Ice Cream Carnival is Almost Here!

Cool, Creamy, Delicious!

Westfield’s 10^th Annual Ice Cream Carnival

 

Making ice cream is hard work, and the people at Westfield Heritage Village need your help!  During its popular Ice Cream Carnival, the costumed interpreters of the village will be cranking out many, many batches of delicious, cool, hand-churned ice cream, and this takes a lot of muscle!  Step right up to help to turn those cranks, and you will be rewarded with a sample of cool, creamy, authentic ice cream.  (Those who cheer them on can have some, too!)  If you’ve never tasted ice cream made with real cream, fresh fruit and other delicious ingredients, you are in for a wonderful surprise!

The Ice Cream Carnival will be held at Westfield on Sunday August 3^th and Monday August 4^th from 10:00 am. to 4:00 p.m. There will be lots to see and do during this special two day event.  Share a laugh and test your skill with Edwardian carnival games.  Let a travelling salesman give you his pitch.  Peek inside a colourful tent and see what awaits you.  Enjoy a free ride on a horse-drawn wagon, beginning at noon.  

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.  Enjoy some free cotton candy in the village green (while quantities last).  Reasonably priced ice cream cones and top-your-own sundaes will also be available at the Ironwood Ice Cream Parlour.  The Copetown Lions food truck will also be at available.  Families are always welcome to bring their own picnic to enjoy under a shady tree.

The beautiful rural setting of Westfield Heritage Village is the ideal place to escape to on a hot summer day.  Cool off with come delicious summer treats , take in the carnival, and enjoy a day with your family and friends tasting a little history.  See you there!
The 10^th Annual Ice Cream Carnival will take place at Westfield Heritage Village on Sunday August 3^rd and Monday August 4^th from 10 am to 4 pm.  Adult admission is $11.00, seniors (65+) $10.00 and children 6-12 years $6.50.  Children five 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.

Ice Cream Carnival Coming Soon!

You know when it's summer time at Westfield. It's time for Ice Cream Carnival. The event is taking place on Sunday, August 3 and Monday, August 4 from 10:00 to 4:00 p.m. The following advice was found in an advertisement book at the turn of the 20th Century. I'm sure it was meant to be taken in a light hearted way.

Eating The Ice Cream Cone

Gentle Advice for the Gentlewoman

 

If the occasion should arise when a Gentlewoman is offered an ice cream cone,

she should refrain from eating it in a public place.

Exposure of the tongue by using its tip to lick the ice cream from the cone

will serve only to mark her as a woman of unsavoury and unattractive appetites.

The woman should take the ice cream cone home,

place it upside down in a shallow dish,

discard the cone and eat the ice cream with a spoon. 



Sunday Summer Afternoons

Westfield is a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon. Take a walk down a country lane and step into the past. During July and August there is a fashion show at 2:00 p.m. This past Sunday as a special treat Joy modeled the replica Queen Victoria Wedding Dress. Sweet treats and cold drinks are available to buy in the General Store. See you there on Sunday!

 

 

The Glass House at Westfield

Today's Guest Blogger is Alyson Prokop. Alyson started to volunteer at Westfield in 2013 and looks after the plants in the Gillen Greenhouse.

It has certainly been a busy spring for Westfield with so many new buildings being renovated and opened, and I am absolutely thrilled to let you know that the Gillen Glasshouse is finally up and running!

Most people have walked by the Gillen House with a brief glance into the backyard, only to notice a relatively untouched glasshouse. In times past this Victorian inspired glasshouse would otherwise be over flowing with annuals, fruits, vegetables, nuts, market flowers and orchids, all of which would be used for cooking, medicine and decorating. As a nature interpreter and botanist at Royal Botanical Gardens Canada, it only seemed natural to indulge in my love of heritage interpretation and take on the task of reviving the glasshouse and filling it with heritage plants.

 

 

 

So, after a few painstakingly cold days scrubbing with cold water back mid-April (I was going for an authentic experience) I fixed the glass panes, pulled up and swept away the bugs and dead weeds, and had the carpentry shop prepare transplant trays for the 30+ perennials and annuals that will be started this season.

The glasshouse is aptly named as it is made with panes of glass making it possible to grow essential, colourful, warmth loving fruit and vegetables, even in this climate, such as tomatoes and chillies!

Now when you venture into the Gillen backyard you are welcomed by horehound for coughs, wild strawberries for jam and native Echinacea.  Market cabbages from Denmark and tomatoes that date back to 1910, 1902 and 1898 are just some of the vegetables you may encounter.

 

I have tried to theme plants that pre-date the Gillen House (c. 1912) to give visitors an idea of the fruits, vegetables and herbs one could find in an Edwardian garden.

You’ll also notice that many of the herbs and native flowers will continue to grow and overwinter for next year’s gardens. With enough planning, I hope to get seeds started mid-March so we can offer unique heritage vegetables for the spring Westfield Plant Sale.

Brandon, who often volunteers in the print shop, has also been assisting with transplanting and watering on weekends and has certainly out done himself. His handiwork at the forge has revived a couple of tired secateurs to their former glory, and has also crafted a handy transplanting trowel!

A special thanks also goes to the Westfield staff who have taken time during their day to make sure the plants get watered. This is the most important task as we currently hand water all the crops and we all really appreciate your help!

So, next time you are visiting Westfield, be sure to stop by the Gillen Glasshouse and have a look for yourself and imagine yourself 100 years back; the vegetables and herbs we are growing today are the same as you’d find growing in gardens of rural Ontario in 1912.

Westfield's 50th Anniversary Continues

The weather could not have been finer for Westfield's big celebration weekend on June 14 and 15. Check out the 50th Anniversary page for more photographs highlighting the weekend.

 

Some of the volunteers gather for a group shot at the end of the day.