Family Heritage Day showcases pioneer skills at Bruce County Museum

Organizers welcome the public to the 11th annual Family Heritage Day celebration, Monday, Feb. 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre in Southampton.

Family Heritage Day is an interactive day of fun activities at the museum, featuring the skills, talents, and pass-times of pioneer settlers of Bruce County.



Visitors will have the chance to meet a real team of sled dogs (above); view craft artisans demonstrating hand-spinning, weaving, rug-hooking, rope-making, historic woodworking, and lace-making; see how a fiddle is made; and help run a model railroad track (right).

Mary Foley and dancers with Celtic Academy Canada will be demonstrating Irish Ceili dancing and holding participatory workshops from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Visitors can also enjoy ‘Eldon John,’ a fiddle-and-guitar duo; and Jerrold Beech, teller of funny and amusing outdoor stories, throughout the day.

A cash lunch counter will be available between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

“Family Heritage Day is an exciting day at the Bruce County Museum,” says program co-ordinator Adrienne Mason. “The vendors showcase amazing works, and I’m very excited to have the Celtic dance workshops here this year as they’re a unique opportunity to experience Celtic culture in what was one of the last Gaelic-speaking areas in Ontario. Young and old, alike, will enjoy the activities for Family Heritage Day, and we can all celebrate Canada's and Bruce County’s unique heritage.”

Visitors are also welcome to check out all the exhibits in the museum while enjoying a variety of fun activities - entrance is by general admission, and as always, is free for members.

The museum is also holding its one-day-only annual membership sale: 10-per-cent off membership purchases or renewals. Members of the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre enjoy free admission all year long, special invitations to exhibit openings and events, admission discounts on special event programming – plus, members are eligible for free admission with the partner museums in the Cultural Access Pas program: Grey Roots Museum and Archives, Waterloo Region Museum, Simcoe County Museum, and the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol.

Family Heritage Day is proudly sponsored by Ontario Power Generation (with OPG's Lynda Cain, right; photos courtesy of the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre) and 92.3 The Dock.

For more information, contact 519-797 2080 or view the website at brucemuseum.ca.