Experience an afternoon of storytelling and celebrate the end of Heritage Week with the annual Heritage Festival on Feb. 27 from noon to 4 pm at the Wellington County Museum.
Beginning at 12:30pm there will be a variety of presenters, each adding to the idea of personal story telling, the how, what and why of sharing a good tale.
Everyone has a story to share. Personal experiences, a family history or just a creative yarn from a vivid imagination; all stories ground us in our community and connect us to one another.
The afternoon will begin with some basic “how-to’s” from the county archivist Karen Wagner. She will outline the resources available at the archives for individuals interested in beginning or completing their family histories.
Nora Savage, of Storylines, has worked with several writing groups in the area and will outline the importance of memoir writing. Lois Beams, local author and Elora resident, will then share some personal stories from her recent publication, Allie’s Kids.
Marilyn Helmer, of Belwood, a noted children’s author will speak on her passion for writing stories for children. Roger Miller will delight visitors with his family stories, illustrated by his vintage postcard collection. Finally, to complete the afternoon, Al Koop of Older Voices will inspire us with a living history presentation followed by stories from musicians and songwriters, Nonie Crete and Kayla McTaggart.
Displays will highlight local history groups including the Wellington County Historical Society and the Centre Wellington Heritage Committee. Children’s story writing and memoir activities will be on-going all afternoon. Refreshments will also be available.
Visit some of the new gallery exhibits, including Keeping Clean, a look back at the chores of bathing, washing and keeping house. Also be sure to visit our popular Take Me Back to the 1950’s exhibit before it leaves at the end of March.
The archives reading room will be open for those who are interested in learning more about the resources and the collection, or just take a tour of this renovated area.
Admission will be free. The Wellington County Museum is located on Wellington County Road 18 between Fergus and Elora.
Call 846-0916 ext. 5221 for more information or if you have a group that would like to participate in the Heritage Festival celebration.
