POSITIVE OUTCOMES OF STAGING AN EVENT

It is amazing how an event like the Grand Picnic can have an impact on other areas of the Ruthven site. A display of the Thompson family WW1 uniforms and medals was proposed to enhance the interpretation of the picnic basket Colonel Thompson describes en route to Berlin in 1916. The timing was just right – a conservator, specializing in metal, was just about to return many of the war medals, a hat and gas mask that she had been working on that were to be displayed for the new WW1 curriculum-based education programme. These items would now be available and suitable for presentation. Next, the Meaford Museum listed free mannequins on a ‘first come first serve basis’ on the listserve of The Ontario Museum Association. They arrived just in time to be used to support the WWI uniforms. These objects which are normally kept in storage were now available.

Ben Mayville, Ruthven volunteer, wearing his WWI re-enactors uniform stands by the display of Thompson artifacts.

The picnic itself required that further research into the correspondence and archival materials of the Thompson collection was necessary. As a result of this further information and history of the site can now enhance our interpretation and be shared with our visitors. It also provides new experiences and mission-based programming opportunities which are unique to Ruthven.

Food preparation in a grand house such as the Ruthven mansion would have been carried out in the ‘below stairs’ kitchen in the 1840’s and 1850’s. This precipitated the opening up of the basement for the picnic, an area which is not accessible to the visitors during regular tours.

Another very positive outcome of the picnic was the partnership established with the Culinary Historians of Ontario. Through this event, we benefitted from the expertise and cooking skills of the food historians. It also attracted a new audience who hopefully will return to explore other areas of the Ruthven estate or tell their friends about the site. Travel writers picked up on the excitement and promoted the picnic through various media.