Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Hauling Pinkston's Forge: Heritage Building On the Move in Brigus



I've written before about the Pinkston's Forge in Brigus, Conception Bay. The Brigus Historical Society has been working to document it's oral history and stories. The photo above, from July 28th, 2014, shows Muriel Pinkston Wells, John Pinkston, and interviewer Dale Russell Fitzpatrick --  you can read and listen to their interview on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative (DAI).

It has been important to the Brigus Historical Society to document what they can about the forge, because the building had to be removed from its original location. Yesterday, December 15th, was moving day. The building had been covered in plywood to keep it together during the move, and hoisted up onto a sledge made of long wooden poles. A local company was hired to facilitate the move, and a crowd gathered to watch the old blacksmith shop be hauled to its new home near the Brigus Stone Barn museum. The old forge squeaked over the little bridge near Hawthorne Cottage, with only inches to spare on either side, and was then dragged to the new concrete pad that had been erected to receive the forge.

CBC has story on the move, and you can check out some photos on YouTube.


Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Exploring placemaking, the fishery, and traditional games



In the December 2014 edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador: the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) explores membership with the Inter-City Intangible Cultural Cooperation Network (ICCN); some thoughts on placemaking; the Outer Battery’s Charles Pearcey is designated as a Provincial Tradition Bearer; HFNL Announces Three Fisheries ICH Projects in Cupids, Pouch Cove, and Labrador; and Sharon King-Campbell declares war! (Don't worry, it is just a game.)

contributors: Dale Jarvis, Sharon King-Campbell



Photo: Children playing “World” in Southern Harbour, Placentia Bay, 1987.
Photo courtesy Delf Maria Hohmann.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

What was your favourite childhood game?


ICH has a new project, and it's all about fun!

Not quite two weeks ago, Dale was kind enough to bring me on board as coordinator for Hoist your Sails and Run, a project linking up senior citizens with young people to get them talking about play and games in Newfoundland and Labrador. 

The young people in question are on loan to us from Dr. Jillian Gould and the Department of Folklore at MUN, and we'll introduce them to the folks who volunteer to have a yarn about the fun they had as youngsters. We have some help recruiting volunteers from MacMorran Community Centre, who are also offering us space to meet, eat and chat. We'll get together a few times in February to talk and share a meal, and then the students will put together a booklet about traditional games using the stories, photos and quotes that they collect from their interviews.

If you, dear reader, have some stories about your favourite childhood pastimes that you'd like to share, please consider filling out this questionnaire about play and games!

Watch this space for updates on the project, send me an email if you have any questions or want to get involved, and keep an eye on the horizon for the latest Heritage Foundation publication, coming out in March 2015!

Cheers!
Sharon

Sharon King-Campbell
Project Co-ordinator, Hoist Your Sails and Run Project

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Playing games, putting up ice, and a trip to Paris


In this edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador: the ICH office heads to Paris for UNESCO meetings; more from our Petty Harbour oral history project with memories from twins Gussie and Jimmy Kieley; Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador board member Doug Wells shares memories of cutting ice in Harbour Breton; the fall 2014 overview of ICH activities; introducing our "Hoist Your Sails And Run" project bringing together youth and seniors to talk about games; and the schedule for the 2014 Mummers Festival.


Contributions by: Dale Jarvis, Terra Barrett, Doug Wells, and Sharon King-Campbell.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Youth Contest for Aboriginal Arts and Stories



Aboriginal Arts & Stories is a national educational initiative that invites First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth (ages 11-29) to submit creative writing or two-dimensional artwork about their culture and heritage. Participants have a chance to win up to $2,000; a trip to the annual awards ceremony, and have their work published or exhibited. Finalists are selected by a jury comprised of celebrated Aboriginal writers and artists, including Shirley Moorhouse, Kent Monkman, Maxine Noel, Lee Maracle, and Drew Hayden Taylor, among many others.

The contest is an opportunity for youth to share stories of their families, communities, ancestors, as well as personal stories, with an audience across the country. Now in its 11th year, more than 2,000 youth have participated in the contest to date. This year’s deadline is March 31, 2015. Visit www.our-story.ca for full guidelines, prizing information, previous winning submissions, and to submit an entry.

