Register Your Town's Official Bonfire Night Event

As part of this year's Festival on Fire, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador is compiling a list of community events surrounding one of the province’s most colourful holidays.

Since 2008, HFNL has been working to safeguard and sustain the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador for present and future. The list of bonfire night celebrations is just one part of the foundation’s new Festival on Fire, to take place at the end of October and beginning of November.

We will be planning a series of events around Bonfire Night traditions. But to start, we want communities to contact us about any Bonfire Night events they already have planned.

Communities or local fire departments wishing to register supervised; official town bonfires should send the following information by Friday, October 22nd, 2010:

1. Name of Community
2. Location of Bonfire in the community
3. Start time and Date
4. Backup bad-weather date if applicable
4. Name/Contact information of official contact person.

Send information to:
ichprograms@gmail.com
www.festivalonfire.ca
Telephone: 1-888-739-1892 ext 3

North River dancers take over the Ship Pub in St. John's!

In 1992, Sheila Power of North River organized a St. Patrick’s Day family concert, with the hope it would become a yearly occurrence for All Hallow’s Parish. Thinking that the traditional Lancers would add to the concert, she went searching for local dancers who would show off their talents.

The dancing was a great hit, and the group continued performing the Lancers for local concerts. Since 2009, the group has been meeting regularly and working on dances, under the guidance and direction of Power, with live music provided by accordionist Web Dawe. In the summer of 2010, the Baccalieu Trotters were one of the groups that took part in a traditional Newfoundland folkdance symposium in Old Perlican, as part of the Cupids 400 celebrations.

“We do this for fun but it is a great way to keep in shape,” says Power. “It also keeps the Newfoundland music and traditional dance alive.”

The Baccalieu Trotters will be the featured performers at the Folk Arts Society’s weekly Folk Night at The Ship Pub on Solomon’s Lane in St. John’s on Wednesday, October 13th. The event starts at 9:30pm, and is $5 at the door. Hosted by Dale Jarvis, and co-sponsored by Dance NL.

http://www.nlfolk.com/folknight.html

"Hot" off the Press - The October ICH Update

In this very hot edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador launches its second annual Folklife Festival. This year, the festival is called The Festival On Fire, and celebrates fire and fire-related traditions including the annual November 5th Bonfire Night Celebrations. The Update also features a review of the 2010 Doors Open program, notes from a folklore researcher on textile traditions on the Great Northern Peninsula, and community heritage projects from Pouch Cove and North River.

Download the pdf at:
http://www.archive.org/download/IchUpdate019-October2010/ichupdate019.pdf

Foundation Compiling List of Bonfire Night Celebrations Across the Province

From the woodstove in the kitchen, to the St. John’s Fire of 1892, to the annual lighting of bonfires on November 5th, fire has a firm place in the heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador.

As part of a plan to explore that history, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador is compiling a list of community events surrounding one of the province’s most colourful holidays. The list is part of a new festival celebrating fire and fire traditions in the province.

“We are collecting a list of communities that are holding official Bonfire Night events,” explains Dale Jarvis, the intangible cultural heritage development officer for the province.“We want to know what events are planed for Bonfire Night in communities all across Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Bonfire Night, traditionally held on or near November 5th, is a tradition that has seen a decline in resent years, in part due to worries about illegal fires. “There is an increasing concern about the decrease in Bonfire Night participation in the province,” says Jarvis. “We would hate to see the tradition vanish, so we are looking to promote those communities who celebrate the holiday in a safe fashion.”

What can be done to preserve this tradition?

The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) was established in 1984 to preserve the architectural heritage of the province. Since 2008, HFNL has been working to safeguard and sustain the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador for present and future. The list of bonfire night celebrations is just one part of the foundation’s new Festival on Fire, to take place at the end of October and beginning of November.

Many residents of Newfoundland and Labrador associate their earliest fire memories with Bonfire night. Other fire related traditions of interest to the foundation include things like blacksmithing, candle making, boil-ups, cooking and baking traditions, and the oral histories of volunteer and professional fire fighters.

“We will be planning a series of events around these traditions,” says Jarvis. “But to start, we want communities to contact us about any Bonfire Night events they already have planned.”

In coordination with this, HFNL hopes to collect local memories and stories about Bonfire Night and fire-related traditions.

Any persons who have interesting stories or memories associated with Bonfire Night in Newfoundland and Labrador are encouraged to contact the foundation’s office through their website www.festivalonfire.ca or to call Melissa Squarey at 1-888-739-1892 ext3.

Pouch Cove Community Heritage Night, Tues October 5, 2010

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5th, 2010
7 PM
Anglican Church Hall in Pouch Cove

This Tuesday, come join the Pouch Cove Heritage Committee and help figure out which stories, songs, photos and places could be saved as part of preserving and sharing Pouch Cove’s heritage.

I will be on hand to explain the importance of preserving history and heritage, and to help identify people, places, stories and things that are important for the community to save as part of its local heritage and culture.

People are invited to bring family photos they would like to share. These will be scanned at the event, so you won’t have to give them up! Former ICH Digital Archives Intern Jed Baker will be on hand to help create a Google map of the community, marking places with important stories and photos.

The Pouch Cove Heritage Committee is a non-profit community association founded last year to help residents of Pouch Cove identify and protect local heritage. The Committee works independently from the Pouch Cove Town Council and has been set up as a separate incorporated society.

