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Anne Frank exhibit drawing crowds to HMCS Alberni Museum

The exhibit at the HMCS Alberni Museum and Memorial at Comox runs until Feb. 28
anne frank
The HMCS Alberni Museum and Memorial at Comox Mall is hosting the Canadian travelling exhibit of Anne Frank; A History For Today.

Scott Stanfield

Record staff

Numerous panels adorned with words and photographs depict the story of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who went into hiding during the Second World War in an attempt to escape the Nazis.

The panels are on display at the HMCS Alberni Museum and Memorial at Comox Mall, which is hosting the Canadian traveling exhibit of Anne Frank: A History For Today. The exhibit, which has travelled to more than 60 countries, opened Dec. 1 and runs until Feb. 28.

“It’s going extremely well,” museum director Lewis Bartholomew said. “Our attendance is still up. Usually in January museums face a slow period. But we’re finding our numbers are staying pretty regular.”

Most of the panels have been sponsored by businesses and individuals.

“We’re down to finding five more sponsors,” Bartholomew said. “That has pretty much paid for the cost of rental of the exhibit.”

The advertising idea, he explains, is in keeping with war-time communities that rescued people by hiding them or helping them escape.

“So it’s not just our museum that has brought it in, it’s all of the people who have sponsored panels that are also responsible for letting us bring it in.”

In conjunction with Valley schools and North Island College, the museum plans to utilize volunteer student guides who will undergo training courtesy of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam — where Anne went into hiding and wrote her diary. In February, the high school students will conduct field trips scheduled at the museum. The idea is to have guides of about the same age as Anne — who lived just 15 years — lead younger students during tours.

For more information about sponsorship or volunteering, contact Bartholomew at mrbarth@alberniproject.org or at 250-339-4322. Regular hours at the museum are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.