013 a brand new large commercial barbecue was purchased to serve the many visitors we have during school programs and special events
- Skids were laid down in the back room to hold our Pepsi products
- Shelving units were put in to hold some inventory
- The old stairs were removed and a new accessibility ramp with handrails was built for easier access into the food booth
- A new water pump was installed in the spring of this year
- Also this year there has been some redecorating done inside and outside. New counter curtains, new menu chalkboards, a large blackboard to list our drink and chip choices and containers with lids for our potato chips have all improved the Food Booth's appearance.
Some of our products and procedures have also changed over the years. Due to health and safety concerns, we discontinued selling french fries, but some of our products like barbecued meats, veggie burgers and nachos and cheese, are still visitor favourites. We also sell frozen treats, cold drinks, popcorn and chips.
This is my 8th season in the Food Booth and I have developed a deep passion for it. I have learned a lot in researching its history and I hope you will drop by and say hello to myself and the rest of the Food Booth staff when visiting Lang Pioneer Village!
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| Kathy Watson- Part-time seasonal employee at Lang Pioneer Village for 8 years. |
