Have tea with the Queen on Victoria Day, celebrate Canada Day where it was first celebrated, and watch out for the world's longest-hibernating mammal -- the ground squirrel -- when it rears its adorably ugly head.
Visitors to Barkerville can do all of these things on its opening day Monday while enjoying popular town tours, theatre shows, court sessions, stagecoach rides, gold-panning adventures, culinary experiences and keep an eye out for the ground squirrels waking from hibernation.
Be sure to attend the Victoria Day adventures held May 23 at the world-famous Wake Up Jake Restaurant. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert will be in attendance for several sittings during this popular, historically interpretive event.
Barkerville began with the designation of being a park so in order to celebrate Canada Day, July 1, the most newly restored building in Barkerville, Kibbee House, which had fallen into disrepair over the last few years, will be opened in a grand way.
There will be about 40 new Canadians sworn in as citizens on that day at the Theatre Royal. There will be Victorian games played like sac races and the greasy pole climb.
Barkerville is now the largest heritage attraction in western North America.
Gold rush towns boomed throughout the west in the 1800s and Barkerville has more than 100 heritage structures still standing on the very spots where they were built. There are also two historic cemeteries and 187,000 precious objects, artifacts and photographs in its museum collection to see.
And to protect the historic townsite and popular tourist attraction, the province is investing $6.87-million to upgrade sewer, water and fire suppression systems over the next four years. The work will safeguard health, safety and the environment and to prevent the loss of irreplaceable artifacts at the heritage site, said James Douglas, manager of visitor experience and public relations.
Groundbreaking for the renovations will begin this fall when the townsite is closed to public.
"We know we'll have a great foundation to now build on the next decades of Barkerville's existence," Douglas said.
Beforehand, however, a brand new event takes place Sept. 9 to 11 called the Cowboy and Drover Jubilee, which is held in conjunction with the B.C. Cowboy Heritage Society.
"This event is to celebrate the original cattle drives, which were coming through in the 1860s and 70s to feed the miners," said James Douglas, manager of visitor experiences and public relations.
Six professional cowboy poets and musicians volunteer their time to lend a hand with the jubilee, he added. Cowboy poetry is recited and acoustic music played throughout the day.
There's also an opportunity for Rising Stars in traditional cowboy music to showcase their talent in a contest that will take place in the central interior region with six finalists to perform during the jubilee.
Details on the contest are just being finalized now, said Douglas.
