Thursday, September 29, 2011

Folklore students on fire, hookers, townies, and the #sjtweetup


In this edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador, a group of folklore students under the direction of Dr. Jillian Gould is on fire; we celebrate Culture Days in St. John's with a tweetup and panel on social media and culture; Melissa Squarey talks rug hooking with Betty White; and we launch a new public oral history interview program, Tales of Town, in partnership with The Rooms.

Download the pdf here.

Panelists bios for the Sept 30th #sjtweetup

On Friday, September 30th, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Newfoundland Historic Trust, will be hosting a St. John’s Tweetup event at the Newman Wine Vaults Provincial Historic Site on Water Street as part of Culture Days. It is a chance for anyone to learn more about how social media is being used in the arts and culture sector in St. John’s, and to meet those people face-to-face that you’ve only ever talked to in 140 character tweets. As part of the event, folklorist Dale Jarvis will moderate a panel discussion with people in the cultural sector on the role of social media in local arts, how it is working, and where it is going.

The Tweetup doors open at 6:30pm, with the panel discussion starting at 7pm.

Who are the panelists?


Jennifer Barnable (@JennaOfAvalon) is a writer, photographer and communications professional from Ferryland, Newfoundland who now resides in downtown St. John's. With degrees in cultural anthropology and public relations, Jennifer has spent most of her career working in the arts and cultural industries.

John Gushue (@JohnGushue) is an online editor with CBC News in St. John's, and contributes regularly to radio and television programming. He writes a weekly column on digital culture for the St. John's Telegram, and publishes a blog called Dot Dot Dot.

Elling Lien (@thescopeNL) is editor of The Scope, a weekly, independent alternative newspaper which focuses on local arts, culture, and current affairs in the St. John's region, and which provides live tweets of St. John's City Council meetings.


You can RSVP for the event here.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Knot Tying


This week's photo is of Captain Jan Negrijn tying knots at the Twine Loft, Trinity, as part of Doors Open in 2007.

Knot tying is one of the topics that comes up from time to time as I do workshops in communities about skills and traditions they are worried about losing. At one time, every sailor and fisherman knew dozens of knots, a huge body of specialized knowledge that is not as widespread today as it once was.

Along with that, there were all kinds of folk beliefs about knots, such as knots in a piece of string, which, when buried, could be a cure for warts.

If you've got memories or thoughts on knots and knot tying in Newfoundland and Labrador culture, drop me a line, so to speak.

If a piece of string of any kind is placed outside the house on the eve of St. Brigid, the good saint will walk on it, and that a piece of the cord worn about the leg or foot will be a talisman against all injury from falls and accidents due to stumbling. 
 -PJ Kinsella, Some Superstitions and Traditions of Newfoundland

Friday, September 23, 2011

A few quick pics of Henry Vokey's schooner, Trinity, Newfoundland

I'm here in Trinity for the Wooden Boat Museum of NL conference and AGM. It's been a while since I was in Trinity, so it is great to see the fantastic progress Mr. Henry Vokey, master  boatbuilder, has made on his schooner. Last time I was out this way, it looked like this.

Now, she looks gorgeous. A few quick pictures below.







Here is an interview with Mr Vokey one year ago.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Recitations on the air! CBC radio hosts folk poetry phone in


This Friday, CBC Radio Noon with host Ramona Dearing will be all about the old-fashioned yet timeless tradition of recitations! Local author and recitationist Dave Paddon will be in studio doing a couple of his incredibly witty pieces. And they want to hear from you, too! Phone in at 709-722-7111 / 1-800-563-8255

The show will be broadcast 12:35-1:30 in Newfoundland / 12:05-1 in most of Labrador.

The Voices of Nurses: Clothilda Benson

As part of a partnership between our office, the School of Nursing, and Memorial University's Digital Archive Initiative, we've been putting a series of interviews with nurses online. One of those recently-added interviews is one conducted by Marilyn Marsh with former nurse Clothilda Benson, recorded in 1987, when Ms Benson was in a nursing home with Parkinsons disease.

In this recording Ms. Benson recalls her nursing career; early memories at Cook St.; nursing training at the Grace; the 3 year nursing program; Margaret Canning; her days as a nursing student; her active life before she was a senior; working 12 hour shifts; nursing teachers; doctor lectures; nursing curfews; social activities of a nursing student; discipline; 12o' clock late leave; changes in the career; the Grace in the past and present; manual labour; patient care; family; nursing standards; and treatments for childbirth.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Folk Art, Compliments of Vic


I'm not sure exactly how old this photo is, but I know I snapped it, on slide film, in Bay de Verde, possibly about 2001.  I love how much is crammed into this little display: fishing boats, dorries, part of what looks like an old make-and-break engine.

If you know anything about Vic, or about the objects in the photo, email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

#SocialMedia #sjtweetup @newmanvaults for @culturedays


A tweetup and panel on social media, the arts, and culture in St. John’s

Friday, September 30th, 6:30 pm
Newman Wine Vaults Provincial Historic Site
436 Water Street,
St. John’s, Newfoundland

What is a Tweetup?
A tweetup is an event where people who Twitter come together to meet in person. At a tweetup you meet the people you might only otherwise know virtually. A tweetup is a great opportunity to connect with people in your online network. There have been a few tweetup events organized for St. John’s so far, with meeting places as varied as a local restaurant and a local beach.

What is Culture Days?
Culture Days is a collaborative pan-Canadian volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. Annual, Canada-wide Culture Days events feature free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to participate “behind the scenes,” to discover the world of artists, creators, historians, architects, curators, and designers at work in their community.

