The Fairbairn House, a 19^th century heritage building, has been moved to its new foundation in Hendricks Park in Wakefield.  Built in the 1860s for William Fairbairn and his wife Jean Wanless, the house is thought to be the oldest building in Wakefield built with sawn lumber.  William Fairbairn built the first grist mill in Wakefield, in 1838.  The house is to become a local and regional museum, sponsored by the Gatineau Valley Historical Society, the MRC Des Collines and the Municipality of La Peche. A website has been opened at www.fairbairn.ca

Crafts on display at the Marché des Artisans de la Vallée in Wakefield include handmade jewellery by Kirei Samuel and pottery by Carrie Leavoy.
The Marché is located at 727 Riverside Drive in Wakefield.
For information call (819) 459-2662.

“Exploring Together” exhibition as part of the 150^th anniversary celebrations of Bristol. Local artists, led by Karol Partridge of Norway Bay, arranged the exhibition from August 9 through August 13. The anniversary offered a small grant and support  was also provided by the Pontiac Agricultural Society, the CLD and the Norway Bay Historical Society.  The works,  selected for relevance to the Bristol area, were displayed in the community centre in the Bristol Town Hall.  Artists who participated, besides Karol Partridge, were Elke Bzdurreck, Errol Douglas,  Valerie Henderson, Marcio Melo, Michael Neelin, Betty Russell and Raymond Sander-Regier.  The exhibition concluded with an artist meet-and-greet at the Town Hall, coinciding with the end of a cottage tour at Norway Bay. 

Many students from Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary School (Shawville) and Onslow Elementary School (Quyon) won places in the QuébecWomen’s Institute Past President’s Essay Competition.  Sarah Zimmerling, aged 7, placed first for her essay on “A Sliding Party”.   The competition was open to all elementary school students in Québec. 

Ruth Stewart-Verger, of Rasputin’s, is making a new CD (her second) of Storytelling and Song.  The songs are by Charlie Sohmer, and Chris MacLean, associated with Galitcha and Frida’s  Brow, and frequently mentioned in this Bulletin, is participating in the making of the CD. 

The spring issue of Canadian Camera showcases photographs of Bushmen in Africa, taken by Gatineau Valley photographer Diane Morey.

On June 20 Jo-Anne Brownlee’s book,
“A Self-Guided Historical Tour of Clarendon”, was launched at Clarendon Municipal Hall in the presence of the author and her husband, Randy Beattie, and their two sons, Jack Lang, the Mayor of Clarendon, book cover artist Nancy Dagenais Elliott, Elsie Sparrow and Pearl McLeary from the Pontiac Archives, and other persons, including several members of the municipal council.  The book is available at Clarendon Municipal Hall.  Price: $5.00.

Quyon Economic Development Council has approved the painting of five murals, to be at selected locations in the village.   For this project the Council has received $23,000 in grants from the MRC des Collines and the CLD, the Municipality of Quyon and the Quyon Lionettes.   The funds will pay for the costs of the painters, the materials and the guidance of local artist Lindsay Trudeau.  One mural, entitled the Friends of Pontiac, has already been on display at the Quyon Jamfest.  It is to be permanently installed in Quyon’s new park.  The themes of the other murals are: the history of logging; the history of agriculture;   Champlain’s landing, the native people and the riches of the Pontiac.

The Wakefield Players are planning to expand their theatre workshop activities to Aylmer and Shawville.   With the support of the Regional Association of West Quebecers – which is responsible for this Cultural Bulletin – they are hoping to secure funding from Heritage Canada in order to establish a regional base for their community theatre productions.   It is intended to bring in David Diamond, a director with an international reputation, from Vancouver to take charge of the venture.
The Players’ publicist Brenda Rooney says:  “It’s a step towards regionalism.  The workshops will focus on social issues in the community, and then that would be the basis of a new production.”

On July 9 Rupert held its fourth annual summer festival.  The program included musical performances, a Truck and Shine Show, a horseshoe tournament and activities for children.   The musical acts were provided by Dr. Jazz, the Andi G. Band and local talent such as Abraham Plunkett (bagpipe), David Taggart and Alex Serre (rock and roll), and Janet Egan and friends (country). 

Paula Murray, whose Porcelain Studio and Gallery is located at 774 Meech Lake Road, has just returned from the 54^th International Ceramic Art Competition at Faenza, Italy.  Her entry in the competition was a bowl entitled “Fragmented Earth”.  Paula Murray was one of the 96 artists selected from 865 applicants for a place in the competition. 

Chelsea native Patrick Thompson and his fellow artist Patricio Dyer have a $10,000 contract from the National Capital Commission to create two 100-foot murals under the Champlain Bridge.  The murals will be going up this month on either side of the Voyageurs Pathway in Gatineau.  The themes of the murals are the natural bounty and the geological past of the region.

On June 24 Janet Egan, from Low, was the winner in the Brennan’s Hill Golden Age Club’s Karaoke Contest (see the previous entry about the Contest in the June pages of this Bulletin).  Janet Egan is now the Karaoke Queen of the Gatineau Hills.  Brenda Lee Charron placed second and Rob Charron third. In the children’s bracket Kimberley Gabie placed first and Katerina Rockwell second.

Recognizing heritage.  Since 1989 the Municipality of La Peche has recognized more than 100 buildings which are more than a century old with commemorative plaques, made from local materials and relating the history of each building.

Sheenboro celebrations.  At the lunch given on July 3 during Sheenboro’s 150^th Anniversary celebrations entertainment was provided by Dominic D’Arcy, the singing policeman, the Sheenboro fiddlers and many others. 

History at Norway Bay.  We have already announced in these pages Bristol’s celebrations.  One interesting activity has been the placing of six wooden signs at sites of significance in the development of Norway Bay.  This has been the work of the Norway Bay Historical Society.  On June 25 Jim Ritchie, of the Historical Society, led a walk to visit the signs. 

The sixth annual Copy Cat Opry was recently held at the Recreation Association grounds in Portage du Fort.  The event, organized by Lynn and Ron Cameron and Darell and Lyse McCorriston, included 40 acts, each performer being dressed as a famous musician and singing karaoke or an original tune.  At the end of the performances a local band, NoreMac, took over and carried on into the small hours of the morning.

On June 9, Amplify 819, the company which promotes concerts for the youth, held its first anniversary concert in the Shawville RA hall, with the bands Shotgun Rules (from London, Ontario) and The Fully Down (Ottawa), together with guests Forty Cent Fix (Ottawa) and In Safe Hands (Quyon).  A number of local businesses provided financial sponsorship. Organizer Samantha Everts has moved to Ottawa to study at Carleton University, but says that her roots are in the Pontiac and that she will continue put on shows there.  For news of coming shows see the website at www.amplify819.com 

Shawville singer Philip Holmes is singing in the rock musical Bye Bye Town, produced at the Centrepointe Theatre in Ottawa from July 14 to July 17. For information about the performance, visit the website www.dancingonwater.ca or call Centrepointe at (613) 580-2700.