Heritage Mica Days Named One of “Top 100 Festivals”!

Big news! At the annual Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) conference held last week, our own Heritage Mica Days was named one of the 2014 Top 100 Festivals & Events in Ontario! Submissions from all over Ontario were considered in the fall and were reviewed by an independent panel of judges. Click 2014-TOP-100 Festivals and Events to see the full media release.

A huge thank you goes out to our team of Heritage Mica Days volunteers for all of the hard work you do to make this annual event so special, as well as to our event coordinator extraordinaire, Beth Peterkin, who has worked tirelessly to develop the festival. Thanks also to our many partners for your ongoing support and commitment.

We look forward to another exciting slate of activities, including some special new events and a host of favourites this summer. Check the Heritage Mica Days website for details.

FEO Award

Posted in Friends of Murphys Point, Heritage, Heritage Mica Days, Heritage Mica Festival, Mica Festival, mica mine, Murphys Point, Murphys Point events, Murphys Point Provincial Park, Seven Wonders of Lanark County, Silver Queen Mine, Tay Valley Township, Volunteer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Come to a Christmas Celtic Kitchen Ceilidh!

The fundraiser we originally planned for October has been rescheduled and restructured to provide a more informal event in the comfortable setting of the Perth Museum Kitchen and Visitor Centre. Please join us for a Christmas Celtic Kitchen Ceilidh on Friday, Dec. 6 starting at 7:30 p.m.!

For this special heritage event the kitchen area of the Perth Museum and Visitor Centre will be turned into a “Kitchen Ceilidh” with music provided by Cratur, our favourite band from the popular summer Dinner/Theatre series.

Ceilidhs are parties that feature singing and dancing to Scottish or Irish traditional music along with storytelling, so you know you’re in for a fun evening. There will also be a fine selection of silent auction items to tempt you and some wonderful donated door prizes.

“We were looking for an affordable and comfortable way to bring together our members, volunteers and the community to raise some money for the ongoing operations of our Heritage Mica Days festival,” says event coordinator Beth Peterkin. “The Scottish and Irish theme of the ceilidh reflects the early history of the Perth Military Settlement area, including the first homesteaders in what is now known as Murphys Point Provincial Park in Tay Valley Township.” The Heritage Mica Days annual festival celebrates the history of the Silver Queen Mica Mine at Murphys Point Provincial Park from the early 1900s along with the cultural heritage of the area.

Tickets are $20 in advance and are available online at www.heritagemicadays.ca, in person at the Shadowfax store on Foster Street in Perth (cash only), by email at eventsmurphys@ripnet.com or by calling 613-267-5340.  Tickets will also be available at the door for $25.

Funds raised will be used to purchase equipment and supplies to enable the Friends to bring a quality festival to the community in 2014. We hope to see you on Dec. 6! Bring your toe-tapping shoes!

Christmas fundraiser poster

Posted in Friends of Murphys Point, Heritage, Heritage Mica Days, Heritage Mica Festival, Mica Festival, mica mine, Murphys Point, Murphys Point events, Murphys Point Provincial Park, Silver Queen Mine, Tay Valley Township, visitors centre, Volunteer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Welcome, Baby Ratsnake!

Exciting news, from Murphys Point!

“Mica” the Visitor Centre Ratsnake and “Lady Gray,” the female ratsnake who spends her summers at Charleston Lake Provincial Park, are parents! By association, Murphys Point staff are the guardians of little Baby Snake (better name to come…perhaps a new fundraising campaign?).

The new addition - Baby Ratsnake. (Photo courtesy of Alida Lemieux)

The new addition – Baby Ratsnake. (Photo courtesy of Alida Lemieux)

At four weeks old, the new addition to our interpretive family is beautifully patterned, fiesty and great at hiding under its water dish. We thank the folks at Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo in Ottawa, who incubated the snake eggs and took great care of Baby in its first weeks of life!

Stay tuned for more baby news!

Posted in flora and fauna, Friends of Murphys Point, Gray Ratsnake, Murphys Point, Murphys Point Provincial Park, visitors centre | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment