I don’t know about you but I have one child who likes to make what she calls ‘mixes’. Often these mixes involve an array of disconnected ingredients that clump together, are then microwaved, then frozen and often found buried or leaking in the freezer months later! Despite the appearance of said mix, the process and sometimes the product are rewarding and definitely worth celebrating. We at the Museum recently made our own ‘mix’. We gathered up our stuff, our programming, our people and left 910 Monaghan Road Peterborough for the Direct Energy Center in Toronto for 10 days to be a Show Feature at the Toronto International Boat Show. Since being back at 910 Monaghan for a few days now and am experiencing the sickness that often follows these outreach events, I am reflecting on what ingredients we used in our mix. And yes, I would say that we feel like we’ve been microwaved and frozen. Here is a list of the items I see figuring heavily in our mix:Ingredients:
- one 300 lb 16′ canoe form for canoe building demonstrations
- 1 steam box and associated equipment
- 4 shavehorses for paddle carving demonstrations and workshops
- 200-300 Paddle to the Sea wooden cut outs and associated equipment
- 5 full size canoe paddle workshop participants, their paddles, and associated equipment
- 100 Soapstone pendants and associated equipment
- 500 paper folding canoes and associated equipment
- 1 Oru Kayak and 1 borrowed Oru kayak (thanks Bill!)
- 1 original Paddle to the Sea model from the filming of the NFB movie Paddle to the Sea
- 6 unique and representational artifacts from the Museum’s collection
- 1 really big tv screen (thanks Tom!)
- 1 voyageur canoe photo booth
- 1 awesome water table with a canal and liftlock system
- 10,000 + staff and volunteer hours for preparation and execution
- one 24′ truck with driver
- 1200 square feet of exhibit space
- wonderful help and support from Cynthia and the rest of the Show organizers, Terry the Floor Manager, Tran at Holmes PR, the take-down fellas from Confederation Log Homes, our steadfast volunteers, our incredible staff and the families that supported our ‘away time’.
Gather all ingredients into a large unheated storage facility on the Museum’s property and mix until January 8th. Then load all ingredients and their associated equipment into a 24′ truck. Unload truck into the 1200 square foot space at Direct Energy Center and begin assembling. Spend 9 days meeting great people, doing programming, meeting more great people. After the 9 days disassemble and move back into the 24′ truck. Return load to Peterborough, unload from truck and return items to their rightful locations. Allow this mix to rest and recover for a few days. Enjoy!
