This Month in Lambton - January 2024

The January 2024 edition of This Month in Lambton includes the following news, service updates, programs and events:

• Weathering winter storms at home
• Lambton Circles donation from Seaway Kiwanis Club
• Share your Lambton hockey-related stories with Lambton County Archives
• Lambton County Museums and Archives launch new Online Collections Database
• Lambton Heritage Museum to open S.H.E. is Healing, the first feature exhibit of 2024
• Lambton Heritage Museum hosting PA Day Event: Spinning a Yarn Storytime
• Oil Museum of Canada hosting PA Day Event: Meet Our Wild Neighbours
• Lambton County Library programs and events
• Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery programs and events

Weathering winter storms at home

Winter storms, heavy snowfalls, and power outages can lead to residents being “snowed in” for a couple of days. Be sure you are aware of impending storms, and any related watches or warnings by downloading Environment & Climate Change Canada’s WeatherCAN app. Leading up to and during a weather event, you should also monitor local news outlets for weather related power and travel impacts.

At home, consider stocking up on emergencies supplies to help weather the storm. Ready-to-eat foods, flashlights, candles, radios, and extra batteries are helpful to have on hand.

When winter storms hit, and you need to go outside, be sure to dress for the weather. Outer clothing should be wind and water-repellent. The jacket should have a hood. Wear mittens – they are warmer than gloves.

In wide open areas, blowing snow can cause virtually zero visibility. You can easily lose your way walking even short distances or become exhausted walking in deep snow. In isolated or rural areas, do not try to walk long distances unless there is something to guide you or something to follow.

Ice from freezing rain can accumulate on branches, power lines and buildings. If you must go outside when a significant accumulation of ice has already occurred, pay attention to branches or wires that could break and fall due to the weight of the ice. Do not touch power lines: a hanging power line could be live, and you would run the risk of electrocution. Remember also that ice, branches or power lines can continue to break and fall for several hours after the end of a freezing rain storm.

Finally, if the power has been off for a long time check the food in your refrigerator and freezer for spoilage.

Lambton Circles donation from Seaway Kiwanis Club

Seaway Kiwanis Club member Kim Godin presents Martine Creasor, Lambton Circles Coordinator, with a $5,000 donation supporting Lambton Circles children and families, alongside Katherine Sullivan, Seaway Kiwanis Club President, Mary Lou Robb, Circles Coach, and Jillian Parker, Circles Coach.

Circles families and staff are incredibly grateful for the years of donations and support from the Seaway Kiwanis Club.

Share your Lambton hockey-related stories with Lambton County Archives

Do you have fantastic hockey stories connected to Lambton County? Do you remember the sound of Lake Chipican ice beneath your skates, or the feeling of elation as you scored that youth league game-winning goal? There’s still time to share your memories with Lambton County Archives!

From now until February 29, Lambton County Archives is collecting submissions of stories and photos related to hockey in our community. The public is invited to share their hockey-related stories and photos using the online form at lambtonmuseums.ca/hockey. Together, we will preserve Lambton County’s hockey history, including what this sport means to our community.

Submitted stories and photos may be displayed as part of the larger feature exhibition Hockey at Lambton Heritage Museum this July to October 2024. Lambton Heritage Museum is also asking the community to lend specific hockey-related items such as hockey skates, sticks, jerseys, and trophies or medals with local ties which could be included in the exhibit. The objects must be in relatively good condition (although some use is expected) and must have a connection to Lambton County. To submit an object for consideration, fill out the form at lambtonmuseums.ca/hockey by February 29, 2024. Museum staff will follow up directly regarding objects selected to be part of the exhibit.

Lambton County Museums and Archives launch new Online Collections Database

Patrons of Lambton Heritage Museum, Oil Museum of Canada, and Lambton County Archives can now search the collections of all three institutions simultaneously from the comfort of home with the new Online Collections Database. Containing records for more than 8,000 historical artifacts, photographs, and archival documents, patrons can search by keyword, advanced search, or even browse a page of randomly selected images.

Coinciding with Lambton County’s 175^th anniversary, this new Online Collections Database serves as a gateway to the past, offering a glimpse into the diverse and vibrant history of the region. The current available records represent material from each institution’s collection, with plans to continue adding records as cultural services staff digitize and upload them. 

