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New diner exhibit serves local history at Museum of Surrey

‘Dine on Time’ offers glimpse into Surrey’s 1930s to 1960s diner culture
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Curator Colleen Sharpe (left) and cultural exhibits technician John Bessette sit in a new interactive exhibit at the Museum of Surrey. “Dine on Time” tells the story of Surrey’s diner culture from the ’30s to the ’60s. (Photo submitted)

A new exhibit about old diners has opened at the Museum of Surrey.

Called Dine on Time, the permanent exhibition showcases diner culture in Surrey over several decades.

Dine on Time invites you to feast, not on burgers and fries, but local history,” reads a press release from the Museum of Surrey. “The new permanent display inside the Surrey Stories Gallery … is a homage to several decades of diner culture.”

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The exhibit is hands-on, too. The release notes visitors can actually sit in a “retro 1950s vinyl booth” while listening to a replica jukebox. The jukebox plays a series of oral history recordings telling the story of Surrey’s diners from the the ’30s to the ’60s. The oral-history tracks are told by diner owners, staff, and customers.

“The foodie-themed installation has been designed in-house for full wheelchair accessibility and the listening booth has been selected to offer an audio station to improve access to visitors with vision loss,” curator Colleen Sharpe said in the release. “The text panels have also been translated into braille–a project we’re close to implementing throughout the Surrey Stories Gallery.”

Visitors must pre-register for self-guided tours. The museum is open from Wednesday to Saturday and follows City of Surrey COVID-19 safety protocols as per Health B.C. Call 604-592-6956 or email museum@surrey.ca to register.



editor@cloverdalereporter.com

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Malin Jordan

About the Author: Malin Jordan

Malin is the editor of the Cloverdale Reporter.
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