August 12th saw history in the making. The Manitoba World War I Museum, just outside La Riviere which features a wide variety of exhibits and demonstrations, hosted the 5th Annual Heritage Day commemorating the Centennial of the end of the First World War.

Director Bruce Tascona explained the Museum started in 2012, and showcased the Centennial of the start of the war in 2014, with an annual exhibit every year.

"We have something new, we have a group of living history presenters from Fargo, North Dakota, representing the German Army," said Tascona.

A guide in uniform describing basic training for the Canadian Military

One of the features of the interactive museum is a pair of trenches constructed to show what life was like during the time of war. Approximately 100 yards of "no-mans land" separates the two trenches. Each trench had guides in period correct uniforms, describing the life in the trenches from both sides.

In the Allies trenches, small details, like a gas attack alarm made from an empty used artillery shell, were described by one of the two guides in costume.

In the Axis trenches the guides from Fargo described how the German Army set up their side of the trenches, featuring where they slept, what they ate, and the basic day-to-day lifestyle.

Other features of the Museum were the tents and living quarters, the packs soldiers carried, a signal and communication station, a bayonet fighting demonstration, and a medical bay, which would have been located between 300 to 1000 yards behind the front lines.

Living history presenters from Fargo, North Dakota, prepping the Axis trenches for the tours

Later in the afternoon, a demonstration was put on showing what soldiers went through to capture the other side.

Throughout the day, blanks were shot from the guns in the trenches, allowing attendees to hear what it was like if a soldier had peaked over the edge of their own side of the trench.

Tascona doesn't know what the future holds for the Museum with "the end of the Centennial," and already featuring historical moments from WWI over the last few years, but, he notes, the Museum will still be open during their regular season next year.

A map showing the scale of the trenches across France in WWI