#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Sarah Ferber of Food First NL

Sarah Ferber works for Food First NL. Food First NL is a provincial non-profit working to promote comprehensive, community-based solutions to ensure access to adequate and healthy food for all people in Newfoundland and Labrador. Since 2011, Food First NL has been partnering with seniors' groups across the province to preserve, share and celebrate traditional foodways. Food security is a complex issue in the province, and one of our greatest assets for addressing it is the traditional food skills and knowledge that older generations have to pass on. 

At the forum, Food First NL will be showing one of their videos called All Around the Table. They will also provide morning refreshments of freshly baked bread and homemade jam. If you would like to know about Sarah's work, you can listen to our Living Heritage podcast episode with her by clicking here.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

Entrance to Mine on Bell Island, 1954. #Folklorephoto

One of the Bell Island Mine entrances taken in 1954. This photograph is part of the Allen and Pearl Squires Fonds from the Portugal Cove-St. Philip's Archives. To see other photographs from this collection visit MUN's Digital Archives.

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Audrey Burke

A native of Port-de -Grave, Audrey Burke moved to Grand Falls-Windsor to teach in 1973. Audrey has had a lifelong interest in heritage, genealogy  and folklore. As a student at Memorial University, she gathered a collection of folksongs and another of folk remedies of the Port-de-Grave area. Since retiring, she has completed the MANL Certificate in Museum Studies and  now volunteer at the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society. There she manages their extensive collection of artifacts, photographs and other archival materials.

At the forum, Audrey will be participating in the panel discussion called Stories From Here where she will discuss memories of Windsor.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep088 Grand Falls Memory Mug Up Part Two

Shawn Feener,  owner/operator of Classic Theatre, describes how he would sneak in to the theatre as a child. 

Part Two of our Grand Falls Memory Mug Up, recorded in front of a live studio audience at The Classic Theatre on July 14, 2017. The mug up was was part of the town's Salmon Festival activities and was organized by the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society and was a staged interview with six local community members. In part two we hear stories from Shawn Feener, Mary Kelly, and Cliff Thomas.

You can learn more about the project at our Adapting Heritage Forum Oct 25th.

Download the mp3

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Eemaan Thind

Eemaan Thind was born and raised in Punjab, India. Her family moved to Ontario during her last year of secondary school; she started her BSc. at McMaster University and then transferred to Physics at Memorial University in 2013, when her family moved to Newfoundland. A self-taught artist from a young age, Eemaan picked up the medium of henna body art in the summer of 2013 while participating in the Youth Ventures program, and received the provincial Youth Ventures award for Excellence in Product Design during the same summer. In April of 2017, she travelled to volunteer with the Gurmat Bhawan NGO in Punjab, where she worked with school children, held workshops on child sexual abuse, menstrual health and sex education, and provided free henna workshops for local women. She is pleased to offer a chance of experiencing this ancient art form right here on the Rock.

At the forum, Eemaan will be conducting a henna demonstration. If you would like to know more about Eemaan's work, you can listen to the Living Heritage podcast episode with her by clicking here.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

#FoodwaysFriday - When Historic Places Meet Food: Yellowbelly Brewery and Public House

Exterior of Yellowbelly. Photo by Katie Harvey. 2017.

Yellowbelly Brewery and Public House is located on the corner of Water Street and George Street in downtown St. John's. It is a three-and-a-half storey brick and masonry building with a mid-pitch gable roof.

Constructed circa 1847, just after the fire of 1846, this is one of the few buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1892. Known as Yellow Belly Corner, this building has much historical significance in the area. It was traditionally a commercial premises, with the main floor being used as a business, and the second floor as a residence.

Main floor of restaurant. Photo by Katie Harvey. 2017.

According to local folklore and oral history, Yellow Belly Corner was named for the "Yellowbellies", who famously tied strips of yellow cloth around their waists. The "Yellowbellies" were one of the various Irish factions, including the "Wheybellies" from County Waterford, the "Clear-Airs" from County Tipperary, the "Doones" from County Kilkenny, and the "Dadyeens" from County Cork, who would meet and fight on this site. Following their victory, King George III cried, "Well done Yellowbellies."