What’s happening in the Newman Wine Vaults?
On Friday, September 30th, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Newfoundland Historic Trust, will be hosting a St. John’s Tweetup event at the Newman Wine Vaults Provincial Historic Site on Water Street as part of Culture Days. It is a chance for anyone to learn more about how social media is being used in the arts and culture sector in St. John’s, and to meet those people face-to-face that you’ve only ever talked to in 140 character tweets. As part of the event, folklorist Dale Jarvis will moderate a panel discussion with people in the cultural sector on the role of social media in local arts, how it is working, and where it is going.

Panelists TBA in a future posting!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Norman Currie and Bull Bird, Britannia Newfoundland


I've got a lot a great photos that I've been amassing over the past three years of the intangible cultural heritage project, and it seems a shame to not share some of them. So, with that in mind, I'm going to start a new weekly folklore photo posting, and put a new photo up each week.

This week is a favourite, of Uncle Norman Currie with his boat model, Bull Bird, shown here at the dock in Britannia, Random Island.  I'm not sure of the date on this one, but Uncle Norm passed away a few years ago, and this was one of his last model projects.

One of my favourite stories about him was one I heard from Jim Roy, his nephew-in-law. Apparently, Uncle Norm had an old boat that he had made, with an inboard motor of some type. The propeller shaft had snapped, and when he was told it would cost him $100 to have it welded, Uncle Norm took a cheaper and slightly more ingenious route. He got someone with an angle grinder to smooth off the end of the shaft, then cut a foot off the stern of the boat, and rebuilt it a foot further up, shortening the boat, and allowing the shorter propeller shaft to protrude the correct distance from the back of the boat. Apparently, it worked, and the boat was reportedly even more stable than it had been before the alteration.

A great example of making do with what one has.

Thanks to Jim Roy, Lower Lance Cove, for the story and the photo.

Friday, September 9, 2011

6-hour marathon telling of Jack Tales now online


Earlier this year, the St. John's Storytelling Festival hosted an event called "Jack Cycle" at The Ship Pub. That 6-hour marathon telling of Jack Tales is now online at www.jackcycle.ca, with full videos of each performer.

As the Cycle website relates, "Jack Tales encapsulate elements of the Newfoundland character that have evolved over five centuries: courage, cleverness, generosity, handiness, hardiness, honesty, humility, naïveté, wit, and a general belief in the impossible (amongst other traits). In the stories, Jack comes to represent the Newfoundland character."

And so, the stories include not only traditional Newfoundland folktales, told by the likes of Anita Best and Andy Jones, but also cultural commentary on Newfoundland identity by speakers including Richard Cashin, and Ryan Cleary.

"We hope this will be a resource," says organizer Chris Brookes, "so please pass on the URL to anyone interested."

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

More photo treasures from the Newman Wine Vaults


A while back, I posted about a small digitization project we were undertaking with Provincial Historic Sites and the Newman Wine Vaults. Those photos have been scanned and placed online as part of Memorial's Digital Archive Initiative. They show the interior and exterior of the Vaults and adjacent buildings, and show that the Vaults were used for storage of more than Newman's Port, including things like Javex bleach and potatoes!

This exterior photo, taken from Water Street, shows the west end of the Vault warehouse, and two now-demolished buildings. Also visible is the "Book and Bible" shop, located where Babb Lock and Key is now.

Any vintage car experts out there? I'd love a rough date for this one! Post your suggestions.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Celebrating our History – The Restoration of the Colonial Building


The Association of Heritage Industries is pleased to support and applaud today’s joint funding announcement by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada of $22.3 million to complete the restoration of the Colonial Building.

Located in the heart of a nationally significant historic precinct, the Colonial Building is the finest example of neoclassical architecture in the province. As the seat of government for 90 years, the Colonial Building has played an important role in the province’s history and political culture.

The heritage community, under the umbrella of the Association of Heritage Industries, collectively lobbied for the restoration of the Colonial Building when the Provincial Archives relocated to The Rooms in 2004. The heritage community rallied to have the Colonial Building carefully restored, maintaining the historical and architectural integrity of both the exterior and interior. We also recommended transforming the building into a public space to interpret and celebrate Newfoundland and Labrador’s political history.

The provincial government adopted AHI’s recommendations and, in the intervening years, completed a management plan, making an initial commitment of $3 million towards the restoration project, along with a $648,000 contribution through Canadian Heritage’s Building Canada fund.

Today’s landmark announcement means there will be sufficient resources to complete the restoration work to a high standard - a fitting contribution to this significant building. AHI Chair David Bradley notes that, “The Colonial Building may be the province’s most important, surviving historic structure, and we are pleased that both levels of government recognize its importance and are prepared to make the necessary investment in its preservation and redevelopment. We will watch the progress with great interest.”


Contact:
Kim Shipp
Executive Director
Association of Heritage Industries
709-738-4345
ahi@nfld.net
PO Box 2064, Stn C.
St. John's, NL A1C 5R6

Labrador kayaks old and new, and adventures with polar bears.


This morning, Peter Cowan, reporter and video journalist for CBC in Labrador, tweeted a link to this story, about Noah Nochasak's journey to Hebron in a handmade, traditional style kayak. It is well worth a listen, particularly the part about Nochasak's run-in with a polar bear.

As a sometimes kayaker, I was interested in Nochasak's construction of the kayak, which is built along traditional Inuit lines, but using nylon instead of skin as the covering. It is a good example of one of the basic tenets of intangible cultural heritage: that ICH comes from the past but is in a constant state of evolution.

