KAGAWONG—The Old Mill Heritage Centre in Kagawong is on the shortlist for a national award.
“We’ve made it to the shortlist for the Governor General’s History Award (for Excellence in Community Programming),” said Rick Nelson curator of the local museum, last Thursday. “I am grateful we even made the short list considering how many great applications I’m sure they had to consider.”
“But I knew we had a strong presentation,” said Mr. Nelson. The Old Mill Heritage Centre had been nominated for the award by Heather Jefkins, a Gordon/Barrie Island resident, for the museum’s annual History Day in Kagawong event, particularly for the Empress of Ireland presentation.
Kylie Nicolajsen, program coordinator for Canada’s National History Society informed Mr. Nelson on September 7, “I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to give you an update on your application for the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming.”
“The first round of reviews has been completed, and I’m happy to share that your application has advanced to the shortlist of candidates under consideration for the award,” wrote Ms. Nicolajsen. “Congratulations! This is a significant achievement and a testament to your exceptional work. We will be highlighting your project on our website.”
Ms. Nicolajsen added, “the judges will move forward with the second round of reviews, and we hope to contact the two final recipients later this fall. Congratulations again on this accomplishment.”
Ms. Jefkins in her nomination letter wrote in part, “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 for 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.”