Yellowbelly is a place that I frequent often. A group of friends and I went for happy hour last Friday. The place was bustling, as summer fades and people attempt to drink in those final few days of sunshine. On this particular visit, we ate chicken wings, wood fire pizza, burgers, fries, and of course, beers.

Yellowbelly is unique in that it is one of the few craft breweries that exist in St. John's. They have a variety of beers that they are well-known for including: Wexford Wheat, St. John's Stout,  Fighting Irish Red, and Yellowbelly Pale Ale. They also typically brew a seasonal beer that is available for a limited time.

Yellowbelly is a lovely place to visit when exploring the heritage district of downtown St. John's. It's great to be able to sit in a building that has such a rich history, while eating some tasty food and sipping locally brewed beer.  

-Katie Harvey

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Jillian Gould

Jillian Gould is an associate professor in the Department of Folklore at Memorial University.  Her interests include public folklore, ethnography and fieldwork, Jewish culture, biography, foodways, and the culture of aging. In the public sector she was Education Coordinator at the Eldridge Street Project (now Museum at Eldridge Street) in New York City, and also has completed projects for the Canadian Museum of Civilization (now Canadian Museum of History), and the Ontario Jewish Archives.

At the forum, Jillian will be participating in the panel titled Stories From Here where she will discuss the recent Folklore Department's Bay Roberts Fieldschool. If you would like to hear more about Jillian's work, you can listen to our Living Heritage podcast episode with her by clicking here.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

Tales from Afar - The Frogs in the Bucket. #FolkloreThursday

"Tales from Afar: Old Stories from New Residents" is a project to share traditional stories which have come from away, created by the St. John’s Local Immigration Partnership and the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. This is one of the tales we’ve collected so far. You can learn more about the project at our Adapting Heritage Forum Oct 25th.

The Frogs in the Bucket

As told by Antje Springmann

I’m going to tell you about a couple of frogs. Now these frogs—it was about three hundred years ago, and these frogs found themselves in the larder of the pasture. And there was a bucket of milk, and they fell into the bucket of milk. And they couldn’t get out, because there was nothing for them to catch their feet on. They couldn’t touch the bottom, so they couldn’t jump back out.

So both of them were swimming and swimming and trying to stay above the surface of the milk. And it was very, very hard work. And one of them said, “What’s the point? We’re going to drown anyway.” So he gave one last gasp, and sank beneath the surface of the milk.

But the other frog would not give up. And he kicked, and he pushed, and no matter how much he was ready to lose hope, he kept kicking and pushing, all night long.

And then in the morning, when the sun started to rise, and it just was creeping over the edge of the pail of milk, he suddenly felt something under his feet. And he realized that from all this kicking, he had churned the milk into butter. And there was a big lump of butter at the bottom, and that’s what he used to push himself out of the bucket. So the moral of the story is that you don’t give up, and that all of your hard work will come to something in the end.

Antje Springmann was born in Peine, Germany. At age two, she moved to Vöhrum, Germany and then emigrated to Canada at age twelve. Her mother was lured by a German book titled “Canada: The Land of Unlimited Possibility." The family first lived in Toronto, moved to Calgary, and ended up in Newfoundland. Image from Inspirational Stories.


How can I share a story?
Stories can be submitted in written form, or participants can sit down with a collector and record a spoken version of their story. To share a story, you can:

• Email ich@heritagefoundation.ca
• Call Dale Jarvis at 1-888-739-1892 extension 2, or 
• Fill in the online form here: https://goo.gl/forms/QWmJY9haiyItAeop2

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Kathi Stacey

Kathi Stacey is the Executive Director for the tourism Destination Management Organization for rural Eastern NL, operating as Legendary Coasts of Eastern Newfoundland. Kathi’s work profile includes 20 years’ combined experience in post-secondary education, tourism product development, community/economic development, as well as, organizational and event planning.  She is currently serving her 6th year as a member of the Board of Directors of The Rooms Corporation where she held positions as Chair of both the marketing and strategic planning committees. After completing two years in cultural/heritage development and event planning with the highly successful Cupids 400 2010 Celebrations, Kathi began work with the Eastern DMO in January 2011.

