Tourism Thursdays

 Tourism Thursdays 

Vienna Edison Fest 

The Park is home to this family fun festival, recognizing Vienna's "Canadian Connection" to Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor, and his family.

Saturday - 10am to 7pm - Family Fun Day.
Sunday - 10am to 5pm - Heritage Day.

 Edison & BHS display opens Saturday at Bayham's Family Table restaurant. Daily draws, end of day & lottery draw on Sunday. Vendors, silent auction, BBQ & food options. Fire Safety House, petting zoo, magician, face-painting, family games, spaghetti eating contest, air bouncers, cross-cut saw challenge, nail pounding, demonstrations, horse & wagon tours, local entertainment. Vendors welcome!

Date: June 2, 10:00 - 7:00pm to June 3, 2018 - 10:00am-5:00pm

Thames Valley : Run for the Funds 

Run for the FUNd is our signature fundraising event for the Thames Valley Education Foundation Caring Fund - a fund that works to ensure that help is always close-at-hand for students with urgent needs, by providing the necessities to succeed. 

For more information or to register, please contact Rachel LeClair at 519-452-2000 ext 20187 or visit our website by clicking on the link: www.tvdsb.ca. 

Date: Sunday, June 3, 2018 - 08:30

Location: 

Parkside Collegiate Institute

Whats happening at the Backus-Page House Museum?

Our next big event coming up is Living History Weekend. This June 23rd and 24th you can see over 200 years of Canadian military history, spanning from the War of 1812 to the 1970s. This year we have a focus on WWII.  So much fun for the family you will never want to leave! 12 & under are free, general admission for 13+ is $8. 

Date:  Saturday, June 23rd 10-4pm & Sunday June 24th 10-4pm

                                                                                       Where: 29424 Lakeview Line, Wallacetown

Trailblazer Tuesdays

🌳Trailblazer Tuesdays🌳

     This week the outlook opens and we cant be more excited! The John. E Pearce park was named after the John. E Pearce who generously donated the land in the 1950s and this property had been held by his family since it was first settled in 1809.  The park was classified as a natural environmental class farm but has been re-classified as a nature reserve to more appropriately recognize the heritage aspects and earth/life science characteristic found here. The park incorporates a sample of eroding Lake Erie Bluffs in association with the deciduous forest. A small picnic area sitting atop 30 m bluffs on the lakeside provides visitors with a beautiful vista looking out over Lake Erie, this opens June 1st! 

And as erosion continues, the fence will be moved inland when needed.

     Plant diversity is very high in the park. 405 species of plants were found in the park. 15 of which are considered rare in Ontario and 3 of which have not been recorded elsewhere in Elgin County. The most common tree found in the park is the sugar maple. Walnut, ash, hickory, ironwood and beech are also found in the park as well. Covering the forest floor is a lush matt of wild flowers. Trilliums, hepaticas, touch-me-nots, violets, jack-in-the-pulpits, and blood roots can be seen blooming in their respective seasons. Bird migrations can be seen from the lookout as well, especially in the fall with the hawk migration. 

Don't forget that the museum is park of the provincial park too, walk the Spicer trail and the Mary Storey Wetlands trail. How can you be a trailblazer of conservation and help to foster an appreciation of nature in your community? 

Sabrina Merks 

Post Culloden Wrap Up

We want to thank everyone for coming out to the event! We couldn't of done it without our volunteers, re-enactors, staff and visitors. Thank-you for making this past Victoria day long weekend the best! The rain never stopped us once. We hope to see you at our next event, Living History Weekend June 23rd-24th. 

For more photos check out our facebook page, Backus-Page House Museum & give us a like while you're at it! 

https://www.facebook.com/backuspagehouse/

Tourism Thursdays

Tourism Thursdays 

Welcome back everyone! Now the Backus-Page House museum is open again our regular hours. Tuesday through Friday 10am -4: 30pm, & Weekend and holidays 12 - 4:30pm. We hope to see you in for a tour! 

STRAWBERRY FIELD KITE 

The next time someone tells you to “go fly a kite,” take their advice to heart! On May 28 and 29 vibrant colours will fill the skies at the corner of John Wise Line and Sunset Road, as the Strawberry Fields Kite Festival returns to Central Elgin for its 25th year. 

Each year this event attracts hundreds of visitors each day to the south lawn of the former, Regional Mental Health Care Centre just outside St. Thomas. Visitors include locals as well as kite enthusiasts from across Ontario, upper New York, and Michigan. This colourful dance of kites can be seen from a considerable distance with as many as 100 kites in the air at a time. Passers by often pull over to the side of the road to witness this unique visual spectacle that is unlike any other in the region. 

Saturday, May 26, 2018 - 12:00 to Sunday, May 27, 2018 - 17:00

Sunset Rd & John Wise Line

ANNUAL LYNHURST YARD SALES 

Attention all yard salers! We will be holding our annual Community Yard/Garage Sales on Saturday May 26th RAIN OR SHINE!!

