Heritage Week is a time set aside to celebrate many of the aspects of Burlington’s heritage. A sub-committee of Heritage Burlington is established each year to work in conjunction with the Burlington Historical Society, the Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington Public Library, Burlington Museums, Friends of Freeman Station, Burlington Halton Black History Awareness Society, Beach Canal Lighthouse and David Craig of History Pix.
Schedule of Events
All events are free. Events that require registration will open for registration from July 10 to 31. We look forward to having you join us for this year’s events.
Monday, Aug. 1, 11 a.m.
Opening Ceremony
This is an in-person event. No registration required.
Join Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and the Town Crier at Centennial Square (Brant Street and Lakeshore Road) as we kick off Heritage Week. Following the ceremony, Beach Canal Lighthouse will display plans for the lighthouse. Learn about the 1857-8 light station, with its beacon of light guiding ships through the canal between Lake Ontario and Hamilton Harbour for over 100 years. The display will be located at the Gazebo in Spencer Smith Park.
Tuesday, Aug. 2, 6:30 p.m.
Aldershot West Bike Tour
This is an in-person event, maximum 20 participants. Email to register.
Join Don Thorpe and David Craig for a bike tour of various heritage sites between LaSalle Park Road and the Royal Botanical Gardens. Meet at the flagpole at the entrance of LaSalle Park. Parking is available in the parking lot.
Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2 p.m.
Burlington Museums virtual lecture
This is a virtual event. No registration required. Join the lecture.
Learn about the history of Burlington’s museums – Joseph Brant Museum and Ireland House Museum. Joseph Brant Museum was opened in 1942 in a replica of Joseph Brant’s original home and has become a community landmark through the years, collecting and displaying Burlington’s culture and heritage. Ireland House Museum was built between 1835 and 1837 by Joseph Ireland, one of the founding farmers in Nelson Township. His family home was lived in by four generations of the family, and then turned into a community museum to preserve Burlington’s agricultural heritage.
Wednesday, Aug. 3, 6:30 p.m.
Halton Freedom Celebration Virtual Festival
This is a virtual event. No registration required.
The Halton Freedom Celebration Festival brings together musical acts, children’s and youth activities, cultural art, food, crafts, heritage, historical, and genealogical vendors promoting inclusivity and community integration. The Halton Black History Awareness Society invites you to take the journey with them! See what a difference this multi-cultural experience can make in progressing the next generation. Videos of the festival will be available on the Halton Black History Awareness Society website.
Thursday, Aug. 4, 6 p.m.
Laking Garden Heritage Walk at Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG)
This is an in-person event, maximum 20 participants. Register online.
Note: Paid parking in effect. Please meet the interpreter at the entrance to Laking Garden at 1221 Spring Gardens Road.
Join us for a stroll through this quaint garden and hear about the significance of its surrounding landscape and how it became the garden we see today.
Thursday, Aug. 4, 6:30 p.m.
Burlington Public Library presents Between the Lakes Treaty
This is an in-person event. Register online.
Elder Garry Sault will be discussing the Between the Lakes Treaty which comes with a rich history relevant to the Burlington area.
Friday, Aug. 5, 6:45 p.m.
Burlington Historical Society Walking Tour of Greenwood Cemetery
This is an in-person event, maximum 25 participants. Email to register.
Meet at the gates at 1030 Greenwood Drive.
In this Year of the Garden, join Alan Harrington of the Burlington Historical Society for a walk through Greenwood Cemetery, founded in 1888, and visit the gardens and gardeners who are buried there. The most famous one is Spencer Smith who is buried along with both of his wives. To him we owe credit for the beautiful park on our lakefront which is home to festivals and family enjoyment.
Saturday, Aug. 6, 9 a.m.
Tour of Lowville
This is an in-person event. Register online.
Join us for a walk through the historic Lowville Cemetery and learn about the early settlers and the history of the village. Historic displays will be available in the Zimmerman Room of Lowville United Church. For more information please go to the Kilbride History website and click on Events.
Saturday, Aug. 6, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Freeman Station
This is an in-person event. No registration required.
Freeman Station is located at 1285 Fairview Street.
Note: There is plenty of free parking on site and is wheelchair accessible.
Join the Friends of Freeman Station for a trip back to a century ago – to the “Garden of Canada” during the Golden Age of Steam at the 1906 Grand Trunk Railway Freeman Station – Burlington’s distribution hub for fresh fruits and vegetables. In the 1920s, farmers would bring local crops to the station by horse cart to be loaded onto refrigerated boxcars and shipped to Toronto. Berries picked that morning were served at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel for breakfast. Some produce was packed into wooden baskets (hand-made mostly by women workers) at a factory beside the rail station. Other fruits and vegetables were packed and canned as jam and jellies at the canning facility nearby. Watch melons, apples and pears get shipped to destinations across the world – as recreated by our 1/24 scale model train diorama. There will be lots of hands-on interactive activities and admission is free.
Sunday, Aug. 7, 1–3p.m.
Maple Park Community Garden Drop In
This is an in-person event. No registration required.
Maple Park Community Garden is located at 750 Maple Avenue.
Maple Park was once a functioning commercial farm belonging to the Tregunno family, an important contributor to Burlington’s reputation as the Garden of Canada. Today, Burlington residents have reclaimed a piece of the park to enjoy urban agriculture and grow their own fresh food in the community garden. Celebrate 2022 National Year of the Garden with a visit and check out the abundance and diversity of food being grown.