At the forum, Kathi will be moderating a panel called Stories From Here.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

"Folklore Lives Here" - Memories of Growing Up in Bay Roberts

Mix of Bay Roberts locals and folklore graduate students gathered at SUF Hall. Photo by Katie Harvey. 2017.

Last Thursday, The Heritage Foundation, in partnership with Memorial University's new folklore graduate class, hosted a memory mug up at the Society of United Fishermen Hall in Bay Roberts.

The evening was filled with stories of berry picking, Christmas concerts, bonfire night and childhood games. The event was focused on memories of growing up in Bay Roberts and places of significance in the lives of locals. We drank tea and snacked on various cakes, cheeses and fruits while discussing community memories.

The event served as a means of introducing the new folklore students to some of the community members. The class will be continuing their work in Bay Roberts for the next two weeks; interviewing locals, and living in the area while attending classes and conducting fieldwork.

Having a snack. Photo by Katie Harvey. 2017.

At the end of their fieldschool, on September 28 at 7:00pm, at the Society of United Fishermen Hall in Bay Roberts, the folklore students will be hosting a presentation on their work in the community. The event is open to the public and will be free of charge. 

If you have memories to share of growing up in Bay Roberts, feels free to contact ich@heritagefoundation.ca or call 1-888-739-1891 ext. 2.

-Katie Harvey

Fishing Stage in Freshwater. Conception Bay, 1995

Fishing stages in Freshwater, Conception Bay. This photograph was taken in 1995 and is part of the slide collection of the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation.

Call for Informants - The Newman Building

I'm conducting some research on The Newman Building located on 1 Springdale Street, St. John's. If you have any memories of the building, or know someone who does, please contact katherine@heritagefoundation.ca or call 709-739-1892 ext. 6.

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Lori McCarthy

Lori McCarthy grew up in the small fishing community of Bauline, of about 200 people, on the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. The traditional foods of her childhood feed her passion to tell the stories of her province through its people, culture and food. Out of this passion she started Project NL Food, a province-wide endeavour to visit various communities and speak with generations of people that hold their culture close to their heart.  Lori also owns and operates Cod Sounds, a company which is devoted to celebrating the province’s unique foods with travellers and locals alike through hands on experiences like beach boil-ups, mussel picking and berry picking.

At the forum, Lori will be participating in the panel called Heritage in the Landwash – Safeguarding Coastal Traditions where she will discuss her work with Cod Sounds. If you would like to hear more about Lori's work, you can listen to our Living Heritage podcast episode with her by clicking here.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

#FoodwaysFriday - When Historic Places Meet Food: Mallard Cottage

Front facade. Photo by Katie Harvey.

Mallard Cottage is located in Quidi Vidi, a historic and quaint fishing village just outside of St. John's. Mallard Cottage is an eighteenth-century Irish style cottage with a low-hipped roof and centrally located chimney. It is one of the oldest wooden buildings in North America, and has been recognized as such by National Historic Sites of Canada.

The building was a private residence and home to the Mallard family from the late 1700s until the 1980s. After the Mallards left, Peg Magnone took ownership of the property and operated an antique shop from the premises. In 2011, Mallard Cottage was purchased by Todd Perrin, his wife, Kim Doyle and Stephen Lee, and has since been transformed into a restaurant. They modernized the cottage as per necessity; adding plumbing and electricity, but they were careful to remain true to the historic nature of the property. 

Main dining room. Photo by Katie Harvey.

