Time warp: Eaton Corner 1867 channels you back in time to, you guessed it, 1867, in celebration of Canada’s 150th. Enter the «time portal» this Sunday, August 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Eaton Corner Museum, 374 Rte 253, Cookshire-Eaton. The Museum welcomes visitors to experience village life in Eaton Corner at the time of Confederation when it was a bustling village and a stage coach stop between Montreal, Quebec City, and New England.
Visitors will be treated to an experience of local history, including heritage craft demonstrations such as quilting, lace crocheting, knitting, timber framing, candle making, basket making and caning. Actors in period costume will portray village people from the time of 1867, taking on the roles of storekeepers, farmers, a blacksmith, schoolteacher, clergyman, postmaster, seamstress and more. Look for some of the actors and characters featured in the theatrical plays in previous years for the benefit of the Museum.
Monique Nadeau-Saumier, well-known historian, is to offer a bilingual presentation about Eaton Corner at the time of Confederation, highlighting some of the prominent residents from that era.
Nineteenth century agricultural methods such as plowing with horses will be demonstrated, and barnyard animals shown by local 4-H-ers. Visitors can hear live old-time music with called square dancing. And topping it off, in the Academy from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a light lunch will be sold by the Bulwer Community Centre. From 2 to 4 p.m., an afternoon tea service with homemade scones and jam will be sold by the Museum. Entry to the event is free, thanks to support from the Canada 150 Fund of Canadian Heritage.
The Eaton Corner Museum has a unique collection of 4000 objects, photographs, genealogical and archival materials depicting the life of the early settlers in this part of the Eastern Townships. Its permanent exhibition, A Tale of the Townships, inhabits the old Congregational church, and a temporary exhibit in the Foss House, Housewife Heroines, highlights contributions by women during World War II. The Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., until the end of August, on weekends in September, or by appointment for tours and genealogical research.Info: 819-875-5256, info@eatoncorner.ca, or www.eatoncorner.ca.
BEFORE
And before 1867, before the arrival of European settlers, who were here? Encyclopedia.com says some historians think the ancestors of the Abenaki nation arrived here about 3,000 years ago. When Europeans first arrived in the 1500s, the Abenaki population perhaps numbered 40,000. The next centuries saw the Abenaki people decimated by a series of wars between European powers and successive epidemics – typhus, smallpox, influenza, diphtheria and measles. By 1867, the Abenaki Confederacy had ended. After the American revolution, the population had dropped to about 1000, says Wikipedia. In the 2000 US census, 2,544 persons identified themselves as Abenaki, and 2,164 did so in the 2006 Canada census. To our shame.
BEAR
Bear meat is on the menu at the indigenous-style méchoui in Saint-Mathias-de-Bonneterre on Saturday, August 19. So is chicken and pork, prepared overnight in a cooking pit in the ground. The meal begins at 5:30 p.m., following the Flèches filantes archery tournament. Music with a chansonnier continues into the evening. The event is at the park and community centre located at 2010 Route 210 East. All are welcome. Info: 819-889-2558.
CRUISE
The Municipality of Newport invites its residents to enjoy a three-hour cruise and a gourmet lunch on the Lake Memphremagog aboard Escapades Memphrémagog’s new cruise boat, the Grand Cru. The cruise is on Saturday, August 26, but NOW is the time to register for the event. The price for adults is $88; for children, $56. Info: 819-889-1340 or 819-560-8565.
MARKET
The Village Market at the Sawyerville Community Garden is open every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It features local, fresh produce without pesticides or artificial fertilizers, and specialties such as venison from the Sabot d’Or farm, sheep and goat cheeses, honey, herbs, and many kinds of vegetables. The herbalist Chantale Parent is there, and so are various musicians and even a sandbox for children to play in. In the outdoor oven every second week is prepared hot fresh pizza, and the other weeks are baked scones or other treats. Check out the berry bushes. The market continues until the end of September, in the heart of the Community Garden at 70 Randboro Road. Info: Chantal Bolduc at chantalbolduc99@bell.net or 819-889-3196.
FROZEN MEALS
Services in English are taking a summer break at the Centre d’action bénévole du Haut-Saint-François, to return on August 21. But no need to go hungry: The bi-weekly frozen meals on wheels service will continue throughout the summer. Also, all services will still be available in French. Just call 819-560-8540 on Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m., or Friday, 9 to 11:30 a.m. You can reach the coordinator of English services, Diane Grenier, on Tuesdays, August 8 and 22, and September 5, at 819-560-8540 option 9, or by email at coordo@cabhsf.org.
CHURCHES
Anglican. On August 13 the Sunday service is in Bury at 10:30 a.m., followed by a Cemetery Flower Service at St. John’s Church in Brookbury, at 2 p.m. On August 20 at 10:30 a.m., the service is also in Brookbury. Info: 819-887-6802.
United. The Sunday service on August 13 is in Cookshire, and on August 20, in Sawyerville. Both are at 10:30 a.m. Info: 819-889-2838 (listen to message).
Baptist. In Sawyerville, the Sunday worship service is at 9 a.m. in French, and 11 a.m. in English. Sunday school is at 10 a.m. in English and French. Info: 819-239-8818.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-300-2374 or email ra.writes@gmail.com by August 13 for publication August 23 and by August 28 for September 6.