Upper Canada Village - New for 2010

Upper Canada Village will open for its 49th season this Saturday, May 22nd with authentic celebrations honouring Queen Victoria’s birthday. This year, Eastern Ontario’s premier heritage site (and one of only eleven top rated 3-star Michelin attractions in Canada) promises to engage, enrich, educate and entertain its customers with more new special events and unique hands-on experiences for guests, combined with demonstrations and talks by skilled artisans practicing 19th century trades and knowledgeable interpreters in its quaint village.

Visitors will immediately notice that the ticketing building has been moved to the south, closer to the Village Cafe, as construction will begin soon on the new Upper Canada Discovery Centre, planned for a July 2011 launch to celebrate the Village’s 50th anniversary.

Kicking off the 2010 season are the Queen Victoria Birthday Celebrations. Starting on Saturday, May 22nd through to Monday, May 24th visitors are invited to join in as the 1860's Village celebrates. Visitors are invited to sing "God Save the Queen," hear historical patriotic speeches, see grand military manoeuvres of the Brockville Infantry Company (Sunday), hear the Fort Henry Sergeant (Monday) leading the militia muster, and lace up for some 1860s athletic games including three-legged races, sack runs and more. Guests can cheer along during the Village's hand-pumped fire engine trials… and may even be invited to join a team and try pumping this amazing machine. Birthday cake will be available to all. Visit the Village’s website to see a full schedule of opening weekend events and times at www.UpperCanadaVillage.com

Starting on May 22nd, the Village will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily through Labour Day, and then Wednesday to Sunday from September 8th to October 10th. Most visitors plan to stay four hours or more to experience all of the new participative activities and demonstrations, but shorter trips also provide family fun and unique memories.

MORE NEW SPECIAL EVENTS
Special events now account for 40% of the Village’s visitor attendance, and the Village staff have steadily continued to look for new special events that provide a trip back in time. These special events are popular with a wide array of guests and are especially effective as a means to attract new visitors and draw repeat visitation.

Shown below is a list of some of the key events at Upper Canada Village this season. Be sure to check www.UpperCanadaVillage.com for updates and special event news throughout the season.

NEW Fantastic Fibres and Fabrics - June 4th to 6th
The popular sheep shearing weekend is being expanded this year and renamed Fantastic Fibres and Fabrics. This new event includes discussions of rare breeds of sheep, hands-on sheep shearing, spinning and weaving demonstrations, special guests, and our one-of-a-kind Woollen Mill demonstrations. This year's event will be further enhanced with the participation of artisans involved with lace making and other fibre arts and crafts from within the region.

EXPANDED Medieval Festival June 11th to 13th
The Medieval Festival features colourful cast of medieval re-enactors, musicians, buskers, artisans, falconers, archers, merchants and jousting Knights in shining armour on horseback. The Festival will again be included FREE with Village admission, and the location will again be in the open field, back behind the Village proper and away from the 19th century interpretation. New for 2010 - even more fun with the addition of camel rides, more performers (e.g. animated street musicians) and an all new Medieval Banquet hosted at the OPG Community Pavilion at Crysler Park Marina. Tickets for the festival and banquet are available online at www.UpperCanadaVillage.com or by calling 1-800-437-2233 or 613-543-4328 (locally).

NEW Upper Canada Heritage Festival - July 1st to 4th
This brand new 4-day event will celebrate “everything 1860s” and transport guests back to an authentic festival of the day. It will feature some of Upper Canada Village’s iconic re-enactments such as an 1860s wedding, funeral, christening and election plus a range of new activities. New additions will include depictions of 19th century entertainment, games and social customs. Highlights will include a 19th century style Circus Equestrian Act (acrobats on horseback and dancing horses) plus festive music and merriment throughout the day. Booking of entertainment is now underway, and visitors are encouraged to look for updates at www.UpperCanadaVillage.com

EXPANDED 19th Century Culinary & Gardens Weekend - July 23rd to 25th
Other expanded events include Garden Days which have been redeveloped into a brand new festival that lets visitors explore two closely related subjects within the Village's beautiful grounds --- gardens and kitchens. Activities include taste testing, cooking demonstrations, garden tours and themed discussions related to organic gardening and the 100-mile diet. Participants will gain new insights and skills into the greener lifestyle of the 19th century.

NEW Horse Lovers’ Weekend - August 27th to 29th
What could be better than a long weekend that celebrates the importance and beauty of the magnificent horse? This three-day Horse Lovers’ Weekend will feature demonstrations and talks about horse grooming, trimming and shoeing, horse-driving, horse care and nutrition, and training young horses, and registration. Included will be a celebration of our very own breed, the Canadian Horse. Be sure to hop on board our horse-drawn carry-all for a tour around town or book a private carriage ride! A variety of partners will be helping to host this new event.

