Kings Landing and This and That...

 It was so nice to see "good" news on the front page of our local newspaper last week. Our beloved
Kings Landing Historical Settlement is finally getting a good amount of money (3.8 million, both federal and provincial) to repair the mill and dam which have been closed the last few years. Flooding in 2010 damaged the wooden dam and undermined the mill's foundation. The funds will allow replacement of the dam, repair of damage to both the sawmill and gristmill structures and replacement of the walkway atop the
dam. 


The aging timber crib work and rock filled dam has been advancing about 8 inches per year. Many of the timbers are rotten and/or broken. The walkway atop the dam has been removed for safety, and the spillway atop the water wheel has also been removed as it was being pushed over the wheel. The sawmill is an iconic element at Kings Landing but also a symbol of our province's history, in which the lumber industry played such an important part. There will be much celebrating, I'm sure, when all is repaired and the sawmill and grist mill re-open. After all, the KL mill is one of the most photographed scenes in Canada! Great news, for sure!









Have you been to Kings Landing yet this year? I have only been once, but do plan at least one fall visit. I visited in mid July with a friend whose grandson was a Visiting Cousin. It was such fun to follow Teighin around as he and the other "cousins" went about their day. Here are a few photos from our visit.

School's out! The Cousins head off for lunch.

Lunch at the Morehouse home.















Teighin "Morehouse"

The Morehouse herb and vegetable gardens

Someone's been busy haying....




















Of course no visit to Kings Landing is complete for me without a visit to the Ingraham garden. So beautiful, anytime during the summer. The delphiniums were at their peak that day... one of my favourite flowers...














I was very saddened, as was all the world, by the news of the death of Robin Williams. Such a loss, he was so very talented. I'm sure Billy Crystal will give him a fine tribute at next week's Emmy's. I have been enjoying some of my favourite Robin Williams movies on tv this last week- Mrs. Doubtfire is my all time fav, followed closely by Good Morning Vietnam and Patch Adams. What is your favourite Robin Williams movie?

And speaking of not-to-miss movies, make sure you catch The Hundred-Foot Journey. A great story and so well acted. Click here to watch the trailer. I enjoyed it so much I just might go see it a second time.

I'm working away on several new Miniatures; tomorrow I'll give you a sneak peek of the little Pineapple I have underway...

Peace,
Linda

"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions."
~  Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

More Kings Landing

I thought you might like to see a few more photos from our Kings Landing visit last week. Not much chitchat, just more photos.... It's a busy week, as we prepare for Thanksgiving weekend. Both kiddos will be home, plus an extra (friend of Laura's) so I'm trying to get some much-needed housecleaning done, and my blogging time is limited... I'd like to think I might get back up to KL this weekend for their Thanksgiving festivities (love to see all the scarecrows and the Sallies). We'll see. But for now- a few more random photos. Next up - a book review.

The Hagerman shed

Mrs. Hagerman shows us her butter churn

View from the Joslin house front door

Live fiddle music during lunch at the Kings Head Inn

Someone needs to prop up that clothesline!

Baaaaaaa....

Sunflowers in the Morehouse garden

Autumn leaves near the Ingraham house

Airing out the quilt...

Thistle - prickly but beautiful

A unique way of holding the fence together

Peace,
Linda

“If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree. ”  ~ Michael Crichton

Beautiful Kings Landing

I cannot believe the entire summer season has passed and I did not get in one visit to Kings Landing. Until this week! My blogger friend Pamela of Playing with my Camera and I have been trying to schedule a visit to Kings Landing together for weeks now, and between our busy schedules and the poor weather.. well, it took us until this past week!  Thursday was the day! And what a beautiful day it was - warm and sunny with a breeze off the river. We enjoyed the walking, the chatting and the beauty that is Kings Landing Historical Settlement. It is so beautiful in the fall, but the leaves do not seem to be as brilliant this year. I thought with all the rain we had this summer, and the lush foliage that has

In the Hagerman house, one of the museum houses.

resulted... well, I was expecting a spectacular fall, leaf-color-wise. Not so. There are several maples at the Landing that are always a beautiful red, but they had already dropped many of their leaves and what was left wasn't quite the rich red it usually is. Looking across the river, there didn't seem to be a lot of color either. A little disappointing... but Kings Landing certainly did not disappoint...

