"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.