The Mahone Bay Museum is a small community museum created by the registered charity, the Mahone Bay Founders Society, that strives to protect and provide (on-site and on-line) access to the history of Mahone Bay area to prevent it from becoming forgotten or lost.
Covid-19 Update
Dear Members, Friends, and Supporters,
We would like to take a moment to update you on our plans for this season and how you can help.
We have decided to postpone our seasonal opening, which was scheduled for May 30th, as we want to encourage our community to listen to the Government and stay home as much as possible. At this time, we do not plan to open until the Government and our Board of Directors says that it is safe to do so.
It is likely no surprise that we have also postponed our Heritage Recognition Awards Dinner/Silent Auction Fundraiser, which was scheduled to occur April 18th, and our “Our Best To You” Food Sale that usually happens near the end of May.
Unfortunately, the impacts of Covid-19 on our budget by not having these fundraisers and not earning donations from visitors has resulted in a very limited budget for the next few months. Although we will be closed, there is still plenty of work that could be done behind the scenes in the Museum but only if we can afford to pay the salary of our one full-time, seasonal employee, our Manager and Curator, Lyne.
Therefore, we will be applying for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program from the Federal Government to cover 75% of our Manager and Curator’s salary up until the last possible day of coverage, June 6th. However, the Board has reviewed our budget and we will not be able to afford paying the remaining 25% of the salary without your help!
We know that many individuals, organizations, and businesses are struggling at this time but we are hoping to raise some funds to help us get through the next few months. To help, you can make a general donation, make a project specific donation (see project list below), purchase an item from our gift shop (email us for more info), or purchase your annual membership to our Mahone Bay Founders Society. We are reviewing other online fundraising ideas and plan to continue our Membership Campaign as well.
HERE’S OUR PLAN
Our Manager and Curator will work on preparing our policies for the provincial evaluation in 2021 and general museum management tasks for approximately 75% of her 35 hours per week up until June 6th. This 75% of her time will be covered by the funding we are applying for from the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program.
POTENTIAL PROJECTS
For the remaining 25% of her time, we would like for her to create online content and work on projects as directed by your donations for one or more of the following projects:
- editing and sharing our previously recorded oral history interviews and record new oral history videos over the phone or via computer
- working with our collections and sharing more photographs of and information on our artifacts
- developing our Mi’kmaq History Exhibit with the help of our Mi’kmaq Exhibit Committee, which includes local Mi’kmaw
- providing virtual tours of the Museum
- hosting virtual meetings with a chance for you to ask us questions and chat about Mahone Bay area’s history
HOW TO DONATE
If you would like to donate towards one of these projects listed above or make a general donation to help us with our 2020 season, donations can be made
- By mail to the Mahone Bay Founders Society, PO Box 583, Mahone Bay, NS B0J 2E0
- By e-transfer to info@mahonebaymuseum.com
- Online on our website with a credit card using PayPal (please note, Paypal will keep 1.6% + $0.30 CAD per transaction but we receive the funds immediately):
- General Donation can be made here: https://mahonebaymuseum.com/product-category/general-donations-to-help-during-covid-19/
- Project Specific Donations can be made here by selecting the project and then the amount: https://mahonebaymuseum.com/support-us/shop/
- On a fundraiser on our Facebook page (where Paypal fees are waived and we receive 100% of your donation but there is a delay before we receive the funds): https://www.facebook.com/pg/MahoneBayMuseum/fundraisers/
- Or online at CanadaHelps.org to select a monthly donation option (which has a 3.5% fee that goes to CanadaHelps): https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-mahone-bay-founders-society/
Please note, for mailed in cheques and donations via our website, all DONATIONS OVER $20 are eligible for a tax receipt, as we are a registered charity. Donations via Facebook’s Paypal Giving Fund and Canada Helps websites receive tax receipts from those organizations.
If you have any questions about how your donation will be used, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
MAKING YOUR DONATION GO FURTHER
While we are closed, we will be cutting our expenses down as much as possible to allow us to use our limited funds efficiently. Our budgeted expenses for this season have no flashy bells or whistles. We are simply trying to stay afloat and continue to do the much needed work we need to on our policies and create some online content for our community to enjoy from their homes.
After the Wage Subsidy program ends June 6th, we are not sure what the government will be offering in terms of aid. Any additional donations from you, our supporters, beyond covering 25% of the salary up until June 6th will hopefully help us continue to employ our Manager and Curator for as long as possible into the summer.
MEMBERSHIPS
If you would like to support us by instead purchasing a membership, you can renew or complete an annual membership to the Mahone Bay Founders Society online here: https://mahonebaymuseum.com/product-category/memberships/
Or print a membership form and mail your membership fee to us here: http://mahonebaymuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Membership-Form-1.pdf
We will be in touch with our Members regarding our upcoming Annual General Meeting plans shortly.