Give the interview a listen here.

A few years ago, I got a "backstage" tour of the collection vaults at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec. In a darkened room full of boats from all across Canada, there was one treasure that stood out for me: a traditional Inuit skin kayak from Labrador. A few pics below:








Roadside Gardens, Northern Peninsula, Newfoundland

I'm back in the office from our HFNL/ANLA workshop in Plum Point. Along the way, I took a few photos of one of my favourite "roadside attractions" on the Great Northern Peninsula: roadside gardens.  In conversation with David Adams in Cape Onion, he explained that when the highway was put through, the existing peat had to be moved to the side of the road to make room for laying a new roadbed.  That resulted in thick layers of peat on the sides of the road.

In a region with thin topsoil, it is perfect location with gardening, as long as you build the requisite moose fence and scarecrows. A few shots:






Monday, August 22, 2011

A little jaunt - 900 kilometres to Plum Point


In the morning, I'm heading out on the road to Plum Point - over 900 kms betwixt here and there. I'm giving a workshop with ANLA on Wednesday. So, you might not have a blog post for a few days, depending on internet availability.

And what does that have to do with Edward Teach, commonly known as Blackbeard? Not much, really, but any excuse to put up a picture of a pirate is a good one. Teach, reportedly, hung his hat at Plum Point (North Carolina, however, not Northern Peninsula).

Fair winds, all!

Aug 22nd, 1846 - Happy Birthday, Folklore!



On August 22, 1846, antiquarian William John Thoms coined the term "folk-lore." Writing under the pseudonym Ambrose Merton, in a letter to the editor of the London magazine The Athenaeum, Thoms wrote:

Your pages have so often given evidence of the interest which you take in what we in England designate as Popular Antiquities, or Popular Literature (though by-the-by it is more a Lore than a literature, and would be most aptly described by a good Saxon compound, Folk-Lore,—the Lore of the People)—that I am not without hopes of enlisting your aid in garnering the few ears which are remaining, scattered over that field from which our forefathers might have gathered a goodly crop. No one who has made the manners, customs, observances, superstitions, ballads, proverbs, etc., of the olden time his study, but must have arrived at two conclusions:—the first how much that is curious and interesting in those matters is now entirely lost—the second, how much may yet be rescued by timely exertion…. It is only honest that I should tell you I have long been contemplating a work upon our “Folk-Lore” (under that title, mind Messes. A, B, and C,—so do not try to forestall me);—and I am personally interested in the success of the experiment which I have, in this letter, albeit imperfectly, urged you to undertake.


[reposted from the American Folklife Centre facebook page]

Friday, August 19, 2011

Rare historic photo of Newman Wine Vaults interior


Earlier this summer, I borrowed a collection of photographs from Provincial Historic Sites which show various interior and exterior scenes of the Newman Wine Vaults on Water Street, and the associated Newman Building on Springdale Street, here in St. John's.  Vaults staff have scanned those photos, and we are currently compiling metadata for the photos, which will be added to a new sub-collection for St. John's on Memorial's Digital Archive Initiative.

The photo above is undated, but is probably from the early to mid-twentieth century.  I don't know the identity of the gentleman with the cane; if you know, email ich@heritagefoundation.ca.

The back of the photo reads:
"Pipes" of Newman's Port ageing in a bonded warehouse in St. John's 
Story 15 
V.P. 3
E 1-3 
53%
CANADIAN COLLECTOR


A "pipe" is an old unit of measurement for wine or port, sometimes called a "butt" and equal to two hogsheads, approximately 475 to 480 litres.

What is a Hay Barrack, you ask? A Newfoundland-wide photo hunt



I'm hoping that someone out there in Newfoundland has a photo (or memories) of a hay barrack. I'm working on a little article on hay barracks for a future newsletter, and would love a good illustration.

Here is what the Dictionary of Newfoundland English says:

barrack n Cp DAE hay barrack (1807-). Structure consisting of four posts and a movable roof, designed to protect hay from rain and snow (P 245-56). M 71-39 A barrack is composed of a square base of criss-crossed poles, to keep the hay from the ground, and at each corner a large upright pole. In each pole there are holes through which a large bolt can be passed. Resting on four large bolts, one in each pole, is a four-faced cone-shaped roof. These barracks are usually boarded in for about four feet from the ground. 1974 MANNION 176 ~ A roof sliding on four posts, under which hay is kept.

I'm hoping that someone might have seen one in a photo, perhaps not really knowing what it might have been. If you've seen one, let me know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Thanks to Philip Hiscock for pointing me towards this excellent photo of one in the Ukraine. The illustration above is of both a five and four pole barrack, the four pole barrack showing boarding similar to the description in the Dictionary. Illustration taken from the Dutch Barn Preservation Society website, which writes:  Five-pole hay barrack (left), published in van Berkhey, 1810 (Vol. IX). The Dutch wagon size suggests this barrack is about 24' wide and 33' high. Note the winding jack set in position to raise the roof using a long pole. Its form is similar to that of a cheese press. Its relative size, however, appears exaggerated for clarity. Four-pole barrack at right, also from van Berkhey.

See also:


Thursday, August 18, 2011

Two Tasty Riddles



I started off my Food, Folklore, and Tourism talk on Monday with these two riddles, and I figured I'd include them here for other lovers of traditional riddles:

Riddle One:

Flour of England,
Fruit of Spain,

Met together

In a shower of rain,

Put in a bag

And tied with a string,

If you tell me this riddle,
I'll give you a ring.

