Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
A busy summer of family activities lies ahead for Napanee’s most famous home, the Allan Macpherson House.
Lennox and Addington County is celebrating the 50th anniversary of when the house, which was originally built in 1826, was restored and preserved to the museum it is today.
The official launch of their summer season, which will feature three activities a week throughout July and August, will be this coming Wednesday when they’ll host the Ottawa Story Tellers, complete with live Irish music from Dun Laoghraire.
The Ottawa Story Tellers will draw upon the Macpherson family ancestry to share the Scottish tale of Heartaches and Oatcakes, a fun rendition of folk and fairy tales. Tours of the home will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by an official bag pipe ceremony at 6:30 p.m.
A giant tent has been set up in the backyard of the historic home, which is where the majority of the programming will take place. Guests will still have the chance to view the home for afternoon tours on Wednesdays as well as enjoy the outdoor programming on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“We’re really lucky, the county has provided us the opportunity to have this wonderful event tent to have just an amazing listing of artists from our area,” said Amber Meyer, program coordinator for Lennox and Addington County’s museum and archives. “A lot of the them are local, the furthest I think is Toronto and Ottawa. This really do in their artwork represent what traditional arts are and that’s how they would have done artwork back in the 1800s. That’s the idea of our listing of artists and what I tried to encompass this summer.”
With school out for the summer there will be plenty to keep kids busy every Tuesday throughout the break with events such as Appleton Puppetry (2 p.m. on July 17), screen printing (July 24 at 2 p.m.), puppet and mask making (July 31 at 2 p.m.), Duffle Bag Theatre presenting Peter Pan (Aug 7 at 2 p.m.), Barefoot Players presenting Science Rules (2 p.m.) Tim Nimigan leading a workshop in caricatures (Aug. 21 at 2 p.m.) and story time and illustrations with Peggy Collins (Aug. 28 at 2 p.m.). All Tuesday events are free admission.
Wednesdays will feature afternoon tours with a historical playdate on July 25 and Aug 29 starting at 2 p.m.
Thursdays will see a series of workshops from felting (July 12), candle making (July 19), whimsical houses (July 26), felted soap (Aug 2), pottery (Aug. 9), paper and print making (Aug. 16), stained glass (Aug 23) and Blades of Glory (Aug. 30). All Thursday events start at 2 p.m.
“It’s kind of another version of Medieval Times,” Meyer said of Blades of Glory. “They’re teachers, that’s how they’re teaching now, teaching history through stories.”
The packed programming is a great opportunity for families to plan a trip to the historic house if they haven’t been there in awhile. The wide variety of programs are sure to offer something for everyone.
“It’s not just for kids, it’s for anyone interested in those things who want to come and check out the house,” said Meyer.
Because there is a tent set up, the events will take place rain or shine. Guests are asked to bring their own lawn chair.
The house is located on the banks of the Napanee River at 180 Elizabeth Street in Napanee.