Wednesday 11 December 2019

City of Ottawa Museums - December

Enjoy holiday cheer at the Vintage Village of Lights
 
The Cumberland Heritage Village Museum is alight with holiday magic (and tens of thousands Christmas lights too) this December. We’ve decked the halls, and the grounds, of this 1920s and 1930s village and you’re invited to join us on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings through December 22 for horse-drawn wagon rides, hot drinks around the campfire, gingerbread decorating, heritage demonstrations, and more! You can visit with Santa and even receive a telegram from the jolly old elf himself too.
 

Festive fun for kids and the young at heart
 
Mark your calendars and plan for family-friendly fun this holiday season at your local City of Ottawa museum.
Discover how Christmas has been celebrated throughout the decades with a kid-friendly twist. Toy making, tree decorating, and face painting await at Nepean Museum on December 14. Bonus! Santa will be visiting the museum between 11 am and 2 pm.
On December 15, experience a cozy Christmas program that is sure to please family and friends of all ages at Billings Estate National Historic Site. Sing Christmas classics with the Dickens Carolers, make a Christmas ornament inspired by traditional materials, enjoy holiday storytelling, and make memories in the festive photo-booth.
 

Experience Victorian traditions at Fairfields Heritage House
 
On December 20 and 21, step into the beautifully decorated Fairfields Heritage House and let the festive sights, sounds, and scents take you back in time to the Victorian era. Tour the house, watch costumed interpreters bring holiday traditions to life, create your own souvenir ornament, and sample a delicious period-appropriate treat. On the Saturday evening, the Dickens Carolers will add a special music touch to the celebrations.
 

Take a moment for yourself at Billings Estate
 
Need some quiet time away from the hustle and bustle of last-minute holiday preparations? Billings Estate is open for special holiday hours on the evenings of December 20, 21, and 22. Take in the décor as seasonal music plays, enjoy a guided tour of the museum with a Christmas theme, and challenge yourself to a ‘find the ornament’ game for some added fun.
 

Register now for programs in the new year
 
While many of the City of Ottawa museums are closed to daily visitation during the winter months, they still have plenty of special programming on offer! Make sure to keep up-to-date on everything that is offered through this newsletter, Facebook (linked below), and the museums website.
Registration is already open for a Winter Knitting Workshop at Fairfields Heritage House in January and for Snowshoeing Under the Stars at Pinhey’s Point Historic Site in February. Register early to make sure you don’t miss out. We can’t wait to share what else we have in store 2020!
 

Artefact spotlight
 
Ottawans have always been great a making the most of the region’s long, cold winters. Ice skating on the Rideau Canal may be one of the most popular winter pastimes for locals and tourists alike, but the practice of gliding across the frozen landscape has a much more practical history. While the precise origins of ice skating are difficult to pinpoint, the practice goes back thousands of years and was a necessary mode of winter transportation long before it became a recreational activity. The first skate blades were made using animal shanks or shinbones. Iron was later used before the introduction of modern steel blades. The City of Ottawa collection offers an interesting glimpse into the evolution of skate technology over the past 150 years. Pictured here, beginning at the top left and continuing clockwise, are a English style wooden club skate (circa 1880), Union Hardware Co. women’s ice skate (c. 1875), men’s goalie skate from H. Boker & Co. (circa 1880), and a men’s hockey skate (Maurice Richard Special) from Major C.S.M.C. (circa 1955).
 

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