Riddle Two:

Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot,
Nine days old.
Spell me that in four letters?

Guess away!


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Thoughts on pudding, folklore, and culture


Folklorist and Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer Dale Jarvis introduced the Food, Folklore and Tourism Workshop in Cupids, Newfoundland on Monday, 15 August 2011, with some thoughts on steamed and boiled puddings, and on how food, folklore, and culture are intertwined.



Download Dale's talk as a MP3




Seeds To Supper Festival Midpoint


The Seeds To Supper Festival is in full stride right now. We've just hosted two successful events, our Food Folklore and Tourism workshop in Cupids on Monday, and our Evening With Century Farmers last night at Lester Farms Inc on Pearltown Road in St. John's (picture above with, left to right, Michelle and Jim Lester, and Leonard and Lena Ruby and family).

We've still got lots to come! This Wednesday and Thursday, we're partnering with the Eastern Edge Gallery for their Art Garden Workshop running 11am-2pm at 72 Harbourside Drive, St. John's. As part of their Art Marathon Festival, workshop participants will create a Moveable Art Garden, which will be part of FEASt's Third Annual Open Garden Day on Sunday, August 21.

Head on down to Eastern Edge to help create the art garden, or download the map for Sunday's Open Garden Day.




Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Which interesting townie would you like to see interviewed?

I've been asked  to think about doing a public interview series, where interesting local people and personalities are interviewed on stage. Who would you like to see talk about their lives? What St. John's businessperson or character do you think would have an interesting story to tell?  If you have a suggestion, let me know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca.


Friday, August 12, 2011

Food, Folklore and Tourism Workshop Sold Out!

Our Monday workshop on culinary tourism in Cupids is sold out! Thanks all!  Hope to see the rest of you at one of our other events between August 13-21! For full list of events see www.seedstosupper.ca


Stories from farmers: An evening with the Rubys and Lesters



An Evening with Century Farmers: The Rubys and Lesters

Tuesday, August 16
Free admission
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Lester Farms Inc, 92 Pearltown Rd., St. John’s

As part of the Seeds to Supper Festival, host Kevin Aucoin, of the Agricultural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, will sit down with Leonard and Lena Ruby, and Jimmy and Michelle Lester, and share stories about farming past, present, and future. Jimmy Lester represents the 6th generation Lester to continue farming in this area. Jimmy and his wife Michelle produce vegetable crops, bedding plants and flowers and operate the Lester catering facility on Pearltown Road. Leonard and Lena Ruby continue to grow vegetables on their own historic farm, where others might choose to retire and travel, reflecting their close connection to the soil. Join us, and fill your ears with some home-grown stories!

(NOTE: Lester Farms, Inc. is located at 92 Pearltown Road, not to be confused with the Lester's Market on Brookfield Road. If driving from St. John's along Brookfield Road, pass the Market, and turn left onto Pearltown Road).

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Boxes Under the Bed Archives Workshop in Plum Point, Newfoundland

Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Office, Heritage Foundation of NL
Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives
Partnered Workshop

Boxes Under the Bed: Dealing with backlog interview collections

August 24th, Plum Point Motel
9:30am – 4pm

Well, maybe they’re in your storage room, or in your bottom desk drawer – those shoeboxes of cassettes or videos that were collected by a summer project, seniors’ group or JCP worker. These were the recordings that were going to preserve the voices of the past – but here they sit with no voice at all! You don’t know what’s on the recordings, you don’t know much about who made them – maybe you don’t even have the equipment to play them!

How can you get access to those voices from the past? How can you preserve and use them? Dale Jarvis and Mary Ellen Wright will guide you through the process of identifying, arranging, describing, preserving and providing access to older collections that have been donated or made available to you or that already exist in your holdings. Topics to be covered include:

• Recording formats
• Documentation and consent
• Describing, indexing and transcription of contents
• Access issues
• Digitization
• Preservation of originals

Registration deadline: Participants must register for this course by August 19th, 2011

Fees: $35

Participants must register by email at anla@nf.aibn.com

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Century Farms, Newfoundland ponies, a building floats to a new home, and more


In this edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador: the Seeds to Supper Festival gets underway with a workshop on culinary tourism, featuring Canada's Top Chef participant Todd Perrin; we celebrate our agricultural history with an evening of stories of farming past, present and future; a local woman keeps the tradition of Newfoundland ponies alive; news on the Culture, Place and Identity at the Heart of Regional Development conference coming this fall; a historic merchant's shop is hauled (and floated) to a new home; and, our root cellar roundup.

Download the pdf

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Food industry guests at Food, Folklore and Tourism Workshop

Our "Food, Folklore and Tourism" workshop is taking place at the Cupids Legacy Centre, this coming Monday, August 15, 2011 from 1pm – 4:30 pm

This is a free workshop, but people must pre-register with Melissa at ichprograms@gmail.com or by calling 1-888-739-1892 ext 3.

Our food industry guests for the workshop are:

Todd Perrin
The Chef’s Inn
twitter.com/toddperrin
www.thechefsinn.ca

Chef Todd Perrin believes that the ingredients are the star – he is just the mechanic. Todd began his career in the early 1990’s, enrolling in The Culinary Institute of Canada at Holland College in PEI. Upon graduation, he worked at The Lodge at Kananaskis in Alberta and then at a private hotel near Zurich, Switzerland. Currently, he owns and operates The Chef’s Inn, a B&B in downtown St. John’s, Newfoundland that he runs with his family. With his own place, he sources the freshest local ingredients from his own backyard, neighbours’ farms and his root cellar, practicing farm-to-table whenever possible. His goal as a chef is to bring simple food to the next level.


