Green Gables Gets a New Roof

Green Gables, the home that inspired L.M. Montgomery to write Anne of Green Gables, is in the process of getting a new roof this month. The $50,000 renovations will replace the roof and repair the eaves and gutters on the historic building. The work will be done by the end of this year, so Green Gables will be ready for next season's visitors.

Learn more by watching this video by CBC News.

Image credits:
Screencapture of the story from CBC News.

Reference:
A new roof for Green Gables. (December 20, 2024). CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6564840.

Created December 23, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Apply to be the Anne of Green Gables Imitator for Parks Canada

There are several student and youth jobs available at Parks Canada for summer 2025, including the Anne-Imitator position. The Anne-Imitator plays the role of Anne of Green Gables and engages with visitors at the Green Gables Heritage Place in Cavendish, P.E.I.

Here's the job description from the Prince Edward Island Employment Journey website:

The Anne-Imitator portrays the character “Anne of Green Gables” at Green Gables Heritage place in full costume. “Anne” will engage visitors, pose for photo opportunities, and participate in interpretive activities such as old-fashioned games and races, ice-cream making and other potential demonstrations.

Skills required: the ability to deliver presentations as the character “Anne Shirley” using effective dramatic techniques, to work with the public, and to work as a team. This is a bilingual (English and French) position.

There are also student positions open for Park Communicators, Janitorial Students, and Heritage Communicators. To learn more about these opportunities, Parks Canada is holding a recruitment visit at UPEI that is taking place on January 28, 2025.

Image credits:
Image highlighting job opportunities from Parks Canada.

Reference:
Riley, Heidi. (December 12, 2024). Student and youth positions available at Parks Canada. Prince Edward Island Employment Journey. Retrieved from: https://employmentjourney.com/student-and-youth-positions-available-at-parks-canada/.

Created December 23, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

A Green Gables Christmas

This weekend, the Green Gables Heritage Place is holding a festive event called "A Green Gables Christmas." It is their third annual Christmas event, and this year they are also celebrating L.M. Montgomery’s 150th birthday.

Visitors will have the chance to meet with Anne Shirley and view the beautifully decorated Green Gables House. The event will also feature cookie decorating, carolers, a snow globe light display, food and drinks, and a group dance.

A Green Gables Christmas takes place on November 30 to December 1, 2024 at the Green Gables Heritage Place on 8619 Route 6 in Cavendish, PEI. Adult tickets cost $18.75 CAD, and admission is free for children under 17 (accompanied by an adult). Visitors can also purchase a Green Gables Christmas mini photo session and have special holiday photos taken in the Green Gables house for $120 CAD.

Event details:

Families and friends are invited to the third annual Christmas event at Green Gables! It’s a wonderful opportunity to explore Anne’s house, beautifully decorated for the holidays, while enjoying a variety of fun activities together.

Throughout the day, guests will have the chance to meet Anne, who will be greeting visitors and adding a special touch to the festivities!

Children can get creative by decorating Christmas cookies, listening to cheerful carolers, and capturing memories at the enchanting snow globe light display. There’s plenty of entertainment for everyone—kids will love the Tunes and Tall Tales read-and-sing holiday story, along with a special performance by The Nest, a multilingual children's music studio, happening on both Saturday and Sunday!

All attendees can indulge in yummy sweets and warm drinks provided throughout the event. And they won’t want to miss the chance to celebrate L.M. Montgomery’s 150th birthday with a festive birthday celebration and a fun guided group dance to cap off the day!

10:30 am - 11:00 am: Tunes & Tall Tales
11:00 am - 11:45 am: Live Music
12:00 pm - 12:45 pm: TBD
12:30 pm - 1:00 pm: UPEI Carolers
1:00 pm - 1:30 pm: Tunes & Tall Tales
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm: Montgomery's Birthday Celebration
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm: The Nest with Madame Abbey
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm: Group Dance with Historical Dance Society

It looks like such a fun way to start off the holiday season!

Official Websites:
A Green Gables Christmas - Celebrating Montgomery’s 150th Birthday - learn about the event at the Tourism PEI website
A Green Gables Christmas - Book tickets for the event at the Tourism Cavendish Beach website
A Green Gables Christmas – Celebrating Montgomery’s 150th Birthday at the Inspiring World of L.M. Montgomery: A Literary Tour website

Image Credit:
Photograph of Anne Shirley decorating the Christmas tree at Green Gables Heritage Place from A Green Gables Christmas – Celebrating Montgomery’s 150th Birthday.

Created November 25, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Behind the Veil: A Lucy Maud Concert Experience

Behind the Veil: A Lucy Maud Concert Experience is a new show produced in celebration of L.M. Montgomery's 150th birthday. The show was created by Alicia Toner and Mike Ross as a "song cycle," a collection of songs performed in sequence. Behind the Veil is made up of songs that blend Lucy Maud Montgomery's journal entries, letters, and poetry with original songwriting. Produced by Harmony House, the concert aims to pull back the veil to reveal L.M. Montgomery's true spirit and to celebrate her life and love of Prince Edward Island.