I never tire of visiting Kings Landing. I know the place like the back of my hand, and there is always something more to see. There actually have been some changes this year in the way things are set up. The homes are now divided into three "categories" - each one is either a museum home, a story home or a hands-on home. 










The museum homes are set up with many artifacts, info boards to explain what you are viewing and a (staff) interpreter (in period appropriate clothing, of course) to answer questions and talk about what is in the home. I was so pleased to see the addition of the info boards, I think KL should have added these a long time ago. In the "story homes", the interpreters are acting out the lives of the family of the home. We especially  enjoyed chatting with the good Doctor in the Jones house and hearing his nineteenth century views on the practice of blood-letting, and in the Perley house hearing the ongoing disagreements between Mrs. Perley and her love-sick, poetry-writing daughter Annie (below).

In the Perley House,a story home

 The hands-on homes have activities that visitors can participate in, such as cooking and/or baking on an open hearth, spinning, etc. These have been very popular with visitors this year. One home is totally dedicated to children's activities- they can dress up in period clothing and participate in a number of fun activities. Of course the trades areas continue as always- the print shop, the sash and door factory, the blacksmith shop, cooper's shop, etc.

Spinning in the Heustis house, a hands-on home

 Fields were being plowed, crops were harvested and being dried or stored... looks like preparation for winter is well in hand! We chatted with the horses, pigs, geese, chickens, sheep, turkeys and one ox. (I warned the turkeys that Thanksgiving is not far off, and they should be making themselves scarce...) Lunch, complete with live fiddle music, at the Kings Head Inn (turkey vegetable soup, brown bread and gingerbread and whipped cream...yummmm) and some great chats with staff made for a wonderful visit.

At the Joslin farm

If you haven't been to  Kings Landing this year, you still have one more week - their last day is
next Monday- Thanksgiving Day.  There are lots of special activities going on for Thanksgiving weekend, including the very popular Auction on Sunday afternoon, the Turkey Shoot, the Lumberman's Competition, the Church service and the ever popular turkey dinner at the Kings Head Inn..

And if you are local and haven't been to see Copperhead - The Movie yet, you have four more days to get yourself there! What are you waiting for? It has been held over again and plays at Empire Theatres through Thursday Oct.10.  Filmed at Kings Landing, it is an American Civil War story but there are no bloody battlescenes. It is more about the war "at home", ie how it affected the families in an upper NY state community. You can read more about it in my post here.

Pop on over to my friend Pam's blog here so you can see her photos too. 





Peace,
Linda

"If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday." ~ Pearl Buck

Copperhead The Movie is here!

We interrupt the regular scheduled programming (and continuation of coverage of the KV Quilt Show) to bring you this very important announcement. Copperhead, The Movie is now playing in Fredericton at Empire Theatres. The success of this movie, as far as how many more venues in Canada it plays at, largely hinges on the response this weekend. So if you live locally PLEASE get out this weekend and see this wonderful movie. It was shot last spring at our own beautiful Kings Landing Historical Settlement. The setting is absolutely perfect. I was very lucky to see Copperhead when it premiered here in May (to a selected/closed audience) so I can honestly tell you it is SO worth seeing. I went, with expectations of solely watching the set and paying attention to the local "actors" (extras) in the movie. Within 5-10 minutes I was so engrossed in the story that I forgot all about watching for the faces I knew.. It is a wonderful story, and although it's a Civil War story, there are no bloody battle scenes. It's more of how the war effects those "at home". Families and communities are divided over their feelings about the war. You can watch the trailer here and also  read more about the movie, the cast, the score, etc. Billy Campbell and Peter Fonda are the two big names you will recognize but there are many other excellent actors in it as well, including a number of local faces you might recognize (Walter Learning, Robbie O'Neill, Verna Hayward...). Certainly if you are a regular visitor to Kings Landing,  you will recognize Don Rigley, Tom Richards, Laurie Marr and many more "staff" faces...
It is also now playing in Moncton at Empire Theatres (Trinity Drive) and at Bayers Lake in Halifax.  So please- if it's playing near you, get out and see it. Right now, it's only scheduled for Fredericton until Thursday, Sept. 26 so don't wait!! See it today. Help it become the success it deserves. I urge you to go, I know you'll enjoy it.