Aboriginal Arts & Stories is a program of Historica Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Canadian history and heritage.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Looking for Labrador Nalajuit!



Are you a Nalujuk? Have you dressed up for Nalujuk Night before? If yes, we would like to meet you. The Mummers Festival is doing some research about Nalujuk Night and would like to know more from the people who know best. How does it feel to be a Nalujuk? What do you wear? What do you do? These are just a few of the questions the Mummers Festival would like answered. If you have 30 minutes to spare, could we meet with you?

Please contact Ryan Davis, Mummers Festival Coordinator at (709) 697-8722 or by email at info@mummersfestival.ca

Monday, October 20, 2014

Mayday Mayday!

Chart image from: http://www.sentinelpressllc.com/emergencydistressposter.html
For a new and upcoming exhibit at the Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse in Gros Morne National Park, Parks Canada is hoping to hear your memories and stories about the use of traditional distress signals in emergency situations. Have there been any shipwrecks or other emergencies in your community? How did people communicate that their boats were in distress? What local stories are attached? 

Shirley Alyward from Parks Canada provided this quote as an example:   
"Mr Gordon Caines of Norris Point put out a sweater with its arms halfway up his ship pole that indicated to the Young family on shore that a boat was in distress."

Shirley would love to hear from you. She can be contacted by email at: shirley.alyward@pc.gc.ca

Thank you, and as always, stay safe!

-Lisa 

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Fishing Stage - Fishing Shed – Shed Stage


Guest blog post by Jennifer Murray, P.Eng

Ever notice the stages in rural Newfoundland? No, not the fishing stages – the performance stages. Nearly every small town and outport in Newfoundland has one these days.

These are the places where the summer festival is held, where local teenage bands play their first gig, and touring entertainers put on the big show of the summer. It’s the spot where local mayors announce the winner of the raffle, thank all the volunteers, and ask the owner of the red pickup to please move his vehicle because he is blocking traffic.

Mostly simple structures – a shed with the door on the wide side – they are cleverly designed to their purpose and climate. Unlike many amphitheatres and outdoor stages in other parts of the world, the shed-stage has a roof and walls on three sides to protect performers and their equipment from the wind and the rain which are a common feature of summer festivals in Newfoundland.

During performances, the doors can be opened out of the way or made into an extension of the stage; when not in use, the doors are secured and the building becomes a storage facility for equipment.

With the closure of many rural churches and schools, and the decline of fraternal organizations which once maintained large halls, these stages and the fields and recreational areas they typically adjoin have become the spaces where the community can come together for celebrations and special events. This infrastructure also supports the expression of many aspects of our intangible cultural heritage. These small stages represent a relatively new form of vernacular architecture, and demonstrate an adaptation of an existing type of building to meet the needs of small communities.







Friday, October 10, 2014

Thanks for a summer filled with meals of lobsters and glasses of slush!



Petty Harbour

Things have finally settled down (a little) so I wanted to stop in and make a final blog post to say thanks! Since I last wrote on the blog I finished my job with the heritage foundation, took a quick trip out to the west coast of the island, attended the fishing for folklore workshop, headed to Witless Bay for field school, and am currently making my way through courses at MUN.

My summer job as a heritage intern with the Heritage Foundation was definitely one of the highlights of my summer! The Oral History Project in Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove taught me a great deal about interviewing, photography, working with the media, metadata, and much more.

As a heritage intern I had the opportunity to assist with cemetery clean ups, gravestone rubbing workshops, and heritage district plaque ceremonies. I was able to interview a number of people from Petty Harbour about the community's social events such as card games, community concerts, and garden parties. I also learned about growing up in Petty Harbour and the children's games played in the area (pidley, rounders). I was told stories about folk beliefs and instructed not to whistle on the water, turn against the sun, or have the gangboards turned over in the boat. I was given meals of lobsters and glasses of slush, I attended community breakfasts, and met wonderful people. I would like to send out a huge thank you to everyone in the community who took the time to talk to me, send pictures or plays, stopped by the oral history booth, sourced out potential interviewees, and all in all made me feel like a part of the community.

If you would like to listen to the interviews from the Petty Harbour Oral History Project check out MUN's DAI. Here you will find links to the interviews and accompanying pictures of the lovely people I had the opportunity to meet. There are still a handful of interviews to be processed by the DAI so check back for more interviews at a later date. Also if you would like to learn more about the community events found in Petty Harbour there is a small article in the ICH Update for July 2014.

