KAGAWONG—The Old Mill Heritage Centre (OMHC) has been nominated for a national award in recognition of its History Day in Kagawong event every summer.
“Kudos to the museum and the museum committee for their being nominated for this award,” stated Billings Mayor Bryan Barker at a council meeting last week.
This comes after council had received notification the heritage centre was nominated for the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming, from Kylie Nicolajsen, program coordinator for Canada’s National History Society in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Mayor Barker read a letter that the nominator, Heather Jefkins, a resident of Gordon/Barrie Island had forwarded to Canada’s National History Society (CNHS). “Each summer the Old Mill Heritage Centre in Kagawong, Ontario hosts ‘History Day in Kagawong’ featuring a single story related to the community. The Old Mill Heritage Centre houses artifacts from both full-time and seasonal residents and has made it its mission to engage both the community and our summer visitors (both seasonal property owners and transient guests) in local history. The museum works to both preserve local artifacts and record local stories (in both audio and video formats). A dedicated team of local volunteers helps curate exhibitions and organize the topics, speakers and artifacts for History Day in Kagawong.”
“The event has become widely attended by both local and summer residents, moving from a single presentation to both a matinee and evening presentation in order to allow more people to attend,” Ms. Jefkins wrote. “History Day in Kagawong is an important event on the local calendar and engages many people in our local history. When this event is combined with the exhibits in the museum’s collection it promotes both pride of place, and also engages more people to learn about the local history of the area. For this reason, I believe History Day in Kagawong, presented by the Old Mill Heritage Centre, is worthy of a nomination for the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming.”
Joanna Dawson, director of Programs Canada’s History Society told The Expositor, “The Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming was created in 2011 and is administered by Canada’s National History Society, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting a greater popular interest in Canadian history. The award recognizes community-led initiatives that encourage public engagement in Canadian history. Two recipients will each receive a cash prize of $2,500 and a trip to Ottawa to receive their award at the Governor General’s History Awards.”
“Each year we put out a call for nominations through our newsletters and social media channels so Canadians can tell us about unique projects in their community,” said Ms. Dawson. She explained, “this is just the first step of the process and then nominees must complete an online application to tell us more about the project, its activities, outcomes and impact. The award applications are due July 15. We will then review the submissions to create a shortlist and a selection committee will determine the final award recipients.”
Rick Nelson, curator of the Old Mill Heritage Centre stated, “The Billings Museum Committee is profoundly j3
to be nominated for this award and grateful to be thought of. It’s nice to be recognized for the years of hard work it’s taken to get our museum, and our public events, to where it is today. At this point it’s important to note that this is a nomination, meaning it allows us to now submit an application to receive this award. We expect the competition to be stiff, with just one English award handed out on behalf of the entire country. But we’ll give it a good shot.”