Peace,
Linda

"I highly recommend seeing the film." ~ Charles Cummings, American Civil War Today

"I highly recommend seeing the film" -- Charles Cummings, American Civil War Today - See more at: http://copperheadthemovie.com/news/reviews#sthash.ZppIj7jh.dpuf

"I highly recommend seeing the film" -- Charles Cummings, American Civil War Today - See more at: http://copperheadthemovie.com/news/reviews#sthash.ZppIj7jh.dpuf

"I highly recommend seeing the film" -- Charles Cummings, American Civil War Today - See more at: http://copperheadthemovie.com/news/reviews#sthash.ZppIj7jh.dpuf

"Copperhead may well be one of the best new scores of this year, and is an excellent display of the young composer's abilities." ~  Chris Hadley, Film Score Monthly

Copperhead the movie

Well it's Friday and I'm still on a "high" from last night. No, no illicit drugs or booze fests. I was at the private screening of Ron Maxwell's film "Copperhead" at The Playhouse!! How lucky am I?! This movie was filmed at Kings Landing Historical Settlement, west of Fredericton last May/June and is set to be released in movie theatres later this month. In the US. No word yet on a release date for Canada, although Maxwell told us last night, he expects late July. It won't be available to buy on DVD until Spring 2014.
The movie is AWESOME!!!  Set in 1862, it is a Civil War story, but it is not a "war film" per se as there are no battlescenes. It is, rather, a story of the other battlefront- that at home. It tells of families torn apart by war, fathers in conflict with their children, political disputes which pit neighbours against neighbours who have been friends all their lives, a community driven to vengeance against one of their own. Copperhead is a moving look at the horrible price of war - not only the cost of lives lost on the battlefields, but also the destruction of families and communities on the homefront.
Far from the battlefields to the south, Copperhead takes place in upper New York state. Abner Beech (Billy Campbell) is a farmer who has long been an upstanding citizen of his community. Now, because he opposes the war and is not afraid to exercise his right to freedom of speech, he is labelled a Copperhead (think snake)- a term used for those in the north who opposed the war. He simply does not believe in sending his son and the other young men of the community to fight  and kill their fellow Americans. His neighbour Avery (Peter Fonda) is a Unionist and believes the war is necessary to preserve the Union. Angus MacFadyen plays Jee Hagadorn, an Abolitionist. Three strong characters with very different opinions on the war. I won't give away any more of the plot, but there is a love story as well (a very handsome couple, might I add!)

Many Kings Landing staff were extras in the movie and I was at first intent on watching for familiar faces in the scenes as well as enjoying all the Kings Landing "scenery". It wasn't long before I was swept up in the deeply emotional story. The acting was superb - not only the veteran actors, but the lesser known actors as well, most of them Canadians and Maritimers - all but six in fact!! Josh Cruddas of Halifax (who plays Jimmy) and Ciaran MacGillivray of Cape Breton (musician and former member of the singing group The Cottars) both really impressed me, along with Augustus Prew who plays Ni Hagadorn. You can read more about the main cast members here.
You'll see some pretty impressive credentials!
After we watched the movie (the Director's cut actually - slightly different from what will be shown in theatres), there was a Question and Answer period with Director Ron Maxwell, Co-Producer John Huston and 7 cast members on stage. Questions were taken from the audience and it was very interesting to hear the cast speak of their experiences during the filming. Of course there were a few amusing stories as well and it was so obvious that everyone involved in the film loved Ron Maxwell and thought very highly of him. I was thrilled to speak to him personally at the reception afterward and tell him how much I enjoyed the film. It's not every day you get to speak to a movie producer!!
Visit the Copperhead website here to learn more about this great Civil War movie with a difference. As soon as a Canadian distributor is found, there will be a "demand" button added to the website for Canadian showings. I will let you know when it's there, so you can add your request for it to be shown in your local area. The button that's there now is only for U.S. showings so if you are an American reader, please hit that button and ask for the movie to come to your local theatre. We want this movie to be a BIG success!

Peace,
Linda


"What ever happened to Love Thy Neighbor?" - Ni Hagadorn in Copperhead

Sugarbush Weekend!

This is the first of two Sugarbush Weekends at Kings Landing Historical Settlement so if you are local and haven't been there this weekend, you still have another opportunity next weekend, March 23 and 24. I went up yesterday and enjoyed several hours in the fresh air and sunshine. There were lots of visitors, in fact there was a huge lineup to get in - that's a first for me... I've never before stood in line more than a few minutes. It was great to see so many young families with children in tow, enjoying the village and the sugarbush activities.







