In the days leading up to the anniversary of the Humboldt Broncos accident, staff of the Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery are highlighting the collection of material that comprises the outpouring of love and support from around the world.

From April 3rd to the 13th, the Humboldt Broncos exhibit will be extended to the main floor of the Gallery at the corner of Main Street and 6th Avenue. On the weekend of the anniversary, the Gallery will extend their hours. On Saturday, April 6th, the Gallery will be open from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, and on Sunday, April 7th, it will remain open from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm. 

In the wake of the crash, people from the province, then the country, and indeed the world reached out with all manners of gestures to show solidarity with grief-stricken families and communities. As various expressions poured in, the Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery undertook the task of gathering the artifacts from the EPA to house, display, and eventually catalogue. Director of the Humboldt Museum, Jennifer Fitzpatrick, estimates that the collection currently numbers around 6,000 items, mostly paper documents. 

A good portion of the collection is comprised of banners and jerseys sent by communities and teams. Flags from various countries, including one from Canadian troops in Iraq, arrived along with hockey sticks, poems, songs, wood carvings, a dreamcatcher and countless other mementos. Fitzpatrick says, "There are as many expressions of support as you can imagine."

Since July of last year, the second floor of the Gallery has been the display home of the collection. Fitzpatrick recalls, "After everything was at the arena, materials still continued to come in. There were people who wanted to see that material and there were still pieces coming in. We put it on the second floor of the Gallery so that people had a choice. At the time some people were not ready. Others had seen it already and wanted to distance themselves. So we really wanted to create a space where people could make a choice."

The experiences of the people who have seen the exhibit has been as wide-ranging as the viewers themselves. Many people attended the exhibit over the summer, and Fitzpatrick describes the array of responses, "Of course we've seen a lot of tears; it's a very powerful and emotional exhibit. But a lot of people have expressed their support and their gratitude for the City to put on an exhibit like this. We've seen a range of emotions with the exhibit."

After April 13th, the future of the collection will need to be a "community conversation" in Fitzpatrick's eyes. "We have formed the new memorials committee, and so that will be one of the conversations they will be having. So when the community decides where they want it to move, then that will happen."