Sharing Westfield with Toronto!

Westfield Volunteers On Their Way

 

 

A group of our Westfield Volunteers is on their way to Toronto today to tell visitors to the Parapan Am Games about Westfield and share a little of early Ontario history. They make a very colourful group. If you are heading that way you may see them strolling along the Harbour Front.

 

 



Fibre Day!

Get your flax straight!

Westfield’s Textile Day Coming up Soon

 

 

On Sunday August 23, Westfield Heritage Village’s Sunday afternoon program will have a special focus:  the methods of textile fibre production in early Ontario.  A variety of demonstrations and activities will take place in select areas of the village throughout the afternoon.  At the Marr Spinning and Weaving Shop, you can see a weaver hard at work on a massive mid-19^th century barn loom.  You can also try your hand at carding raw wool, learn to use a drop spindle or watch a master spinner at the wheel.  Outside the shop, the Cambridge Spinners and Weavers Guild will be demonstrating how natural dyes are used to tint sheep’s wool and other fibres.  You will also discover how rope is made!  In the Tailor Shop, you can learn about how clothing was produced for both men and women using both hand and machine stitching.  Nearby, you can watch the fascinating process of transforming the coarse flax plant fibres into the raw material that is used to produce linen fabric.  As you tour the village, there will be many opportunities to see antique textiles, including quilts, clothing, decorate arts and floor coverings.

Westfield Heritage Village is living history museum in Rockton that preserves and interprets more than thirty-five heritage buildings.  Here you can visit a one room school house, train station, blacksmith’s shop, print shop, homes, businesses and much more.  Authentically costumed interpreters will take you back to earlier times and places.  Guests can enjoy baked goods and other treats from the General Store, or visit the Gift Shop.

Visit Westfield Heritage Village for Fibre Day on Sunday August 23 from 12:30 to 4:00 pm.   For more information, please visit www.westfieldheritage.ca or call (519) 621-8851.  Westfield is located at 1049 Kirkwall Road, off Hwy #8, midway between Hamilton and Cambridge.

Regular Admission Prices - Adults $8.50, Seniors (65+) $7.50 and Children 6-12 years $5.50.  Children 5 and under are admitted free.   Parking is free. 

 

Ice Cream Carnival Is Coming!

Chill! Westfield’s Ice Cream Carnival

is Coming Up Soon!

For many families, a trip to the Ice Cream Carnival at Westfield Heritage Village has become an August long weekend tradition, and with good reason!  Who wouldn’t enjoy a day in the country eating delicious, cool ice cream, taking in the delights of an Edwardian summer carnival and touring the village on a free horse and wagon ride?   There is so much to see and do, you will want to plan your visit carefully so that you don’t miss anything!

Ice cream is the theme of the day, and visitors will have a chance to discover how it is made the old-fashioned way.  Westfield volunteers will be working hard at six traditional ice cream churns, producing cool and delicious homemade ice creams that are based on period recipes.  You are welcome to try your hand at the cranking, and sample the tasty results of your efforts!  If you’ve never tasted ice cream made with real cream, fresh fruit and other delicious ingredients, you are in for a wonderful surprise!

If the ice cream sampling has you craving a more substantial treat, eighteen traditional and modern flavours will also be available from the Crazy Cravings ice cream truck, where reasonably priced cones await you.  Westfield’s Ironwood Hall will be featuring a special treat this year – pie and ice cream!  Treat yourself to this old-fashioned summer dessert and claim a spot under a shady tree to enjoy it.  Traditional carnival foods will add to the fun.  Saratoga chips, Pickle-on-a-Stick, cool lemonade, bottled soda, baked goods and old-fashioned candy will be available for purchase at the General Store.  The Copetown Lions food truck will also be serving their delicious food throughout the day.  At Westfield, visitors are always welcome to bring their own picnic.