Lambton Heritage Museum to open S.H.E. is Healing, the first feature exhibit of 2024

Lambton Heritage Museum will open their first feature exhibit of 2024, an art installation called S.H.E. is Healing, on Thursday, February 1. The exhibit features a series of 13 spirit portraits painted by local artist Suellen Evoy-Oozeer, whose previous art exhibit You, Me & Us was featured at the Museum in 2019. Evoy-Oozeer’s work is inspired by a female perspective on the themes Spirit, Humanity, Earth (S.H.E.), and Healing. Each spirit portrait is inspired by the kinship and respect Evoy-Oozeer felt sitting down with the woman represented. Admission to the exhibit is free for individuals who present a status card and residents of Lambton County.

S.H.E. is Healing will run from February 1 to February 24, with a series of programs accompanying the exhibit. Join art classes led by Evoy-Oozeer aimed at adults (Saturday, February 10), or children ages 5-8 and 9-12 (Saturday, February 24). Spaces are limited and registration is required. A drumming session focused on the healing power of drums will take place Thursday, February 15. Details on events and registration forms can be found on the Lambton Heritage Museum website.

Lambton Heritage Museum hosting PA Day Event: Spinning a Yarn Storytime

On Friday, February 2, put on your coziest knitwear and join us at Lambton Heritage Museum for the PA Day Event: Spinning a Yarn Storytime!

First, get your imaginative juices flowing with fun yarn-themed stories presented by Lambton County Library. Drop-in storytimes will begin at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Next, delve into the fascinating history of wool and textile work with some examples of historic wool-related artifacts. Then grab your creativity and a ball of yarn and make a design or image on paper in your very own yarn painting! What kind of story will your painting tell?

Admission is free for Lambton County residents in celebration of Lambton County’s 175^th anniversary.

Oil Museum of Canada hosting PA Day Event: Meet Our Wild Neighbours

Celebrate the wonders of winter while fostering a connection with our local wildlife – our wild ‘neighbours’! Engage in groundhog-themed crafts for Groundhog Day and discover a unique display of winter sports-related artifacts from the Museum's collection. Weather-permitting, visitors can borrow snowshoes provided by Lambton County Library for a stomp around the Museum grounds. Feel the crunch of snow beneath your feet as you explore and keep an eye out for local wildlife. You might even spot Pete, the groundhog that lives near our Oil Springs Train Station!

Our friends at Heaven’s Wildlife Rescue will be here to give two exclusive hour-long presentations featuring their charming ambassador animals. The presentations will take place in the theatre room of the Oil Museum at 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Please note that space for the presentations is limited, and registration is required to secure your spot. Register for the 11:30 a.m. program and 1:00 p.m. program through the Museum’s online calendar.

Admission to this event is free for everyone, thanks to our generous sponsors at Shell Canada. Snowshoe availability is weather-dependent.

Lambton County Library programs and events

Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery programs and events

Youth & Family Programs

Upcoming Exhibitions 

Re View Exhibition 5

Opening First Friday, February 2 – April 20, 2024

The fifth installment in the Re View series places focus on a singular historic painting, R. Viven Howard’s Lily Pond. The enchanted accompanying audio tour leads the viewer to this secret pond, a journey you will not forget. 

To deepen the experience of the painting, the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery has invited the International Symphony Orchestra to compose an original musical score in response. The original composition awaits visitor ears and can be enjoyed in the exhibition space where it will accompany the near century old painting. Join us to witness the convergence of two artistic realms, a timeless duet that resonates through the ages, which will leave you charmed by the Lily Pond's enduring allure.

The gallery extends thanks to the International Symphony Orchestra and the following musicians for their involvement in the project: Anthony Wing (composer), Sander Kostallari & Jason Bendler (violins), Stephen Collins (viola), and Mauricio Betanzo (cello).

Through sunset, slow dusk, and gathering dawn

February 2 – May 4, 2024

Natalie Hunter creates photo-based installations, sculpture, and moving images that explore relationships between embodied experience, spatial perception, the senses, and memory.

Immerse yourself in two of Hunter's captivating photo-based installations in the JNAAG’s lecture theatre. Visitors are invited to explore these works at various times and throughout the changing seasons—to witness the captivating transformations the installations undergo.

Current Exhibitions

Visit the Gallery and experience our current exhibitions on Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m., and Fridays & Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 

A Family Palette: Frances-Anne Johnston, Franklin Arbuckle, and Franz Johnston

Open until March 16, 2024

This exhibition brings together, for the first time, the work of Frances-Anne Johnston, Franz Johnston, and Franklin Arbuckle – three artists from the same family. Acting as a purposeful feminist recovery project, the exhibition focuses more deeply on Frances-Anne.

Using a feminist lens, the exhibit sheds light on the ways Frances-Anne Johnston and her relatives have contributed to the development of Canadian art.

This exhibition is organized and circulated by Ottawa Art Gallery and curated by Rebecca Basciano.

This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.

This exhibition was also realized with the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.