Memory Lane Heritage Village
5435 Clam Harbour Rd B0J 2L0

Watson decided he needed a little vacation from being a video celebrity this week, but he knew you'd all miss him. So he wanted us to share this photo of him looking majestic in front of the Ball Mill in the Mine Camp. He said it was so you could all see the accessibility ramp behind him to follow up from yesterday's #throwbackthursday post even though we told him you couldn't really see the ramp at this angle. But he insisted we share this one because it "shows his best side." And really, who are we to argue with that? Good Boy Watson! (Don't worry, he'll be back soon!)

We're moving forward through our #throwbackthursday look into the past 20 years of Memory Lane and it's a very literal walk down memory lane for us. Holy Hannah, how time flies. Back in 2017, we launched the visitor season with a whole Village worth of upgrades, made possible by funding and grants from all levels of government. Between the end of the 2016 visitor season and the start of 2017 we renovated the Hosking Store washrooms, the Boat Shop got a complete overhaul, and many of our buildings got brand new ramps and accessibility upgrades, including the Gold Mine Ball Mill, shown here. Phew, glad that's all behind us. It makes us tired just thinking of it!

Mr. Webber is back again for this week's museum video on our YouTube channel to share some info that all you folks planting garlic at this time of year might be interested in. This very handy tool is called a 'dibbler' and it comes in all shapes and sizes depending what you need. We've even seen two-man dibblers! Thanks for the tip, Mr. Webber!

This week Watson wanted to show everyone the beautiful handmade, king size quilt that we are raffling off for our big 2020 fundraiser. He even made sure to get some good, close-up shots of the stitching so you can see all the details. What a lot of work! Good boy Watson! I don't think they could really see the back of the quilt in that shot, but thanks for trying! Tickets are $5 each, or 5 for $20. We will be at the Farmer's Market in Musquodoboit Harbour with tickets as often as we can this fall, or you can purchase them on our website at visitmemorylane.ca. The draw will be held December 05, 2020 at Memory Lane. Proceeds will support the Lake Charlotte Area Heritage Society and Memory Lane Heritage Village.

2016 was such an eventful year that we had trouble choosing a highlight for our #throwbackthursday post this week. With all the renovations, and upgrades, and events it was really hard to narrow down the selection, but it came down to this! In 2016 the Lake Charlotte Area Heritage Society finally launched our book "The Place: Life on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia in the 1920s 1930s" by Robert Milton Ritcey. It was a labour of love for the many people who worked on it, an...d is well worth a read! It's funny and heartbreaking and all the things a good book should be. "Robert Ritcey’s memoir of his boyhood in the 1920s and 1930s is brimming with evocative details of everyday life in the coastal village of East Petpeswick, on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore. Ritcey invites us back to a rural world of small-scale fishing, farming, and logging, of wooden boats and ox-drawn sleds, of one-room schools and party-line telephones. He lovingly describes the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and textures of his childhood landscape and recalls the hard work and ingenuity of the people who made a modest, independent living on this seabound coast. The Place is a charming portrait of a time now passing out of living memory." Sara Spike, PhD, Cultural Historian You can purchase the book on our website at the following link: https://visitmemorylane.ca//the_place_by_robert_milton_rit

Rusty is back to spin another one for you this week on his new favourite toy. The more we learn about it, the more we are amazed by the sound quality coming out of such an old machine. Shuffling through the records for the Edison, we never quite know what he's going to find! This week he's playing "Oh Helen" on the Edison, recorded in 1915 by Arthur Fields and we think you'll get a real kick out of this one!

