Hi everyone,
So we are really into Spring now, though it’s certainly been cooler than we would like. A definite sign is that I mowed the lawn for the first time yesterday – it was very necessary. It’s hard to believe that it’s the second spring of the Covid 19 pandemic, but here we are, still under a lockdown and still trying really hard to stay safe, and watching the vaccination numbers slowly (it seems) rising. I received my first shot at Richmond Green in late March, and was told that my second shot would happen in July. I’m really hoping that vaccine supplies become enough that the July date happens much sooner!
The main purpose of this message, as usual, is to remind you that our regular monthly meeting is coming up on May 17th at 7:30 PM, by Zoom. Anyone wishing to attend this virtual meeting on Zoom is invited to contact us at r.hillhistsoc at hotmail.ca.
Our speaker will be Mr. Don Holmes, whose topic is Canadian-made hand tools: there must be a better way. I expect that we’ll learn some things that we just never knew!
I sent you a special message last week about an opportunity to tell the city that Heritage Matters, as part of a consultation process regarding a new Master Plan for Richmond Hill. A series of virtual workshops have been scheduled, dealing with specific areas in the city, and I know that some of you have been participating. The first two dealt with the Bathurst Street and Highway 7 area and the Yonge Street and 16th Avenue area. The next one is scheduled for tomorrow night (May 11th) at 7:00 PM and deals with the Village and Richmond Hill GO Station area. You can register on the City website for that session.
The last three workshops are the Bayview and Highway 7 area on May 13th, the Oak Ridges Centre Area on May 18th, and the East Beaver Creek and Highway 7 area on May 20th. The link to register can be found at Official Plan Update – City of Richmond Hill. I would encourage you to participate – this is an important opportunity.
I hope many of you spied Mary Jane Celsie’s article in the Liberal last week, describing the history of Richmond Hill’s Spring Fairs. Mary Jane did a great job on this latest in the series of articles – what I call Heritage Vignettes – that the Historical Society has been preparing for the Liberal over the last few years. I hope you are enjoying them – we’re working on the next one as we speak.
At our last Executive Meeting we discussed a suggestion from Cameron Telch that, as we think about getting back to normal and having regular newsletters again, we consider sharing some members’ stories about their pandemic experiences and how they coped. We could include them over a number of newsletters. So please give some thought to what you might be able to contribute – I think we could all benefit from this kind of sharing
Thanks for your attention, everybody. Don’t forget our next meeting – Monday, May 17th, at 7:30 PM.
Please stay safe.
Jim
Richmond Hill Historical Society 