A Walk Into Yesterday
Preserving a proud agricultural history one smile at a time

In a world of video games, Internet, movies and media, it’s sometimes hard to believe in the attraction of a slower and more quiet time. After all, what fun could an average child have working in the fields, tending to livestock and listening to the stories of days gone by?

For the residents of Milton and its surrounding counties, the magic of Country Heritage Experience (CHE), an interactive heritage park depicting the evolution of agriculture and rural life over the past 170 years, isn’t its exhibits, its artifacts or its tractor rides for kids but rather the galvanizing effect it has had in bringing a community of committed individuals, government and private sector companies together to not only preserve history but make it as well.

As the winner of the Ontario Trillium Foundation Great Grants Impact Award, Country Heritage Experience has undergone a remarkable makeover over the past few years. Formerly the Ontario Farm Museum, CHE has used a unique mix of marketing, networking and plain hard work to transform itself from near closure to a critical resource for community organizations, national meetings and educational support, and a tourist attraction.

“When our funding was reduced a few years ago, we faced some tough times,” explains David Pelletterio, CHE President and Chairman. “But the people involved in this project and the community as a whole were not prepared to lose something so vital to this area. We quickly put a process together in partnership with business, the government and a community of volunteers that has made the difference for us.”

The organization also responded by changing its name, moving away from its museum roots and highlighting a range of services to the community and a growing tourist market.

“The site is located adjacent to 401 which is a major tourist corridor in the province of Ontario. We have over 100,000 vehicles traveling by our front door,” said Reg Cressman, General Manager. “That tourist population represents a lot of dollars for this area. Beyond that, we impact upon the community by offering many facilities for meetings, trade shows, product launches, fund raising, weddings and celebrations. There’s a tremendous scope of community involvement because of the unique facilities we have. Ontario Trillium Foundation funding has helped us to make our Gambrel Barn available 12 months of the year. We celebrated our first wedding here in February.”

Country Heritage Experience also worked with neighbouring school boards to provide an interactive science and social studies component for 13,000 children throughout the region. In addition to the 30 exhibit buildings and 20,000 artifacts featured within the 30 acre site, CHE includes a ‘pizza farm’, a circular  farm divided into triangular "slices", like a pizza, used for growing the many different ingredients used to make a farm-fresh pizza. Children are taught about the wheat grown for the crust, tomatoes grown for the sauce, the dairy cows that give milk to make cheese, and even the pigs for pepperoni.

“It’s a wonderful resource,” notes Evi Adler, a local teacher. “All children love pizza but many of them don’t realize where the ingredients come from. I don’t think you can duplicate this kind of experience. The children get excited about learning, getting their hands dirty and really understanding the origins of the food they eat.”

“This park offers a great opportunity for a wide range of community groups,” Cressman says. “Last year we hosted the Federated Women’s Institute of the World. On weekends you’ll find girl guides here. Now that we’ve got heat in the barn we do a lot of weddings. We truly appeal to a cross section of community and ethnic groups. The junior farmers have an event here called Sing Swing which is a provincial talent festival. They also chose us last year as the charity of their choice and they raised funds so that we could build another people hauler wagon that would be handicap accessible. I’d estimate 200 to 250 distinct organizations and community groups have come here to do an event.”

Even more than the upgraded facilities and services, Country Heritage Experience owes its success to the commitment of area residents who when given a choice determined that the key to making their museum work was simply getting involved.

“We have a stable of about ten volunteer organizations which in the past year provided more than 600 person days of volunteer service to ensure things ran smoothly,” explains volunteer David Perry. “It’s truly a treasure in the heart of Ontario.”