We are very excited to welcome John Jefkins from Home Children Canada to our next meeting on April 17, 2023 at 7:30 pm. The meeting will be held in Wallace Hall at the Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church, 10066 Yonge Street.
John Jefkins is a Director at Home Children Canada. John Jefkins is a first-generation descendant of a British Home Child. His father came to Canada through the Barnardo organization. In 2015, John through the assistance of the British Home Children Advocacy & Research Association found his father’s descendants in England.
Be sure to join us and bring a friend or two. Guests can attend for $5.00 or even better, join the Society for $25 for individual and $40 for families.
Maple Syrup from Carrick Bros. for sale at the Richmond Hill Historical Society booth (photograph courtesy Chris Robart)
by Andrea Kulesh
The Society joined in with Mayor West for his very first maple syrup festival as the Mayor on April 1, 2023. We have previously been involved for 3 years running pre-pandemic. Maple syrup was ordered from Carrick Bros. who generously donated all of the syrup for the pancake breakfast. Numbers were estimated for the event but no one really knew how many would come.
Estimations were made at 1,500 – 3,000 attendees. There were free pancakes and syrup and self serve coffee on hand. The tables were set up in front of the RHHS so we were in a great position to sell maple syrup to those who had just sampled the Carrick Bros. delicious maple syrup.
The doors opened at 10:00 a.m. and there were people literally running to get their pancakes! There were a lot of families and the plan had been for a lot of the children’s activities to be outside but unfortunately the weather didn’t fully cooperate. Although it was a sunny day, the wind prevented some of the activities planned to go ahead. Our member Marj Andre was “Ma Maple” demonstrating the old method of reducing the sap collected to make maple syrup. Unfortunately, the wind did stop some of the activities and they were brought inside. There was music ongoing, speeches for the official opening, lots and lots of vendors and a general and noisy hubbub with a very well attended and successful event.
Richmond Hill Historical Society booth highlighting our 50th Anniversary in 2023 (photo courtesy of Vera Tachtaul)
The RHHS was busy for the entire 4 hours. Fortunately, we were very organized to begin with. Member volunteers set up on Friday night with a very nice display of the syrup, our pamphlets and a table display about the Maple Leaf. Vera Tachtaul, immediately posted photos to our FB page with the latest images of our booth. Volunteers were on hand very early on site, to look after everything before the doors opened. We priced everything and waited until our first customer. The maple syrup started to be sold almost right away and it was evident people were interested in buying but also to learn a little about maple syrup. We had “Quik Facts” on hand and were able to answer knowledgeably about the products we were selling. Some people made the mistake of saying they would come back later to pick something up, but for those people who hesitated, they were sadly disappointed when we sold out around 1:30 p.m. We did receive a few more bottles of syrup from city staff and we sold some just before the event closed.
Denise Hughes, Andrea Kulesh, Agnes Parr, Alison Hughes and Linda Clark at the Richmond Hill Historical Society table. (photograph courtesy Chris Robart)
A special thank you to all of the volunteers who helped to make this the success it was! Vera Tachtaul, Chuck Fraser, Elinor Charters, Agnes Parr, Joan Lund, Barbara Di Mambro, Alison Hughes, Denise Hughes and Linda Clark. We could not have done it without you!
What a great success for the Society! Selling out the entire order! Of course we do have to pay for the maple syrup once we receive the invoice but this will be our main fundraiser for this year after three years of no activity….. We have to thank Mayor West for including us once again in this event. The city event staff were wonderful and worked so hard to put this event on. It was Mayor West’s first Mayor’s event and it was a wonderful day!
The Richmond Hill Historical Society is pleased to be participating in Mayor David West’s Maple Syrup Festival on Saturday, April 1, 2023 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm at the Richmond Green Sports Complex. We will be on hand, selling maple syrup, so be sure to stop buy to get some syrup and chat with us about the Society.
The Richmond Hill Historical Society is pleased to welcome Doreen Coyne from the Richmond Hill Garden & Horticultural Society as the guest speaker at our upcoming meeting on March 20, 2023 at 7:30 pm. The meeting will be held in Wallace Hall at the Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church at 10066 Yonge Street in Richmond Hill. All are welcome to attend.
During this presentation, Doreen will give you a bit of the history of the Society and an overview of the volunteer effort that the members accomplish each year. All of which aim to educate and encourage the beautification of our community and neighbourhoods with plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees.
Bring a friend or two! The guest fee is only $5.00.
Thanks to the generosity of Richmond Hill’s Curtain Club Theatre, the Society is participating in a fundraising night with the play Innocence Lost, an historic drama about Steven Truscott, on the evening of Thursday, March 23rd; doors open at 7:15 pm, show begins at 8:00 pm [showtime, including intermission is 2.5 hours].