We appreciate any support you can provide. Every little bit helps! We know that this situation is putting many of our donors and supporters in a tight spot financially as well. Donations during this tough time are truly appreciated.
Please stay safe,
Anne Palfreyman
Chair of the Board
Mahone Bay Founders Society
New Facebook Group to Reunite Mahone Bay Area Keddy Descendants!
We’ve created a Facebook group to create a Virtual Reunion for the Keddy family descendants! If you’re related to the Keddy’s who came to Mahone Bay area in 1753, you’re welcome to join via Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4271135892904214/
Are you related to a different family who settled in Mahone Bay in the 1750s? Don’t worry, you can vote for us to host a reunion for your family too! Vote on our original post here: https://www.facebook.com/MahoneBayMuseum/posts/10158221809794030
New Items Added to our Archival Collection!
Thanks to a grant from the Government of Canada and Library Archives Canada, we have been hard at work processing photographs from November 2019 to March 2020. The project allowed us to preserve and increase access to 100cm of selected documents and over 900 photographs (including 70 glass negatives and 40 tintypes dated around the 1890s), from our backlog of unprocessed archival items relating to the town of Mahone Bay’s general history, shipbuilding history, and local families.
During this project, the archival items were arranged, described, and stored properly with archival supplies purchased with this funding. We also created detailed finding aids, improved long-term preservation via proper storage and digitization, increased off-site access via digitization, and increased access to these items by sharing scans on Facebook.
These items comprised of 4 new archival collections and 2 accruals to existing collections.
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Gordon D. Ernst Collection (MBMS-63)
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Joan Foran Collection (MBMS-64)
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Clarence R. Heisler & Son (MBMS-65)
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Minnie Beatrice Oickle Collection (MBMS-66)
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Inglis & Quinlan Family Collection (MBMS-1)
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John McLean & Sons Collection (MBMS-5)
Follow us on Facebook to see archival photos shared there or review our full list of archival collections and a selection of scans here: http://mahonebaymuseum.com/archival-collection/
Heritage Recognition Award Dinner Event POSTPONED
The Mahone Bay Founders Society has established this awards program to acknowledge and honour individuals, groups, or projects, that have made an exceptional and lasting contribution to the conservation of heritage in Mahone Bay and area.
Nominations from the community closed on Feb. 28, 2020. Winners will be announced shortly and tickets will be on sale to attend the event.
Please note: This event has been postponed due to the Covid-19 crisis. We will reschedule this event when it is safe to do so.
Now Hiring for Summer 2020 Staff Positions
We are currently accepting cover letters and resumes for the various summer staff positions listed below that are dependent on and pending funding approval by Young Canada Works and Canada Summer Jobs. Please note that these funding providers have slightly different hiring requirements that THEY require.
Each position we’ve applied for has a detailed description of the tasks and the ideal requirements. Please click the position title to view the details and learn how to apply.
YOUNG CANADA WORKS POSITIONS
Young Canada Works requires that any student hired for these positions:
-are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada (non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent status are not eligible);
-are legally entitled to work in Canada;
-are between 16 and 30 years of age at the start of employment;
-are willing to commit to the full duration of the work assignment;
-will not have another full-time job (over 30 hours a week) during the YCW work assignment;
-have been a full-time high school, college, CEGEP or university student (as defined by their educational institution) in the semester preceding the YCW work assignment;
-intend to return to full-time studies in the semester following the YCW work assignment.
All applicants for the following YCW positions must meet the above requirements.
CANADA SUMMER JOBS POSITIONS
The following positions are pending approval from Canada Summer Jobs, therefore applicants must meet their requirements, including that applicants must be between the ages 15 and 30. Applicants DO NOT need to be students.
New Facebook Group for sharing old recipes.
You can request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1485558868288265/
Open by Appointment by Donation until May 30, 2020
After October 7th, we are only open by appointment by donation until we re-open on May 30, 2020. Contact us 48 hours before your visit to arrange an appointment: leave a voicemail at 902-624-6263 or email info@mahonebaymuseum.com
Our Autumn 2019 Newsletter
View our Newsletter here:
http://mahonebaymuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Mahone-Bay-Museum-Newsletter-Fall-2019.pdf
Our 2019 Exhibits Include:
Visit www.mahonebaymuseum.com/collections/
for more information about our current exhibits
2019-2020 Membership Campaign
Renew or become a Member of the Mahone Bay Founders Society!
Learn more here: http://mahonebaymuseum.com/support-us/