 


Of course the maple taffy, poured on the snow and rolled up on a stick was the most popular of all- who can resist that sticky sweet taste of spring?  One could see the syrup boiling in the iron pots over an open fire just behind the area where the taffy was being poured. Nearby, buckets hung on maple trees. It was a cold morning and when I first passed by the sap was not yet running, but several hours later, after the sun had "warmed" the trees a bit, the spiles were dripping...

 Many enjoyed a wagon ride to shorten their walk  from one side of the village to the other. Wagon rides are always popular with children and seniors. Even the horses seemed happy to be out in the fresh air, "back at work".....




  


 Most people stop on the bridge to admire the beloved mill. Water was pouring over the dam just to the left of the mill - it was so nice to hear that water running.. a sure sign of spring. It won't be long now until the ice is gone from the river and the inlets.








The animals are always a favourite  with the children. The Joslin Farm is a magnet for the children - for many it's their first time seeing a real cow or sheep, or patting a horse. (I was amazed at how many thought the sheep were goats!! Guess they were "city" kids.. lol) The littlest ones were not too anxious to get up real close.... No wonder- when you're only 2.5 feet tall, these animals must appear gigantic! You could tell the oxen and horses were happy to be out of the barn and soaking up the sunshine.




It was a great day at the Landing.. of course in my opinion  ANY day at the Landing is a great day.  So if you live in this "neck of the woods", get yourself up to Sugarbush Weekend at Kings Landing Historical Settlement. You can read more about it here (written by my DD...yes, I'm a proud Mama)
Of course you can also enjoy a wonderful breakfast in the Visitors Reception Centre, and support YSSR - the York Sunbury Search and Rescue unit. Pancakes and syrup, bacon, sausage, baked beans and more! Yummmmmm...

If you want to experience a real sugarbush operation, you can continue upriver a few more miles to Dumfries Maples and see a "modern" sugarbush operation. What a great learning activity for children- see the entire process from taps and taplines to the evaporator and bottling.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all....have you seen a leprechaun yet?

Peace
Linda

St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time -- a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic.

All Hallows Eve Dinner...

I was fortunate to attend the first 2012 All Hallows Eve Dinner at Kings Landing last Friday night. What a blast! If you have never attended this event, and you are a fan of Hallowe'en and all things spooky, you had better put this at the top of your "Must Do" list. There are two more, this coming weekend - Friday and Saturday evenings. You must make a reservation in advance, and choose your main course. You can see more info and get the phone number or email to do that by clicking here . Don't wait- they may be very close to sold out by now. You can read the blog post about this "haunted event" that dear daughter Laura wrote for the Fredericton Tourism blog here. (If you scroll back you can also read one she wrote on the KL Thanksgiving weekend, and there will be one in the near future on their Christmas Dinners at the Kings Head Inn as well.)
This spooky evening is far more than just a good meal at the Kings Head Inn. It's more of a "dinner theatre" style evening. Dinner service begins around 7:30pm, but you will want to arrive
well before that. I'd suggest you arrive by 6:30 as you'll want to have time to "encounter" all the ghouls and ghosts as you walk down to the Inn. Try not to get blood on your clothing, and don't get trampled by the headless horseman who may gallop by. And watch in the trees for swinging bodies.... Mwuhahahaha.....  Head down to the Pub first for a cup of hot cider or something stronger if you prefer. Enjoy the minstrels' musical entertainment... join in the singing, if you dare...
There will be a special table reserved for you in one of the dining rooms and I guarantee the meal will not disappoint. You will not come away hungry! You will be treated to a number of short performances by members of the Kings Landing Dramatic Lyceum - musical numbers, readings and recitations, and gruesome stories of actual historical events... macabre, spine tingling, humorous and more! I don't want to give anything more away- you'll have to go to experience the fun for yourself!

