Summer 2024 Ceilidh Schedule

Join us for a ceilidh at the Chestico Museum at 7 PM every Thursday in July and August. Admission is $10 and tea will be served.

Schedule:

July 4: John Donald Cameron, Gordon MacLean, Francis MacDonald

July 11: Taya MacDonald, Donald Gillis, Finlay MacDougall, Peter MacKenize

July 18: Stephanie MacDonald, Neil McDaniel, Edgar Cormier, Sandy Gillis

July 25: Kinnon Beaton, Betty Beaton, Mary Janet MacDonald

August 1: Kyle MacDonald, Iain MacQuarrie, Lisa Cameron

August 8: Andrea Beaton, Betty Beaton, Hughie John Beaton

August 15: Vincent MacDonald, Mary Graham, Lynn & Cyril Chisholm

August 22: Dara Smith-MacDonald, Amanda MacDougall, Ryan Ehler

August 29: Koryne MacDonald, Iain MacQuarrie, Lauchie Beaton

Starting the Genealogical Journey

Genealogy or ancestor-hunting has become one of the most popular and fastest growing hobbies worldwide today.

Have you ever wanted to trace your family roots? This summer, the Chestico Museum is offering an informative genealogy workshop, “Starting the Genealogical Journey”.

The workshop will be offered twice. The first offering is Wednesday. July 17 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

It will be repeated on Tuesday, August 20th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.

Brenda (Hawley) Harrison will lead the workshop.

The cost is $20 and pre-registration is required.

Limited spots are available. To reserve your spot, visit or contact the museum.

Twilight Tales Walking Tours 2024


The Chestico Museum & Historical Society is pleased to offer Twilight Tales walking tours of Port Hood.

Chestico Museum guides in historic costume (John & Cathy Gillies) will bring the past alive as they highlight the people, events and sights of Port Hood’s past. Hear tales of the sea, phantom ships, amazing rescues and ghostly encounters.

This year the tours will be offered on Monday and Wednesday evenings.

Our Monday tours will depart from in front of St. Stephen’s – Jubilee United Church at 8 PM. This tour will include St. Peter’s Parish cemeteries. The Monday tour is offered on:

July 22
August 5
August 12

Our Wednesday tours will meet at the Union Protestant Cemetery at 7 PM. The Wednesday tour is offered on:

July 24
August 7
August 14

Please wear comfortable shoes – there will be some walking on uneven ground.

The cost for the Twilight Tales walking tour is $10 for Adults and $5 for Children under 12.

We require a minimum of 5 people for the tour to go ahead so please contact the museum to let us know if you intend to participate.

Celtic Colours 2024


The 2024 Celtic Colours line up has been announced! The Chestico Museum is pleased to be hosting three events during the Festival.

On Friday, October 11th the museum will host Lifting Spirits and Feet with Celtic Music at 1 PM. Join us for an afternoon of discovery as Michelle Greenwell shares the traditions of our music and dance. Michelle Greenwell will provide you with valuable tips for the concerts, walk you through a square set pattern, share a spot of tea and homemade treats. The cost is $10.

On Tuesday, October 15th at 2 PM, a Storytelling Session entitled Stepping Through Time: Music in My Feet Through the Years will be held at the museum. You are invited to a visit with Mary Janet MacDonald, who step danced and taught Cape Breton style step dancing for many years. Mary Janet, along with a few guests, will share memories of learning to step dance and relate stories of ceilidhs and events from the late 1950s to the present day. Tea will be served.  Admission is $10.

A roast beef dinner with all the trimmings is available that afternoon at St. Peter’s Parish Hall beginning at 4:00 PM. The meal is sponsored by the Port Hood Knights of Columbus. The cost is $30.

Our Close to the Floor show will be that evening at 7:30 PM at Strathspey Performing Arts Centre in Mabou. It is well-established that dance tradition is an important, if not defining, influence on Cape Breton’s traditional music. In Cape Breton step dancing, all the movement is below the waist with the arms kept as still as possible. The feet barely leave the floor, and the heel is never higher than the toe. This is known as “close to the floor” and it’s the best compliment a Cape Breton step dancer can get. Tonight, this annual dance concert will showcase the Cape Breton style alongside the Métis dance tradition of the Red River Jig reimagined with a hip hop twist, and some steps from Prince Edward Island. Accompanied by fiddles, pipes, and guitar from Cape Breton, PEI, Alberta, Newfoundland, and Scotland, these amazing dancers will delight and amaze you with their energetic rhythm, traditional steps, and innovative style. They might even inspire you to get up and try a step or two yourself. Among the performers are Beòlach, Breabach, Richard Wood, Alex Kusturok with Tim Turrett, Ivan Flett Memorial Dancers, Margie Beaton, Cheryl, Iain & Ann MacQuarrie and Tammy MacDonald.

Ticket prices are $40 and are available through the Celtic Colours site. A limited number will be available at the Chestico Museum. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, July 9th at 10 AM ADT. More information on tickets can be accessed here.

We look forward to seeing you this year during Celtic Colours!

Dr. Dòmhnall Uilleam Stiúbhart Talk


The Chestico Museum & Historical Society in partnership with Dr. Karly Kehoe, Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities at Saint Mary’s University, present a talk by Dr. Dòmhnall Uilleam Stiúbhart on Friday June 7, 2024 at 7 PM at the Chestico Museum.

Dr. Stiúbhart is Senior Lecturer at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig | The Gaelic College on the Isle of Skye, University of the Highlands and Islands, Scotland. The subject will be Scottish folklorist Alexander Carmichael, charms, blessings and prayers. Dr. Stiúbhart will weave in some thoughts about folk belief and customs with an eye to how Nova Scotian perspectives might differ from those of the Scottish Highlands.

Tea will be served.

Admission Free – Donations Gratefully Accepted

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