News & Updates

It was a cookie filled afternoon that will go down in history! This year we had 103 children come to our event to decorate cookies with Mrs. Claus and visit with Santa. A special thank you to the Village of Burks Falls for providing a venue, the Arena staff for the special festive setting, Mayor Cathy Still for singing carols, the Township of Armour for their donation, Nancy Kyle for her royal icing, Tim Horton’s for the hot chocolate, our volunteers and cookie makers of the day, Santa and Mrs. Claus, and all the parents, grandparents and guardians that brought their children out to our festive day. Merry Christmas!!  The Burk's Falls & District Historical Society would like to take this time to wish you and yours the very best for 2020! ..

A howling good time was had by all at the Watt Century Farmhouse's Halloween Party! The museum was transferred into a boo-seum with lots of treats and pumpkin carving. Happy Halloween, everyone! ..

You’re invited to the Watt Farm House Heritage Centre for a howling good time and see the museum transformed into a boo-seum!  Come visit the Farm House on Sunday, October 20, 2019 from 1 – 3 pm for some good ol’ fashioned fall and Halloween fun! You can decorate your own pumpkin, tread through the Haunted House and Trick-or-Treat. Cost is $5 per family and costumes are encouraged for kids to practice their trick-or-treating. Our Halloween event the perfect way to ring in the season and have fun with the family. ..

The M.A. Wittick Junior Public School has been transformed into the Almaguin Manor Residence and a public invitation is being extended to attend an open house on September 19, 2019, 178 Yonge Street, at 10:00 a.m.  The Council for the Village of Burk's Falls will celebrate the grand opening with an opening ceremony followed by a tour of the residence.  Take part in a moment of history, it will be a memorable experience! ..

Plan a visit to the Watt Farmhouse from August 6 - 9, 2019! We will have a pair of combat boots on display from Veterans Canada which were part of the 100th anniversary ceremony at Vimy Ridge! Combat boots provided a powerful symbol of remembrance during the ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France on April 9, 2017. Thousands of modern day combat boots surrounded the Vimy monument on April 9, 2017, in memory of the almost 3,600 Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during the battle. Students from Canada and France took part in laying four rows of boots, representing the four divisions of the Canadian Corps that fought for the first time as one formation at Vimy a century ago. ..

Heritage Day 2019 was all about survival.  It was a huge success and included numerous representatives to promote emergency preparedness.  The emergency services and agencies that participated in the event interacted with the community and provided people with the opportunity to learn more about the agencies that provide disaster relief and general support. Visitors learned how to build their own preparedness kit and participated in activities for chances to win prizes, including a gift from the Survivorman himself, Les Stroud.  At high noon, five fire departments converged on a farm field for a firefighter’s challenge. (Burk’s Falls, Perry, Kearney, Magnetawan and McMurrich/Monteith Fire Departments). This was the second annual challenge and resulted in a win for the Burk's Falls Fire Department for 2019!  Congratulations!  Attractions that entertained the crowd for the date included UFC Fighter, Kyle “The Monster” Nelson. Kyle is extremely supportive of promoting local events and always draws a crowd. We will also had free face painting, free inflatables, reptile adventure camp, and winning techniques sports camp. There was plenty of food and refreshments for sale by local sporting organizations and the Girl Guides. ..

The Burk's Falls & District Historical Society and the Township of Armour are proud to host the second annual Firefighter Challenge on Saturday, July 13, 2019.  This event will be held in conjunction with our Heritage Day Celebration.   ..

It's Survival Day on July 13, 2019 and we are celebrating our 25th Anniversary!! The Township of Armour, the Burk’s Falls and District Historical Society and the Archives on Ontario will be partnering to celebrate Heritage Day on Saturday, July 13, 2019 at the Watt Century Farm House Heritage Centre, 827 Chetwynd Road, Burk’s Falls, Ontario. The event will run from 11 am to 3 pm.   This community event is free for all to attend and will include numerous representatives to promote emergency preparedness with the assistance of the Red Cross, emergency services, Ontario Fire Marshal, MNRF, Ontario 211 and many more.

Last year many municipalities were impacted by Parry Sound Forest Fire #33 with smoke and brought the reality of wildfires to our region. This spring many residents were impacted by flooding. This year’s Heritage Day Celebration will have a Survival Day theme, recognize the importance of healthcare and promote emergency preparedness. 

At high noon, five fire departments will converge on a farm field for a firefighter’s challenge. (Burk’s Falls, Perry, Kearney, Magnetawan and McMurrich/Monteith Fire Departments). This will be the second annual firefighter’s challenge for our local fire departments. This event alone brought in a large crowd to Heritage Day last year.

Attractions to date include Kyle “The Monster” Nelson - UFC Fighter, free face painting, free inflatables, reptile camp, free promotional material, etc. There will be plenty of food and refreshments to keep everyone hydrated.

The Army is coming too! The Algonquin Regiment will be in attendance to showcase military weapons and equipment. SHERP ATV has also committed to attending, this is an amazing machine for emergency services to see in action.

Keep your eyes to the sky, Ornge Helicopter plans to land a helicopter on the field and participate in Survival Day.  ..

The Burk's Falls and District Historical Society is accepting applications for a HERITAGE ASSISTANT for a full time student.

Applications will be accepted until Friday, May 17, 2019 at 4:00 p.m.

Submit your resume and cover letter to:
Township of Armour
Attn: Charlene Watt, Deputy Clerk
PO Box 533, 56 Ontario Street
Burk's Falls, Ontario P0A 1C0

Email: deputyclerk@armourtownship.ca

Please identify "HERITAGE ASSISTANT" on the envelope or in the email subject line.  ..