Halloween is going to be a very busy day here at the museum.  Not only is it is our last Haunted Hike tour date of the 2009 season, it is also a Kidz Day... A Haunted Kidz Day!


I've posted some pictures of Courtney (and one of our newest friends) starting to get things ready for the spooky event. It will begin at 11am, and is aimed at children ages 5-12.  For more information, take a look at our events page.  Hope to see you there!

Well, it's been far too long since I dropped a line in my role as Foreign Correspondent to Discovery North Bay, but that's because I have had a distinct lack of news to share.  Until now.

As you can see, I have been spreading my Shad-y (not shady) message around the European continent.  Aside from the fact that I am sitting on my couch wearing my blue Shadwear T-Shirt, this picture is of my in my black one, at Blarney Castle!

Some of you may be familiar with the legendary Blarney Stone at the castle, which - when kissed - is said to give the lucky kiss-giver the "gift of the gab."  The thing is, for some reason they built this stone into the bottom edge of the top part of a wall... does that make any sense?  No.  Okay, I'll try again - they put the stone in the bottom of the fortification, but that fortification is at the top of the wall.  So, in order to kiss it, you need to hang upside-down, while grasping these two bars installed just for your comfort.  I was feeling a little roughed-up by the guy who was working at the Stone that day, so I got nervous and after I kissed the stone, I got up really fast - too fast.  So fast that I smacked my forehead against the very stone I had just laid a kiss on.  The resulting bump earned the nickname Blarney Bump.

Here is a longer shot of me in front of Blarney Castle.  You remember how I was describing the location of the stone?  Well, if you look at the picture, there are three windows in the wall, one on top of the other (more or less)?  Well, above the third one is approximately where the Blarney Stone is.  It is oddly placed, for a stone with as much legend and mystery as ... well, any stone which has been kissed by the likes of Winston Churchill AND me!

It has been another wonderful season for the Haunted Hike crew. This year, we added a few new spooky tales, interviewed new sources and even had a paranormal investigation of the museum building....
Thanks to all who took part in our tours. The last tour of 2009 will take place on Hallowe'en night! Call 476-2323 for reservations.

Delegates from the Voyageur Heritage Network traveled to Sudbury on Saturday, October 17th 2009. We enjoyed tours of the Sudbury Regional Police Museum, noting how the image of law enforcement has changed over the years. One of the themes: Police are people too!
We enjoyed listening to speakers, including a wonderful presentation brought to us by one of the first females to serve with the OPP. Amazing how things have changed in a generation.
I had a chance to try on lots of gear, including this deceivingly heavy bullet proof vest. Some of the other exhibits included police communications, uniforms, major cases and more. I highly recommend a visit!
If you love learning more about the history of policing, you might want to pick up a couple of books for sale at the Discovery North Bay Museum gift shop: The Beat Light, and Police Stories.