The Boyd Papers - Spring 2021

This may be the shortest Boyd Papers ever! Nothing planned because we still don’t know what will be happening this summer. We have had book sales in the museum during the winter each Saturday for 3 hours. It gave us about $100 per Saturday which is more than we had on the previous Friday. Ruthann calls it a community service as the library is still closed except for pick-up and drop-off, no one is allowed in. We will have to close the book sale down in April so I can get the Museum back in order for the summer (if we have a summer). I think we may be able to set up in the Art Room as long as the door to the library is closed. We will open again in May (if the present lock-down is over); it is up to himself – Mr. Ford. There are certainly many out of towners around again.

Three of our best members died this past year, Jimmy O’Brian, Ev

Guest and our mural painter Wayne Moore. Wayne’s murals are a great draw to the museum and often a tour is

interrupted by people asking about the murals. When I asked Wayne if

he would like to paint a great large mural he said ‘I’ve always wanted to

paint a great big painting’ and so it started. He started with the shanty

picture, then the Esturian, log jam, entrance to Boyd home and finally

the Boyd barn and buffalos. These paintings started in 1998. Wayne

loved to dance and oddly enough he was at a dance when he just

collapsed and died of a heart attack. He has left a lasting legacy to our

museum.

We are thinking we may be able to hold a 2 day Gift Gallery after the

Museum closes. This would be held in November in conjunction with

‘Mingle-Jingle’. We don’t know if there will be a Santa Clause parade

this year allowing us to hold various activities for children while they

wait for Santa.

If all goes well, Ruthann has contacted our Antiques

and Collectibles dealers, and all of them want to come to our show in

2022. We will be back at the Curling Club in August 2022 and hopefully,

we will remember how to set the show-up and get all the advertising

etc. in place. Ruth McIssac will (hopefully) look after our kitchen again.

It will be just like the ‘old days’.

At least the vaccine is on the horizon and this may prove to be the

end of all our close-downs. By now (April) most of us have had the first

jab and waiting for the second. This variant is proving to be a difficult

issue so who knows when the new normal will be. Most of the museum

community feel it will be at least four years before we are back to

where we were before the lights went out.

Our supporters have been wonderful and we have had to make a new

board for our Patrons, Contributing and Supporting members. Ruthann

will also be trying to get more corporate membership. We have perhaps

3 corporate members – so there will be a campaign to pull in a few

more.

We hope to install a new exterior sign this spring. I will give you a

sneak preview of this new message of what and who we are.

This will be on display at the front of the museum, we hope, by May 1.

We haven’t heard if American yachts will be coming up the Trent this

year, but we have a schedule for the Voyageur (whether or not they

actually leave home we aren’t sure). It would be nice to see them again.

The repairs (rebuild) of our lock are not finished yet but apparently,

they are on time.

We have Evan coming back this summer and because it has been so

quiet he will probably have Larry’s and my accessions done the first

week back. I feel sorry for him as he has not had any classes at

University for his first year.

No news about the library move yet - everything is on hold. They are

just doing pick up and drop off and perhaps will continue to do that

until the move is approved or at least ready.

I will keep you informed as the opening gets closer as to what will be

happening to us or for us.

Keep well and get jabbed!

Barb McFadzen