Edinburgh Square Hosting Special ‘Art Of War’ Presentation, P.A Day Program, Photography Exhibition & More This November

From photography exhibitions and guest speakers to special children’s and family programming, there’s something for everyone at Caledonia’s Edinburgh Square Heritage & Cultural Centre this November.

Guest Lecture: ‘The Art of War’ with Ryan Graham – November 9 (2pm)
Join guest lecturer Ryan Graham for a special presentation titled ‘The Art of War’. Art is a reflection of the society that creates it, so what kind of art is produced when that society goes to war? ‘The Art of War’ discusses two artistic interpretations on the subject. The first, the ancient Romans who embraced war through their creative expression of state propaganda, and the second, a radical group of artists rebelling against art itself during WWI. Pre-registration is required for this program; the cost is $5/person. Code: 10387.

P.A. Day Program: ‘Jingle All The Way’ – November 15 (9am to 4pm)
‘Jingle All The Way’ is an entertaining full-day program for kids 5 to 10 years old. Kids will spend the day with Edinburgh Square’s elves and enjoy festive crafts/activities, including: making a snowman buddy, decorating cookies, singing songs and designing special tree ornaments for Light-Up Night. Pre-registration is required for this program; the cost is $26.25 per child. Code: 10381.

Haldimand Photography Club Exhibition Opening Reception – November 15 (6 to 8:30pm)
Edinburgh Square is pleased to welcome back the Haldimand Photography Club’s annual exhibition. The exhibition features a selection of unique photographic works created by talented artists. Stop by for the opening reception & see the Club’s amazing work. The exhibit will remain open until February 21, 2020. Admission is free.

Light-Up Night Festivities at Edinburgh Square – November 28 (6 to 8pm)
Stop by and enjoy the sounds of the season performed by local musician Phyllis Bryce and her students. Special tours of the Centre will also be offered, including a tour of the infamous jail cell. No registration is required for this event, and admission is free. Access to the concert area and jail cell are by stairs only.

Registration for The Art of War & Jingle All The Way may be completed online using the code provided or in-person at any County office. For more information on these programs or other Museum offerings, please contact Edinburgh Square Heritage and Cultural Centre at esquare.centre@haldimandcounty.on.ca or 905-765-3134. A comprehensive schedule of all Museum programs is available in the County’s Community Guide.

Haldimand County Museum & Archives Announces New Commemorative Exhibit & November Program Schedule

Haldimand County Museum & Archives is hosting a number of programs this November, including two talks on WWI/WWII, a wartime records genealogy workshop and a session about obscure County by-laws from the past. All programs will be held at the new Cayuga Library & Heritage Centre; registration may be completed online or in-person at any County office.

Historically Speaking: WWI & WWII, A Defining Moment in History – November 6 (1-3pm)
This informative talk is dedicated to the men and women from Haldimand who served Canada during WWI & WWII. Attendees will learn about the renowned 114th Haldimand Battalion C.E.F, the formation of the Dufferin and Haldimand Rifles of Canada and the significant role Haldimand played in both world wars. A new exhibit – WWII: Defining Canada – will also be debuted at this event. Pre-registration is required for this program; the cost is $10/person. Code: 8378.

Adult Workshop: Searching the War Records – November 16 (1 to 3pm)
Military records can often provide valuable information on the veteran, as well as on all members of the family. This workshop teaches participants how to access Canadian Expeditionary Force service files online, identify an individual’s military unit and consult various other digitized and archival resources. Pre-registration is required for this program; the cost is $10/person. Code: 10388. Light refreshments will be served.

Heritage Series: War and Remembrance – November 19 (6:30 to 8pm)
This talk will highlight the history of the military in Haldimand County & explore the roles of men and women in combat and on the home front during the War of 1812, the Boer War, Fenian raids, WWI and WII. Pre-registration is required for this program; the cost is $5/person. Code: 10234. Light refreshments will be served.

Heritage Series: Obscure & Strange Historic Bylaws – November 20 (1 to 3pm)
This talk will highlight some of the interesting and humorous bylaws that were passed in Haldimand County beginning in the 1850’s. E.G: Did you know that it was illegal for your cows to run free on the main street in Dunnville? Pre-registration is required for this program; the cost is $5/person. Code: 8379. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information on these programs or other Museum offerings, contact the museum at museum.archives@haldimandcounty.on.ca or 905-772-5880. A comprehensive schedule of all Museum programs is available in the County’s Community Guide.