Last but not least I would like to thank everyone at the Heritage Foundation, particularly Dale and Lisa in the ICH Office for a fantastic summer!

In closing I've added a short video of Petty Harbour resident (and my uncle) Gordy Doyle doing a recitation of the Smokeroom on the Kyle.

Thanks,
Terra

P.S. Thanks to Lisa for suggesting I turn the recitation into a short video!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

"The Tale of a Town" storymobile touring Newfoundland!

"The Tale of a Town – Canada" is a national oral history and theatre initiative aiming to capture the collective community memory of our country’s main streets, one story at a time.

Over the next three years, The Tale of a Town will tour across the Canada, gathering downtown stories in small towns and big cities alike, and creating performance installations in the capital city of each province and territory. This national venture will culminate in a multi-platform celebration of the country’s main street culture, in commemoration of Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017.

And now the storymobile is coming to a town near you in Newfoundland!

Here's the list of places and dates that The Tale of a Town will be visiting in the next little while:

Oct. 7-9 -- Grand Falls-Windsor
Oct. 10-13 -- Stephenville
Oct. 14-16 -- Corner Brook
Oct. 17-19 -- Gander

Below, you'll find links to The Tale of a Town website, Facebook page, and a great Youtube video showing what's done with the tales after they're collected!

thetaleofatown.com
facebook.com/thetaleofatown
youtube.com/watch?v=6hfVUTjbTU8


Monday, October 6, 2014

Looking for stories and artefacts from Newfoundlanders working in Alberta



The Royal Alberta Museum is developing a new exhibit display that will tell the story of Newfoundlanders who work in the Alberta oil patch, particularly those who travel back and forth between home and work. We are looking to make contact with people who might help us in telling this story by sharing their story. We are also looking to collect objects associated with this story that we might feature in the display. If you would like to contribute, please email Mathew Levitt at Mathew.levitt@gov.ab.ca

Friday, September 26, 2014

Tiddly On The Lawn - This Sunday at The Rooms


TIDDLY TOURNAMENT AND OTHER
TRADITIONAL GAMES ON THE LAWN

Tiddly, also known as piddly, pippy, snig, or puss, was once a very popular game that was played all over Newfoundland and Labrador. While the rules changed from community to community, the game pieces were usually the same – two rocks or bricks and two sticks. Come and join us on the lawn of The Rooms for a fun-filled day of Tiddly and other traditional games.

We're bringing in the experts! Participants from Carbonear's World Cup of Tiddly will be in St. John's to show the Townies how it is done! Come watch, and learn how to play yourself.

The event will be happening from 1pm to 4pm on Sunday September 28.

1pm – 2pm Various races (sack races, egg and spoon races, three legged race)

2pm – 2:45pm Tiddly demonstration game

3pm – 3:40pm Visitors can try the game, various races


For more information, contact:

Jena Mitchell
Marketing Manager
Phone: 709-757-8144
Email: jenamitchell@therooms.ca

or

Dale Jarvis
Heritage Foundation of NL
709-739-1892 x2

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Wednesday night Root Cellar talk and tour in Cupids


This Wednesday, September 24th, myself and folklorist Crystal Braye will be hosting an event all about root cellars at the Cupids Legacy Centre, at 7pm.  The event will include a tour of two cellars at the Cupids archaeological site, a presentation on root cellars, and a discussion of local traditions around root cellars and food preservation. Tickets are $8 at the door, and include light refreshments after the talk and tour!

See you in Cupids! - Dale


Thursday, September 18, 2014

Convent Life -- The Witless Bay Folklore Fieldschool

Right now the new graduate students to MUN's Department of Folklore are nearing the end of their second week of the Witless Bay Field School.  This intensive round-the-clock research methods program is three weeks long and is taking place all around Witless Bay on the Southern Shore. The students are staying together in the local convent--a historic building with many rooms, two large staircases, a confession booth, and a chapel, which is serving as their classroom. It's also a building that is no stranger to communal living, so it's essentially perfect housing for the field school participants.