Viola Wells
Skipper Ben’s Bed and Breakfast and Dining Room
http://www.skipperbens.ca/

Viola is the owner of Skipper Ben’s Bed and Breakfast and Dining Room, a heritage property (circa) 1890 situated in historic Cupids. Under Viola’s management Skipper Ben’s has become known as a quality casual fine dining experience on the Baccalieu Trail. Her expertise in food preparation and her hospitality are renowned and have made her much in demand for special events and weddings. The dining experience at Skipper Ben’s is second to none. With a selection of fresh produce and her own creative recipes, she serves meals with a unique style from health conscious menus that continue to satisfy her visitors.


Kelly Jones
Britannia Teas and Gifts
twitter.com/britanniateas
www.britanniateas.ca

Kelly Jones loves tea! From her earliest memories tea has played a part in her family life. This was especially true when visiting Nana Leawood, her grandmother, at her home in Britannia, Random Island, where tea was a five-times-a-day experience. Today, Britannia Teas is Newfoundland's first tea shop selling loose and bulk teas, tea-related merchandise and treats for the tea lover. Kelly loves passing on what she has learned to other people; she enjoys letting people know the proper way to brew different teas, discussing health benefits and talking about her current favourite tea.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Food, Folklore and Tourism Workshop August 15th - registration open


Food, Folklore and Tourism Workshop
Cupids Legacy Centre, Cupids
Monday, August 15, 2011
1pm – 4:30 pm

Food is at the heart of much of Newfoundland and Labrador culture. From the berries we pick, to Sunday dinner, to the rich heritage surrounding our fishery, food and food production is a deep part of our history and sense of place. When people visit, we are always waiting with a cup of tea, and something to eat.

But what are the challenges faced by tourism operators in terms of developing culinary tourism products? What do they need to meet industry standards? In this workshop local tourism operators and business owners, including Canada’s Top Chef participant Todd Perrin, along with visitor service people, and heritage representatives, will give their input what visitors and locals want, and what they need.

This workshop is part of the Heritage Foundation of NL’s Seeds to Supper Festival. For full details and speaker’s bios visit www.seedstosupper.ca. This workshop is sponsored in part by the Cupids Legacy Centre and the Town of Bay Roberts.

REGISTRATION
This is a free workshop, but people must pre-register with Melissa at ichprograms@gmail.com or by calling 1-888-739-1892 ext 3.


Food Industry Guests

Todd Perrin, The Chef’s Inn www.thechefsinn.ca

Viola Wells, Skipper Ben’s B&B and Dining Room www.skipperbens.ca

Kelly Jones, Britannia Teas and Gifts www.britanniateas.ca

Speakers and Moderators

Kathi Stacey, Eastern Destination Management Organization; Ella Heneghan, Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation; Bonavista Institute for Cultural Tourism; Dale Jarvis, Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Morning interview in Bay Roberts with Todd Perrin and Kathi Stacey


Things are moving along with the Seeds to Supper festival! We kick things off on the 13th with a whole series of events: a FEASt Workshop on Making Food Fun at the St John’s Farmer’s Market; an Edible Wild Plants presentation at the MUN Botanical Garden on Mount Scio Road; and the 53rd Annual Farm Field Day, at the experimental farm on Brookfield Road.

I just drove back into town from the Bay Roberts Tourism Pavilion where Kathi Stacey interviewed me, and Todd Perrin of Canada Top Chef fame. All three of us will be presenting at the "Food, Folklore and Tourism" workshop in Cupids on August 15th at 1pm. The workshop will include an open panel discussion session about culinary tourism in NL, as well as a session on the challenges faced by tourism operators when developing culinary tourism products. The workshop will be free to anyone interested, but pre-registration will be required. Email Mel Squarey at ichprograms@gmail.com to register.

Twitter links for this post:
@TourismintheBay
@toddperrin
@dalejarvis
@kathistacey

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Meet the Newfoundland Fairies, tonight in Cupids!


“When you go up on the hills picking berries
don’t going chasing off after strange music
and be sure to take a piece of bread with you
to protect yourself from the faeries.”

For generations Newfoundland grandparents advised little children this way - but, do they still need to, today? Come to Cupids on August 4 and find out!

The public is invited to join us on Thursday August 4 at 7:00pm, as the Cupids Legacy Centre officially opens its rooftop “Faerie Garden,” and celebrates faerie lore in local tradition. You’ll hear local faerie stories, watch faerie dances—and you’re GUARANTEED to spot at least three faeries.

Bring along your own faerie story to share, too, and join us as we explore this wonderful aspect of our intangible cultural heritage.

All we ask is that you not aggravate the fairies and speak kindly of them. (“Bread” will be available to all who attend—as a safety precaution!) Refreshments and finger foods will also be served.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Seeds to Supper coming soon!

We haven't had a blog post in a while, but don't think we're on summer vacation! We're busy bees down here at ICH - the newsletter is coming out soon, I'm back from workshops and meetings in Grand Bank, Crystal Braye has been in every other root cellar on the Avalon by now, and the Seeds to Supper festival is about to kick into high gear (www.seedstosupper.ca).  I will be posting info as it comes up, so stay tuned.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Seeds to Supper Festival Poster


Here it is! The poster for our Seeds to Supper festival, running August 13-21! Download a pdf version of the poster here. Poster design by Graham Blair.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Wrigglin' Riddlin' Pickets and Palings - Newfoundland Fences


After a chat with Kim Paddon with the English Harbour Arts Centre last night at the Crow's Nest Storytelling Circle, I'm posting a few things related to traditional Newfoundland fences.