NEW Wood Lovers Weekend - Thanksgiving weekend October 8th to 10th
This new weekend event will celebrate wood, explore its properties, uses and beauty. Featured will be 19th century tool displays, muley saw, pit-sawing and timber-framing demonstrations, special farm and cabinet-making projects, and a variety of guest wood workers (e.g., chair-makers, canoe-builders, lacrosse and snow-shoe makers) will all be part of this hands-on celebration. Visitors will be able to pick up some harvest treats or enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at Willard's Hotel in the heart of the Village.

MORE DEMONSTRATIONS, INSIGHTFUL TALKS & FUN-TO-TRY HERITAGE ACTIVITIES
Building on the success of last year, daily programming that engages visitors in intriguing demonstrations, insightful talks and “fun-to-try” hands-on activities will continue. A complete hour-by-hour schedule of demonstrations, talks and activities will be available upon arrival at the Village, so visitors can better plan to make the most of their visit back in time. The Village‘s popular horse-drawn carry-all wagon rides will transport visitors throughout the Village. Authentic horse-drawn tow scow rides along the canal will again be offered. The carry–all and tow scow rides are FREE with admission. In addition, visitors can milk a cow, churn butter, try cross-cut sawing, participate in an 1860s school lesson and more!

There is constant activity to see and learn from at Upper Canada Village; from the spinning of wool in a log home, to the grinding of wheat into flour in a steam powered mill. Tradesmen demonstrate their skills by forging iron, shaping and soldering tinware, crafting furniture, shoeing horses and more. Throughout the Village costumed interpreters are busy in homes, shops and on the streets, tending to livestock in the barns and farmyards. Even the flowers and vegetation in Village gardens along with the crops and fruit trees in the fields add to the picture of a living community.

To heighten the perception of time travel even more, guests to the site can visit the Village’s Costume Salon and receive a head-to-toe 1860s make-over for only $20 per person for a complete costume rental for up to three hours. Private horse-drawn carriage rides for up to four people will also be offered on a daily basis for only $10 per person.

Upper Canada Village will again offer guests the opportunity to try a cycling experience from the 19th century era. Visitors will delight in the sight of the Village’s Penny Farthing, an old-fashioned-style bicycle that will be occasionally rode around town, with the rider seated high on top of a 48” wheel. (Penny Farthing rides cost just $5.00 per ride).

Riding experiences don’t stop there. Children 12 and under can now take a short trip around the farms in a wooden wagon pulled by the Village’s own gentle giants, Buck and Barney. (Oxen Cart rides are only $1.77 each.)

This friendly pair of oxen resides at the Village’s Tenant Farm, and this year, anyone can become an inhabitant of this small 19th century farm, by participating in an Overnight Pioneer Homestead Adventure. “This program is probably the best way for our guests to get initiated into the past, by learning to live, work and play on their very own 19th century farm” says Dave Dobbie, Manager of Upper Canada Village. From the clothing on their backs and the tools in their hand, to the cows to be milked and the meals they’ll prepare, this day-and-a-half overnight adventure promises guests an authentic trip into the past. The Pioneer Homestead Adventure will be offered daily throughout the season. (Cost is $195 per person based on double occupancy; includes three meals, activity sessions and accommodation. Children’s fee is $50; they must be accompanied by an adult.)

Cook’s Tavern which received a liquor licence last year will offer an expanded menu including homemade soups, stew, chicken pot pie as well as beer and wines from local brewers and vineyards along with ginger beer and sarsaparilla. The Kettle Corner will also offer visitors unique snacks including the wildly popular kettle corn, hand-squeezed lemonade and other refreshments.

NEW TOY TRAIN TO BE LAUNCHED IN AUGUST
As part of the $13Million Upper Canada Discovery Centre project, the Village’s miniature train will be replaced. The existing train – almost 50 years old – has been taken out of service while the railway tracks are replaced, a new extension is added from Crysler Beach to Crysler Park Marina, Aultsville Station, and the Crysler’s Farm War of 1812 Battlefield Centre.

The new train will include a fully accessible car appropriate for wheelchairs and strollers and a new sound system and audio interpretive program. The new track is anticipated to be completed in two phases: Phase 1 – the track from the Village to Crysler Beach – is targeted for launch by August 2010. Phase 2, which extends the route Crysler Park Marina, Aultsville Station and the Crysler’s Farm War of 1812 Battlefield Centre and new Battle Encampment, is targeted for Fall completion.

Upper Canada Village will operate seven days a week from May 22nd to September 6th from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. From September 8th to Village closing on October 10th, Upper Canada Village will operate five days per week (Wednesday to Sunday) from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Click here for information on other news and upcoming events in Cornwall and Seaway Valley.