Over the past week, I visited the students a few times to check on their progress and provide a workshop on some of the data entry they will be doing when they are at the archiving stage of their work. Based on my time with them, I must say that I'm envious of the incredible experience they are having. I took a few photographs that I will share below, but they don't really convey the story of their lives in the convent. Lucky for us, the MA students are blogging about what they are learning and who they are meeting, so please follow them here:

http://witlessbayfieldschool.wordpress.com/

chapel/classroom

MA student Terra Barrett in her sleeping quarters.

Religious artifacts that come with the territory.

MA student Andrea McGuire as she explores the church next to the convent.

Dr. Pocius with some students as we check out the top floor of the Priest's house (currently for sale in Witless Bay!)
-Lisa

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Back to School, Back in the Day

During the month of September I always think of the teachers and students who head back indoors for the fall as they go back to school. It has been a few weeks for students in Newfoundland, but in British Columbia the first day has been delayed due to a labour dispute and consequential teacher's strike.

Yesterday, just as this conflict was finally resolved, I came across these wonderful class photographs from the 1940s of young pupils in Rocky Harbour, Newfoundland. The top photograph is a grade 2 class, and the bottom is grade 1. Right now I am thinking about all the young kids who are just starting school for the first time, and the teachers in B.C. who've had a late start to their teaching year.

I wonder what it was like to be a student back then. Or a teacher for that matter...some of these kids look like trouble.




Special thanks to Charlie Payne of Winterhouse Brook, and the Town of Woody Point, for donating these photographs to the MUN's Digital Archives Initiative. Over the next few weeks a collection of close to 500 photos like the ones above will be made accessible online. I will post links to the collection as the work gets done.

-Lisa

Monday, August 25, 2014

My Woody Point Summer Excursion

Woody Point is a registered heritage district located within Gros Morne National Park. The community is near the tablelands, which offer the region a different kind of physical landscape than other place in Newfoundland. It is a popular tourist destination in the summer, particularly around the time of the Woody Point Writer's Festival, but many people might not know that it has heritage district status. To help promote the district, I recently visited Woody Point to get to know its history, its historic buildings, and some of its residents.

It was a fruitful trip: I returned with 500 archival photographs as well as 100 pages of handwritten local stories, all of which were collected by local heritage enthusiast Charlie Payne. I also gained access to 52 archival interviews (belonging to Parks Canada) from the 80s and early 90s,  and did a number of interviews with residents on my own. Over the next few months, I will slowly be cataloguing all of this data for permanent storage in MUN's online digital archives. As this work is completed, I will be posting links so that it can be viewed by anyone interested.

The Tales of Gros Morne storytelling event at Lobster Cove Head.
 One other thing that came out of my time in Woody Point was a storytelling event held in collaboration with the HFNL and Parks Canada at the Lobster Cove Head lighthouse. This event was a celebration and discussion of some of the superstitions and ghost/fairy stories from the region. We had a good turn out, with lots of stories shared and exchanged -- I hope to do similar collaborations in the future. Thanks to Parks Canada for helping to make this event happen.

Some Parks Canada employees and a few parks visitors sitting around the campfire.

 Please scroll down to see a number of photographs from this field excursion: look at all of the amazing and generous people that I was lucky enough to spend time with and learn from in Woody Point!
Nicky and Mackenzie give amazing tours of the historic Roberts house.

Margarete Sheppard, long time resident of Woody Point, shared with me her life story.

Charlie Payne, a member of the HFNL board of directors, showed me the root cellar he recently made.

Ella Moores, Woody Point's oldest living resident (almost 100!), with Shelley Roberts.

Jack and Sue Parsons in their home near the lighthouse, after sharing their knowledge of the local history.

Brenda Young telling me tales about working at Aunt Jane's Bed and Breakfast in the heritage district.

Robert and Jeanette Rowsell after a wonderful tour of the Prebble house, a municipally designated building.
Thanks for viewing this and please stay tuned for more of what I learned and experienced in Woody Point.
-Lisa

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

The Flying Cloud - a recitation by Patrick O'Neill, Conche


The Clipper Ship "Flying Cloud" off the Needles, Isle of Wight, by James E. Buttersworth, 1859-60. 
Source: Wikimedia Commons.  
While they share the same name, this is a different vessel from the one in the recitation below.


