The heritage of the three townships in Waterloo Region will be front and centre at the 12th annual Heritage Day workshop on Feb. 16.
The workshop is organized by the Grand River Conservation Authority’s heritage working group, and will focus on “rural routes/rural roots” along the Grand River watershed.
“What we’re doing is trying to highlight rural heritage assets and features in the three townships,” said Barb Veale, chair of the heritage working group. “They’re sometimes hidden away because people from the urban centres aren’t so much aware of the rural contribution to the heritage of the watershed.”
Since the Grand River was designated a heritage river, the heritage working group has held workshops bringing people together to talk about heritage. Many of the attendees are members of heritage groups, municipal heritage planners or people associated with museums and heritage sites.
Keynote speakers for this year’s workshop include regional Chair Ken Seiling and Geoff Hayes, history professor at the University of Waterloo. James Timlin and Bill Mates from the Town of Ingersoll will outline how Ingersoll has used heritage assets to strengthen its economy.
The workshop will be held at the Wilmot Recreation Complex in Baden from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. A reception at Castle Kilbride will feature a tour of the Victorian home, including their latest exhibit, The Mighty Grand River, and hors d’oeuvres from the Waterlot restaurant.
The workshop is free but space is limited, so pre-registration is necessary. Contact Pat Mighton at dpmighton@golden.net or call the Township of Wilmot at 519-634-8444 for more information.
In 2011, the heritage working group will be adding a second workshop, slated to be held in Woolwich Township.
“There’s so much for us to talk about, we can’t do it all in one workshop,” Veale said.
