Wesleyville Heritage Village
2026 EVENT SEASON OVERVIEW
JULY 2026
July 2026 marks the start of our Step Around Wesleyville Weekends featuring guided and self-guided tours of the village.
July 2026 features the kick-off of our free Summer Music Series.
Friday, July 24 marks the opening of The Last Lesson of Wesleyville, our new historic Schoolhouse escape room.
AUGUST 2026
Our popular Step Around Wesleyville Weekends continue through August.
The Last Lesson of Wesleyville continues through August.
Our free Summer Music Series continues through August.
SEPTEMBER 2026
By popular demand, Lloyd Johnson and Warren Tate return for an extra evening of East Coast and Celtic music on September 1.
Celebrity Bake Auction and Autumn Arts Festival - moved to Nov. 1st!
Browse paintings, quilts, and other local artwork, and take a chance to bid on delicious baked goods!
OCTOBER 2026
Saturday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 8 pm: Don't miss our Annual Ghostly Visit featuring games, crafts, treats, and our special feature: the Haunted Forest Trail. If you'd like to help, we'd love to have you! You can call Wendy Schroder at 905-718-5330 to let us know you can volunteer!
november 2026
Plan now to attend the GRAND REOPENING of the doors to the Wesleyville Church on Sunday, November 1st. Join us to browse paintings, quilts, and other local artwork, and take a chance to bid on delicious baked goods! This will be an event you don't want to miss!
DECEMBER 2026
Fri. Dec. 4: Join us as we close out our 2026 event season with our Annual Yuletide Carolling event. This warm and welcoming gathering is free, and open to anyone. Watch this space for details about location and time.
Our Celebrity Baking Auction and Art Expo has been moved to our Grand Reopening, on Sunday November 1st!
This beautiful photo is of Claire's Strawberry Tart from 2025.
We are absolutely thrilled to welcome our community back to the village for this doors-open event!
We'll be celebrating the completion of two OTF grants, looking at where we've come from, and where we're going next — this is an event you don't want to miss.
Local celebrities and candidates are preparing their best bakes for the annual auction at Wesleyville Village on Sunday, November 1st, from 11 am onward. The auction will begin at 12:00 pm, giving visitors a chance to browse, chat with celebrity donors and bid on their delicious home baked goods while supporting Wesleyville Village.
Join us for an afternoon of delicious baking, great conversations, and local creations! Visitors can also explore local art, handmade items, vintage quilts and more, showcased throughout the village.
We really hope to see you there!
Fall Photo Walks at Wesleyville Village
Throughout October, Wesleyville Heritage Village is the perfect place to experience the magic of autumn. Visitors can drop by during daylight hours to stroll our peaceful nature trail and wander through a canopy of brilliantly coloured trees. Autumn offers up photo-worthy views around our 125-year-old schoolhouse, traditional barn, the beautiful 1860 church (currently under restoration), and the still-active, peaceful cemetery that honours the many stories of Wesleyville's people.
The nature trail, which begins just north of the barn, is open to the public year-round during daylight hours, with parking available at 2082 Lakeshore Road, Port Hope, L1A 3V7.
Annual Ghostly Visit
October 24, 2026
This year’s event will take place on Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, throughout Wesleyville Heritage Village. Families will be greeted by ghostly characters as they enjoy our Haunted Forest Trail, pumpkin decorating, marshmallow roasting, crafts, and fortune telling. This annual event gives local residents the opportunity to enjoy the unique atmosphere of the village, making it the perfect way to kick off the Halloween season with spooky, family-friendly fun! Activities are most suitable for children aged 10 and under.
Yuletide Carolling
Friday, December 4, 2026
Our Yuletide Carolling evening is a warm and bright celebration that brings many friends of the organization together. We enjoy wonderful guest performances and join in carolling led by Maestro Randy Mills with great skill, stories, and piano accompaniment. We will once again be collecting donations of non-perishable food, for the Northumberland Fare Share Food Bank. This event is free, and open to anyone.