Head chef and owner, Todd Perrin, prides himself on cooking with locally sourced meats and produce. He cooks traditional Newfoundland dishes by using local ingredients. They have a garden where they grow produce for the restaurant, and they do a lot of in-house butchery. Todd explains: 

"I’m a lover of Newfoundland, I’m a lover of Newfoundland food, I’m a lover of old buildings, and wood, fireplaces, all that stuff. So, basically, Mallard is a representation of all the things that I like . . . I wanted people to feel like they weren’t going to a restaurant. I wanted people to feel like they were coming to my house for dinner. So that idea of comfort . . . everything is just where it is because the guy who owned it, that’s where he wanted to put it, and that’s what this place is." 

The ploughman lunch. Photo by Katie Harvey.

I've eaten at Mallard Cottage on various occasions for both brunch and supper. One of my most recent visits, I had the ploughman lunch (pictured above) which consisted of ham, devilled eggs, homemade bread, coleslaw, cheese, mustard and turkey vegetable soup. We ate sitting by the fire, drinking coffee from locally made pottery mugs, feeling as though we were visiting an old friend. A trip to Mallard Cottage is worth it for the architecture alone, and the delicious food is the icing on the cake. Speaking of cake, be sure to check out their cake table when you visit. 

Cake table. Photo by Todd Perrin.

-Katie Harvey

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Jeremy Harnum

Jeremy started working with the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador (WBMNL) in 2008 while still in high school and was inspired to shape his career path for work in the heritage sector. Over the years, Jeremy has played many roles with WBMNL including Tour Guide, Programming Assistant, Assistant Curator, and Museum Manager. Since completing his Bachelor of Arts in Folklore at Memorial University, Jeremy has joined WBMNL Documentation Program and is presently working on new exhibit materials to be added to the Museum for summer 2018. In addition to heritage work, Jeremy is passionate about photography, visual art and music. 

For the forum, Jeremy will be participating in the panel discussion called Heritage in the Landwash – Safeguarding Coastal Traditions where he will discuss his work with the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep087 Grand Falls Memory Mug Up Part One

Yvonne Courtney remembering her childhood in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Part One of our Grand Falls Memory Mug Up, recorded in front of a live studio audience at The Classic Theatre on July 14, 2017. We heard stories of horses and goats, sneaking in to the movie theatre with flattened nickels or fake tickets, stories of memorable local characters, the influence of strong woman, and memories about growing up in the community. The mug up was was part of the town's Salmon Festival activities and was organized by the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society and was a staged interview with six local community members. In part one we hear stories from Andy Barker, Yvonne Courtney and John Edwards.

Download the MP3

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Crystal Braye

Crystal Braye is a folklorist with the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador. She holds a bachelor of arts in cultural anthropology from Wilfrid Laurier University and a masters in public folklore from MUN. Since 2012, she has travelled around the province learning from boat builders and fishermen to enhance the museum's collections and exhibits. Audio and video recordings, photographs, and boat design and construction details are archived and exhibited online and at various locations across the province - including the Wooden Boat Museum headquarters in Winterton.

At the forum, Crystal will be moderating a panel called Heritage in the Landwash – Safeguarding Coastal Traditions. If you would like to hear more about Crystal's work, you can listen to our Living Heritage podcast episode with her by clicking here.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

Do you know this building in Heart's Content? #Folklorephoto

Do you recognize this building in Heart's Content? This photograph was taken in 1994 and is part of the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation slide collection.

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Dan Rubin

Since arriving in Newfoundland fifteen years ago, Dan Rubin has been deeply involved in local history and heritage, as the founding chair of the Pouch Cove Heritage Society. He was lead author and editor of the book Pouch Cove: Our Home by the Sea which received the Manning award for community history in 2016. But Dan is also a groundbreaking gardener and seedsman.

At the forum, Dan will be discussing his earth sheltered greenhouse project which combines the traditional root cellar with a greenhouse that is built with modern materials. If you would like to know more about Dan's work, you can listen to our Living Heritage podcast episode with him by clicking here.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

#CollectiveMemories Monday - Chip Bags and Memories

Photos of the framed chip bags and tickets. 

Photo courtesy of Kelly Jones.

