The Clarington Museum will be installing ClaringTown, an interactive play farm and town which offers kids the chance to play and learn about Clarington’s local history.
“It’s a way to have something permanent to tell the history of Clarington but in a fun, interactive way,” said Jennifer Steen curator of the Clarington Museums. “We’ve always had a children’s section and wanted to elevate it. It’s fun for the whole family but also tells the whole history of Clarington.”
The front of the Sarah Jane Williams Heritage Centre in Bowmanville will be transformed to become ClaringTown, a mini re-creation of a downtown streetscape and a rural landscape. The rural play area will have apple trees and corn stalks, with a creek leading to a mill, with a functional spinning wheel. The downtown streetscape will have a general store, a post office, drugstore and bank. There will be a town centre with a cenotaph and town-square.
“It’ll be free for families to come and it’s a fun way to tell the history of Clarington,” said Steen. “You’ll be able to pick your apples and take them to the general store.”
The total budget for the new exhibit is more than $80,000. It’s being funded by a Canada Cultural Spaces grant, the Municipality of Clarington, Ontario Power Generation, St. Marys Cement and a Veteran Affairs grant. The Veteran Affairs grant will fund the cenotaph, with four sides each representing peacekeeping, airforce, navy and armed forces.
The first phase of the exhibit (the rural area, mill and general store) will be installed in mid-October. Phase 2, the cenotaph and town square, will be installed before a family Remembrance Day ceremony in early November. The final phase of the children’s exhibit, the rest of the downtown, will be installed before the end of the year.
Visit www.claringtonmuseums.com or the Clarington Museums Facebook page for more information on ClaringTown and other museum programs and events.
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