Tickets are only $20, with all proceeds going to the Richmond Hill Historical Society. To reserve your ticket, please contact Andrea Kulesh by phone at 905.884.2789 or by email at andrea-kulesh @ hotmail.com.
About the Play
In 1959, 12 year old Lynne Harper was found dead in a farm woodlot near Clinton, Ontario. A few months later her classmate, 14 year old Steven Truscott, was convicted of the murder in a case that was later considered one of Canada’s most notorious wrongful convictions.
Directed by Sergio Calderon
Produced by Sharon Dykstra and Joan Burrows
Starring: Coral Benzie, Tamika Poetzsch, Peter Shipston, Kirsty Campbell, David Henderson, Ruby Jang, Brian Fukuzawa, Eshan Mathur, Sydney Bartlett, Devika Mathur
Frank Robson (driving), Bruce Murchison (Lion member) and Matt Smith (youth) in a parade in Richmond Hill.
This year the Maple Lions Club celebrates their 75th anniversary. March 11th, 1948 was their first official meeting, with the Club being sponsored by the Richmond Hill Lions Club.
The first major event that was held was a “Homecoming” that saw residents come back to visit their former town. This year on April 15th there will be a second “Homecoming”. If you remember Maple when there were three mills, one stoplight and no high school – then you will enjoy this event.
The reunion takes place from 3-7 pm in the Maple Lions Memorial Arena. Tickets are $25 and are available through Eventbrite or contacting David Cook at cookca @ sympatico.ca.
Russ Horner as Toronto Argonauts mascot Scully with former Argos quarterback Doug Flutie in the 1990s
The Richmond Hill Historical Society is pleased to welcome Russ Horner to our next meeting, scheduled for Monday, February 20, 2023 at 7:30 pm. Our regularly scheduled meeting will be held in Wallace Hall at the Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church at 10166 Yonge Street.
After starting his character career at Canada’s Wonderland, Russ went on to make over 8,000 costume character appearances over 35 years. Russ shares the inside scoop on what it is really like in the unique “world” of costume character performing, training and managing, Although physically and emotionally rewarding and of course extremely fun, there is also a serious side to the business with great responsibilities, safety concerns and even dangers.
While we hope that you consider joining the Society as a member, guests are welcome to attend our meetings for $5, payable at the door.
Marj Andre and Mary Kot are pleased to announce the Spring 2023 Richmond Hill Speaker Series. The series features 7 high calibre virtual talks featuring a wide-range of topics and speakers.
The entire series will be offered virtually so that you can enjoy these engaging and informative talks from the comfort of your own home and allows for a broad collection of presenters. Each talk runs from 10 am to 12 pm via Zoom.
Series Cost – $50 (+$2.88 handling and service fees) for all seven talks!
The series includes:
March 9th – Daniol Clair Coles: Sharing Indigenous Worldview: Reflections of Metis History and Experience
March 16th – Seth Klein: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency
March 23rd – Merilyn Simonds: The Many Astonishing Lives of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence
March 30th – Daniel Robert Laxer: Listening to the Fur Trade: A New History of it’s Sounds, Songs, and Ceremonies
April 6th – Deirdre McCorkindale: The Underground Railroad and Free Black Communities in Canada West
April 13th – Michael Arntfield: Cold Cases and Forensic Genealogy: The End of Whodunits?
April 20th – Lindsay Keegitah Borrows: How Indigenous Legal Traditions are Protecting the Environment for Canadians
The Richmond Hill Heritage Centre and Amos Wright Park at 19 Church Street North
The Richmond Hill Public Library is excited to welcome Richmond Hill Heritage Services for two upcoming library programs. In May, we’ll look at spaces, places and stories of our City’s unique heritage; and in June, we’ll learn about how Heritage Services acquires and collects artifacts and go on a tour of the Artifact Storage Facility. Both programs are free, but preregistration is required.
Heritage Designation Saturday, May 8, 2021 10:00 am – 11:00 am; via Zoom
Under the Ontario Heritage Act, municipalities can pass bylaws to formally designate properties of cultural heritage value or interest – acknowledging a property’s heritage value to a community. At the same time, designation helps to ensure the conservation of these important places for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. In this program you will learn more about how we can protect our city’s cultural fabric. Visit Eventbrite to register.
A Museum Collection Saturday, June 5, 2021 10:00 am – 11:00 am; via Zoom
Attend a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of the Artifact Storage Facility. Learn about what we collect, how to acquire artifacts, and how to preserve them and get a preview of the newly renovated Heritage Centre. Visit Eventbrite to register.
To learn more about the Richmond Hill Public Library, please visit www.rhpl.ca/.
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.
5th Annual Ward 4 Maple Syrup Festival Poster
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 welcome John Jefkins from Home Children Canada to our next meeting on April 17, 2023 at 7:30 pm. The meeting will be held in Wallace Hall at the Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church, 10066 Yonge Street.
Richmond Hill Historical Society 