April 20, 2001 Lots of heritage activity coming up

The following are some heritage items that may be of interest to readers of this column.

MATTAWA
The Mattawa Museum is hosting a workshop on making mannequins for museum or other displays on Saturday April 21st, from 10 to 4 at the Museum. For further information call René Lamarche at (705) 744-2306.

A 16ft pine carving of the legendary giant lumberjack, Joe Montferrand, is scheduled for installation beside the Matttawa Museum this summer. Big Joe's story and statue will make him a real tourist attraction on Explorer's Point. The carving was commissioned and paid for by the Mattawa and Area Forestry Committee. Peter Cianfarani, who will carve the statue from Tembec pine, is also making miniatures of the statue, as well as other selected statues of Big Joe, for sale. He can be contacted at (705) 744-1287.

Congratulations to Johanna (Bernard) Murphy, who celebrated her 100th birthday on March 24th at the Algonquin Nursing Home with family and friends. I mentioned Johanna previously in a column here on Grey Owl's wife Anahareo (Gertrude Bernard), who is Johanna's sister.
POWASSAN Powassan's 4th Annual Maple Syrup Festival is scheduled for Saturday April 21st on the main street of Powassan. A pancake breakfast, beginning at 7 a.m., kicks off a wide variety of events. Tours, horse drawn wagon rides, crafts, music, demonstrations, a dog show, etc., are scheduled.

The Powassan and Area Historical Society, which also oversees the Powassan Museum, meets on the 4th Thursday each month to discuss a variety of topics of interest. For information call Chair Mary Heasman at 724-2601.

TEMISKAMING DISTRICT
The Temiskaming-Abitibi Heritage Association will hold its 11th annual Speaker's Forum in Cobalt on Saturday, April 28th. There will be 6 speakers talking on a variety of Heritage topics form 9-3:30 at the Classic Theatre. Registration is $20, including lunch. For further information send an e-mail to coslund@ntl.sympatico.ca, or phone (705) 647-6558. Each forum is followed by an excellent printed Proceedings, with the full text of each presentation plus photos, bibliography, etc. Last year's is available now.

Bruce Taylor, the Chair of the Cobalt Forum, has a new book out called Place Names of Temiskaming. The book tells the history of 131 locations in the Temiskaming District. It is not only an excellent history reference, but is also a useful guide for genealogists interested in the area. The book includes a dozen useful maps. Taylor's book and the Proceedings mentioned above are available through Gulliver's Books in North Bay.

NORTH BAY
The North Bay Area Museum, which is open year round, six days a week, is sponsoring a trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto on May 12th. The trip is to see the outstanding exhibit "Treasures from the Hermitage Museum: Russia, Reubens and his Age." For details call 476-2323, or drop in to the museum at 100 Main St East in North Bay. While at the Museum check out the gift shop, especially the history books for sale, including George Tremblay's new book Break at Nine: Presenting Those Wonderful Movies. George was a projectionist at the Capitol Theatre for many years. The book is packed with photos and personal recollections.

GENEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
The Ontario Genealogical Society has two major events scheduled, including the District Meeting in Sudbury on April 21st. It will feature talks by Robert Surtees of Nipissing University on First Nations People, and Robert Boisvert on migration through the Ottawa Valley. The OGS annual conference is scheduled for May 25th to the 27th in Waterloo (www.ogs.on.ca). Both events are treats for people interested in family history. Drop in to the genealogical room in the North Bay Public Library for information on these and other genealogical questions.