Westfield Heritage Village Has Photo of Fairy?
October 27th 2011Believe this…or not! We’re just passing on the news…
Something unbelievable and exciting has happened at Westfield…a repeat of an event from the past! A fairy has been captured on film at Westfield Heritage Village. Is it real? Is it a hoax? The only way to truly know is to see the photograph with your own eyes. The photo will be on display at Westfield’s Haunted Halloween this Friday and Saturday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Westfield Heritage Village has a photograph of a beautiful young fairy sitting on the bed upstairs in their historic Gillen house. Photographer David White, a volunteer at Westfield, uses a working antique box camera to take sepia photographs of images at Westfield. [Ed. note: He is the photographer in the photo in the blog post below.] When David went upstairs recently to photograph the bedrooms at the Gillen house he was surprised to see a young girl with fairy wings sitting quietly on the bed. Without disturbing her he was able to capture the image on film.
This unlikely event is strikingly similar to the Cottingley Fairies story from 1917 when two young cousins in England captured photographs of themselves with fairies beside the beck (stream) in the village of Cottingley where one of the girls lived. The pictures came to the attention of writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who used them to illustrate an article on fairies he had been commissioned to write for a Christmas 1920 edition magazine.
Efforts were made to validate the Cottingley photos but none of the experts could prove or disprove whether they were of real fairies or not. By sheer coincidence, Westfield now also has a photograph of a lovely young fairy.
Has history repeated itself? What other mysteries may be uncovered in the Village during Westfield’s Haunted Halloween? Visitors to Westfield’s Halloween programme will have the opportunity to view the photograph, decide for themselves if it is real or a hoax and discover many of the past traditions and mysteries of Halloweens gone by.
Have you ever seen a fairy?
Haunted Halloween at Westfield Heritage Village
October 21st 2011
Hallowe'en from the past
Things are looking pretty spooky in Rockton! See what’s brewing…
Haunted Halloween allows visitors to explore All Hallow’s Eve history and folklore in the unique setting of one of Ontario’s best living history museums, Westfield Heritage Village, Friday, October 28th and Saturday, October 29th, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Time after time, Westfield takes you back to our past with historical buildings, costumed interpreters, live demonstrations and presentations that entertain and educate like no other.
In the setting of more than 30 historical buildings lit by lantern-light, learn the story of Stingy Jack or join the roaring ‘20s costume party. Enjoy presentations of our ancestor’s phobias, superstitions and history including puppet shows, ghost stories, and relive the traditions of Halloweens past! Younger children can try their hands at Halloween crafts and even try on a pair of feathered fairy wings. For the more adventurous visitor, take a stroll through the haunted train station or do the Walk of Doom… if you dare! Enjoy some free hot popcorn (while quantities last) and remember your trip with a one-of-a-kind souvenir from the gift shop.
So bone up on your history at Westfield Heritage Village located on 1049 Kirkwall Road (also known as Regional Road 552) in Rockton, just off Highway 8 between Hamilton and Cambridge. For more information, call 1-800-883-0104. For all Westfield event information and directions, visit www.westfieldheritage.ca.
Admission is only $11 for adults, $10 for seniors and $6.50 for children 6-12 yrs of age. Kids 5 years and under are free and parking is free. Buy your tickets online at www.westfieldheritage.ca and save $1 per ticket.
Westfield’s Ice Cream Festival
July 22nd 2010Westfield Heritage Village is hosting a cool and delicious summer family event this Civic Holiday weekend! Enjoy the fun and flavour of Canada’s favourite treat, ice cream, and the nostalgia of simpler times. Surrounded by period music, you can join the pioneers as they make homemade ice cream from start to finish. Experience the fun and nostalgia of ice cream from Pioneer to Victorian times. Live music, horse and wagon rides, magic shows, face painting, period crafts and games combined with living history make for the perfect topping for a perfect family outing. The theme of this year’s event is candy-flavoured ice cream, including honey. You may even be able to get close to Westfield’s own bees in their new observation house. The Ice Cream Festival takes place Sun. Aug. 1 and Mon. Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $11 for adults, $6.50 for youth 6 to 12 years, and $10 for seniors. Children 5 and under get in free! Annual membership pass holders receive free admission for the passengers of their car to a maximum of seven occupants. Parking is free.
Have a sweet tooth? Read about maple syrup in “Sweet Tastes of Spring.”
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