Upcoming 2010 Events

The Committee is working hard to finalize plans on each event and will post exact times here as soon as they are determined.

Sunday April 18th - Rose Charlie 1853 Piano Presentation during BC Arts Culture Week
Saturday June 12th – Fraser Canyon Roots Cedar Basketry “Materials Gathering” Day
Sunday June 13th – Strawberry Social
Friday Aug 20th – Fraser Canyon Roots “Wine & Cheese” Evening
Sat Aug 21st & Sunday Aug 22nd - “ Fraser Canyon Roots” Cedar Root Basketry Workshops
Saturday Aug 28th – “A Living History” Tent City Openhouse

2009 Events

2nd Annual Yale - A Living History Event

Join us for the Grand Opening of our Newest Outdoor Exhibits - Showcasing the Chinese community's contribution to Historic Yale

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Living History demonstrations,
Try your hand at gold panning,
Enjoy some musical entertainment and story telling
and more...

Drop into the Saloon for a Cold Rootbeer then head over to the General Store to buy some old-fashioned candy.
Last but not least, we will officially open the Chinese Boarding and Bath House exhibits.

Fraser Canyon Roots: Tait (Yale) & NLaka'pamux (Spuzzum)

Basketry Workshop Weekend - August 21, 22 and 23rd, 2009

"Cultural Legacy" is once again coming to the Yale Historic Site for a three day weekend beginning on Friday August 21st, through Sunday, August 23rd. This year's event is dedicated to the late Yale Elders: Lawrence Hope and Lena Johnnie, who actively contributed so much to the success of the 2005 workshops.

Yale's last three day event, held during a weekend in August of 2005, was enjoyed by all. The positive feedback from participants encouraged Irene Bjerky, then President of the Yale Historical Society and the original organizer of the Basketry workshops, to continue in her efforts to bring this popular event back again. Unfortunately, Irene's plans had to be put on the back burner when her work as a boilermaker took her to Northern Alberta. Early this year, Irene contacted the Museum and rounded up Sydney Mason, Sharon Blythe and Lori Izawa, who formed a Committee to bring back this culturally significant event.

7:00 PM on Friday evening the Museum will open for the "Wine & Cheese" reception. Local author Ken Wotherspoon.will read from his book "Snakes in the Wild Oats". Ken is a well known Hope author and this gregarious Royal Canadian Legion Chaplin, and retired United Church preacher will have books on hand to autograph for interested buyers.

Registration will be held bright and early Saturday morning. To wake everyone up and get everyone going there will be lots of coffee, tea and buttered muffins with homemade jam on hand.
At about 9:00 AM someone from the Yale First Nations will welcome the participants then Elders Marion Dixon of Hope, and Mandy Brown from Lytton will conduct a presentation on NLaka'pamux Basketry.
Next on the schedule is a demonstration and workshop on cedar root preparation by Cathy Hope and Christine Stephenson.
After a lunch of tea, coffee, juices and buns with sliced meats and cheeses, Nita Bobb of Spuzzum and Lauriane Rockel, of Yale, will teach participants how to make baskets with Ponderosa Pine needles.

Food, and lots of it, is a very important part of any First Nations event. To this end, a traditional 'Salmon Feast' will feature Pink, Coho and Spring Salmon served up with Fraser Valley corn, rice, potatoes and fresh veggie platters. Due to the tinder dry conditions this year, the salmon can't be prepared in the traditional manner (laced onto cedar stakes over an open campfire,) so the fish will be cooked on propane-fired BBQ's supplied by the Yale & District Fire Hall and the Yale Ratepayers Association.

Musical entertainment will follow the feast. Workshop participants will also be treated to a performance by the First Nation Siska Dancers.

On Sunday Vera Edmonds of the Lil'wat Nation, near Pemberton BC., and Marion Dixon will hold two cedar basketry coiling and imbrications sessions.
Cathy Hope will demonstrate the art of filleting and preparing salmon for wind drying.
The final event will be a tour of Lady Franklin Rock.

Sometime during the weekend Marion and her son James, two of the best bannock makers in BC, will be cooking up batches of bannock. These wonderful, feather-light morsels, topped off with spoonfuls of homemade jam, are not to be missed.

29th Annual Strawberry Social

June 14, 2009 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Enjoy Strawberry Shortcake, Old Fashioned games,

Door Prizes & Musical Entertainment

The Royal Engineers Re-enactment of Black Powder Rifle Shooting

Royal Engineers Historic March, Jan. 18, 2009

Hosted by New Pathways to Gold Society, Royal Engineers Living History Group, Fraser River Raft Expeditions and the Yale and District Historical Society

This reenactment of the historic march from Emory Creek to Yale, demonstrates the significant role the RE played in B.C.'s history

Learn about Ned McGowan's War

Yale Stage Coach days ran from the 1960's through to the 1970's, celebrating Yale's often turbulent gold rush history. Stay tuned for images of the annual Basketmakers workshop that delves into the history of the local Native people.