If you want IT - if you've been looking for IT - then IT will probably be for sale here! Whatever your IT is!

THIS YEAR MARKS OUR 10TH YEAR, SO LET'S MAKE IT SPECIAL! 7 AM start - mark the time!

For more information, visit our Facebook page by clicking HERE.

Saturday, May 26, 2018 - 07:00

SPARTA & AREA GARAGE SALE

Welcome to the Historic village of Sparta. Enjoy the bargains and the treasures of others attics and garages. At request of customers, participating businesses are open at 9 for your shopping convenience.

Saturday, May 26, 2018 - 09:00 to 14:00

BEER-LESQUE & CARNIV-ALE SHOW

On May 26, 2018 join us for the 1st annual Beer-lesque & Carniv-ale Show: an everything craft & artisanal exhibition!

Sample craft beer, cider, wine, and spirits from local Ontario brewers & distillers. Explore our artisan marketplace, featuring: steampunk vendors, tattoo artists, craftsmen, and other oddities.

The worlds of Steampunk & Sideshow blend together to create an extravaganza of vendors & exhibitioners like you’ve never seen before.

We’re harkening back to the days of Barnum & Bailey as we celebrate with sideshow & burlesque acts, as well as live music.

AFTERNOON SESSION: 11am - 4pm

EVENING SESSION: 5pm - 10pm

Saturday, May 26, 2018 - 11:00 to 22:00

225 Wellington Street

Elgin County Railway Museum

Trailblazer Tuesdays

🌿Trailblazer Tuesdays🌿

One out of every three bites of food that we eat is made possible by pollinators like honey bees. As the growers of most of our food, Canadian farmers know how much we all rely on these pollinators. Our farmers depend on healthy crops to make a living. We all depend on the ability of those farmers to feed Canadians, and people around the world who depend on Canadian food production.

Maybe you could stand to live in a world without honey. But what about almonds, pears, avocados, grapes and; dare we say; wine? Most plants rely on bees and other natural pollinators to produce some of nature's most nutritious and beloved foods. Many crops; like cucumbers, pumpkins, cherries and apples; depend on them for pollination. But pollinators, a diverse group that includes insects and animals such as birds and bats, are under threat because of widespread pesticide use, climate change, the emergence of foreign pests, diseases and habitat loss. Statistics Canada data shows the number of honey bee hives in Canada is on the rise. They still face a number of health issues, however, and one of their major challenges is finding and collecting food. A third of their life is spent flying to find flowers with pollen they can bring back to their hive. Every honey bee contributes by pollinating a diverse range of plants. It's hard to imagine that an animal as small and inconspicuous as a bee, could be our greatest ally in providing food, but approximately one third of everything we eat is a direct result of their hard work.

So what can you do to help bees? It can be as easy as planting herbs, wildflowers, bushes and fruit trees in your garden. For city dwellers, herbs are a great thing to have growing on your window sill. Rosemary, lavender, thyme, and chives are great options that require little space and provide produce for humans and bees. Also buying honey from local beekeepers instead of the industrial honey produced for most supermarkets. Artisan producers of raw, unblended local honey, are competing against mass-produced, commodity honey, which comes from many different places where food standards might fall far short of our own. Although it is cheaper, industrial honeys are processed to extract pollen, enzymes and aromatics, leaving a product that competes and demoralizes local beekeepers.

Most people mistake wasps and bees for the same insect, for one they are both capable of giving painful stings. While honey bees can attack when provoked, wasps are naturally and more aggressive predators. Identifying the difference between honey bees and wasps is important in order to administer proper treatment of wounds and appropriate pest control. Wasps and bees also differ in lifestyle and habits. Honey bee colonies can have populations over 75,000, while wasps’ colonies tend to have fewer than 10,000 individuals. Wasp species cannot produce honey, but all species of honey bees are capable of producing and storing sizeable amounts of honey within their hives. While honey bees can sting only once and die after attacking, a single wasp is capable of stinging multiple times.

WASP NEST

HONEY BEE NEST

Visit these websites to start your own bee garden, and to get more information on saving the bees!🐝

http://www.ontariobeerescue.com/services.html

http://www.beesmatter.ca/

https://bringbackthebees.ca/

How can you be a trailblazer of conservation and help to foster an appreciation of nature in your community?

Sabrina Merks

Tourism Thursdays

Tourism Thursdays 

      Welcome back everyone! Now the Backus-Page House museum is open again our regular hours. Tuesday through Friday 10am -4: 30pm, & Weekend and holidays 12 - 4pm. We hope to see you in for a tour! 

