Paige Seburn
Niagara Now/The Lake Report
Sam Gregory and Carol Liu from Toronto were delighted to stumble upon the Past is Present Heritage Festival in full swing this Monday at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum — while celebrating their wedding anniversary during an afternoon stroll.
The museum’s front lawn and the adjacent street block were filled with visitors from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 5, enjoying a range of historical demonstrations, engaging exhibits and local vendors.
The festival combined entertainment with educational experiences for all ages, with free admission.
“It’s fantastic. It’s lots of fun,” said Gregory. “The music’s great. Lots of great vendors. We’re just enjoying ourselves.”
Visitors enjoyed performances by the Niagara Old Tyme Fiddlers and other musicians, which Gregory and Liu said added a lively soundtrack to the day’s activities.
The festival showcased the intricate art of the Niagara Handweavers & Spinners Guild, which drew significant interest from Liu.
“They were really cool. I haven’t really seen any of those in action yet,” she said.
Other highlights included a pig roast, blacksmith demonstrations and heritage maps.
“Those were super interesting,” Gregory said of the old maps.
Among the many displays, Susan Bogdanski, an artist from Thorold, showed her specially painted terracotta pots.
She uses various techniques to create different finishes, such as stone-like textures, with designs that include both decorative and functional pieces, some for outdoor use and others for hanging.
For the festival, she created pots featuring designs with birds, flowers, and text options like “NOTL” or “NOTL Heritage.”
One exclusive design had a beach scene with the lake, while another had wildflowers.
“People were really liking the Niagara on the Lake pots that I did,” said Bogdanski, who runs Painted Pots Etc. by MommaBogs. “I thought they represented Niagara-on-the-Lake in some way, you know, with the florals.”
She said that her designs captured the beauty of Niagara-on-the-Lake and represented the town’s heritage.
“It takes a little bit of a modern twist on what people have been doing for hundreds of years,” she said.
The festival’s spirit of celebrating the past particularly captivated Ana Ley, originally from Mexico.
“As an immigrant, we don’t know exactly what it used to be like here in the past. So, for us, it’s knowing the history of Canada. We are learning a lot,” said Ley.
Ley was amazed by the festival’s ability to vividly bring history to life.
She said it deepened her understanding of Canada, a country whose history she is just beginning to discover.