On our trip out to Grand Falls-Windsor for the Memory Mug Up event back in July we were told the story behind the framed chip bags that hang in the Classic Theatre on High Street. Listen to the clip below to hear Shawn Feener, the owner/operator of the Classic Theatre, explain the story behind the tickets and chip bags.

What was the first movie you saw in theatres?
Or where was your first date?

~Terra Barrett

#FoodwaysFriday - When Historic Places Meet Food: Sea Salt and Thyme

Sea Salt and Thyme. Photo by Katie Harvey. 

Sea Salt and Thyme is located on Convent Road in the historic and picturesque community of Brigus, Conception Bay North. Formerly St. Joseph's Convent, this building was constructed circa 1860. On September 11, 1861, four Sisters of Mercy, their reverend mother, and her assistant set out from Portugal Cove aboard the steamship Ellen Gisborn for Brigus. This was to be the first foundation of Mercy to be established outside of St. John's. Upon their arrival, the sisters immediately started their work; visiting the sick and teaching music, art and various other subjects. The convent was closed in 1991 and has since changed ownership several times.

In 2017, the building was converted into a restaurant and B&B by Rod Delaney. On the main floor, you can visit the pub or dine in one of  their multiple dining rooms. The nun's old living quarters on the second floor have been transformed into rooms for guests. Rod explains:

"There's a confession booth still up there and intact. There's a clear outline of crosses on the walls. And some of the details within the rooms are definitely loaning themselves to that time and particular type of history."

Spicy blueberry chicken wings. Photo by Katie Harvey.

This past labour day weekend, on a pleasant Sunday afternoon drive around the bay, we decided to stop in and check out this newly opened restaurant. We sampled a variety of items from the menu including: spicy blueberry chicken wings, pickled onion rings, orange ginger stir fry with seared tuna, a lentil burger and beat salad with croutons and balsamic reduction. For dessert, we ate deep fried oreos with a salted caramel sauce.

Orange ginger stir fry with seared tuna. Photo by Katie Harvey.

Although we weren't able to see the upstairs portion of this building, it was easy to imagine the life this building had previously lived. The well preserved architectural details paid tribute to the fact that this was once a religious building where nuns lived and taught. It is wonderful to see old buildings that are dying adapting with time to remain functional.

-Katie Harvey

Living Heritage Podcast Ep086 How do Newcomers Experience Newfoundland? Part 2

Part Two of “NL Stories: How do Newcomers Experience Newfoundland?” - excerpts from an evening of storytelling with new residents of Canada. The event was recorded live on Thursday, June 29, 2017. It was hosted by the Refugee and Immigrant Advisory Council, with support from the Helen Creighton Folklore Society and the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. The MC and organizer for the event was Marissa Farahbod, a graduate student in the Department of Folklore at Memorial University, with stories from Leonardo Linares Gutiérrez (from Cuba), Maria Moreno (from Colombia), Yohei Sakai (from Japan), and Ellie King (from the UK).

Download the mp3

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Grace Shears

Grace Shears is the Risk Manager at AbbyShot Clothiers Limited in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador. Grace holds the advanced level certificate in Health, Safety and Environmental Processes through the University of Fredericton, NB. She is a former Military Veteran and has also served as a volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross on the Disaster Management team.  In 2014, Grace joined the AbbyShot team and has been dedicated to quality control, product development and supply chain management. She is a major contributor to the empowering energy and culture of AbbyShot.

At the forum, Grace will be discussing her work with AbbyShot with particular focus on the incorporation of traditional knitting into their Outlander products.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Clare Fowler

Clare Fowler grew up on Bell Island. She spent time working in fish plants and other food processing plants before moving to Ontario in 1999 to do the Chiropody Program at the Michener Institute for Applied Health.  She moved to St. John’s in 2004 and worked for a decade before switching gears and following her passions for art and craft.  She completed the Textile: Craft and Apparel Design program with College of the North Atlantic in 2016 and is now a full time crafts person and maker with an open studio at the Quidi Vidi Village Craft Plantation.  Her body of work focuses on the use of seal fur and seal leather.

