County Heritage Week

Inaugural event celebrates the County’s cultural traditions

(L-R): Elsa, Duke and Walter climb atop the play structure at Parsons Brewing Company.

The third week in February has been designated Ontario Heritage Week since 1985. This year, several heritage groups in the County collaborated to launch this region’s own celebration of its cultural traditions. The Prince Edward Heritage Advisory Committee, the Prince Edward Historical Society, the County Museums, the Prince Edward County Library, History Lives Here and the Regent Theatre have teamed up to offer a week full of events—collectively called Flashback February—that draw upon the County’s history and heritage. The launch event occurred on Saturday at Parsons Brewing Company in Picton, appropriately inside a reconstructed early 19th-century blacksmith shop that was originally located in Bloomfield. Representatives from each of the organizing groups were there to speak about the importance of preserving and building upon the County’s heritage. In addition, MPP Todd Smith and Mayor Robert Quaiff were there to offer their support.

Steve Ferguson of the Historical Society started the event by thanking all of the participating organizations, and in particular singling out Peter Lockyer of History Lives Here, for all of the work they have done to preserve the County’s heritage. “A lot of people are passionate about our history and our heritage, but I don’t think anyone more so than Peter,” he said. “History and heritage preservation is not just buildings. There are several facets to it. Heritage also involves an educational component, there’s landscape preservation and making sure it’s truly protected. We deal with physical structures and that sort of thing, [but] what we really have to pay attention to is social history.”

Chris Parsons welcomed everyone to the tap room and explained that it was important to both him and his wife, Samantha, that their brewing operation remained true to heritage practices, while using modern methods. They intend to brew a beer with ingredients entirely sourced within the County, with as much as possible being grown on their land. In addition, they view the brewery as a communal space—in a sense as a village inn—with both indoor and outdoor spaces welcoming for families.

A number of events are scheduled during the week. There was a talk on Tuesday by Peter May from Research Castings International in Trenton, a company that makes dinosaur castings for museums. On Thursday, there is a lecture by Gesina Laird-Buchanan, who makes life-sized models of historical figures out of felted wool. “The common thread between our guest speakers is that heritage drives their profession,” said Jennifer Lyons, head curator of the County Museums. There are also sessions on 3-D reproduction printing of historical artifacts. “This is very exciting for our museums because it gives us the opportunity to recreate items from our collections so that visitors can interact more closely with [them],” said assistant curator Jessica Chase.

Mayor Quaiff offered some closing remarks on Saturday and raised a toast to the inaugural event. “As we celebrate the start of Heritage Week in the County, we come together in a place that blends the past, the present and the future. Heritage comes alive in the County. Our collective heritage is preserved in our music and our literature, in our photographs and our historical objects, and in our landscapes and streetscapes. This week offers us a chance to celebrate all those things together.”

Other events for Heritage Week include a mini film festival at the Regent Theatre, presenting films on County history, as well as excerpts from the movie Sponsorland, a documentary about a Syrian family’s first year in the County. There are heritage-inspired dinners created by local chefs, and the week concludes with an all-day Victorian culinary workshop at Macaulay House in Picton, where participants will prepare a multi-course period dinner. For details on these events, visit thecounty.ca/county-government/departments/ museums/whats-on/ and follow the link to Flashback February.