FHS Paint & Hammer Day Success!

Guest post by Gary Long

September 13 turned out to be a gorgeous day: not a cloud in the sky, and just the right temperature to work comfortably outdoors. That’s exactly what 27 volunteers did on Main Street in Canning on that glorious day! It was the Paint & Hammer Project Day at Canning’s Dickie-Baxter House.

What started out as a work day at the house turned into a lot more! Five volunteers managed both a street side hot dog and hamburger barbecue and a sidewalk sale of donated items, while the other 22 swished paint brushes across the house and garage, dug ditches, laid drainage pipe, tore apart the west face and interior floor of the garage, and (we hope) animal-proofed the foundation, though I think we might have trapped a skunk inside rather than preventing him from entering again!

Old friends renewed friendships, new friendships were made, and everyone seemed to enjoy the time spent together working toward bring the Fieldwood Heritage Society’s Dickie-Baxter House one step closer to becoming the home of a Canning and area museum open to the public. It didn’t hurt that all the volunteers were fed, too!

Canning Village Commission Chair, Everett MacPherson, Village Clerk Ruth Pearson, Kings County District One Councillor Kim MacQuarrie, and local Kings North MLA John Lohr all pitched in and worked very hard, as did the Canning Village Crier, Gary Long, and last year’s Apple Blossom Festival Canning Princess Amanda Rehburg, among others.

After the initial set-up, it was a beehive of activity from about 10 AM until around 4:30 PM.

The Fieldwood Heritage Board of Directors, who were also there working, wish to send out a huge thank you to everyone who came out to help on Saturday. Some of the work continues to be done by some generous volunteers.

There are still many projects to come and we’ll be asking for help again in the future. The Fieldwood Heritage Society of Canning is entirely volunteer built and volunteer driven and we hope you’ll join us in making our vision a reality for the community!