John Birka, left, a member of the Canadian Slovak Benefit Society, Slovak ambassador Stanislav Opiela, and Wayne Campbell, vice-chair of the Welland museum, cut the ribbon to officially open the Bread, Salt and Friendship exhibit at the Welland Museum.

Bread, Salt and Friendship are symbols of hospitality. It is also the name of the new Slovak exhibit at the Welland Museum.

"This exhibit really started two years ago when the Slovak Benevolent Society decided they were going to wrap up their affairs," said John Robertson, director of the museum. "And they give us their records, artifacts and a little bit of money to get an exhibit going." The exhibit, which opened June 28, consists of different Slovak artifacts such as beds, bedding, kitchen accessories, toys and clothes.

Robertson said that once the museum received the artifacts from the society, members of the community began providing more and more artifacts to the growing exhibit.

Eastdale Secondary School's woodworking class decided to build something for the exhibit under the guidance of their teacher, Walt Fast.

"This is an example of how the whole community got involved," said Robertson. "Before you know it we've got a domestic section, a religious section, an organization section and now we can bring it all together."

The students built a set of ship's ribs, or an arbor that you would find in a church, for the exhibit that symbolize the journey of the Slovak people across the Atlantic to Canada.