The second ceilidh of our 2018 summer ceilidh series will be Thursday, July 12th at 7 PM at the museum.
This week our ceilidh will feature:
Elizabeth MacInnis – Fiddle
Sarah MacInnis – Piano & Vocals
The Boys from the Hood (Edgar Cormier, Sandy Gillis & Gerard Walker) – Guitar & Vocals
Admission is $5. Tea and light refreshments will be served following the show.
We look forward to seeing you at the museum!
The first ceilidh of our 2018 summer ceilidh series will be Thursday, July 5th at 7 PM at the museum.
Our opening ceilidh will feature:
Stephanie MacDonald – Fiddle
Pius MacIsaac – Guitar
Hughie John Beaton – Guitar & Vocals
Admission is $5. Tea and light refreshments will be served following the show.
We look forward to seeing you at a Chestico Museum ceilidh this summer!
The Chestico Museum is pleased to host a talk by Dr. Heather Sparling, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology / Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (Musical Traditions) at Cape Breton University on Tuesday, August 28th at 7 PM.
Dr. Sparling’s talk will be about the “Canary in the Mine: Nova Scotia Mining Disasters and Song” exhibit which is available for viewing at the Chestico Museum from now until the end of the summer.
The exhibit explores how songs document a history of mining disasters, their ability to tell how disasters affect families and communities, the impact of the news media and music industry on disasters songs, and the significance of benefit and anniversary concerts. It is one outcome of a larger research project on disaster songs of Atlantic Canada conducted by Dr. Heather Sparling.
In this presentation, Dr. Sparling will describe the evolution of the exhibit, its place in her larger research project, and provide an overview of the basic elements of the exhibit. In addition to having the opportunity to explore the exhibit, attendees will have time to ask questions, test their understanding of the exhibit’s main themes in a digital game, and hear stories and interesting facts about incredible people and events that have shaped our province’s history and identity.
Admission is free – donations are gratefully accepted.
The 2018 Celtic Colours line up has been announced! The Chestico Museum is pleased to once again be hosting two events during the Festival.
On Tuesday, October 9th at 2 PM, a Storytelling Session entitled Boat Tour, Tales and Tea on Port Hood Island will be held at Jubilee United Church on Port Hood Island. This guided tour will take you by boat from Murphy’s Pond to visit scenic Port Hood Island, a unique community with lots of history and character. When you arrive you’ll be lead to the Jubilee church for stories and tea. Please wear warm clothes (layers recommended as weather is hard to predict) and comfortable walking shoes. If extreme inclement weather prevent crossing, an alternative storytelling event will take place at the Chestico Museum. The cost is $50 and refreshments will be served.
An encore of this event will take place on Friday, October 12th at 2 PM.
The evening of October 9th, the Chestico Museum show Close to the Floor will be held at 7:30 PM at Strathspey Performing Arts Centre in Mabou. This year the theme is Alex and Minnie’s Legacy. Celtic Colours has a history of paying tribute to those that have had a profound effect on the culture of Cape Breton. Tonight we’ll honour a couple whose influence has extended far beyond the Island’s shores through their sharing of the culture. Alex grew up listening to and playing the fiddle and Minnie was in demand as a neat and tidy dancer. Minnie was a dedicated dance teacher who taught Mary Janet and Harvey their steps. Both would later travel to Scotland and California to teach those very same steps. Betty Lou just happens to be Alex’s sister and she, along with husband Kinnon, will be on hand to provide some of the best dance music around. We’ll also get to meet some of the MacMaster grandchildren as they perform for Grandpa and Grandma tonight. And while Breabach have not met her directly, there’s no doubt that some of the steps they’ve learned in Scotland over the last 25 years were in part thanks to Minnie’s teachings.
Ticket prices are $35/$30 and are available through the Celtic Colours site and a limited number at the Chestico Museum. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, July 10th at 10 AM ADT. More information on tickets can be accessed here.
Prior to our October 9th Storytelling, you can purchase a delicious soup and sandwich lunch for just $10 at St. Stephen’s Church Hall from beginning at 11 AM.
A roast beef dinner with all the trimmings is available that evening at St. Peter’s Parish Hall beginning at 4:30 PM. The meal is sponsored by the Port Hood Knights of Columbus. The cost is $16 for adults and $8 for children under 12.
We look forward to seeing you this year during Celtic Colours!
The Chestico Museum in partnership with Dr. Karly Kehoe, Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities at Saint Mary’s University, is pleased to host a talk by Dr. Stuart Dunmore, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Edinburgh on Wednesday, August 15th at 7 PM.
Dr. Dunmore’s talk will be entitled Gaelic Heritage and Language Use: Some Nova Scotian Perspectives.
It will outline an ongoing investigation of ‘new speakers’, who have acquired Gaelic as a second language, and their motivations for doing so. Language advocates in Scotland and Nova Scotia make frequent reference to the role that new speakers may play in the future(s) of the Gaelic language, and second language teaching has been prioritised as a mechanism for its revitalisation. New speakers have recently emerged as a significant element in the Nova Scotia Gaelic community, and are often motivated to learn by their heritage and ancestry. Drawing on interview material, Dr. Dunmore will explore the issue in detail.
Admission is free – donations are gratefully accepted.
