Was anyone else wondering how the Boot Pub was going to fit the entire town into the maybe 250-plus space for the final show when the Shoestring Lodge closes its doors April 30?
The Shoestring Lodge, along with Cressey Development Group and the Whistler Museum and Archives, have found a solution and are inviting the public to celebrate the closing of the locals’ living room at an afternoon celebration called the Sole Shakedown Got the Boot Sunday, April 29.
"It’s going to be a big party for kids and adults," said Alex Kleinman, museum president. "We are commemorating the end of an institution. It was the centre of everything at one point."
The event celebrating the history of one of Whistler’s oldest hotels will also double as a museum fundraiser.
Museum officials, along with support from the municipality, Whistler Fire Department and Whistler RCMP, are organizing a cultural celebration, including a farmer’s market, children’s activity area, live music, food tent, beer garden and a video-archiving station where the public can share their Boot memories.
"It’s not easy to reconstruct memories," Kleinman said. "There are not many memorable artifact-type items around the Boot. Many have been used beyond saving. So by people sharing stories we can preserve what this place meant to the community…. (The museum) has a unique role to play in the community by documenting the past and present. We need to tell people’s stories to humanize (the community) to visitors that come."
WAVE will offer free shuttles between the Boot Pub and Lot 4 Parking for the event.
Details on times, bands and additional activities will follow closer to the celebration.