First, check out the 1977 Wrigglin' Fence video. This short film, directed by Newfoundland artist Don Wright, follows the Paddy Brothers of Port Kirwan, Newfoundland, as they build a traditional 'wrigglin' or riddle fence around their garden patch.

You can download our traditional fence brochure here in pdf.

And there are articles on wriggle fences in our past newsletters here and here.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Root Cellars, Repatriation of Remains, and Heritage Windows - ICH Update


In this edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador: notes on the 3rd Annual Folklife Festival, Seeds to Supper; Crystal Braye digs in to the Root Cellar Project; we learn why the Food Security Network thinks that Root Cellars Rock; Torngâsok Cultural Centre archaeologist Jamie Brake documents a 1927 incident involving anthropologist William Duncan Strong and the second Rawson-MacMillan Subarctic Expedition, and the 2011 repatriation of the remains of 22 Inuit from the Field Museum in Chicago; and Melissa Squarey reports on tradition bearer James "Jim" Youden, a heritage carpenter and window maker who is the recipient of the Newfoundland Historic Trust’s 2011 Southcott Award for Heritage Craftsperson.

Download the pdf

Add to the collaborative Root Cellars of Newfoundland and Labrador Map!

We are just launching our collaborative Root Cellar Mapping Project! Do you know where there is a root cellar, somewhere in Newfoundland and Labrador?

Map it!  You'll need to be logged in to your Google account to add a spot on the map, which is at:

http://tinyurl.com/rootcellarmap

If possible, we'll visit your root cellar in person and add it to the digital root cellar we are building as part of Memorial University's Digital Archive Initiative. Got a memory about a root cellar that no longer exists? Map that too!

Rules are simple:

* Root cellars only
* Don't move other people's pins
* Don't be a jerk

We'll delete anything that we feel doesn't fit.

Once you are looking at the map, hit the "Edit" button, which should be visible if you are logged in to your Google Account. Select the blue pin from the menu. Stick it where your root cellar is (or was) and tell us about it.

Who wants to build a traditional Newfoundland punt?


Have you ever looked out at the ocean on a calm day and thought "wow I wish I had a boat". Then now is your opportunity to learn how to build a traditional Newfoundland punt.

The Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador will be offering a Boat Building Course in Winterton this summer from July 9th – August 27th. The course will consist of 8 workshops.

Workshop #1 The Backbone: Shaping the Stem and Keel
Workshop #2 The Backbone: Connecting the Stem to Keel
Workshop #3 The Backbone: Shaping the Counter
Workshop #4 The Backbone: Connecting the Counter to Keel
Workshop #5 Setup and Frames
Workshop #6 Planking – Putting on the Shear Plank
Workshop #7 Planking – Putting on the Garboard Plank
Workshop #8 Planking – Filling in the Hull

Workshop #1 will be begin on Saturday, July 9, 2011, and run each Saturday until August 27, 2011.

Cost per workshop is $60.00. Members receive a 10% discount.

Participants can register for the entire 8 weeks or individual sessions. For further information or to
register, please call 709-583-2070 or email bkingheritage@gmail.com. Pre-registration is required.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Exploring and learning about the oral tradition - Workshop July 16

Explore the skills needed to begin your own storytelling journey: story selection, rehearsal methods and visualization techniques, gestures and body language, stage presence and more! You will be encouraged to “put the book down,” and begin to tell!

No storytelling experience is required, just a willingness to learn and play in this supportive and fun environment. If you consider yourself to be an intermediate storyteller, please join us as well. An extensive handout will assist participants in continuing their work the class.

If you are an educator this workshop is for you as well. Storytelling increases self-esteem and self-confidence and enhances self-expression. It is an interdisciplinary tool, introducing them to literature and folklore of all cultures, promotes writing and provides a rich environment for different learning styles.

Please join Professional Storyteller Karen Chace for this fun and interactive workshop at Gower Street United Church Hall (downstairs) on Saturday, July 16th, 2011at 1 pm – 4 pm. Open the door and step into a world full of stories! Who knows, you just might share a tale before you leave!

The workshop will be conducted by Massachusetts storyteller Karen Chace. When she isn’t telling stories Karen is teaching others to share their own. A workshop leader and author she writes for Storytelling Magazine as well as her own blog and newsletter with resources for storytellers and educators. She is also a contributing author to the National Storytelling Network’s publications, A Beginner's Guide to Storytelling and Telling Stories to Children and offers her own publication, Story by Story – Building a School Storytelling Troupe. She is the recipient of the 2009 Brother Blue-Ruth Hill Award and the 2011 National Storytelling Networks Oracle Award for Service and Leadership in the Northeast (USA). Please visit her website at http://www.storybug.net

Admission: $20 

Pre-register at: storytelling@nf.sympatico.ca
Perfect For: Educators, Librarians, Students and Adults 
interested in exploring and learning the art of Oral Tradition

Call for Volunteers: Summer Folklore Fieldwork Opportunity

The West End Oral History and Folklife Festival is being offered as part of the ICH office’s 3rd Annual Folklife Festival and will be held in two sessions: during the day on Wednesday, August 17th and on Saturday afternoon, evening and night, August 20th.

