Ingersoll Library: Book Launch Saturday, July 27, 2024 @ 1pm!

Hello Everyone,

Please see this guest post from the Ingersoll Library:

Ingersoll Library is pleased to host a local history book launch & author visit with UWO Professor Emeritus, George Emery, in support of his new publication, ‘Blacks in a White Place: Ingersoll, Canada West and Ontario, 1850-1921’

Join us at Ingersoll Library Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 1pm

Feel free to spread the word about this special event via social media or by printing and displaying the attached posts: Blacks in a White Place: Ingersoll, Canada West & Ontario, 1850-192

The Ingersoll Library can be reached at:
The Town Centre, 130 Oxford Street Ingersoll ON N5C 2V5
Email: ingersolllibrary@ocl.net
Phone: 519-485-2505


If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca

Golspie Dairy Celebrates 150 Years!

Please join the Marshall Family on Sunday, July 7 from 1-4pm as they celebrate 150 Years of Dairy Farming at Glen Atholl Farm!

Kathie Richards, Chair and Scott Gillies, Board Member, both of the Oxford Historical Society will present the Marshall Family with a Certificate of Recognition at 1:45pm!

A little bit about the Marshall Family:
Five generations of Marshall’s have lived and worked the land, managing a herd of purebred Holstein cows and growing crops. Since 2022 they have produced bottled milk, small batches of cheeses at Golspie Dairy, an on-farm processing facility and retail farm store, including milk dispensed from a vending machine.

Golspie Dairy’s celebration will include bagpipes, samples, birthday cakes and more!

They are located at 455259 45th Line, Woodstock ON N4S 7V7

For more information about Golspie Farm visit their website – Golspie Dairy


If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca

Annandale NHS Summer Program 2024!

Hello Everyone,

Please see this guest post from Annandale NHS about their 2024 Summer Program schedule at the Museum:

Annandale NHS is excited to announce that we have NEW and UPDATED Summer Programming at the Museum.  Please find attached our new summer booklet! Remember, you can registrar for programs via your Connect2Rec account – Town of Tillsonburg Perfect Mind – or my calling the museum at 519-842-2294. 

Highlights:

Historical Places Week!

Annandale NHS is excited to announce that we are participating in the National Trust’s Historical Places Days from July 10th to 17th, 2024. This year’s theme is Flowers and Gardens! Each day Annandale NHS will be hosting a program that celebrations the Museum’s connection to flowers and gardens. Please see individual events to determine if pre-registration is required.

We will have an event every day!

Teddy Bear Picnic

Bring your favourite Teddy Bear or Stuffed Animal and come and celebration them on the Museum Lawn. Activities will include a Teddy Bear Hunt, Teddy Bear Tea, Teddy Bear Craft and Game Stations!
Date: July 20th, 2024
Time: 12pm to 4pm
Location: On the Museum Lawn
Cost: By Donation

Lemonade and Ice Cream Social on the Lawn

Come and celebrate summer at the museum with a lemonade and full sundae station! Then visit the Museum for a guided tour!
Date: Saturday, August 17th, 2024
Time: 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Location: On the Museum Lawn
Cost: $12.00 a Sundae

Pre-registration required.

For a complete list of activities download our summer calendar: July & August at Annandale NHS 2024


If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca

85th Embro Highland Games – Monday, July 1, 2024!

Hello Everyone, please see this guest post from the Zorra Caledonian Society:

85th Embro Highland Games – Monday, July 1, 2024

The Zorra Caledonian Society is putting the finishing touches on the 85th Embro Highland Games (EHG), taking place Monday, July 1, 2024, at the Embro Zorra Community Centre (EZCC) 355644 35th Line, Zorra. Gates open at 7 am and there is a full line-up of family-friendly activities that will appeal to visitors of all ages.

There are over 200 entries in the individual piping and drumming competitions which begin at 8:30 am with the ever- popular Massed Bands taking the Main Field at 12:30 pm and at 4:30 pm. For the first-time in decades, Grade 2 Pipe Bands have been invited to compete in Embro, travelling from further afield and performing with a higher degree of difficulty. For guests wanting to take in some true Scottish culture the Highland Dance competition begins at 9 am and runs all day with over 100 dancers registered to compete. In keeping with the theme, a wide variety of Scottish vendors on site offer Scottish jewelry, food, tartan clothing, and Celtic arts & crafts and more.

