Given the recent completion of the new archives facility, officials decided to focus on genealogy and family stories at this year’s Heritage Festival at the Wellington County Museum.
The theme was further broadened to storytelling, which seemed to suit those in attendance on Feb. 27 just fine.
“It’s more adult focused than kid focused,” activity programmer Libby Walker said of the theme for the event, which has been held in the community since 1975.
Eight speakers entertained crowds throughout the afternoon, and there were also numerous displays, including one from Heritage Centre Wellington, throughout the hall.
“We’ve never done this before,” Walker said of the format this year. “I’m pretty pleased with the attendance.”
She noted some in attendance came to see specific speakers, while others came to learn more about the craft of writing and storytelling.
Among the speakers were Nora Savage, who spoke about writing memoirs, Roger Miller, who uses postcards to illustrate various stories, including his own, and Lois Beams MacKenzie, who self-published her own memoirs.
“It’s really quite inspirational,” Walker said of the story relayed by Beams MacKenzie, who grew up very poor during the Great Depression but was content with the little she had.
Walker said next year she hopes to host the Heritage Festival in conjunction with Family Day, as Heritage Day also falls on the third Monday in February.