Haldimand County Museum And Archives Announces Special October Programs At New Cayuga Library & Heritage Centre

This October, Haldimand County Museum & Archives will be hosting a number of ‘spooky’ events – from live musical performances to ghostly walking tours. All programs will be held at the new Cayuga Library & Heritage Centre.

October 15 – Culture Club – Music by Canadian folk band ‘The Treeline’ – 6:30 to 8pm
Canadian folk band ‘The Treeline’ will treat attendees to a lively performance full of harmonies and story-driven songs with a variety of instruments. Music is reflective of the people, landscape and changing seasons of our country. Pre-registration is required for this program; the cost is $5/person. Code: 10231. Light refreshments will be served.

October 22 – Ghostling Walking Tour of Cayuga – 6 to 8pm
Take a guided stroll through the historic village of Cayuga and explore its most ghostly haunts. Stories of murder, mayhem and ghost sightings will be part of this evening – especially surrounding the Cayuga Courthouse which was the site of several hangings. The program will be held rain or shine (if inclement weather occurs, the talk will take place at the Heritage Centre). Pre-registration is required for this program; the cost is $10/person. Code: 8377. Light refreshments will be served.

October 29 – Escape the Museum – 1 to 3pm
Do you have what it takes to escape from the museum? An unsolved historical murder, missing artifacts, and a dastardly archeologist set the stage for this interactive program. Participants will have one hour to uncover the evidence of the crime and escape the museum before the suspect returns. Put together a team or come on your own and try to solve the mystery! Pre-registration is required for this program; the cost is $5/person. Code: 10386. Light refreshments will be served.

October 30 – Historically Speaking Halloween – 1 to 3pm
Join in on the museum’s annual “spooky” Halloween celebration. Fresh scones, tea, raspberry jam and other sweet treats will be served followed by a talk on some of the most interesting haunted places in Haldimand County and the surrounding area. Pre-registration is required for this program; the cost is $10/person. Code: 10012.

For more information on these programs or other Museum offerings, contact the museum at museum.archives@haldimandcounty.on.ca or 905-772-5880. Register for any of the above programs here. A comprehensive schedule of all Museum programs is available in the County’s Community Guide.

Haunted Haldimand – Renowned Paranormal Investigator Visiting Edinburgh Square Heritage & Cultural Centre

Believe it or not, ghosts are REAL! So says Peter Roe – author and Assistant Director of renowned Canadian paranormal research team The Searcher Group. Roe will be visiting Edinburgh Square Heritage and Cultural Centre on Saturday, October 5 to discuss his popular book Haunted Town Halls. The Centre, which once served as Caledonia’s Town Hall, is located at 80 Caithness Street East.

The Searcher Group is a team of individuals involved in the study of parapsychology – a field of study that investigates paranormal or “psychic” phenomena that cannot be explained by current scientific knowledge. 2019 marks the group’s 40th anniversary of paranormal investigation.

In March 2014, Roe arranged for The Searcher Group to apply their collective skills at the Acton Town Hall Centre, launching what became the first of several stops on a two and-a-half-year ‘Town Hall Tour’ throughout southwestern Ontario. Peter felt these investigations would make  an interesting experiment to see how the team fared in a number of historic buildings that once served the same purpose.

The results of this experiment and his book Haunted Town Halls will be the focus of Roe’s presentation on October 5. Roe will lead a special presentation, followed by a question and answer session and book signing. Roe points out that “…one doesn’t need to be a complete believer to enjoy a good ghost story.”

The cost for this program is $10.00 per person; it’s suitable for mature (13+) audiences. Registration may be completed online at link.haldimandcounty.ca using program code 10315 or in-person at any County office.

For more information on this program or other museum offerings, please contact Edinburgh Square Heritage and Cultural Centre at esquare.centre@haldimandcounty.on.ca or 905-765-3134. A comprehensive schedule of all museum programs is available in the 2018-19 Community Guide.

Haldimand County celebrates the sounds and stories surrounding Lake Erie with community-created art installation, INHERITANCE

In the first exhibit of its kind for Haldimand County, INHERITANCE brings the captivating energy of graffiti art paired with melodic recordings of Lake Erie to the Dunnville Farmers’ Market on Tuesday, September 17th. Award-winning Haldimand Artist, Lacie Williamson will unveil INHERITANCE—an array of dynamic voices and stories showcased through a collaborative mural comprised of hundreds of fingerprints and graffiti art—with the help of Mayor Hewitt and Councillor Tony Dalimonte. 