Back again in Embro is the popular Tug-of-War competition and four teams have registered; Ellice (near Stratford), Bluewater (Dashwood), an army team from London, ON and Mount Vernon from Wisconsin, USA. Heavy Events (with the popular caber toss) featuring male and female athletes from across the province vying for top honours, starts at 10:30 am. For those animal enthusiasts, the Scottish livestock area will be open all day with breeds of cattle, horses and sheep that would have all originated in Scotland. Scottish Dogs on Parade, always a favourite show for visitors, will “strut the ring with their humans” at 11 am. There will also be two Dog Agility shows and three Sheep Herdingdemonstrations.

Returning to Embro are two local craft breweries; Upper Thames Brewing Co. (Woodstock) and Junction 56 Distillery (Stratford). The Paddy Stones will open for the Steel City Rovers, and both groups will perform three sets for some rousing live Celtic music in the Muckle Tent. A NEW whisky barrel rolling demonstration will take place on the main field after the pipe bands have marched off at the midway point in the day. For those wanting a slower pace, the Scottish Tea Room will be open from noon to 4 pm, hosted by the Knox Presbyterian Church, with the volunteers serving a selection of teas and traditional delicious delights to enjoy in the arena lobby.

Inside the Great Hall (complete with air-conditioning) the following events will take place. From 10 am to 3 pm, the children’s Scottish Crafts will engage and entertain the wee visitors as they embrace and create with Scottish culture in mind! At 1:15 pm we will have entertainment showcasing Taiwanese Culture which ties in with the Zorra-Taiwan connection and our shared “son” Rev. Dr. George Leslie Mackay. NEW this year we are offering Whisky Tasting with David Prosser from 3-4:30 pm. There are limited spots available to taste four “top shelf” whiskies with advance tickets sold online for $ 50/each.

The Oxford Weavers & Spinners Guild and the Visitors’ Information area, selling 85th Embro Highland Games merchandise, will be set up all day outdoors in the new Embro Zorra Community Centre Pavilion. Six Scottish clans will participate at the Games this year rounding out a full day of family fun with a Scottish flair! Open all day are exhibits in the Great Hall which include the Taiwanese legacy of George Leslie Mackay, Tartans on Display, the Mighty Men of Zorra, 85 years of the Embro Highland Games and Zorra Heritage.

Four professional one-minute videos were created at the 2023 Embro Highland Games and are available to watch online at www.embrohighlandgames.ca. On the website, you can also purchase advance tickets for adults which are discounted by 10%! Admission at the Gate is $30 for adults, $ 10 for youth (ages 13-17) with children 12 and under admitted at no charge. Guests are welcome to bring a lawn chair and parking is complimentary.

The Zorra Caledonian Society is a non-profit community organization formed in 1937 that celebrates and promotes the Scottish heritage of Embro-Zorra. Their signature event, the Embro Highland Games, brings thousands of visitors to Oxford County and is the oldest Highland Games in Ontario. The Embro Highland Games truly exemplifies an entire community coming together for the celebration of all things Scottish! Follow us on Facebook, Snapchat & Instagram.

For more information contact President – Geoff Innes @ 519-537-1202, Vice President – Steve MacDonald 519-475- 4219 or Social Media & Website Coordinator – Holly MacDonald at info@embrohighlandgames.ca

Please feel free to share this poster: 85th Embro Highland Games


If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca

TDHS Upcoming Events

Hello Everyone,

please see this guest post from the Tillsonburg & District Historical Society (TDHS):

Friday, June 21st, 2024: Tillsonburg and District Historical Society is again celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day 
Time: 4 pm
Location:  Tillsonburg Soccer Club, Attawandaron Way, Quarter Townline Rd.

Sunday, June 23rd: Music on the Lawn Starts with “David Cook”
Time: 7 pm
Location: Annandale NHS Lawn
Bring a Lawn Chair!

To learn more abut TDHS our June issue of The Society Pages is available for download!


If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca