Discover the Timeless Art of Traditional Craftsmanship
Step back in time and immerse yourself in the hands-on experiences and fascinating demonstrations of our Heritage Skills Festival, a cornerstone of our 40th anniversary celebrations at the Grist Mill and Gardens. This special event is designed to connect visitors with the skills, crafts, and traditions that shaped the lives of those who lived and worked in our community over a century ago.
What to Expect
During the Heritage Skills Festival, our historic grounds will come alive with a variety of skilled artisans, educators, and experts showcasing the heritage trades and skills that once formed the backbone of daily life. Visitors of all ages will have the opportunity to watch, learn, and even try their hand at some of these time-honored practices.
Highlights of the event include:
Blacksmithing Demonstrations: See a master blacksmith at work, forging tools and decorative items using traditional methods and equipment.
Gardening Techniques of the Past: Learn about heirloom plants and historical gardening practices that kept early settlers fed and thriving.
Traditional Cooking Skills: Experience the art of open-fire cooking, preserving foods, and making bread from scratch using stone-ground grains.
Spinning and Weaving: Watch fiber artisans turn raw wool into thread and create beautiful textiles on looms.
Flint-Knapping: Discover the ancient art of shaping stone tools and arrowheads, a skill that dates back thousands of years.
Animal Husbandry: Meet heritage breeds of farm animals and learn how they contributed to sustainable farming practices of the past.
Plus, enjoy additional activities, demonstrations, and exhibits designed to inspire and educate while celebrating the rich history of our region.
Become Part of the Festival
We’re looking for skilled artisans, demonstrators, and relevant vendors to join us in making the Heritage Skills Festival an unforgettable experience for our visitors. If you have expertise in a traditional craft, skill, or trade—or if your products align with the event’s themes of history, craftsmanship, and sustainability—we’d love to hear from you!
Opportunities include:
Live skill demonstrations
Interactive workshops for visitors
Vendor booths for handmade goods, tools, or heritage-related items
If you’re interested in participating, please contact us at frontdesk@oldgristmill.ca. Spaces are limited, so apply early to secure your spot in this unique celebration of heritage and history.
Celebrate Father’s Day at the Grist Mill and Gardens!
Join us at the historic Grist Mill and Gardens for a special Father’s Day celebration! Dads and Granddads enjoy FREE ADMISSION when accompanied by their child or adult child. Event Highlights:
Bacon & Pancake Breakfast:
Time: 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM Price: $15 per person Enjoy a delicious breakfast featuring pancakes and bacon, inspired by Barrington Price, the founder of our mill in 1877. He operated a smokehouse on-site, providing bacon for his general store, and we’re bringing that tradition back for this event.
Explore the Grist Mill:
Time: Site opens at 10:00 AM Price: Regular admission, except dads get in free!
Bring your family and celebrate the dads in your life with a day full of history, good food, and fun activities at the Grist Mill and Gardens!
“If you go out in the woods today, you better go in disguise…”
We’re so excited about this event, we can bear-ly contain ourselves! Grab your favourite teddy bear and join us for a lovely afternoon picnic in our gardens that includes music, story-time, scavenger hunt, games, crafts and more!
Have a favourite stuffed toy in need of medical attention? Volunteers doctors and nurses will be staffing a Teddy Bear Hospital offering minor repairs by donation.
Also, we’ll be offering prizes for Biggest stuffie, Oldest stuffie, Best-Dressed stuffie and Most Lookalike (with owner).
Children aged twelve and under who bring their own stuffies will get free admission for the day; all others are $15 (or $10 if prepaid through our website). We will also have picnic boxes available through our kitchen featuring sandwiches/wraps, sides, a drink and a baked goodie. Voucher can also be pre-purchased, offering a discount over the regular prices at the event.
Be sure to bring your own blanket or lawn chairs and everything else you need to have a lovely time in our gardens on this very special day!
“If you go out in the woods today, you better go in disguise…”
We’re so excited about this event, we can bear-ly contain ourselves! Grab your favourite teddy bear and join us for a lovely afternoon picnic in our gardens that includes music, story-time, scavenger hunt, games, crafts and more!
Have a favourite stuffed toy in need of medical attention? Volunteers doctors and nurses will be staffing a Teddy Bear Hospital offering minor repairs by donation.
Also, we’ll be offering prizes for Biggest stuffie, Oldest stuffie, Best-Dressed stuffie and Most Lookalike (with owner).
Children aged twelve and under who bring their own stuffies will get free admission for the day; all others are $15 (or $10 if prepaid through our website). We will also have picnic boxes available through our kitchen featuring sandwiches/wraps, sides, a drink and a baked goodie. Voucher can also be pre-purchased, offering a discount over the regular prices at the event.
Be sure to bring your own blanket or lawn chairs and everything else you need to have a lovely time in our gardens on this very special day!
If you or someone you know would like to give a workshop or demonstration, or be a vendor (garden-related vendors and exhibitors only, please!), you can learn more at https://www.oldgristmill.ca/vendor-info/.
Gardeners (and those who enjoy gardens), come join us for a day of touring and sharing! There will be presentations, networking and displays spread around our 12 acre site and we look forward to progress restoring our own heritage gardens to their original deep-researched and historically-significant splendor.
We’ll also have presentations and sharing about invasive plants, seed saving, drying and storing herbs, how to care for your tools, and more! (And if you know someone who might like to give a presentation or sell their garden-related wares, please have them get in touch with us right away!)
Also, if you’re a member of your own local garden club, admission for the day is 1/2 price!
Celebrate Father’s Day at the Grist Mill and Gardens!
Join us at the historic Grist Mill and Gardens for a special Father’s Day celebration! Dads and Granddads enjoy FREE ADMISSION when accompanied by their child or adult child. Event Highlights:
Bacon & Pancake Breakfast:
Time: 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM Price: $10 per person Enjoy a delicious breakfast featuring pancakes and bacon, inspired by Barrington Price, the founder of our mill in 1877. He operated a smokehouse on-site, providing bacon for his general store, and we’re bringing that tradition back for this event.
Explore the Grist Mill:
Time: Site opens at 10:00 AM Price: Regular admission, except for dads. Discover a variety of vendors and demonstrations focused on woodworking and woodcraft throughout the day.
Bring your family and celebrate the dads in your life with a day full of history, good food, and fun activities at the Grist Mill and Gardens!