St. Albert Takes a Bite out of Local History at the Father Lacombe Chapel!

Daisy churns some home-made ice-cream!

                 Sunday July 21, the Father Lacombe Chapel interpreters and volunteers welcomed over three hundred visitors to Mission Hill, in St. Albert, and dared them to taste food cooked by the interpreters at their annual ‘Taste of the Past’ event. 

        The interpretive team prepared historic recipes, some of which have fallen by the wayside, like Bishop’s Pudding, while others showed visitors a glimpse of how things were done in the past by making home-made ice cream. 

      Two interpreters, Leila and Brett, even made raspberry butter by hand in the days leading up to the event.  Other tasty treats included lemonade, cornmeal muffins, fried blueberries, baked bannock and, the newest addition to our line-up, borscht. All the food bowls were empty by 5 pm so the interpreters must have done something right!

Jane gives a tour of the chapel to guests

    

 The site was also pleased to welcome two volunteers from the Edmonton Weaver’s Guild. These two demonstrated how to use a spinning wheel and offered eager visitors the chance to try their hand at making yarn. Although the spinners made it look easy, anyone that tried spinning found out it is much harder than it looks! This year was the third year we have had the spinners at the event and, at this point, it’s hard for us to imagine the event without them. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our other volunteers from the AHF, Shari, Sharon and Ann, who helped the event run smoothly.

Leila is interviewed by CTV news!

Daisy, Sharon and Leila demonstrate the delicious ice cream making process

As in previous years, the Father Lacombe Chapel accepted donations for the Food Bank. This year, visitors truly outdid themselves and dropped off a staggering 140 pounds of non-perishable food and over $80 at the collection point at the entrance. The generosity of our visitors continues to astound us, thank you all so much!

Sonia waits in the chapel for incoming visitors

Great turnout for Canada Day!

It was a hot and humid Canada Day for 2013, that was well attended at all the Heritage Sites of St. Albert.

There were over 600 attendees at the St. Albert Grain Elevator (SAGE) Park, where visitors took tours of the grain elevators, participated in craft activities, and took a ride on our newest addition, Little Obie the CN Safety Train.

Little Obie, the very popular CN safety train that took people on tours

Also popular were our cakes in the shape of the Union Jack and Canadian flags

Our tours at SAGE, Father Lacombe Chapel and the Little White School were well received by the public.

At the Little White School, over 230 visitors enjoyed our Maple Leaf cookies and participated in the "Great Canadian Flag Debate Contest." The contest helped visitors explore the real Canadian Flag debate that occurred in 1964, when Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson created a committee of 15 members to debate and decide on a new national flag for Canada. There were some 3,500 flag designs submitted by Canadians, with George Stanley's iconic design being chosen by the committee to become the Canadian Flag that we all know today. The new Canadian Flag was officially proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth II in January 1965.
Our "Great Canadian Flag Debate Contest" asked visitors to submit their own designs for a Canadian Flag, with consideration to what Canada meant to them. We received many intriguing designs, including flags with such symbols as mountains, wild rose flowers, and hockey! We eventually narrowed it down to the following winners in four categories: ages 6 and under, ages 7-9, ages 10-12, and ages 13 and up, respectively.

Thank you to all who spent Canada Day with us and to all of our staff and volunteers who helped make the festivities possible.

Transforming Tradition

Musée Héritage Museum is proud to present "Transforming Tradition: Contemporary Aboriginal Artists Re-envision Traditional Crafts". The artists participating in this exhibit all share a deep connection to the traditional craftwork of their cultures, such as Cree, Blackfoot, Sioux, Dene and Métis.

Patricia Piché – Ladies Jingle Dress, 1978

Rhonda Paul – Ladies’ Traditional Dance Cape

Working with such materials as hide, beads, feathers, fish scales, textiles and other media, the artists take those traditions and layer them with their own contemporary visions. Contemporary twists can be seen in all the pieces through choices in colour, materials and patterns. The exhibit artists include Melissa-Jo Belcourt Moses, Alaynee Goodwill, Carmen Miller, Rhonda Paul, Patricia Piché, Carolyn Wagner, Charlotte York, and Holly Yuzicapi.

Patricia Piché – Cloth Coat, 2013

Children's clothing and toys

Please join us for our opening reception on July 4 at 7pm. This exhibit will be open to the public until August 25.

Rhonda Paul – Coat, 2010, Patricia Piché – Ladies Fancy Dance Cape, 1976, Patricia Piché – Women’s Blanket Coat, 2010