" 'Tis the night - the night
Of the grave's delight,
And the warlocks are at their play;
Ye think that without
The wild winds shout,
But no, it is they - it is they."
~Arthur Cleveland Coxe

Faces and Places

Tonight I have a few more images from a beautiful fall day at Kings Landing. Can you tell I love that place?! haha I have to admit, it does hold a special place in my heart...  Maybe the fact that part of the land it's built on belonged to my Dad's ancestors is why it feels like
"home" ... My father loved it there; he visited often and loved to chat with people, staff and visitors alike. I think he'd be very proud to see his daughter and grand-daughter "carrying on the tradition". Actually now we have his great-grand-daughter coming along too. This summer, Laura convinced my great-niece Mallory that she should volunteer at KL and she took to it like a duck to water. She travelled with Laura and worked in the
same house. Mallory loved it and can't wait to return next summer! So now we have another KL lover in the family. lol   Here are "my girls" above checking out George's "mail order bride".. And of course they had to check out the chickens at the Joslin farm.. "Are they as plump as our chickens at the Hagerman House?" In a future post, I'll share a few more pics of Mallory in costume. She and I had fun on Agricultural Fair weekend, in some of the competitions.
Kings Landing is so picturesque. There are photo ops everywhere you look. I hope you won't be bored by a few more pics.. faces and places.. on the final weekend. The site is now closed until next spring, except for the wonderful All Hallows Eve and Christmas dinners at the Kings Head Inn. There's a chance I may get to one of these dinners.. with luck... and if I do, you can be sure I'll be taking my camera along...

 

 

 

Laura finished off her visit with the annual  Turkey Shoot, firing a Brown Bess musket. Her forehead was black with gunpowder after the musket fired...  lol

Peace,
Linda

There is nothing half as pleasant as coming home again.

Scarecrows and Aunt Sallies

Each year in the fall, as they prepare for the harvest, Kings Landing staff make scarecrows and "Aunt Sallies" to protect their crops and gardens. This year I think their efforts were exceptional. Some resemble other staff members and others reflect "events" on site over the season. There were eleven wonderful "creations" displayed around the village, in gardens, trees and by homes. (Visitors over the weekend could vote on their favourites and judging was to take place as well. The winners have now been added below). If you are a frequent visitor to Kings Landing and you are familiar with the staff, I'm sure you'll have no trouble identifying some of these "characters"....
Warning: Photo heavy post!




If you've ever taken a guided tour at KL, this handsome fellow might look strangely familiar... I loved his facial features and his beard and hair. I think there was a very creative and talented Mrs. Hagerman behind this guy...























Did you notice his handsome ears? Dried apple slices...













Next, on to the Joslin farm.... I think this must be Farmer Joslin's wife with their little pet pig. He was the runt of the litter and Mrs. Joslin knit him a sweater to keep him warm on those cool spring days.














On to the Lint house which was frequented by a skunk this summer. Here is Mrs. Lint surprised by her odorous little friend right in her own front yard! Cheeky little devil!!

Mrs. Perley is a kind soul. There is a single gentleman in the village who has not been able to find himself a wife, despite his best efforts. So Mrs. Perley ordered him a "mail order bride". Here she is, ready and waiting to be claimed by her future husband... The sign reads: "From Mail Order Bride Co. Boston, Mass.  To: George"










Over at the Morehouse home, this young fellow was enjoying a swing....  hmmmm.. does he look like a farmhand "taking a break"?   Gotta LOVE those feet...

















In the Ingraham orchard  this fellow was checking to see if the apples were ready for picking..

 He looks an awful lot like this gentleman who DOES know a lot about apples....

This scarecrow won THIRD PLACE!!

















And in the Ingraham garden this Aunt Sally is keeping her eyes peeled  for those pesky blackbirds.

This Aunt Sally won SECOND PLACE!!















At the Heustis house, it seems they were looking ahead to Hallowe'en..."Broomhilda" the witch was staying close to her cauldron... Check out her lengthy  fingernails!!


















I loved her facial features, right down to her warty nose...   SO well done...















At the Long house, this Aunt Sally looks like she is ready for a performance!













Speaking of performances, this fellow looks very much like a long-time KL staffer who sees many visitors each year in his shop.... do you recognize him?
















 You're right - it's Terry the Blacksmith!! Congrats Terry on winning FIRST PLACE!!!









 And lastly, outside the Gorman Carpenter Shop, was this lanky fellow. He looks like he needs a good meal or three. I sure hope someone shared their turkey dinner with him- he's looking a little thin...


So, what do you think? Would YOU be able to choose a favourite? It was not easy.. I loved them all...

Kudos to the KL staff for their hard work all season long, and especially for the many efforts that went into this weekend's Thanksgiving Harvest Festival. The Kings Landing site closes today, with the exception of their Hallowe'en and Christmas Dinners at the Kings Head Inn.








Peace,
Linda

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." ~ E.E. Cummings