Celtic Colours 2023

The 2023 Celtic Colours line up has been announced! The Chestico Museum is pleased to be hosting three events during the Festival.

On Friday, October 6th the museum will host Lifting Spirits and Feet with Celtic Music at 1 PM. This event brings together local step dancers and musicians who will provide valuable tips to get the most out of your visit to Celtic Colours. After welcome and introductions, Michelle Greenwell takes the audience through square set patterns, there’s a break for local teas, cheese and other Cape Breton delights. The cost is $10.

On Tuesday, October 10th at 2 PM, a Storytelling Session entitled An Strugpag- Come for Tea – Stories about Tea in the Cape Breton Tradition will be held at the museum. You are invited to an afternoon of storytelling, to share a cup of tea and discover the important role this drink has played in our local culture. Admission is $10 and refreshments will be served.

A roast beef dinner with all the trimmings is available that evening 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 $25.

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. The rhythm and pace of the tunes is determined by the steps of the dancers. 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. Ourconcert brings together a mix of styles and dancers from Cape Breton’s Scottish and Acadian traditions, Antigonish County, Quebec, and Ontario, backed by some of the best players you could hope for. Among the performers are Shane Cook & the Woodchippers, É.T.É, the Pellerin Brothers, Maureen Fraser, Christine Doucet & Sylvie Aucoin, Melanie MacDonald, Amélie Larade, Donna Marie DeWolfe, MacMorin and Keith, Kyle & Colin MacDonald.

Ticket prices are $40/$35 and are available through the Celtic Colours site and a limited number at the Chestico Museum. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, July 11th at 10 AM ADT. More information on tickets can be accessed here.

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

Meet the Tea Artist

The Chestico Museum is pleased to add to its fundraising efforts the amazing teas created by The Cape Breton Tea Company. Join us for a special introduction to the tea blends with our event “Meet the Tea Artist” on Friday, June 30th from 10:00 – 11:30 AM. Bring your favorite teacup or mug with you and get ready for some taste tests and learn about the essence of the herbs within the blends. Dr. Michelle Greenwell will be on hand to answer your questions about herbs, tea, and the Cape Breton Tea Company. Sample the infamous Cape Breton Tea Company Switchel which is a great electrolyte replenisher on a hot summer day, and a fancy way to do popsicles. 

Open House with the Tran Family

On Sunday, June 18th the Chestico Museum will hold a very special Open House from 7 PM until 9 PM. The museum will host ten members of the Tran family. The Trans fled Vietnam more than four decades ago and found refuge in Port Hood, sponsored by St. Peter’s & St. Stephen’s Helping Hands Refugee Outreach. The family called Port Hood home from 1980 to 1982, before resettling in Ontario.

Our photo was taken in Toronto in 2012. It is the ten members of the Tran family who will be in Port Hood this week for the first time since leaving 41 years ago.

Back Row: (L to R) Tim (husband of Jenny Tran); Tony Tran; Irene Tran (wife of Tony); Jenny Tran; Vivian Tran; Gary Thai (husband of Holly Tran) and Andy Tran

Front Row: Ann and Ben Tran; John Gillies; Holly Tran

We hope you will join us at the museum on Sunday evening as we welcome the Trans back to Port Hood! 

Historic Environment Scotland Speakers


The Chestico Museum & Historical Society in partnership with Dr. Karly Kehoe, Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities at Saint Mary’s University, present:

Two Guest Lecturers from Historic Environment Scotland

Eve Boyle, Senior Heritage Engagement Officer, Historic Environment Scotland: Rural Settlement in Highland Scotland in the 18th and 19th Centuries: Improvement and Clearance

Andrew Nicoll, Deputy Head of Archives, Historic Environment Scotland: Online Archive Sources for Exploring Scottish History

Tea will be served.

Admission Free – Donations Gratefully Accepted

Student Employment Opportunities 2023

The Chestico Museum is currently accepting applications for summer students for the 2023 season.

The ideal candidates will excel at public speaking and engaging with members of the public, possess strong verbal and interpersonal skills and will be efficient and well organized. The ability to multi-task and strong IT skills are key requirements. Knowledge of local history is an asset.

Tasks will include guiding museum tours, assisting visitors with historical and genealogical research, organizing museum events (including our weekly summer ceilidhs), creating exhibits and updating our collections database.

The first position will run from May 29 until September 1, 2023. It is made possible by funding received through the Nova Scotia Student Summer Skills Incentive (SKILL) Program. This position is open to students who have been accepted at a post-secondary institution for full-time study beginning in September 2023. The position is for 14 weeks – 35 hours per week at a rate of pay of $14.50/hour.

The second position will run from July 3 until August 25, 2023. It is made possible by funding received through the Canada Summer Jobs program. The position is open to youth between 15 and 30 years of age at the beginning of the employment period who are legally entitled to work in Canada and who have a valid Social Insurance Number.

Interested individuals may email a cover letter and resume to: chesticomuseum@ns.aliantzinc.ca

Deadline for applications is May 5, 2023.

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