 This weekend is Victoria long weekend. Victoria Day is a Canadian statutory holiday celebrated on the Monday preceding May 25 in every province and territory. It honours Queen Victoria's birthday. Victoria Day is also commonly referred to as the "May two-four weekend" or the "May long weekend" and it marks the unofficial start of the cottage season/farming season.  So many people call it “ May two-four” maybe it's called May two-four because May 24, 1819 is Queen Victoria's birthday.

BUT the big event this weekend is ….

The Road to Culloden

A Scottish Living History Weekend! Saturday May 19th & Sunday May 20th 10:00 am - 4:00pm!  

Step Back in time to 1745, and follow the loyal Scots through triumph and tragedy in their quest to reclaim the throne for Bonnie Prince Charles! Battles, black-powder weapons demonstrations, historic merchants, a piper’s call, traditional singers, story tellers, the life of a jacobite solider, British Military Punishment and an historic church service are just a few things in store for this weekend! Schedule posted down below! 

General Admission for ages 13+ is $8.00, 12 and under are free! 

Food is available at fair prices at the site. Proceeds to the Museum!

29424 Lakeview Line, Wallacetown. Approx, 10km south of Hwy #401. Take exit 149 and follow currie road south to Lakeview Line  (519)-762-3072. 

Trailblazer Tuesdays

🌿 Trailblazer Tuesdays 🌿

       In Southern Ontario there are so many deer that there are collisions between cars and deer almost daily.We get many deer here at the park! Just this week I saw two beautiful deer across the street from me. The reason is  the female  deer often leaves her fawn unattended for hours at a time while she searches for food. And in Southwestern Ontario, and across the province, the White Tailed Deer is the most common deer found.  This graceful white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus is well known to most North Americans and is easily recognized.  Hunters and non-hunters alike recognize the animal by its habit of flipping its tail over its back when it is startled, revealing the white underside and white buttocks.

      This "flag" of the white-tailed deer is often glimpsed as the high spirited animal dashes away from people. The tail has a broad base and is almost a foot long. When lowered, it is brown with a white fringe. Male Deer can grow to a height of 1 meter at the shoulder and can weigh around 110 kg when full grown and occasionally weigh up to 200 kg in the northern part of their range. In the summer time there is abundant food which makes almost any forested or bushy area suitable for deer. In the winter and the snow deepens, the deer concentrate in "deer yards," or areas that provide food and shelter from storms and deep snow.

      Human activities, such as the cutting and burning of blocks of forests, the seeding of agricultural crops, the winter feeding of cattle, the reduction of competitors such as mule deer, elk, moose, and the restriction on hunting of white-tails have helped this deer to extend its range northward and westward. In addition the long-term easing of the severity of winters may have been an important factor. Whatever the exact combination of causes, the range of the white-tailed deer extended considerably during the late 19th  and the first half of the 20th centuries. Now the deer is found throughout the majority of northern Ontario, but also through Manitoba, Saskatchewan and parts of Alberta and British Columbia. 

      If you are wanting to spot a White Tailed Deer the best times of the day to take a picture are the first two hours after day break, and the last two hours before sunset. Grab your camera, head down to John. E Pearce park, take a walk down Spicer Trail, or Mary Storey wetlands trail and see if you can take a picture of these beautiful deer. 

How can you be a trailblazer of conservation and help to foster an appreciation of nature in your community? 

Sabrina Merks 

The Road to Culloden May 19 & 20

Tourism Thursdays

Tourism Thursdays 

Welcome back everyone! Now the Backus-Page House museum is open again our regular hours. Tuesday through Friday 10am -4: 30pm, & Weekend and holidays 12 - 4pm. We hope to see you in for a tour! 

Mothers day weekend is upon us, have you gotten your mothers/sisters/aunts or motherly figures anything yet? Well this weekend is full of activities in Elgin County for you to experience! 

Sunday May 13th at the Kettle Creek Golf and Country Club in Port Stanley enjoy a mothers day brunch! From 9am-2pm, just call or email for reservations.

Another great event is mothers day open house at Mac Lilley Farms it’s a great way to spend some time with your Mom, wife, sister, that special lady in your life, or the entire family on Mother’s Day. 

If you live near Dutton, ON, take the family on a leisurely drive through the countryside to visit the mares and foals at a Standardbred breeding farm!

On Sunday, May 13, Mac Lilley Farms in Dutton, ON, will be opening their farm to the general public for a special Mother’s Day Open House, showcasing their mares, foals, stallions and facilities, providing a great opportunity for people who don’t normally have a chance to visit a horse farm to connect with the horses and the people in the Standardbred industry.

This event is FREE to the general public!

The Lilley family, who own and operate Mac Lilley Farms, have been in the business of breeding, training and racing Standardbred horses for over 45 years, with 57 broodmares, of which seven have foals on the ground, and five stallions on site.

Please contact (519) 762-3423 for more information.

What’s happening at the Museum?