Bob Brink, a member of the executive, has designed and set up a new website for the group, at www.pouchcoveheritage.org. Check it out!

Lunchtime Seminar Series - Taboo! Humour, Anxiety and the Body

The inaugural Lunchtime Seminar of the semester will take place on Tuesday 5th October from 12.30-1.30pm in Education Building Room ED-4036, Memorial University, St. John's.

Folklore PhD student Laura Sanchini will present a paper entitled "Taboo!: Humour, Anxiety and the Body."

"The talk is about fart-lore and relationships," says Sanchini. "It should be a lighthearted and funny look at taboos."

Everyone is most welcome to attend. Feel free to bring your lunch.

Future seminars are scheduled for 2nd November (Janice Tulk) and 16th November (Ginny Fugarino). Mark your diaries now! Further details will be available nearer the time.

Organizers are still looking for more presenters for this semester, and for Winter 2011. If you are interested in presenting, or would like more information, please contact Joy on jfraser@mun.ca or Ian on ian.hayes@mun.ca.

ICH Culture Days Podcast - Come All Ye, Second Verse

As part of Culture Days 2010, folklorist Dale Jarvis leads an artist's talk about "Come All Ye - Second Verse", a light-hearted portrait of Newfoundland folk music. Interview is with printmaker and musician Caroline Clarke, and woodwork and mixed media artist Pam Dorey. Recorded in front of a live audience on Friday, September 24, 2010 at the Devon House, Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, 59 Duckworth Street, St. John's.

Download the podcast as a MP3 at:
http://www.archive.org/download/ComeAllYe-SecondVerse/ComeAllYe_podcast.mp3

Listen to streaming audio or download other formats at:
http://www.archive.org/details/ComeAllYe-SecondVerse

Residents Encouraged to Participate in Culture Days

Culture Days, a collaborative pan-Canadian volunteer movement, will be celebrated this year across Newfoundland and Labrador September 24-26.

“Many communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador will celebrate Culture Days through inclusive partnerships that showcase and celebrate our pride and respect for all cultures,” said the Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment and Minister Responsible for the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism. “Our government is pleased to participate in various events related to Culture Days since they capture the spirit of the provincial Policy on Multiculturalism. It is only though such collaborative partnerships and efforts that our province continues to be a vibrant, dynamic and welcoming home for all our residents. I encourage everyone to attend an event in their region.”

Since the launch of the Policy on Multiculturalism in 2007, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has worked with many partners to ensure cultural diversity is seen as a strength and to promote cross-cultural understanding where the cultural diversity of all people is valued, supported and enhanced.

“Cultural diversity is not only celebrated in Newfoundland and Labrador, it is experienced and celebrated every day around our country,” said Amy House, member of the national committee and Chair of the Provincial Task Force for Culture Days. “Our own cultural heritage is eclectic, colorful and distinctive. Newfoundland and Labrador is like one big homemade patchwork quilt and each piece is a different culture.”

In Newfoundland and Labrador, Culture Days activities are supported through a $20,000 investment provided through the Cultural Economic Development Program (CEDP) of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

Many of the activities for Culture Days focus on celebrating cultural diversity and include, specifically, a dance performance in St. John’s, international cooking classes in Grand Falls -Windsor, a talent show in Corner Brook and guided outdoor hikes at the Birch Brook Nordic Ski Club and Hiking Trails in Labrador.

Since the launch of the province’s cultural strategy, Creative Newfoundland and Labrador: The Blueprint for Development and Investment in Culture in 2006, the Provincial Government has invested more than $44 million into the arts, culture and heritage sectors.

For more information on Culture Days and how to get involved, visit www.culturedays.ca.

As part of Culture Days, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador is running Doors Open St. John's and Doors Open Petty Harbour. For more information, visit www.doorsopendays.com.

CultureDays talk Friday, Sept 24 with Caroline Clarke, Cara Kansala & Pam Dorey

As part of Culture Days 2010, join folklorist Dale Jarvis as he leads an artist’s talk about “Come All Ye – Second Verse”, a light-hearted portrait of Newfoundland folk music through the prints of Caroline Clarke and the woodwork and mixed media creations of Cara Kansala and Pam Dorey.

Caroline Clarke is a St. John's based printmaker and musician who draws much of her inspiration from the local community, especially the camaraderie that develops around the sharing of music. Clarke has shown her work in solo and group exhibits in the Craft Council Gallery. In 2008 she had an exhibition of prints—with a musical theme—in the Main Gallery with Cara Kansala and Pam Dorey – “Come All Ye”. In 2010, these three artists are revisiting this theme in “Come All Ye – Second Verse” continuing to have fun with their art and the music that inspires them.

Cara Kansala and Pam Dorey founded Cara’s Joy in St. John’s in 2003, and relocated to Upper Island Cove, Conception Bay, in 2005. The pair work full time from their home studio/workshop, where they fashion their colourful, humorous pictures/collages from a variety of materials including wood, wire, and twine, hand-painted fabric, and crocheted clothing.

Artist talk begins at 6pm Friday, September 24, at the Devon House, Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, 59 Duckworth Street, St. John’s. For more information call (709) 753-2749 or email info@craftcouncil.nl.ca

Image shown: “St. John’s Waltz”, hand tinted linocut by Caroline Clarke.