The show premieres today on November 15, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. The ensemble cast features Julain Molnar, Brielle Ansems, Carlie Howell, Alicia Toner, Mike Ross, and Garrett Sherwood. Five additional performances will take place on November 16th at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., on November 22nd at 8:00 p.m., and on November 23rd at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Tickets for the 2-hour concert cost $40.00. Harmony House is located at 19814 Route 2, Hunter River, PE C0A 1N0.

You can listen to Alicia Toner and Mike Ross discuss the show in an interview by Matt Rainnie on CBC Mainstreet. It sounds like such a special event!

Official Website
Harmony House

Image Credit:
Image advertising Behind the Veil: A Lucy Maud Concert Experience from Harmony House.

Created November 15, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Cornelius Leard House for Sale in Lower Bedeque, Prince Edward Island

For a period of six months in 1897 and 1898, L.M. Montgomery boarded with Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Leard while she taught school in in Lower Bedeque, Prince Edward Island. During the time, Montgomery was secretly engaged to Edwin Simpson, but she found herself attracted to the Leard family’s oldest son Herman, according to her journals.

The Cornelius Leard House was formally recognized as a historic place in 2010. At different points in time, the house was run as a museum, a bed and breakfast, and a restaurant. It is currently for sale for $99,000 CAD and in need of care and major repairs. You can learn more about the home in this video by CBC News.

Image credit:
Screen capture from the CBC News website.

References:
Cornelius Leard House. Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Retrieved from: https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=19168.

Home where 'Anne' author L.M. Montgomery had a forbidden romance is up for sale. (October 25, 2024). CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6546552.

Created October 25, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Why People Still Love Anne of Green Gables on The Current Podcast

On September 3, The Current with Matt Galloway on CBC Radio released a podcast episode with a segment on "Why People Still Love Anne of Green Gables." The episode's synopsis reads: "This year would have been the 150th birthday of Lucy Maud Montgomery, the famed P.E.I. author of Anne of Green Gables. We talk to some islanders and 'Anne fangirls' who are excited to celebrate both the author and her creations."

On his visit to Prince Edward Island, Galloway interviews Judith Graves and Linda Lowther. Judith Graves compiled and edited The Annethology, a collection of short stories inspired by Anne of Green Gables. Linda Lowther is on the committee responsible for Anne of Green Gables tourism in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, and she helped create The Inspiring World of L.M. Montgomery: A Literary Tour.

The interview covers a variety of topics relating to why Anne of Green Gables is timeless and why they love Anne. They also discuss adaptations of the story on screen and the economic importance of Anne of Green Gables-related tourism on Prince Edward Island. Lowther talks about The Literary Tour and things people might not know about L.M. Montgomery, such as her love of photography, scrapbooking, fashion, and nature. Graves discusses the concept behind The Annethology and the inventive short stories in the volume that take Anne on new journeys. This leads to a conversation about "Anne purists," "woke Anne" and "Anne fatigue."

It's a fun interview. Give it a listen!

Websites:
The Current with Matt Galloway on YouTube
The Current with Matt Galloway podcast at CBC

Image Credit:
Screencapture of The Current Podcast on YouTube.

Created October 4, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Discover Montgomery's Prince Edward Island

Over the summer, I received a PEI Visitor's Guide from Tourism PEI. Inside the package was a pamphlet called "Discover Montgomery's Prince Edward Island" with information on L.M. Montgomery and her writings and a map marked with locations for visitors to experience places important to her.

Here are photographs of the pamphlet. One side has a nice biography of L.M. Montgomery.





The reverse side of the pamphlet features a map marked with 18 locations and activities for visitors.



The locations and activities include:

1. Montgomery Park
2. L.M. Montgomery Birthplace
3. Lower Bedeque School
4. Montgomery Inn at Ingleside
5. The Sir Andrew Macphail Homestead
6. Bideford Parsonage Museum
7. The Site of L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish Home
8. The Kensington Train Station
9. The Cavendish United Church
10. The Cavendish Cemetery
11. Green Gables Heritage Place
12. Anne of Green Gables Museum
13. L.M.M. Institute at UPEI
14. Shop and Play
15. Anne of Green Gables, The Musical
16. Avonlea Village
17. Anne and Gilbert, The Musical
18. The Anne of Green Gables Store

It is a helpful guide to discover places important to L.M. Montgomery in celebration of her 150th birthday this year.


Official Website:
Tourism Prince Edward Island

Image Credit:
Photographs of "Discovering Montgomery's Prince Edward Island" Tourism PEI pamphlet taken by World of Anne Shirley.