“Lacie’s understanding of participatory art processes are exceptional as they push past the performative, to an immersive level where participants not only gain new technical knowledge, but the opportunity for personal discovery.” – Christopher McLeod, Creative Director, Great Art for Great Lakes

Part of the Great Art for Great Lakes initiative is to celebrate our magnificent waters. In this spirit, INHERITANCE was created by award-winning artist, Lacie Williamson with help from members of the Haldimand community using wood-burning irons where each line and mark is unique to each make to create the effect of worn hands. This, together with the graffiti element of the project, involved layering of simple objects to create depth to give the work of art a more natural and organic feel, telling a story of Lake Erie both past and present.

“Facilitating this project has been very eye opening for myself and participants and I’ve heard from many after the workshops saying they think about water differently now. I was very pleased to see so many local community members engage, but was even more impressed by the large number of people who travelled from Six Nations, Hamilton and Niagara regions to participate and learn about new art techniques.” – Artist, Lacie Williamson

An exemplary instance of connecting art with the public to promote action for a better tomorrow, INHERITANCE will remain on permanent display at the Dunnville Farmers’ Market, showcasing the ecology – and grandeur – of Lake Erie. The unveiling and future visit to INHERITANCE is free of charge. For more information about the project, please visit greatnessglp.com/GAGL.

Heritage Haldimand Hosting Headstone/Historic Stone Conservancy Workshop

Heritage Haldimand, in partnership with Ruthven Park National Historic Site, will be offering a special Headstone Conservancy Workshop on Saturday, September 28, 2019.

The workshop will take place at the Ruthven Park’s Indiana Irish Cemetery located at 243 Highway 54, Cayuga and be presented by Archaeology and Cemetery Conservancy expert Seika Groves. Seika will cover aspects that are key to understanding the process of conserving and restoring headstones and share the knowledge she has gained working in cemeteries with both old and modern headstones. Seika’s expertise may be applied to other types of stone, including statues, sculptures and monuments.

The hands-on session will highlight preservation techniques based upon stone type, from the safest to the most aggressive. Utilizing existing headstones, participants will learn how to apply a number of different restoration methods. Topics to be covered include: types of stone (sandstone, marble, granite, etc.), what stone types may be cleaned, what cleaning techniques should be applied and what cleaning tools and products to use.

Participants are asked to wear comfortable/weather appropriate clothing and enclosed footwear; protective eye wear, gloves and dust masks will be provided.

The cost of this workshop is $10.00 per person. Registration may be completed online at link.haldimandcounty.ca or in person at any Haldimand County office using program code  10313.

For more information, contact Heritage Haldimand at heritage@haldimandcounty.on.ca or 905-318-5932 ext. 6516.

Haldimand Museums Hosting Oral History Workshop With Broadcast TV Icon & Internationally Recognized Filmmaker

This September, Haldimand Museums will be welcoming internationally recognized filmmaker Graeme Bachiu and iconic CHCH-TV news anchor Connie Smith to present an oral history/interviewing workshop.

The two-day workshop, to be held at Edinburgh Square Heritage & Cultural Centre on Saturday, September 14 & Saturday, September 21 (1pm to 3pm), will cover the skills needed to film and interview subjects to preserve oral histories.

“In every family, stories are passed down from generation to generation, occasionally graining details with each telling,” said Anne Unyi, Haldimand County’s Supervisor of Heritage & Culture. “Preserving those stories through film & one-on-one interviews has become much easier with technological advancements, but using these technologies and knowing how to ask the right questions are skills a lot of us need help developing,” Unyi added.

To begin the two-day workshop, filmmaker Graeme Bachiu will teach participants the basic camera and interviewing skills they will need to collect and preserve oral histories. The Oral History Workshop will present both technical and practical hands-on approaches to conducting interviews. On day 2 of the workshop, Graeme will collaborate with one of the best interviewers in the business – former CHCH-TV anchor Connie Smith – to teach a master class in interviewing.

Graeme Bachiu, an internationally recognized documentary filmmaker with over 25 years of film and TV experience. Graeme’s work has been shown on CTV, CBC, CHCH-TV, CNN and NBC and his documentary short films have been screened at film festivals around the world. Graeme has a deep interest in history and preserving stories of the past.

The workshop is available to anyone with an interest in undertaking an oral history project, learning basic principles of filmmaking or becoming a better interviewer. Cost for the two-day program is $60.00 per person. Registration may be completed online at link.haldimandcounty.ca or in person at any Haldimand County office using program code 10314.

Fall Museum Programming Kicks Off At New Cayuga Library & Heritage Centre

The new, state-of-the-art Cayuga Library & Heritage Centre (CLHC) opened to the public on August 6. All library and museum services are now co-located and available at the 19 Talbot St. W location, including popular heritage & learning programs.

