The life and times of Scotland’s favourite poet will be celebrated at Robbie Burns Day at the Guelph Civic Museum on Jan. 24 from 1 to 4:30pm.
Those who enjoy all things Scottish will be entertained with special talks, music, Highland dancing, spinning and weaving, calligraphy, traditional food (including haggis), and family activities.
A full itinerary of special presentations continues all the afternoon. Starting at 1:30pm, the haggis will be piped in and Don Macrae will entertain with a presentation of Ode to a Haggis. At 1:45pm, enjoy a lecture entitled Bur Burns and the Radical Tradition, by Mark Dorsey, Scottish Studies, University of Guelph; and at 2:30 pm, members of the award-winning Mary Ellen Cann School of Highland Dance will perform. Throughout the afternoon students from Riverside Celtic College will entertain with Scottish music.
Ongoing will be demonstrations and displays organized by local groups who continue to keep alive the traditions of Scotland. They include representatives from the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games, the Guelph Guild of Handweavers and Spinners, The Royal City Calligraphy Guild, and the Centre for Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph. Visitors will also enjoy sampling haggis and oatcakes and participating in the many hands-on activities planned for the day.
Burns’s love of Scotland, its language and people, continues to endear him to Scots throughout the world. Celebrating Scottish heritage would not be complete without the traditions that surround Robert Burns.
The museum is located at 6 Dublin Street South. Admission is $6 for adults, with seniors, students and children, $4, families $12 (Guelph Museum members pay half price). Contact Guelph Museums at 836-1221 or visit guelph.ca/museum for more information.