The theme of this year’s ICH Festival is “Seeds to Supper” an homage to agri-culture and education in food sustainability in Newfoundland Labrador. The West End festival seeks to present agricultural history in urban neighbourhoods in St. John’s. The geographic focus is from the Memorial to Tommy Ricketts on Water Street west to the ‘Crossroad’s, the location where Water Street west, Waterford bridge Road and Topsail Roads converge. The site goes north primarily from the bottom of Patrick Street to Wesleyan United Church on Hamilton Avenue (at Patrick St.), west past Victoria Park, Hamilton Hall (the CEI Club) and then to the Laurier Club at the top of the street. This neighbourhood was once the industrial heartland of the city as well as a farming region prior to that. Currently there are about 30 businesses in the area including a music store, lettuce farm, Pennecon, the Labatt’s Brewery and one of the oldest businesses in the city, not to mention the lovely Victoria Park, perhaps best known currently as the home of the Lantern Festival, held every year in the summer.

All Folklore graduate students and upper classmen who require practical ethnographic experience for their degree and diploma programs are welcome to participate in a volunteer capacity to carry out original fieldwork in a supervised community setting. Students may also volunteer to become festival administrators, presenters and programmers. A ‘buddy system’ and team structure will be engaged.

Options for fieldwork include occupational and labour folklife, the dockyards, the rail yards, folk art and music; old farms once right off Water Street; food sustainability for urban residents; river management in Victoria Park; and the history of the CEI Club. This building is turning into condominiums so opportunities abound for the analysis of the gentrification of the neighbourhood. Interest in children’s folklore past and present is welcome, as is the contemporary impact of the lack of children in the locale. Anyone interested in working with senior citizens on any topic should consider this opportunity to carry out original, independent field work. Finally, histories of Victoria Park, along with folklore of the park are also welcome.

Field work will officially start after Canada Day and will conclude with the festival dates. Students who wish to volunteer to conduct festival programming are welcome as well. Ultimately, the festival will be a place where students can, if they choose, apply their fieldwork for common good. If you wish, you can do as much fieldwork as you can fit into July month. Technical equipment is not necessary to participate in this project. The only requirement for the project is a brief essay summarizing your fieldwork and suggestions for additional fieldwork (4-5 pages). This essay must be completed by the festival date (August 17th).

Folklorist Kathryn Foley, MA (Memorial Folklore 1987), has experience in the public sector from 1987-1994 in New York State and Pennsylvania. She has edited and written curricula, managed the field office for a graduate student institute in oral history; taught ethnography and oral history to ninth graders and has extensive communication and networking skills. Folk art is a specialization. Additional information is available on her profile on the website, Linked In. Students will be provided with a Certificate of Participation as well as a reference letter upon request.

email only: kathrynfoley47@yahoo.ca.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Newfoundland Set Dancing and Percussive Dance Workshops

From Wednesday July 13th through to Tuesday July 19th there will be DAILY opportunities to participate in an exciting variety of dance workshops at the Sound Shift Festival
http://www.mun.ca/ictm2011/festival.htm

Workshops are listed at: http://www.mun.ca/ictm2011/festival_workshops.htm.
Ticket prices at: http://www.mun.ca/ictm2011/festival_tickets.htm

(Purchase at door, cash only)
$10.00 / Regular, per workshop
$8.00 / Students/Seniors, per workshop
$20.00 / Regular, 3-workshop pass
$15 / Students/Seniors, 3-workshop pass

Thursday July 14 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the MMAP Gallery at the Arts and Culture Centre, Jane Rutherford will be leading a workshop in Newfoundland Set Dancing, accompanied by Christina Smith

Tuesday July 19th from 1:30 pm - 3:0 pm, also at the MMAP Gallery at the Arts and Culture Centre,
Kristin Harris Walsh will be leading a workshop in Percussive Dance , accompanied by Stan Pickett

You, Your Town & Tourism Workshop in Carbonear

You are invited to attend a one-day workshop that will leave you with a passport to explore this spectacular historical region of the province.

You’ll learn more about the culture, history, heritage and natural beauty of the region.
When: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 8:30 am – 3:00 pm Where: Lecture Theater at College of the North Atlantic, Carbonear Campus

To Register call: 709 596 8957
Free admission.
Lunch and nutritional breaks compliments of the Town of Bay Roberts and Department of Tourism.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Root Cellar Typology for Newfoundland and Labrador


We are digging away on our root cellar project, documenting different root cellars, taking photographs, making measurements, and interviewing people about root cellar traditions.

One idea we've come up with is to create a map of root cellars across the province, to see what kind of root cellars are most common where. So, I've taken a first stab at creating a root cellar typology, listing out the different kinds of root cellars we've found to date.

If you know of a different kind, or have a suggestion for a root cellar for us to look at, or root cellar owner to interview, contact Crystal Braye, our down-to-earth folklore co-op student, at folklore.coop@gmail.com.

Dual Entrance Cellar - set into the ground and lined with rocks/concrete. A shed is built over top of the cellar, with its own door. Access to the cellar is through a ground-level door into the cellar, and through a hatch door incorporated into the floor of the shed.

Hatch and Shed Cellar - set into the ground and lined with rocks/concrete. Beams and planks are laid over the hole, with a hatch door incorporated into the ceiling/floor, along with a ladder for access. A shed is then built over the top of the cellar.

Hillside Cellar - dug out of a hillside, lined with rocks or concrete, and then a ceiling is attached to overhead beams. Access through a ground-level door on the front.

Above Ground Cellar - freestanding cellar, covered thickly with sod on the outside, lined inside with rocks/concrete, with access through a ground-level door on the front.