Created October 3, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The Green Gables Diary Website

This past summer, a website called The Green Gables Diary launched. It is a digital exhibition that accompanies the new book Becoming Green Gables: The Diary of Myrtle Webb and Her Famous Farmhouse by Alan MacEachern. The book tells the story of Myrtle Webb and her family, who owned the farm that Myrtle's cousin L.M. Montgomery based "Green Gables" upon. Once a simple farm, Myrtle's home became a tourist destination when it became known as the inspiration behind Anne of Green Gables. Eventually, Myrtle had to leave her home when Parks Canada decided to form a national park in Cavendish with Green Gables as its centerpiece.

Myrtle kept a diary from 1924 to 1954, providing a historical record of what her life was like living in "the most famous house in Canada." The Green Gables Diary contains digital scans and a transcription of her entire diary, as well as photographs and introductory materials to learn more about Myrtle Webb, her family, and the history of Green Gables.


Official Website:
The Green Gables Diary

Image Credit:
Screencapture of The Green Gables Diary website.

Reference:
MacEachern, Alan. (2024). The Green Gables Diary. Retrieved from: https://greengablesdiary.ca/.

Purchase and read Becoming Green Gables by Alan MacEachern:


Created September 24, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The Inspiring World of L.M. Montgomery: A Literary Tour

This summer, a website called "The Inspiring World of L.M. Montgomery: A Literary Tour" launched. Its goal is "to help guide Prince Edward Islanders and visitors from around the world to learn about and visit some of the most important and meaningful places which inspired Montgomery to write. Official place names, thought-provoking key words and descriptive passages help set the stage for your real or virtual tour experience."

The literary tour includes a map that indicates 16 sites that were significant to L.M. Montgomery for visitors to explore:





1. Montgomery Park
2. Macneill Homestead
3. Cavendish United Church
4. Cavendish Cemetery
5. Haunted Wood
6. Green Gables House
7. Cavendish Shore
8. L.M. Montgomery Birthplace
9. Anne of Green Gables Museum
10. Lake of Shining Waters
11. Senator Donald Montgomery House/Inn at Ingleside
12. Kensington Train Station
13. Bideford Parsonage Museum
14. Sir Andrew Macphail Homestead
15. Confederation Centre of the Arts
16. Robertson Library/L.M. Montgomery Institute/UPEI

It is a helpful guide to learn about sites important to L.M. Montgomery in celebration of her 150th birthday this year.


Official Website:
The Inspiring World of L.M. Montgomery: A Literary Tour

Image Credit:
Screencapture of The Inspiring World of L.M. Montgomery: A Literary Tour website.

Reference:
Russell, Nancy. (2024, July 2). L.M. Montgomery group hopes to capitalize on 150th birthday to attract new fans. CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-montgomery-150-birthday-new-fans-1.7249988.

Created September 22, 2024. Last updated October 3, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

New Memorial Bench Placed at The Site of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Cavendish Home on World Suicide Prevention Day

Yesterday, a memorial bench was placed at The Site of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Cavendish Home in recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day. You can watch a video of the unveiling at CBC News. Several people are interviewed, including Philip Smith (former chair of the L.M. Montgomery Institute), Julia Ramsay (Canadian Mental Health Association - Prince Edward Island Chapter), and David Macneill of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Homestead Site.

The bench was placed in recognition of those we have lost to suicide, and it provides a place for reflection and healing. It is located under the old apple tree that Montgomery wrote about in her journals and next to the homestead where she grew up. L.M. Montgomery died by suicide at the age of 67. She and her husband both faced mental challenges throughout their lives.

Inscribed on the bench is a quote from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery: "Dear old world, you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you."

It is a fitting memorial at a meaningful location. I hope the bench promotes more openness and communication about suicide.


Image credit:
Screenshot of CBC News Video.

Reference:
Bench at L.M. Montgomery homestead unveiled on World Suicide Prevention Day. (2024, September 10). CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6505973

Created September 11, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

A September day on Prince Edward Island...

"A September day on Prince Edward Island hills; a crisp wind blowing up over the sand dunes from the sea; a long red road, winding through fields and woods..."
-L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

Purchase and read Anne of Avonlea and the Anne of Green Gables series:



Created September 5, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

In the Time of Maud

In celebration of L.M. Montgomery's 150th birthday this year, the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation is presenting an immersive event called "In the Time of Maud" at the Orwell Corner Historic Village. Visitors can take part each Thursday from 1:00 to 4:00 pm through the end of August 2024. The Orwell Corner Historic Village is located at 98 Macphail Park Road in Vernon, PE Canada.

A costumed guide leads the participants through the historic village. Visitors can participate in historical activities, such as writing postcards with a fountain pen and learning the waltz. Participants can see the farm animals at the village and enjoy a carriage ride. The experience also includes afternoon tea and a wagon ride along a route that L.M. Montgomery traveled back in 1910.


Website:
In the Time of Maud

Image Credit:
"In the Time of Maud" event poster.

Reference:
In the Time of Maud a trip to the past. (2024, August 14). Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved from: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/news/in-the-time-of-maud-a-trip-to-the-past.

Created August 16, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com