One of the special activities featured on this day is an Edwardian-style carnival.  Stroll among the colourful tents and step back to a time of simple amusements and charming games.  Chat with a fortune teller, take your picture on the moon, knock down the milk bottles, jockey your horse to the finish line, fish for a fish, and much, much more.  This is fun for all ages, and you can play as much as you like - no tickets required!

The Ice Cream Carnival will be held at Westfield Heritage Village on Sunday August 2^nd and Monday August 3^rd from 10:00 am. to 4:00 p.m.  Horse and wagon rides begin at 12:00 noon.  All other activities are ongoing throughout the day.  Adult admission is $11.00, seniors (65+) $10.00 and children 6-12 years $6.50.  Children 5 and under are free.   Parking is free.  Westfield is located at 1049 Kirkwall Road, Rockton.  For more information, visit westfieldheritage.ca or call (519) 621-8851.

New Volunteers

Westfield is a large community of volunteers dedicated to come out to present and preserve Candian history. This sometimes includes feather friends too! Meet the new crew at the Lockhart barn. They plan to be here each Sunday from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. They will be "eggcited" to see you!

First Egg!

Mountsberg Day!

Sunday July 5^th is Mountsberg Day at Westfield

The Mountsberg Methodist Church was built by Charles Mount in 1854.  Now preserved at Westfield, this beautiful historic building will be the focus of a special day commemorating the Mountsberg community.  The day will begin with a special service in the church at 10:00 am.  Friends, neighbours and former residents of Mountsberg, as well as any descendants of the early settlers, will be there.  All are welcome.  Those attending the service are urged to bring a picnic lunch and stay for the day at no charge, enjoying all that the village has to offer.  A free will offering will be taken up during the service, and this will be donated to the Mountsberg Cemetery Committee, a group raising much needed funds for the restoration and beautification of this historic cemetery.


Photo by: Melissa Fletcher

The afternoon will feature opportunities to share memories of life in early Mountsberg.  You can also join in an old fashioned hymn sing, take in a fashion show featuring costumes from the late 1800s and early 1900s and enjoy a Sunday school picnic, with traditional games for the children.  A selection of Mountsberg memorabilia will be on display also.  Throughout the afternoon, a range of interesting historical activities and demonstrations will be presented by the volunteers of Westfield Heritage Village.

Mountsberg Day will take place on Sunday July 5, 2015.  A special church service at the historic Mountsberg Church will begin at 10:00 am.  The village will be open for a public program from 12:30 – 4:00 pm.  Regular admission rates apply for the afternoon program for those not attending the morning service.  

 

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Canada and the American Civil War
With close economic and cultural links, the citizens of the United Province of Canada were affected in many ways by the American Civil War. This Sunday, June 28 from 12:30 to 4:00, visitors to Westfield will have an opportunity to learn more about how individuals were affected in these years through personal stories, conversations and demonstrations related to life in 1860s Ontario.

Father's Day at Westfield

Bring a Picnic for Father's Day on Sunday, June 21 from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. Treat Dad to a day in the country. Bring your own picnic to enjoy the beautiful, picturesque setting at Westfield. Purchase sweet treats and cool drinks from the General Store.
Here's what is happening at Westfield...

·       The Rockton Antique and Hobby Association will be partnering with us again for Father’s Day.  A wide range of antique farm vehicles, steam engines and cars will be on display in various locations throughout the village.    A “parade of vehicles” through the village will take place, beginning at 1:30 pm.

·         There will be a display of model trains and engines at the Hardware Store. 

·        Hunter’s Corners, a musical duo of Bill Nesbitt and Brad McEwen, will be performing early English and early Canadian folk music at the church, beginning at approximately 2:15 pm.  (Following the parade of vehicles.)  If the weather is nice, they may perform outside.

·        Visitors have been encouraged to bring a picnic for Father’s Day.  Antique vehicles will be displayed in the picnic area, but tables will still be available for visitors.  Other locations on the green, at the bandstand, or under a tree, are also available to our guests.

See you there!