Category: Event

The Richmond Hill Historical Society is once again honoured to partner with Councillor David West for the 5th Annual Ward 4 Maple Syrup Festival. The Richmond Hill Historical Society has been associated with the Festival from the beginning, and we’re certainly pleased with how it has grown. In 2020, the Festival had the misfortune to be the first City event to be cancelled because of the pandemic, but this year, it’s going ahead, albeit in a virtual format.

A big part of the Festival will be an educational and interactive webinar from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Sunday, March 21st. We would really encourage you to register for the Webinar on David West’s website – DavidWest-RichmondHill.ca/Maple-Syrup-Festival – and continue to offer the Festival the kind of support it deserves. The Webinar’s agenda includes:

• Indigenous participation
• Music, that was always a big hit
• Maple artifacts
• A maple beverage demo, and
• An ecology presentation by TRCA.

Also available through the website will be opportunities to view maple syrup videos (tapping trees, boiling sap, storytelling) and to participate in a variety of activities, including maple-oriented arts and crafts, recipes – beyond pancakes – and a scavenger hunt. There is also a resource center available that will contain maple syrup facts and trivia.

So take advantage of this opportunity – participate in the webinar and get involved in the videos and other activities that are being made available. It’s a great chance to support our community and Councillor West.

We are very excited to be welcoming Sharon Gusz, an active volunteer and trainer for MILKBAGSunlimited to the Society Meeting on Monday, February 17, 2020.

MILKBAGSunlimited was launched by Angela Kesthely in Toronto, Ontario following the devastating Haitian Earthquake of 2010. Their objective is to providing finished milk mats mattresses made by volunteers to people who have nothing but bare earth or cardboard to sleep on. While saving the planet from discarded, non-recyclable milk bags, the team headed by Angela realized that by giving people the tools and the coaching, income opportunities could be created.

Our speaker, Sharon, is a retired teacher who taught in York Region for over 33 years, including 7 right here in Richmond Hill. Since her retirement in 2013, she has become an active volunteer and trainer for MILKBagsunlimited. She has trained students in over 50 schools in York Region and hosts 3 monthly weaving groups with adults.

Join us as Sharon shares more about this wonderful organization and shows us how we can not only save the environment…but also empower people!

Sharon is encouraging attendees to bring milk bags that can then be given to volunteers for use.

Discovery what it was like to ride the rails in the 1850s and 1900s.

On January 4, 2020, the Canadian Railway Preservation and Restoration Society (CRPRA) will be holding an event at the Richmond Hill Public Library Central Branch on a history of the York-Sutton railway. You have a choice of two 1 hour sessions on January 4th, either from 10:15 am – 11:15 am OR 11:45 am – 12:45 pm. The cost is $5.00.

Games, trivia, hands-on with rails…fun for the entire family.

Register online by visiting the CRPRA website at https://www.crpra.org/community.php.

The Canadian Railway Preservation and Restoration Association, is a federally incorporated non-profit organization that strives to protect, preserve, and restore railroad tracks. We also promote rail safety and educate future engineers.

Just a reminder that if you would would like to buy a ticket for the upcoming dinner on Monday December 9th, 2019, there are still some available. The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. one hour before our usual meeting time. The tickets are $30.00 which includes dinner, door prizes, entertainment (CHORUS YORK) and we have raffle items.

Monday December 9th, 2019 – 6:30p.m
CHRISTMAS DINNER AND PARTY

The Executive Committee of the Richmond Hill Historical Society would like to extend a special invitation to the annual Christmas Dinner & Party.
Join us for a good old fashioned Christmas Dinner and celebration of the season. A delicious dinner will be catered by “3 Sisters Catering Company” with all the trimmings and dessert. There will be Door Prizes, Raffles, Entertainment and Caroling to complete the evening. Lots of fun for the festive holiday season. Invitation is now open to friends and family.
(previously a Members-Only event).

Tickets – $30.00 per person
(Cash or Cheque)

Please call Andrea Kulesh at 905-884-2789.

ONLY Reservations can be taken at this time. Pay at the door.

Call Andrea or email r.hillhistsoc at hotmail.ca. Please let us know no later than Friday December 6th, 2019. The caterers require final numbers to assist them in their arrangements.
** This Event Begins 1 hour earlier than monthly meetings !!

Thank you everyone. We hope you can make it on Monday. It’s always fun to gather and enjoy each other’s company for what remains of the year in 2018!!! The next time we see each other will be New Year 2019!

All the best for the coming Holiday Season!

Tickets on Sale at the November Meeting

ANNUAL MEMBERS EVENT- Now open to friends and family too!

Monday, December 9, 2019
6:30 PM (1 hour earlier than normal meetings)
$30.00 per person

Join us for a good old fashioned Holiday Dinner and Party. A delicious dinner will be catered by 3 Sisters Catering Company with all the trimmings and dessert. Door prizes, a raffle, entertainment and caroling to complete the evening. Chorus York will be providing the entertainment after dinner.

If you are unable to purchase your ticket at the November meeting, please call Andrea Kulesh at 905-884-2789 to make a reservation to be paid at the door on December 9th, 2019. Reservations must be made through Andrea Kulesh by December 4th to ensure the caterers have the final number for dinner.

The Richmond Hill Historical Society is very excited to welcome back journalist and author Ted Barris. Ted will join us on Monday, November 18, 2019 at 7:30 to talk about his latest book The Dam Busters: Canadian Airmen and the Secret Raid Against Nazi Germany.

On May 16, 1943, 133 airmen took off in 19 Lancaster bombers on a night sortie, code-named Operation Chastise. Hand-picked and specially trained, the Lancaster crews flew at treetop level to the industrial heartland of the Third Reich and their targets – the Ruhr River dams – whose massive water reservoirs powered Nazi Germany’s military industrial complex. Dam Busters recounts the dramatic story of these Commonwealth bomber crews tasked with a high-risk mission against an enemy prepared to defend the Fatherland to the death.

Ted is a perennial favourite, having presented to the Society in the past on some of his earlier books. The Dam Busters is Ted’s nineteenth book, the latest in a long line of critically acclaimed publications.

In 2011 Ted received the Veterans’ Affairs Commendation and in 2012 the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. His book The Great Escape: A Canadian Story received the 2014 Libris Best Non-Fiction Book Award.

Please note that this is a fundraiser for the Society so there will be a $10 admittance fee for both members and guests attending Ted’s talk.

For more information about Ted and to learn about his other books, please visit his official website at tedbarris.com.