Above Ground Hatch – like the Above Ground Cellar, but with access from a hatch at the top.

Walk-in Cool Room – Insulated room, part of a house or outbuilding.

Barrel Cellar – A small root cellar made of a converted barrel or drum.

Unidentified Ruin

Others?

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Ghost stories and legends from Cape Broyle, Bell Island and Grand Falls-Windsor

I posted a few of the stories recorded by participants in our Young Folklorists Program yesterday. Here are three more, with tales from Cape Broyle on the Southern Shore, Bell Island in Conception Bay, and Grand Falls-Windsor in Central Newfoundland.

Stacey Challinor, Baltimore School - The Legend of Peggy's Hollow


Nicole Doyle, St. Michael's Regional High - A Bell Island Ghost Story


Tayler French, St. Peter's Junior High - The Phantom of the Arts and Culture Centre

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Supernatural Stories from the Young Folklorist Program

Earlier this spring, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador hosted its first Young Folklorists Program. Students spent two days learning about local folklore, doing interviews along Water Street, and researching and learning local stories.

The students chose to work on superstitions and ghost stories, and each student recorded their story on the second day of the workshop.  All of them will be added to our oral traditions collection as part of the ICH Inventory. Here are the first three!  I'll put out a notice when the rest are uploaded to the Inventory.


Amanda Brace, St Peter's Junior High - A ghost story from Victoria Street


Ashley Brace, St. Peter's Junior High - Phantom fires in St. John's

Emma Burry, Leary's Brook Jr. High - The Sunshine Park Killer - An Urban Legend

Digital Root Cellar storing memories as part of Memorial's Digital Archives Initiative


This abandoned root cellar, located on Thorpe's Road, St. Phillip's, is one of the root cellars that will be documented as part of this summer's Seeds to Supper Festival.  This year, the province's third annual folklife festival will celebrate agricultural traditions past and present.

The root cellar research project is being conducted by Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) folklore coop student Crystal Braye, and Agricultural History Society intern Julie Pomeroy.  The pair will be photographing, measuring, and drawing cellars wherever they can root them out, as well as conducting interviews with root cellar owners and farming families.

All collected photographs, drawings and audio interviews will be stored, nice and cool, in our digital root cellar, as part of Memorial's Digital Archives Initiative and HFNL's ongoing Intangible Cultural Heritage inventory.  The research is funded in part with grants through the Department of Tourism's Cultural Economic Development Program, and the Helen Creighton Folklore Society.

If you have a root cellar and are interested in participating, or for more information, please contact Crystal Braye via email folklore.coop@gmail.com or telephone at 709-739-1892 ext. 5

Monday, June 27, 2011

Zombie Invasion! Flee!

Following yesterday's post on Bigfoot along the Trans Canada Highway, CBC reporter Cecil Haire  today terrified CBC listeners with news of the zombie apocalypse.


Apparently, someone has reprogrammed a traffic sign near Windsor Lake to warn motorists of a zombie invasion and impending doom. The sign also flashes that people should save themselves and reminds people of the movie folklore that you should never be overconfident about a zombie's demise.

Happy motoring!




UPDATE: CBC web article

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Newfoundland Bigfoot: Help me in the hunt!

As you drive along the Trans Canada Highway, motorists on the lookout for a large, hairy animal may find themselves staring at something decidedly more cryptozoological than your average Newfoundland moose.


As I was driving back to St. John's from Bay Roberts on the Trans Canada Highway earlier this week, I spotted something just east of the Salmonier Line turnoff.

"That tree stump looks just like Bigfoot," I thought.  Then, as I came closer, "My God! It IS Bigfoot!"

Some genius prankster has put up a plywood cutout of a sasquatch-looking creature just at the edge of a pond, 60 meters or so off the highway.


Folklore junkie that I am, I immediately recognized the outline of the monster captured in the controversial Patterson film of 1967.

I returned today, and crept close to the monster cut-out, snapping a series of photos, now on Flickr.

I'd love to know who created this, and why! If you have ANY ideas as to who made it, email me at info@hauntedhike.com or text me at 709-685-3444.  If the creator wants to remain anonymous, I'd be happy to oblige, but I'd love to interview them about their monster, and the story behind it.

PS  - Here is an article I wrote about Bigfoot in Newfoundland in 2007.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Life Beyond the Overpass





The Overpass before (upper photo by Cecil Haire) and after (lower photo by David Cochrane)

Donovan's Overpass has been demolished as part of a redesign of the highway system in and around the St. John's area.  A demand for highways that are both wider and faster for commuters has been given as the reason for the structure's demolition.

The structure entered into the provincial vernacular, with the expression "beyond the overpass" coming to mean anything in the province that was outside of St. John's.

Like the similar expression "beyond the pale," the phrase "beyond the overpass" always seemed to imply a certain cultural superiority. The structure, and the phrase, generated a certain emotional response, and while the concrete bridge was perhaps nothing exceptional architecturally, it is (was) imbued with a level of cultural meaning perhaps unique in the province.

The Telegram called the structure "infamous," while VOCM referred to it as a "cultural icon." CBC News said the bridge "symbolized the divide between St. John's and the rest of the province." As CBC's David Cochrane said today on his twitter feed, it was "our Berlin Wall."

Love it or hate it, the overpass is no more. It will be replaced by a six-lane road on the Topsail Road stretch, and a four-lane "structure" serving Kenmount Road.  I suspect the phrase itself will linger on, long after the $5.6 million to replace the overpass has been spent.

Just added: Good Bye Overpass Video