Maison Merry digging into the past

On Aug. 13 and 14, Maison Merry will be hosting its Mission archéo, a family activity featuring the opportunity to dig for hidden relics, in celebration of archaeology month.

Esther Beaudoin from the Maison Merry explained, “it’s an event for everyone, not just kids, where guests can find artifacts buried under the sand. We have all sorts of things to find like arrow tips, Indigenous tools and ancient vessels; all replicas of pieces found in our collection. They’ll have games afterwards to find the real artifacts in the museum.”

Outside the museum, organizers have set up sandbox dig sites filled with hidden artifacts and supply visitors with all the standard tools of the trade.

“They’ll need to search for the objects as though they were a real archaeologist. Once they find them, they’ll have to

identify them using charts and move on to searching inside for the real artifact.”

Staff on site will be there to educate and help guests with proper techniques used on real dig sites and help them along their way in the research of whatever they might find.

“People will get to learn a lot about the process of archeology as well as about the Indigenous artifacts they’re digging up. We hope to express the importance of archeology and allow people a hands-on experience.”

Beaudoin also mentioned that guests will have challenges involving the exhibitions to learn more about what the job of a real archaeologist is like.

The activity is in partnership with Archéo-québec, the host of Archaeology Month, which takes place every year during the month of August.

Maison Merry is a part of nearly 50 locations throughout Québec taking part, offering activities for all, made to attract both novices and enthusiasts, young and old, to the field of archaeology.

“I think it’s a cool activity to learn about what it means to be an archeologist and It’s nice because it’s accessible to everyone. It’s also an introduction to the artifact searching game that we plan to expand into its own activity in the future,” Beaudoin commented.

Beaudoin said the archeology activity lasts around an hour, and people are welcome to arrive anytime between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. without needing to reserve in advance.

Entry to the museum is free for Magog residents, and for others, the standard entry price for a ticket will also net them access to the weekend-long activity.