The first ceilidh of our 2019 summer ceilidh series will be Thursday, July 4th at 7 PM at the museum.
Our opening ceilidh will feature:
Joe MacMaster – Fiddle
Cathy Hawley – Piano
Peter MacKenzie – 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 2019 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 15th at 2 PM, a Storytelling Session entitled Belles and Beaus – Old Time Weddings will be held at the museum. From the betrothal to the honeymoon, we will have stories and tales of traditional Cape Breton marriage customs including the music, dancing, feasting and shivarees. Admission is $10 and refreshments will be served.
Prior to our Storytelling session, 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 $17.50 for adults and $8 for children under 12.
Our Close to the Floor show will be Wednesday, October 16th at 7:30 PM at Strathspey Performing Arts Centre in Mabou. Cape Breton’s traditional music has always been closely associated with dancing. And the dancing, like the music, has typically been passed down through generations. The highest compliment that can be paid to a Cape Breton step dancer is to say they are “close to the floor”. Tonight’s concert will celebrate this local style alongside dance from the Québécois, Ottawa Valley and Appalachian traditions. Accompanied by fiddles, pipes, and guitar, the dancers gathered here will delight and amaze with their steps and style. They just might inspire you to get up for a step or two yourself. Among the performers are Nic Gareiss, Mairi Campbell, April Verch Band, The Pellerin Brother, Pierre Chartrand, Chartrand Babineau, Dawn & Helen MacDonald & Brenley Gillis, Stephen & Lewis MacLennan, Iain MacQuarrie, John MacLean, Cailean MacLean, Kenneth MacKenzie, Kolten MacDonell and Orianna MacNeil.
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 9th at 10 AM ADT. More information on tickets can be accessed here.
We look forward to seeing you this year during Celtic Colours!
The Chestico Tea Ladies will host an old-fashioned Strawberry Social, Sunday, July 7, 2019 from 2:00 until 4:00 PM at the Museum.
Come and enjoy fresh strawberries, cream, sweets and tea on a warm summer afternoon. Costumed volunteers will welcome you and provide hospitality.
If they wish, guests are encouraged to come dressed in Downton Abbey style.
Musical entertainment will add to the atmosphere.
Tickets are available at the museum at a cost of $10 (adults) and $5 (children). Tickets will also be available at the door the day of the event.
Everyone welcome!
On Thursday, June 20th at 7 PM, the Chestico Museum will host Mabou’s Peter Rankin. Peter will present a selection of his paintings that are inspired by local events and characters from the Gaelic tradition.
Peter will be joined by his sisters who will share their singing talent.
Admission is $5 and tea and light refreshments will be served.
The Chestico Museum & Historical Society is pleased to offer three different options for walking tours of Port Hood and Port Hood Island this summer.
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.
The tours offered are:
Twilight Tales – Stories of Shipwrecks, Tragedies and other Remarkable Events
Hear tales of the sea, phantom ships, amazing rescues and ghostly encounters.
Twilight Tales is offered Mondays from July 8th through August 12th – 8:00 – 9:00 PM. The tour immediately follows the Central Park Ceilidh.
Please meet in front of St. Stephen’s Church for this tour.
The cost for the Twilight Tales walking tour is $10 for Adults and $5 for Children under 12. Tickets are available in advance at the Chestico Museum.
Heyday in the Hood – The Shire Town a Century Ago
Encounter Port Hood’s exciting heyday when coal was king, the harbour was busy with ships coming and going, and the train station was thronged with visitors, salesmen, and politicians who came to town and stayed at our four large hotels. Hear stories of some of Port Hood’s more illustrious citizens and admire their fine houses. Find out what social life was like a century ago when the town was entertained by a brass band, a baseball team and horse racing on the ice.
Heyday in the Hood is offered Wednesdays from July 17th through August
14th from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM .
Please meet in front of the Post Office for this tour.
The cost for the Heyday in the Hood walking tour is $15 for Adults and $5 for Children under 12. Tickets are available in advance at the Chestico Museum.
Tea & Tales on Port Hood Island – Island Walking Tour, Stories and Songs
Sail with us to beautiful Port Hood Island – site of the first permanent settlers in the area and for many years a thriving fishing community. Now a summer destination for both locals and visitors alike, you will be accompanied by costumed guides on a tour that arrives at Jubilee United Church where you will be entertained by local singers and storytellers. Tea and refreshments will be served before you make your way back by boat to the mainland.
Tea & Tales on Port Hood Island is offered on Sunday, July 14th & Sunday, August 11th from 2:00 until 4:30 PM.
Weather delay dates are Monday, July 15th and Monday, August 12th,
Please meet at Murphy’s Pond by 1:45 PM for this tour.
Tea & Tales on Port Hood Island is offered in partnership with Jubilee United Church Restoration Society.
The cost is $50 per person and tickets are available at the Chestico Museum.
