St. James through the ages

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/07/2022 (1436 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. JAMES-ASSINIBOIA

WESTWOOD

The in-person Heritage Day festivities will once again animate the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia with its live cultural and musical performances.

On Sat., July 16 from 1 to 4:30 p.m., guests are invited to enjoy the museum grounds and all of its offerings at 3180 Portage Ave. free of charge. The event is geared to visitors of all ages.

Bonita Hunter, the executive director and managing curator for the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia, is excited to reintroduce the event to the public. Last year’s Heritage Day took place online.

Museum elder Barbara Nepinak, a member of Pine Creek First Nation, will lead the afternoon with a prayer and land acknowledgment.

Complementary tours of the museum’s buildings are included in the event: the 1856 William Brown farmhouse, the 1911 Assiniboia Hall and the 1890s interpretive building.

“We have it down to a science,” Hunter said, adding that a longtime museum volunteer — dressed in time-period-appropriate attire — will lead tours on the hour. He will be in character as Benjamin Taylor, the son of John Taylor and the grandson of William Brown and Charlotte Omand, the original residents of the two-storey home.

“I did the storyography. I have the original John Taylor journals,” Hunter said. “Everything that Benjamin talks about in the house has actually been recorded somewhere in those journals, so it is very authentic.”

The lineup of musical performers welcomes Summer Bear Dance Troupe; Red River Folk Ensemble; Franco-Manitoban Jiggers; Jason Eastwood, classical guitarist and composer; Erin Okrainec, fiddler; and Whirlaway Westerners’ Square Dancing Club.

“The entertainment is probably going to start at about 1:15 p.m.,” Hunter said. “We will have a hotdog vendor here, rain or shine.”

Heritage Day will also offer a silent auction, a vintage fire truck from the Winnipeg Fire Fighters Museum, children’s games and activities, and theatrical performances with the 1856 Red River frame house as a backdrop.

“We’ll be doing a pioneer quilt,” Hunter said. “We have bean bags, we have horseshoes, and other games.”

The silent auction will raffle off theatre tickets, symphony tickets and opera tickets, as well as memberships to FortWhyte Alive. Other prizes include gifts from Toad Hall Toys.

“We’ve got beautiful packages,” Hunter said.

The 1856 Red River frame house is protected by heritage status. It’s recognized as a provincial heritage site, as well as a City of Winnipeg level two heritage building (only about a dozen buildings in the city have achieved a level one designation).

This building was recognized by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Louis Riel Institute as a major Métis cultural site.

This Heritage Day celebration was funded in part through the province’s building sustainable communities grant. It is also backed by Coun. Scott Gillingham (St. James) and Coun. Kevin Klein (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood).

“The councillors have always come in and have been very supportive,” Hunter said.

More information about Heritage Day at the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia can be found online at www.stjamesmuseum.com