Chestico Days Step Dancing Festival

The 26th annual Chestico Days Step Dancing Festival was held on Saturday, August 1st in Port Hood.  The emcee for the event was Bob MacEachern and music was supplied by Kinnon and Betty Beaton.  A number of our young dancers and musicians displayed their talent to an appreciative audience.

During the course of the event, Bob MacEachern presented Bruce Beaton with a Chestico tartan blanket in appreciation for his role as Chestico Days parade marshall.  This fall, Bruce will be inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame.

Below are some photos of the festival.  Enjoy!

Eigg Homecoming

Homecoming Scotland 2009

For those of you with ancestors from the Isle of Eigg – one of the “Small Isles” off the west coast of Scotland – there is a special Homecoming from September 14th to 19th in conjunction with Scotland’s Homecoming 2009.  Many of Inverness County’s residents have roots on the Isle of Eigg – MacDonalds, Macleans, MacIsaacs, all Clanranald people – and this is an oportunity to make contact with many cousins.

The schedule for the Eigg Homecoming is as follows:

Monday, September 14, 2009:
2:00 – 4:00 – Guided visit, the crofting township, from Cleadale to Five Pennies with a visit to the museum of Crofting Life at Tigh Iain Dhonnachaidh.

8:30 – Midnight – Welcome home house ceilidh at Lageorna with Tearlach MacFarlane and Eigg tradition bearers.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009:
2:00 – 4:00 – Guided visit, Kildonnan Mill, graveyard and farm house (includes afternoon tea).

8:00 – 10:00 – Genealogy evening with Tearlach MacFarlane and Allan MacDonald.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009:
10:00 – Noon – Guided visit, Laig and the Clanranalds.

2:00 – 4:00 – Dancing with Donna MacCulloch.

8:30 – Till Late – The Cape Breton Connection Ceilidh at the Eigg Community Hall – tunes and dances from both sides of the Atlantic.

Thursday, September 18, 2009:
From 11:00 – Grulin Clearance townships

Evening – Informal session at the Pier.

Friday, September 18, 2009:
2:00 – 5:00 – Guided visit, the caves.

8:00 – Midnight – Farewell Evening

During Homecoming Week, the Eigg Community Learning Room will become the island genealogy hub.  There, homecoming visitors will have an opportunity to search through the Eigg archive and genealogical material and share their stories with the Eiggach of today.

For further information visit The Isle of Eigg and Homecoming Scotland 2009.

Next Ceilidh – August 6th

August 6, 2009 PosterThe Chestico Museum summer ceilidh series continues on Thursday, August 6th at 7 PM at the museum.

This week we will feature:
Shelley Campbell – Fiddle
Ryan MacNeil – Pipes & Whistle
KC Beaton – Gaelic & Folk Vocals
Marissa MacNeil – Guitar & Vocals
Siobhan Beaton – Step Dancing

Admission is $5 and tea and light refreshments will be served following the show.

We  hope to see you there!

2009 Chestico Couple

anne-and-jackie-macdonaldThis year, the Chestico Museum & Historical Society was pleased to honour Anne and Jackie MacDonald as our Chestico Couple.

Anne grew up in Harbourview. She was the third of ten children born to Sadie (MacIsaac) and Hughie MacInnis. After attending St. Peter’s Convent School and Port Hood Academy, Anne went on to graduate from the Provincial Normal College in Truro in 1957. Her first teaching position was at the Mabou Harbour School.

Jackie was the second of three children born to Lizzie (Gillis) and Dan J. MacDonald. He grew up in Little Judique Ponds where he received his early education before moving on to the Judique High School. In January of 1956, Jackie went to work as a checker for the Canadian National Railroad (CNR) in Halifax. He returned home in the summer to lobster fish. For the next seventeen years, with the exception of a few months working on a survey crew in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Jackie split his time between the CNR in Halifax and the lobster fishery back home.

Anne and Jackie knew each other throughout their early years. They often attended the same local dances and gradually a mere acquaintance merged into a friendship that deepened into something more.

Wedding bells rang for Anne and Jackie on July 4, 1959. They were married in St. Peter’s Church, Port Hood by Father Allan MacAdam.  Following their marriage, Anne and Jackie lived briefly in Little Judique before moving to Halifax. In 1965, they moved permanently to Port Hood. Anne taught at the Port Hood Consolidated School and Jackie fished out of Little Judique Harbour. Over the years their family grew to include two girls and two boys – Debbie, Donna, Evan and Michael. Today they are also blessed with thirteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Anne and Jackie are both currently retired – Anne in 1994 and Jackie in 1997. However, both remain active at home and within the community. Anne is a valued member of St. Peter’s Parish Catholic Women’s League and stays busy pursuing a number of hobbies including quilting, rug hooking and gardening.

Jackie is a member of St. Peter’s Council Knights of Columbus and currently holds the office of Grand Knight. He has been a member of the Port Hood Volunteer Fire Department for the past forty-two years and retains an interest in the Ceilidh Fishermen’s Co-op of which he was the founding president. Jackie is also a skilled wood worker and has given generously of his talents to many organizations. A replica he constructed of the early type of fishing boat used in Port Hood is currently on permanent display at the Chestico Museum.

Anne and Jackie’s retirement has also afforded them the opportunity to travel to places they always dreamed of visiting. They have camped across North America, from Newfoundland to California and their children gave them the gift of a trip to England and Scotland. In 2008 they went even farther afield when they travelled to New Zealand to visit with the family of their son-in-law.

Anne and Jackie, we are pleased you accepted our invitation to be this year’s Chestico Couple.  We hope you enjoyed the experience and accept our congratulations as you celebrate 50 years of married life!

Next Event – Slideshow Presentation

Slideshow PosterOn Thursday, July 30 at 7:30 PM, the Chestico Museum will present a narrated slideshow entitled,  Port Hood: A Journey Back. The slideshow will feature commentary and photographs relating to Port Hood’s rich history.

Admission is $5 for adults – children are admitted free.  Tea and refreshments will be served following the slideshow.

We look forward to seeing you at the museum as we journey back and remember those who came before us and helped to build the community we hold so dear.

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