At the forum, Clare will be discussing her work where she utilizes traditional Newfoundland and Labrador sealskin to develop couture products. She explains:

"My work is exploratory.  I’m not afraid to use colour, texture, and to pair it with different materials.  I’m compelled to be bold and unapologetic in my designs.  I see truth in the material.  The resiliency, hard work, the beauty produced by harsh conditions.  It is successful evolution; it is a smart textile.  Anything a synthetic textile would try to emulate, Nature has already perfected in this fibre.  The creative potential I see in sealskin is nurtured by my emotional relationship to it.  It embodies so much of what the world needs right now.  It is local, sustainable, humane, and possesses the most wonderful combination of durability and biodegradability.  You can wear it a life time, and it will then return to Mother Earth.  I’m inspired to push the limits / boundaries / properties of what the material can do.  I’m inspired by the sealers themselves and their strength in the face of adversity."

If you would like to learn more about Clare's work, you can listen to our Living Heritage podcast episode with her by clicking here.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

Barn in Freshwater, Conception Bay 1995 #Folklorephoto

Photograph taken in Freshwater in 1995 and is part of the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation slide collection.

“Folklore Lives Here!” - A storytelling night in Bay Roberts

Do you remember the spot where teenagers went for their first kiss, where fairies marched, or the rock haunted by the woman in white? Have you collected water from brooks or picked berries from a marsh? What was the best place for playing hockey?

A group of Memorial University folklore students, along with the Heritage Foundation of NL and the town of Bay Roberts, wants to know!

“We are looking for people’s memories about local places, neighbourhoods, swimming holes, skating ponds, and old paths,” says the foundation’s folklorist, Dale Jarvis.

Jarvis, and a group of Memorial University folklore students, will be hosting “Folklore Lives Here” at the SUF Lodge, Bay Roberts, on Thursday, September 14th, 2017 at 7:00pm.

The event is an informal story sharing session for students to meet local residents and seniors, where people can gather, have a cup of tea, and share memories of growing up in Bay Roberts.

The folklore students are part of Memorial University Folklore Department’s Graduate Field School. Students will be living, studying, and researching in the area for three weeks, where they will receive training in folklore interviews, and will work together as a team to document the folklife of Bay Roberts.

The information gathered will be used by the students to create a booklet about the folklore and historic places and neighbourhoods of Bay Roberts.

Come for a cup of tea, share a memory or two about a special place in Bay Roberts. If you have old photos of your favourite place, bring them along!

For more information please contact Dale Jarvis with the Heritage Foundation toll free at 1-888-739-1892 ext. 2 or email ich@heritagefoundation.ca.

“Folklore Lives Here!” - A storytelling night in Bay Roberts
SUF Lodge, Patterson Street, Bay Roberts
Thursday, September 14th, 2017 at 7:00pm.

"Adapting Heritage…Engage, Innovate, Rejuvenate!" - St. John's Oct 25-28

www.adaptingheritage.ca

Less than 6 weeks left to register for “Adapting Heritage…Engage, Innovate, Rejuvenate!” - an exciting forum that examines various aspects of how heritage needs to change and adapt in the 21st century. Hosted by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland & Labrador, in partnership with Memorial University, the conference consists of three individual events:

Wednesday, October 25 – Thursday, October 26 (Morning): Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage - The Lantern, 35 Barnes Road: A day-and-a-half forum highlighting past efforts to safeguard NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and considering future directions.

Thursday, October 26 (Afternoon): Workshop on Adapting NL's Historic Religious Places - Cochrane Centre, 81 Cochrane Street
A half-day workshop on the management of NL's historic ecclesiastical buildings.

Friday, October 27 – Saturday, October 28 (Morning): Conference on Adapting NL's Historic Places - Gower Street United Church, 99 Queen's Road
A day-and-a-half conference that considers the various ways that NL's built heritage can and should change to meet modern needs.