Museum staff have announced their September lineup of heritage-focused workshops, which will continue to be offered year-round. The September schedule is as follows:

Heritage Series: Tales from the Grand River – September 10 (6:30 pm to 8:00 pm)
At this heritage talk, participants will learn about the history of the magnificent Grand River, its people and communities. Museum staff will highlight tales from the past and shine a light on the pre-contact era, the Underground Railway & the area’s earliest settlers. This talk is suitable for all ages. Cost is $5/person. Code: 10277.

Adult Workshop: Finding Your Roots – September 11 (1 pm to 3 pm)
This hands-on workshop will show how participants how to navigate microfilm, historical archives and other digital resources to find elusive relatives. Museum staff will explain how to look in unusual places to find items that will help unlock family history. Attendees are encouraged to bring their most difficult genealogy-related questions for museum staff to assist with. Enrollment is limited to 15. Cost is $10/person. Code: 10376.

Heritage Series: British Home Children in Canada – September 18 (1 pm to 3 pm)
From the late 1860s right up to 1948, over 100,000 British children believed to be orphans were emigrated to Canada to be used as indentured farm workers. This talk, led by museum staff, will focus on some of these children’s Haldimand stories. This talk is suitable for adults. Cost is $5/person. Code: 8371.

Culture Club: Historical Jeopardy – September 24 (6:30 pm – 8 pm)
Spend a fun evening exploring Haldimand’s past through a series of historic Jeopardy questions. Put together a team and learn all about Haldimand’s communities and their stories. Cost is $5/person. Code: 10229.

Historically Speaking: Life & Times of Jane Austen-September 25 (1 pm – 3 pm)
This afternoon is dedicated to author Jane Austen who was ahead of her time and one of the earliest women on the fringe of the suffragette movement. Homemade scones, tea and sweet treats will be provided during the talk. Cost is $10/person. Code: 8372.

Pre-registration is required for all paid events. Registration may be completed online at link.haldimandcounty.ca or at any County office using the code provided. For more information about
museum programs and events, contact museum.archives@haldimandcounty.on.ca.

Friends of the Jarvis Library offering special programs & events this fall

The Friends of the Jarvis Library are offering a number of creative & educational programs out of the Jarvis Library branch this fall.

September: Book Hedgehog

Workshop by Marilyn Sutor – Make a cute hedgehog out of a recycled book!

Date & Time: Tues, September 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost: $5.00 due upon registration.

October: Crazy Quilt Square

Helen Sluis will guide you in making a unique piece of hand-quilted whimsy!

Date & Time: Tues, October 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost: $30.00 due upon registration.

November: Genealogy 101

Delve into your family history with Karen Richardson. Bring your own laptop/tablet, if you wish.

Date & Time: Thurs, November 7 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost: FREE! Please register to save your seat.

November: Christmas Gift Tags

Learn to make unique gift tags with Jennifer Kelly.

Date & Time: Tues, November 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost: $5.00 due upon registration

Please register one week in advance of all workshops.  Call the Library at 289-674-0400 ext. 5 for more information.

New Cayuga Library & Heritage Centre Opening To The Public August 6th

On Tuesday, August 6, 2019, the new Cayuga Library & Heritage Centre at 19 Talbot St. West will open to the public. All library and museum services will be available on this ‘soft-open’ date, however, visitors should note that minor finishing touches (such as accent lighting, paint touch-ups and landscaping) will be ongoing for a few more weeks. A more formal ‘ribbon-cutting’ ceremony is being planned for a later date.

Construction on the new 6,455 square foot library and heritage centre in the heart of Cayuga’s downtown core began in June 2018. The new, fully integrated and accessible building is now home to both library and museum collections and programs as well as research services, which will provide visitors with an extremely unique learning and cultural experience.

Both library and museum staff and their respective Boards are excited to be able share this leading edge facility and have been working hard to ensure the new space is welcoming, warm and enriching for all ages. The first heritage exhibit on display, titled Back to Our Roots, features a number of artifacts from Haldimand County’s very first museum exhibit dating back to 1933 – which was located in a 22 square foot room within the existing Cayuga Courthouse.

Community consultations regarding the future of the old library & museum site – which will be developed into public parklands – will continue into the fall. Further opportunities to provide input into their design and development will be communicated to residents in the coming weeks.

More information on the new Cayuga Library & Heritage Centre, including hours of operation and services offered, is available at haldimandcounty.ca/cayugalhc.