In June of 2000, I was in the community of Conche on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula, doing work on heritage buildings for the Heritage Foundation of NL. I had the luck to meet Mr. Patrick "Uncle Paddy" O'Neill. He was introduced to me by his niece, Joan Woodrow, and while we were talking, he started to do a recitation of an old ballad called "The Flying Cloud", which he had learned from a man named Pat Bromley around 1941.

Using spare tape and an old tape player Mr. O'Neill had, I made a very rough recording of the traditional ballad, which I've transcribed below.  Uncle Paddy is no longer with us, but his version of the lyrics live on! I've seen it described as an anti-piracy ballad. If you have comments, leave them below, or email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

The Flying Cloud

as remembered by Patrick O'Neill, Conche
June 2000
recorded and transcribed by Dale Jarvis

My name is Edward Anderson,
As you might understand,
I belong to the county Waterford
In Ireland’s heavenly land.

My parents raised me tenderly,
And taught me to be wise.
'Twas little they thought I’d die in scorn
In Cuba's sunny skies.

My father bound me to a trade
In Waterford's fair town,
He bound me to a cooper there
By the name of William Brown;

I served my master faithfully
For eighteen months or more,
Then took a voyage on the Ocean Queen,
To Valparaiso's shore.

It happened in Valparaiso,
I met with Captain Moore,
Commander of the clipper Flying Cloud,
Sailing out of Baltimore;

He asked me for to join him
On a slaving trip to go,
To the western shores of Africa
Where the sugar cane do grow.

The Flying Cloud was a clipper barque,
Five hundred tons or more,
Could easily sail with any ship,
Sailing out of Baltimore.

Her sails were white as the driven snow,
And on them showed no speck,
Seventy-five brass cannon guns
Were mounted on her deck.

Her medicine chest and magazine
Were stored away below,
And a Long Tom between her spars,
On a swivel used to go.

I often saw that clipper barque
With the wind abaft the beam,
---------- set,
Take sixteen from the reel.

After three weeks sailing
We arrived on Africa’s shore
Fifteen hundred of those slaves
From their native land we bore.

We forced those slaves to walk our deck
And stowed them down below,
With eighteen inches to each one
Was all allowed to go.

Your heart would ache all for their sake
You could see those slaves
Better far for those poor souls,
If they were in their graves.

The plague and fever came on board,
Swept half of them away,
We dragged their bodies out on deck
And threw them in the sea.

Another three weeks sailing
We arrived on Cuba’s shore.-
We sold them to a planter,
To be slaves forevermore;

The rice and coffee fields to hoe
Beneath the burning sun,
To wear away their wretched lives
Till their sad career was run.

And when our money was all spent,
We came on board again,
Captain Moore from his cabin came
And spoke to all his men:

"There's gold and plenty to be had
If you come with me again,
We’ll run the pirate flag aloft,
And scour the Spanish Main.

We have the fastest sailing ship
As ever skimmed the seas,
Or ever set her eye for a course
Before a lively breeze.”

We all agreed except five men;
He told those five to land:
Two of them were Boston boys
Two more from Newfoundland;

The other was an Irish chap
Belonging to Tramore,
I wish to God I’d joined those men
And went with them on shore.

We robbed and plundered many a ship
Down on the Spanish Main,
Caused many a widow and orphan
In sorrow to complain.

We forced their crews to walk a plank
That hung out over the rail,
The saying of our captain was,
The dead man tells no tales.

We were often chased by man-o'-wars
Both east, north, west, and south
But none of them, try how they would
Could catch the Flying Cloud.

We were often chased by man-o'-war
Who would try to round us to,
To overhaul the Flying Cloud
Was more than they could do.

Until a British man-o’-war
A frigate hove in view
He fired a shot across our bow
A signal to heave-to.

We faced our yards and crowded sail
And ran before the line
A chain-shot struck our mizzen mast
And soon we fell behind.

The deck was cleared for action
As she raced up alongside,
And soon across our snow-white deck,
There flowed a crimson tide.

We fought till Captain Moore was killed
And thirty of our men,
A bombshell struck our ship afire,
We had to surrender then.

The rest of us were brought to land
And into prison cast.
Tried and were found guilty,
To be hung at last.

Farewell to sweet Waterford,
And the girl that I loved dear,
No more will I kiss her ruby lips,
Her sweet voice no more will hear.

