History, immigration and popcorn on display at Regina's Civic Museum
An old popcorn wagon is getting a new lease on life at Regina's Civic Museum.
The wagon, run by the Alexce family since it was first purchased in 1929, served the snack to generations of people in the city.
"People would line up for half a block. It was a hard time, it was Depression, but people could afford a nickel bag of popcorn," said Ken Alexce.
Alexce began working the popcorn stand in 1961 at age 12. He manned it until 2007, when the stand was donated to what is now the Civic Museum of Regina.
His grandfather, John, purchased it originally. John immigrated from Romania in 1910 to avoid being drafted into the Ottoman Empire.
Alexce said his grandfather worked various jobs prior to the popcorn stand. He was a court interpreter, part of a construction crew working on the Legislative Building and a farmer, among other jobs.
Later in the 1930s, two other family members were put to work at the wagon: Alexce's father Harry and Harry's older brother, Tom.
They would sell popcorn at Victoria Park, or at 11th Avenue and Broad Street near where the Allen Theatre (later named the Metropolitan) once stood, Alexce said.
Working the popcorn stand was a way to build skills, like how to manage a small business or how to converse with people who dropped by.
"When you got a bag of popcorn, you also got a conversation."
The stand will be subject of a talk on Thursday evening at the museum. Alexce will talk about working the popcorn wagon and its restoration. He is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CST.