Join conference participants and presenters from across Newfoundland and Labrador and across Canada to learn about new strategies for preserving and safeguarding the province’s heritage and to share your own experiences. Sessions will be of interest to a wide variety of individuals and organizations including historic property owners and managers, municipal officials, heritage professionals, architects, planners, academics, community development organizations and others.

Travel subsidies are available on a first-come, first-served basis so register early!

A generous student discount is available as well.

Visit www.adaptingheritage.ca for full details and to register.

Occasional Paper No. 008 - A Social and Architectural Analysis of the Harbour Grace Railway Station

Harbour Grace Railway Station and Freight House c. 1980. Photo by Joe McMillan. 

For the past couple of months, I've been researching the Harbour Grace Railway Station. I interviewed several people who have memories of the station, conducted archival research, and visited the building on various occasions to document its architectural features. The final result of this project is an occasional paper.  

If you would like to download the full PDF click here.

-Katie Harvey

Today's Catch and Earle Freighting Service LTD. Carbonear, 1994. #Folklorephoto

This photograph was taken in 1994 and is part of the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation slide collection.

How to Sew Up a Horse with Buttons

On August 8, I interviewed Dave Dunn about growing up in St. John's. We talked about his early years in Georgestown (which, as Dave said, was "a bustling community, lively as heck"), his dealings with "longshoreman gangs" on the waterfront (who were always nabbing transistor radios, "the iPhones of the day"), and his later life in Makinsons, where he gardens, picks berries, hunts and forages for most of his food. Towards the end of our interview, Dave brought up the matter of tending to injured animals. "If a horse is in trouble," he said, "if they need to get a pill in them, you've got to get a pill in them. You've got to figure out ways to make things work." With that, he launched into the tale of the time he sewed up a horse with buttons.

Diagram drawn by Dave Dunn, showing how he stitched up an injured horse with buttons and a shoelace. The diagram shows the position of the cut, the shape of the open wound, and his method of repair.

When Dave's horse, Prancer, first received the injury, Dave initially called up the local doctor. However, the doctor didn't want to be known as a "horse doctor," and thus refused his services. Dave then took matters into his own hands, and attempted to sew up his horse with sutures, but the stitches wouldn't hold. After giving the operation a couple of tries, he recalled a story of the time that a Clarke's Beach cow had a wound sewn up with buttons. And so, a woman named Myrtle brought out her button collection, and Dave decided to give it a shot. He explained:

“I think it was about seven buttons—four on the bottom, and three on the top. One in the centre on the top, a couple of flanks, and then the ones on the bottom to match it. … The buttons held. And then afterwards, when the buttons were held, then I used a shoelace. Pulled it together with a shoelace, and tied it up with a little bow.”

Dave used orajel to ease the horse's pain, but as he said, "The repercussion of it was that it was a hot day, and while I was in there trying to do it, I was rubbing sweat off my head—and next thing I knew, my forehead went dead, and my nose went dead, and my mouth went dead, and my fingers went numb—oh, it was so funny trying to do it. That was the funny part. It just made it into such a lark."

Dave had called up a nearby vet to inspect his operation. After sizing up the job, the vet told Dave, "I couldn't have done any better." Dave cut off the buttons once Prancer had healed (after a week or so), and that was that. The cut was set at the very point where Prancer's black and white hair met, so nobody ever saw the scar.

Prancer the horse. Photo courtesy of Dave Dunn.

#CollectiveMemories Monday - Up-cycling Tin Cans

On our trip out to Grand Falls-Windsor for the Memory Mug Up we were told an interesting story about the slide projector in this photo. The event was held in July at the Classic Theatre as part of their Salmon Festival celebrations and there were six storytellers on stage. Shawn Feener, the owner/operator of the Classic Theatre and one of the story tellers, explained the story behind the slide projector. You may notice right away but it has been altered slightly with the addition of three tin cans. These were added so that the picture from the slide could reach the screen. Listen to the clip below to hear Shawn Feener and John Edwards explain the story of the tin can projector. What have you used tin cans for besides beans?!

~Terra Barrett