Farewell my aged parents,
I now must meet my doom.
I’ll swing aloft the yardarm high
Cut in my youth and bloom.

Monday, August 18, 2014

MUNFLA looking for a working BetaMax player


Has anyone in the St. John's area got an old, *still-working* BetaMax player to donate? MUN's Folklore and Language Archive needs one.

Beta was the Sony-developed competitor to VHS as a home-video format. Beta lost that war but many people kept using Beta machines for a decade or more, even after the whole videotape thing was washed to sea by DVDs.

The Archive has the opportunity to copy some important videos from the 1980s and they are on Beta. The Archive's old BetaCord machine died this very afternoon.

If you have a working one and are willing to donate it you can call Pauline Cox (Archivist) at 864-8401.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Questions from the Petty Harbour Memory Store


We had curious tourists and locals wandering by The Memory Store yesterday in Petty Harbour, wondering what it was all about. So here, in a nutshell, is what you can expect if you come visit us at some point between today and Sunday:

What is The Memory Store?
Remember those photo booths where you would sit with a friend, pose, and then leave with a few photos? The Memory Booth is like that! You come, sit down, have a chat, and you leave with a memento - a recording of your story that you can share with family and friends. We can mail you a CD, or we can email you a copy of the recording, whichever is easiest for you! The Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove museum will also get a copy, to preserve the stories of the community.

How does it work?
Come and sit down in our recording booth, we’ll give you a list of questions to read, and away you go! We handle the recording part.

What does it cost?
Nothing! The Memory Store is part of the Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove 6th Annual Arts and Heritage Festival, and is absolutely free.

Do I need to bring a friend or family member?
It’s more personal if you bring a friend or family member to interview, but if you want to come on your own, we’d be happy to sit with you and have a chat.

Where is it?
The Memory Store will be in the yellow shed, right on the harbourfront, three buildings up from the convenience store (Sam Lee’s old shed).

How long will it take?
You should allow yourself about half an hour for the conversation.

Is it just about Petty Harbour?
All memories are welcome! If you grew up somewhere else, let us know!

The Memory Store will be open from 11am to 4pm until Sunday August 17.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Fishing for Folklore Youth Scholarship


This September, the Heritage Foundation of NL is running a four-day intensive introductory workshop on intangible cultural heritage in the historic fishing community of Petty Harbour Maddox Cove, and has a few select spots available for Newfoundland and Labrador youth who want to learn more about saving local heritage.

“The provincial intangible cultural strategy recognizes that the inclusion of youth is important in all work relating to ICH,” says foundation folklorist Dale Jarvis. “One of the key areas we must address is the participation of youth in our thinking, planning, and celebration of our living traditions. This scholarship is a way of encouraging people at the start of their heritage careers to gain a bit more practical experience in these areas.”

The workshop will run from Tuesday, September 2nd to Friday, September 5th, 2014 at the Petty Harbour Maddox Cove Community Centre. Participants will learn about planning an intangible cultural heritage project, writing field notes, oral history interviewing, safeguarding traditional crafts and skills, creating memory maps of communities, documenting traditional boatbuilding techniques, public folklore programming, and report writing.

The scholarship is open to residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, who are between the ages of 19 and 35. Applicants can be students, recent graduates, or young professionals in any heritage field.

To apply, applicants must send a cover letter explaining their interest in the course, and copy of their resume to Dale Jarvis at ich@heritagefoundation.ca. Application deadline is Friday, August 22nd.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

The Memory Store - Oral history recording booth meets fishing shed!


Remember those photo booths where you would sit with a friend, pose, and then leave with a few photos? The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador is setting up something similar this weekend in Petty Harbour. The only difference is that they will be recording memories, instead of taking photos.

The foundation is setting up what they call “The Memory Store” - an oral history recording booth located in a fishing shed along the Petty Harbour waterfront. The recording booth is being set up as part of the Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove 6th Annual Arts and Heritage Festival, which runs Thursday August 14 - Sunday August 17. The Memory Store will be open from 11am to 4pm each day.

“The goal is to help preserve people’s memories of the community,” says folklorist Dale Jarvis. “The setup is pretty simple. You show up at the Memory Store either alone or with a relative or friend you want to talk with, we give you some sample questions, and you sit and have a chat.”