Autumn is our time for behind the scenes archives work and moving ahead with larger projects. Projects like filming more videos for our digital heritage interpretation series! Ted and Ben were busy in the Mine Manager's Cabin filming memories about Col Robert Logan, a local "Renaissance Man," and his surveying tools. We can't wait to add this one to our video series! #workdaywednesday

Some of you have told us that you can't imagine a Christmas season without our Memory Lane Christmas dinners. After much consultation with NS Public Health, we are proud to say that we have found a way to move ahead with the dinners, with strict Covid-19 regulations in place. As usual, we started receiving booking inquiries for the dinners early in 2020, (pre-Covid-19) and have contacted all those early birds and booked them in. We anticipate that the limited seating we have ...left will go quickly, so please review the information below and contact us by email at [email protected] if you are interested in booking a table. We will take bookings in the order that we receive them by email. As staffing is limited at this time of year, please do not call the office to book. Bookings are available by table only as we can no longer combine several smaller ticket reservations at the same table. Due to reducing seating capacity to accommodate social distancing, and the increased labour to prepare three dinners, the per-person costs have increased from previous years. As of October 18th the following tables are still available for booking: Friday Dinner (November 20) - 1 table of 8 ($320) and 1 table of 10 ($400) Sunday Dinner (November 22) - 1 table of 6 ($240) Arrive at 6:00 PM, Dinner at 6:30 PM. Tables must be paid in full at the time of reservation confirmation. There will be no refunds unless the entire event is cancelled by public health regulations. Many things have changed from previous years so please visit our website at the attached link to review all the details. With regards to the adjustments we have had to make in 2020, we appreciate your patience and understanding. In the end, we are just so pleased to be able to keep our Christmas dinner tradition alive. Thank you for your support!

Find us at the Musquodoboit Harbour Farmers Market from 10am to 2pm tomorrow (Sunday, October 18) to purchase raffle tickets for our 2020 fundraiser. You might just end up with a beautiful handmade king size quilt! The draw will be held December 05, 2020 at Memory Lane Heritage Village and proceeds will support the Lake Charlotte Area Heritage Society and Memory Lane Heritage Village. Additional prizes will also be drawn. Tickets can also be purchased online at visitmemorylane.ca

Watson is getting into the swing of things now in his role as Village Opening Assistant, just like an old pro. He was right on Cody's heels almost the entire time and didn't even get distracted. Good boy Watson, you'll be running this place in no time!

Today's #throwbackthursday walk down Memory Lane is a big one. Over the winter of 2014/15 we undertook a huge project to develop a new brand for the museum. The previous branding was solid and very heritage but needed an update to drive home the 1940s aesthetic. With expert advice, talent, and layout by Karen Brown Design, illustration by Bonnie Ross, and months worth of work and research on both ends, we ended up with an award winning design that we are all very proud of. The new logo and signage launched our 2015 visitor season and feedback from visitors and our community was everything we had hoped. The project was made possible by government support from all levels and the Lake Charlotte Area Heritage Society. We continue to be inspired by this design in all that we do.

For today's #workdaywednesday we are sharing one of those projects that you think will take a half day... and then you start taking off shingles. This autumn we discovered a 'small' leak which turned into a much bigger project than expected! Sometimes that's just the way it goes with old wooden buildings. The beauty of them though, is that with a bit of attention they're right as rain again!

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! What better way to mark the occasion than to share a video about the heart of the home. The Boston Breeze Cookstove sits pride of place in the kitchen of the Webber House and would have been in overdrive for large family meals. Pies might have been prepared the day before, with apples and pumpkins harvested from the garden. The day of the dinner could see pots bubbling full of potatoes and carrots. Turkey (or roast bird) and stuffing would be in the oven. And the cookstove would make it all happen, turning a house into a home. The Boston Breeze here at the Heritage Village is an oil and wood hybrid, allowing either fuel to be used to cook all those delicious dishes. In this video Grant shows how the oil burner works and why the two-fuel system would benefit the cook in a busy home.

Find us at the Musquodoboit Harbour Farmers Market from 10am to 2pm tomorrow (Sunday, October 11) to purchase raffle tickets for our 2020 fundraiser. You might just end up with a beautiful handmade king size quilt! This raffle is our big summer fundraiser to help make up for our summer cancellations due to COVID-19. Memory Lane is a community-owned and operated museum and your contribution will help us continue to preserve and demonstrate Eastern Shore heritage, despite these strange time in the Maritimes! The draw will be held December 05, 2020 at Memory Lane Heritage Village and proceeds will support the Lake Charlotte Area Heritage Society and Memory Lane Heritage Village. Additional prizes will also be drawn. Tickets can also be purchased online at visitmemorylane.ca