Our next event at the museum is The Road to Culloden! A Scottish Living History Weekend! Saturday May 19th & Sunday May 20th 10:00 am - 4:00pm!  

Step Back in time to 1745, and follow the loyal Scots through triumph and tragedy in their quest to reclaim the throne for Bonnie Prince Charles! Battles, black-powder weapons demonstrations, historic merchants, a piper’s call, traditional singers, story tellers, the life of a jacobite solider, British Military Punishment and an historic church service are just a few of the things planned for this weekend! 

General Admission for ages 13+ is $8.00, 12 and under are free! 

Food is available at fair prices at the site. Proceeds to the Museum!

29424 Lakeview Line, Wallacetown. Approx, 10km south of Hwy #401. Take exit 149 and follow currie road south to Lakeview Line  (519)-762-3072. 

Trailblazer Tuesdays

🌿Trailblazer Tuesdays🌿  

Good morning everyone! Its Sabrina back again at the museum for the summer. Trailblazing Tuesdays are all about how West Elgin is home to a unique range of species and landscapes that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. And how its up to us to ensure that these legacies are preserved and appreciated for years to come. This weeks blog is all about the trillium, Ontario’s provincial flower. These beautiful flowers are abundant all over John. E Pearce provincial park and along Spicer trail! Most people know of the White Trillium, also referred to as Wake Robin or Large-leaved Trillium and because it’s Ontario’s flower; this is the flower featured on many of our provincial documents, from health cards to driver’s licenses to road signs.

Trilliums' most striking characteristic is the single three-petaled flower perched above three leaves. The flowers vary by species and can be white, deep red, pink, yellow or green. Trilliums also vary in size but most plants reach from about 8 to 18 inches tall. The leaves are usually bright to dark green. Contrary to popular belief it is not illegal to pick White Trilliums in Ontario. However, if the leaves as well as the flower are picked, the plant could die as it no longer has any means to produce the energy it needs to take it through the winter into another spring.

Due to the popularity of Trilliums as a garden specimen, conservation concerns have been raised as the vast majority of plants sold in commercial nurseries are believed to be collected from the wild.  And because of the heavy collecting, combined with other pressures such as habitat destruction and grazing, may effectively endanger the plants in some areas.The greatest threats to Trilliums are habitat loss and degradation caused by urban development or habitat alteration and damage due to recreational activities, such as hiking and ATV use.

White-tailed deer also eat Trilliums, which is a problem in areas where there are large deer populations. Invasive species, such as Garlic Mustard, also threaten this species as well.

Trillium grandiflorum the beautiful white trillium is legally listed as vulnerable in Quebec, primarily due to habitat destruction as the plant is found in forests neighbouring the province's most populous regions. The drooping trillium is listed as endangered in Ontario as well and can be found in our area of the park and other Provincial Parks in Ontario such as the Pinery, and Rondeau.

Next time you are out in nature and you see these beautiful flowers don’t pick them for your garden, take a picture, save the moment in your memories, and leave the flowers for others to see. How can you be a trailblazer of conservation and help to foster an appreciation of nature in your community?

Thanks for reading!

Sabrina Merks

Tourism Thursdays

Tourism Thursdays are back! 

         Welcome back everyone! Now the Backus-Page House Museum is open again our regular hours. Tuesday through Friday 10am -4:30pm, & Weekends and holidays 12 - 4:30pm. We hope to see you in for a tour! 

         Come out the the Museum May 5th for our grand opening of our new exhibit! Trailblazers! Curated by our very own Delany Leitch. From 1-4pm come see our beautiful exhibit, where Lorne Spicer himself will make a short address, stay after for coffee and goodies!   

        “Western Elgin features numerous places to appreciate nature. this is largely due to the efforts of local conservationists. Throughout history, people from a variety of backgrounds have impacted how our community experiences and understands the landscapes we share. 

John. E. Pearce, Lorne Spicer and Dr. James Wellington Crane were three such individuals. Each of their stories demonstrate how love of community and nature are deeply connected.“

         Our next event at the museum is The Road to Culloden! A Scottish Living History Weekend! Saturday May 19th & Sunday May 20th 10:00 am - 4:00pm! 

         Step Back in time to 1745, and follow the loyal Scots through triumph and tragedy in their quest to reclaim the throne for Bonnie Prince Charles! 

         Battles, black-powder weapons demonstrations, historic merchants, a piper’s call, traditional singers, story tellers, the life of a jacobite solider, British Military Punishment and an historic church service are just a few of the things planned for this weekend! 

General Admission for ages 13+ is $8.00, 12 and under are free! 

Food is available at fair prices at the site. Proceeds to the Museum!

29424 Lakeview Line, Wallacetown. Approx, 10km south of Hwy #401. Take exit 149 and follow currie road south to Lakeview Line  (519)-762-3072. 

Sabrina Merks