Doors Open Ottawa returns June 6 and 7 with Billings Estate
National Historic Site, Cumberland Heritage Village Museum and Fairfields Heritage House all taking part! Explore the full building list to plan your weekend and check out the shuttle schedule,
including free trips
between Vanier Museopark (320 Des Pères Blancs Ave) and Cumberland
Heritage Village Museum (2940 Old Montreal Road) on Sunday, June 7.
Bonus!
Saturday, June 6 is Firefighter Day at Cumberland Heritage Village
Museum. Join Ottawa Fire Services to watch and participate in exciting
demonstrations of firefighting skills and equipment.
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Celebrate Father’s Day at Billings Estate
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Treat
your favourite car enthusiast to a special day out at Ottawa’s oldest
wood frame house. Community members will have their pre-1999 antique and
vintage cars on display alongside the Billings family’s 1959 Cadillac
Sedan de Ville. Vote for your favourite car, complete the kid-friendly
scavenger hunt and enjoy the museum’s latest special exhibition, Beyond the Brim.
Sunday, June 21 from 10 am to 3 pm
Billings Estate National Historic Site
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Put pen to paper with Ottawa’s former poet laureate
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Join
Algonquin poet Albert Dumont at Billings Estate for an intimate poetry
workshop. Through readings and storytelling, the former Ottawa Poet
Laureate will share insights into the inspirations for his works and his
approach to composition. Participants will have the opportunity to
craft a poem of their own with thoughtful guidance from Dumont. Light
refreshments will be served. Ages 16 and up. Advance registration is required.
Saturday, June 27 from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Billings Estate National Historic Site
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Craft your own quillwork keychain
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Learn
the cultural significance and foundations of traditional quillwork with
Anishinaabe artist Christine Toulouse. Take inspiration from the
quillwork featured in Beyond the Brim and relax in the beautiful
gardens at Billings Estate while you make a birchbark keychain
embellished with a simple quillwork design. Ages 16 and up. Advance registration is required.
Saturday, July 4 from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Billings Estate National Historic Site
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Animal helpers is back!
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Animal
helpers played an important role in rural life during the 1920s and
30s. Learn about the heritage breed farm animals who spend their summer
at Cumberland Heritage Village Museum then explore how animals continue
to help with important jobs and tasks today with special guests
including the Ottawa Valley Border Collie Club, Wilhaven Ridge Alpacas,
Prettiest Petal Farms, Ottawa Volunteer Search and Rescue, and more!
Sunday, June 28 from 10 am to 3 pm
Cumberland Heritage Village Museum
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Can you dig it?
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Kids are invited to get their hands dirty this summer at Billings Estate National History Site and Fairfields Heritage House.
Uncover a different theme each week and learn to dig for artefacts,
identify mysterious objects and use techniques that scientists use every
day in our simulated excavation sites. Ages 8 to 11. Advance registration is required.
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Explore a piece of railway history
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All aboard! Next time you’re at Cumberland Heritage Village Museum,
pop into the newly updated CN Rail Caboose exhibition to learn about
life on the rails. Over the winter, students from Carleton University’s
Curatorial Studies program helped bring a fresh perspective to the
storytelling and interactive elements in this space. Bonus! The Ottawa
Valley Live Steamers and Model Engineers are at the museum on the last
Sunday of every month (June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27) demonstrating
their large-scale model locomotives in action.
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New hours of operation at Cumberland Heritage Village Museum
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Parents
and early risers alike have shared that extended morning hours help fit
a visit to the museum into busy daily schedules. We heard you loud and
clear! Cumberland Heritage Village Museum is now open from 9 am to 4 pm (Wednesday to Sunday),
with heritage activities and demonstrations offered until 3 pm.
Planning your visit? Mornings are a great time to beat the heat and
enjoy everything our recreated 1920s and 30s village and working farm
has to offer before the warmest hours of the day.
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Hats off to Beyond the Brim
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In May, we celebrated the opening of Beyond the Brim: Tales Told Through the Hats We Wore at Billings Estate National Historic Site. Beyond the Brim showcases
headwear alongside stories about the individuals who wore them, sharing
their impact on Ottawa’s history and diverse cultural landscape. It was
wonderful to share the exhibition with the many community members and
heritage colleagues who contributed headwear to the exhibition! You can
visit Beyond the Brim at Billings Estate all summer
long. We can’t wait to hear which hat, helmet or head covering captures your imagination.
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Stay tuned
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Follow us on social media to make sure you don’t miss a single announcement.
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