Summer at The County Museums
by Jessica Chase, Assistant Curator, County Museums
The museums are hard at work planning a summer season that promotes The County’s unique heritage – and is a ton o’ fun! Although we have been faced with a fair amount of uncertainty while working through the pandemic (no surprise there, right?), we are doing our best to generate content and develop engaging experiences for all of our patrons!
This year we will be bringing back our Graveyard and Gallows tour, starting on a virtual platform and moving to in-person when it is safe to do so. Tours will start on June 4th and run every other Friday until the end of August. Alongside an experienced guide, visitors will meet some of the ‘residents’ of the cemetery at Macaulay Heritage Park, before walking to the nearby Courthouse to learn more about an infamous murder trial and Picton’s first and only double hanging.
We have also been developing a “PEC, Past to Present” series of walking tours that will debut this summer! This series will cover villages and areas across Prince Edward County, providing stories from The County’s past, and discussing how we got to where we are today. Some of the areas that will be featured in this series include Wellington, Waupoos, Demorestville and more! This series will run twice per month, with guaranteed dates of June 12th, June 27th, July 10th, July 25th, and August 7th.
In the same ‘Past to Present’ vein, herbalist Tamara Segal will lead a walking tour focused on this area’s natural heritage at Macaulay Heritage Park on August 2nd. The tour will touch on the various plant species that can be found in our own backyards, and what they have been used for by generations of County residents.
We are also going to be bringing you more virtual content whenever possible! Every Wednesday at 1pm you can count on a live presentation on our facebook page that dives into an interesting topic related to our museums, county heritage or the community at large. These will run for the entirety of June, July and August!
Looking for something a bit more hands-on? Take-home activity kits for kids will be available all summer long! There will be at least two new kits available each month to help keep kids busy and engaged.
Although our plans for larger events remain on hold while navigating COVID-19 restrictions, rest assured we have plenty of good ideas in the works (outdoor movie night, anyone?). No matter what the situation, this will be a great summer to get in touch with the museums and to learn more about the County’s history!
Want to stay up-to-date with everything we’re up to, and catch all our virtual content? Make sure to follow us on Facebook (@museumspec) and Instagram (@thecountymuseums), or shoot us an email at museums@pecounty.on.ca. We can’t wait to welcome you back!