A Roundup of our completed 2026 Events
The Last Lesson of Wesleyville Escape Room Experience
Every weekend from July-August
Step inside the historic 1899 Wesleyville Schoolhouse for “The Last Lesson of Wesleyville”, a one-of-a-kind escape room experience where you’ll solve puzzles inspired by vintage school subjects like arithmetic, history, and geography!
Available Times:
Fridays: 3:00 PM, 4:15 PM, 5:30 PM, 6:45 PM
Saturdays & Sundays: 2:15 PM
Every ticket purchased helps preserve Wesleyville’s history by supporting the Friends of Wesleyville Village’s restoration and maintenance efforts.
Think your team has what it takes to complete The Last Lesson of Wesleyville? Text (905) 376 8310 with your preferred date, time, and number of players.
Free Summer Pop-Up Concerts at the Schoolhouse
July-August, 2026 - 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Last summer, our Pop-Up Music Series brought a fresh wave of sound and toe-tapping to Wesleyville Village. Throughout June and July, we hosted a variety of casual outdoor performances that showcased local talent and gave visitors the chance to experience Wesleyville in a new and relaxing way.
This Year's Dates
Tuesday, July 7: "Local Vocals" sing Gospel in the Schoolhouse
Tuesday, July 14: Tom and Gregory: Classical Guitar and Woodwinds
Tuesday, July 21: Lloyd Johnson: Country, Folk, and East Coast music
Tuesday, July 28: Jeanette Vander Vooren: Pop and Country music
Tuesday, August 4: Robin Millar: Country Music
Tuesday, August 11: Dave Chown: Singer-Songwriter: Traditional Country music
Tuesday, August 18, Wanna and Bev: Folk and Country music
Tuesday, August 25: Angie Robinson Austin and Winnie Finnie: Classic Country music
Tuesday, September 1: Lloyd Johnson and Warren Tate: East Coast and Celtic music
Concerts will be held outside the Schoolhouse, so bring your lawn chair, refreshments, and bug spray. We look forward to seeing you there!
Step Around Wesleyville Weekends in July and August 2026
This summer we will welcome weekend visitors from across Ontario, on Saturdays and Sundays in July and August. Free, and open to the public, we encourage visitors to bring their grandkids and friends, enjoy a peaceful stroll, and learn about this preserved rural village. Our volunteers are often on-hand to share stories and answer questions, and help our drop-in visitors explore the heritage buildings and peaceful natural setting.
Annual Easter Egg Hunt & Games
This event was held on April 4, 2026 and we were thrilled to welcome so many people to the village!
Sunshine, fresh air, and a dash of old-fashioned fun… the Wesleyville way.
Our Easter celebration reminded us how powerful simple joys can be: an egg-and-spoon race, pin-the-tail on the bunny, giant bubbles, and a walk along the nature trail brought families together and sparked community connections. Thanks to everyone who came out and made the most of a beautiful spring day with us!
Annual Country Market and Nature Fest
Sunday, May 31, 2026 • 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wesleyville Heritage Village
Join the Friends of Wesleyville Village for our annual Country Market & Nature Fest, a relaxed spring event celebrating local artisans, nature, heritage, and community.
Visitors are invited to stroll the village grounds and nature trail, browse vendor stalls featuring natural, sustainable, and hand-made products, and stop by the historic schoolhouse during the event. A fundraising bake sale hosted by the Friends of Wesleyville Village will also be available throughout the day. The market features a curated selection of local artisans, crafters, growers, and small businesses in the unique setting of Wesleyville Heritage Village.
Admission is free. Interested vendors are welcome to apply for one of the remaining vendor spaces. Vendor spots are $25 for the day.
Vendor application form: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/space-rental-4
Questions may be directed to Kathryn McHolm at kathrynsgarden@nexicom.net.
Annual General Meeting
Our AGM was held on Wednesday, April 15, at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Elias St. in Port Hope
Thank you to those who joined us for our Annual General Meeting. The evening included the presentation of our Annual Report, with a review of our financial statements, restoration work undertaken this past year, and highlights from our programming and activities. It was an excellent opportunity to reflect on where we have been and where we are headed next. We were also pleased and grateful to welcome Susan Casson as our keynote speaker, who shared photos and stories of the many settlers along Lakeshore Rd., and the changes the area has seen over the decades.