The Samuel Wood Historical Society was celebrating in Woods Harbour last Wednesday in their newly renovated kitchen facilities.
Housed in the back section of the society’s museum complex, extensive renovations were made to the kitchen and washroom areas through a $20,000 grant from the federal New Horizons Program, and “a lot of volunteer people who helped us with the work,” said Sherry Sears, society treasurer.
Besides renovations and improvements to the kitchen and washroom areas, the foundation of the historic building, which dates back to 1906, was also fortified.
“Unfortunately the $20,000 didn’t go as far as we had hoped,” said Sears. Floor covering is still needed and chairs in the dining area have been borrowed from the Balmoral Rebekahs, who have occupied the upper level of the former IOOF building for the past 105 years.
Regardless the society plans to hold various events soon in the newly renovated facility, including a baked bean supper and a Christmas celebration.
The society also hosts trivia, rook tournaments, card parties, teas, and hopes to start classes soon that will pass down traditions to the younger generation, such as quilting, baking bread, knitting and crocheting.
“They are dying arts,” said Sears.
There is also some thought to classes that would teach traditional fishing methods such as wooden pot building, said Sears.
“We will be doing something at least once a month” until December, said Sears, before closing the building up for the winter.
The museum complex will reopen in May. This past summer the museum was staffed by one student for six days a week, with volunteers covering the rest of the time.
The museum collection includes a wide variety of artifacts and memorabilia from the Woods Harbour area.
