Upgrades to museum in Arkona
Arkona Lions Museum and Information Centre upgrades exhibits
New volunteer museum steward Bob O’Donnell, Arkona Lions Club volunteers, donors, staff add new features to area tourist attraction known for displays of fossils, artifacts
Arkona Lions Museum and Information Centre at Rock Glen Conservation Area is being upgraded with new donations of fossils and artifacts and six new display cases among other improvements.
The museum has a new volunteer museum steward who is Bob O’Donnell, popularly known as The Fossil Guy. He has brought his decades of experience, knowledge, and hours of work to adding, classifying, and displaying fossils and artifacts. He has received donations of new fossils from the London Gem and Mineral Society as well as fossils and artifacts from individuals’ collections. He is continuing to seek new donations to grow the museum’s collection of local fossils and artifacts as well as fossils and minerals from around the world.
The local community, volunteers, and businesses from inside and outside of the Arkona area have contributed to the museum upgrades. Club members have spent many hours building custom mounting for special items and installing attractive new display units along with making other upgrades. Ausable Bayfield Conservation staff painted walls among other improvements to the popular tourist attraction.
Planned upgrades include remounting of some displays, brass identification tags, and entering photos and collection information into a new computer database created by a volunteer. Some upgrades have been completed, others are to take place later this year, and others are to be completed over a longer term, according to Cliff Ryan, Past Chair of the Arkona Lions Museum and Information Centre Museum Committee and a member of the Arkona Lions Club.
Ryan invites people to visit Rock Glen Conservation Area this season to witness some of the new items and to keep returning this year and in future years for improvements and additions to the collection. The changes to the museum could attract more visitors, according to Ryan. “We want to raise its profile,” he said.
The Arkona Lions Club has maintained the fossil and artifact museum for many decades. The current museum building was opened at Rock Glen Conservation Area, in partnership with Ausable Bayfield Conservation, in 1986. Ryan said O’Donnell’s energy, enthusiasm, and knowledge are helping to reinvigorate the Lions Club’s work to maintain and improve the museum. “Since Bob has come on, we’ve got a renewed enthusiasm,” Ryan said. “Now there’s a lot of focus on it and it’s coming to the forefront of our club activities.” Close to a dozen Arkona Lions Club members have been helping out with museum upgrades this year. Even the children of Lions Club members have volunteered to help.
The new museum steward has made close to 20 trips to the museum as he’s been working on it this year. “Bob has done a ton of work,” Ryan said. “His dedication to this museum is just incredible. We’re also happy to have him as a member of our club.” The new museum steward has many ideas for the future of the tourist attraction – from a rock garden, to a booklet of different fossils, to a book.
O’Donnell gives special thanks to park superintendent Dale Cable – who is also an Arkona Lions Club member – for his regular upkeep of the museum and “for always taking time to talk to people about the museum and for always keeping the display cases looking clean.” He also thanked him for the painting he has done inside the museum which has made the museum look fresher and more inviting.
The museum is located at Rock Glen Conservation Area, two kilometres northeast of Arkona, Ontario, Canada at 8680 Rock Glen Road. People may visit abca.on.ca or phone the gatehouse at 519-828-3071 or phone Ausable Bayfield Conservation’s office toll-free at 1-888-286-2610 for information.
The museum and facilities are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., May, September, October, weekends, and by appointment or chance; June, daily, except Tuesdays; July and August daily. The park is open for walking trails and visiting waterfalls year-round, weather permitting.