Afterwards, participants will be emailed a digital copy or mailed a CD of the interview. A copy of the interview will be given to the Petty Harbour Museum, while another copy will be placed on Memorial University’s Digital Archives Initiative for future generations to hear.

Jarvis says people should allow themselves about half an hour for the conversation and paperwork. The sessions and CDs are free for participants.

Look for the Memory Store banners and signs during the Arts and Heritage Festival. The Memory Store will be in the yellow shed, right on the harbourfront, three buildings up from the convenience store. Bring a friend or family member, drop by, say hello, and share your memories!

For more information, email ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Photo: Heritage intern Terra Barrett with The Memory Store sign. Look for both in Petty Harbour this weekend!

Monday, August 11, 2014

The Memory Store - Oral History Recording Booth




This week at the office we are gearing up for the Arts and Heritage Festival in Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove. As part of the festival the Heritage Foundation will have a Memory Store set up in a yellow shed across from the town hall, just three sheds up from the convenience store.

We'll have an oral history recording booth set up in the shed and we are looking for anyone with a connection to Petty Harbour who would be willing to share their memories. From recollections of the town’s social life to tales of the community concerts, if you have been involved in the community we would love to hear from you! We'll be encouraging people to bring a family member or friend in order to interview one another about your Petty Harbour memories.

You will receive a copy of your interview to keep and it will certainly make a great memento!

Hope to see you at the festival!

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Campfire Tales at Lobster Cove Head



Come share your ghost and fairy stories or just sit at the fire and be spooked! Hosted at the Lobster Head light house shed party, by folklorist Lisa Wilson on behalf of the Registered Heritage District of Woody Point and Gros Morne Park Artist in Residence Michael Young

Stories start at Lobster Cove Head Sunday, August 10th at 8PM

Thursday, August 7, 2014

The Cut Bellows - a story from Pinkston's Forge, Brigus



I mentioned in an earlier post that the ICH Office helped record an oral history of Pinkston's Forge in Brigus. In this section of the interview, John Pinkston talked about a cut made in the bellows, and if you look closely at the picture above, you can see the repair work he mentions.

John Charles Pinkston: There's one other instance. Back, I guess, in the 20s and 30s, well there was at one time, there was something like six forges in Brigus, right?

Dale Russell FitzPatrick: Yes.
John Charles Pinkston: And then there was three, but anyway at this particular time, I think there was two blacksmiths in Brigus, so there was Harris and Jackson's. And previous to that I think there was another one, James. Anyway, at this particular time there was two operating: there was grandfather's and Jackson's down in Jackson's Quay. One Saturday morning dad and grandfather came down, of course eight or ten horses lined up, and the window was broken in the forge. So they thought no more about that, so they opened up and got the horse in and grandfather start pumping the bellows. The bellows wasn't working. 
He looked in, there was a cut in the bellows about ten inches long. So grandfather told all the men, b’y, he said I can't do nothing for you because somebody cut the bellows. So they said all right Mr. Pinkston, we're not going down to Jackson's. We're going to wait for you to fix the-- So grandfather went over to-- who's the person that fixes shoes? Cobbler or leatherer. He went over and this fellow, I don't know what his name is-- Keene? Anyway, he came over and he sewed up the bellows. 
So two hours later, had the bellows going, all the men waited for him, and they didn't go down to Jackson. So rumour was that Jackson broke the window and cut the bellows. 
Dale Russell FitzPatrick: And of course people today can still see those stitches. 
John Charles Pinkston: You can still see them. 
Dale Russell FitzPatrick: And they've worked ever since, haven't they?
Muriel Pinkston Wells: Yes.
Dale Russell FitzPatrick: That's a wonderful story.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Photo-Post: A Great Day to Unveil

Marilyn Dawe, MHA Glenn Littlejohn, Eric Jerrett, Mayor Philip Wood, and Frank Crews unveil the Cable Avenue Registered Heritage District plaque.
Photo opportunity after the unveiling. Look at those nice smiles!
Myself, center, standing with some champions of heritage in the Bay Roberts area. Without the dedication of these women, commemorations and events like this would never be possible.
What an amazing turn-out--thanks to everyone who was in attendance, and to all who worked so hard to make our plaque event a success! 


To see some photographs and read about why the Cable Avenue Registered Heritage District was designated by the province please click here.

-Lisa