Wesleyville Heritage Village
2026 EVENT SEASON OVERVIEW
April 2026
April 4: Annual Easter Egg Hunt & Games, 10 am at the Village
April 15: Annual General Meeting:
7 pm at Knights of Columbus Hall, Elias St., Port Hope
April 22: Earth Day Clean-up
April 26: Visit us at the Sustainability Expo at the Port Hope Recreation Centre (at the fairgrounds)
MAY 2026
Sunday, May 31: Annual Country Market & Nature Fest, featuring local vendors and community members, and our special guests from the Dijaabimowan Cultural Centre.
Sunday, May 31: Annual Celebrity Baking Auction, held during the Country Market & Nature Fest.
JUNE 2026
June 5: Day of Caring village clean-up. Use the Volunteer sign-up form if you'd like to help.
June 2026 features the kick-off of our free Summer Music Series. Watch this space for details about evening dates and performers.
JULY 2026
July 2026 marks the start of our Step Around Wesleyville Weekends featuring guided and self-guided tours of the village.
July 25th: Save the date for our Keynote BBQ at the Schoolhouse.
Our free Summer Music Series continues through July.
AUGUST 2026
Our popular Step Around Wesleyville Weekends continue through August.
SEPTEMBER 2026
Watch this space for information about First Nations Cultural Day in the village, presented by the Dibaajimowin Cultural Centre.
Visit our table at the Northumberland Volunteer Fair in Cobourg. Date to be determined.
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.
Watch this space for details of our Donor Appreciation Event, an exclusive afternoon of gratitude for the support that sustains the village.
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.
Annual Easter Egg Hunt & Games
April 4, 2026, 10 am to 1:30 pm
The egg hunt starts at 11 am sharp, so be sure to arrive early & bring your own small basket.
Sunshine, fresh air, and a dash of old-fashioned fun… the Wesleyville way.
Last year’s 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 General Meeting
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at 7 pm
Knights of Columbus Hall on Elias St. in Port Hope
Please join us for our Annual General Meeting. The evening will include 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 is an opportunity to reflect on where we have been and where we are headed next. We are also pleased to welcome Susan Casson as our keynote speaker. Details will be shared soon.
All members whose memberships are up to date are entitled to vote at the meeting. If you are unsure of your membership status, please feel free to reach out in advance. We hope you will be able to attend!
Port Hope Sustainability Fair
Sunday, April 26, 2026
Town Park Recreation Centre, 62 McCaul Street, Port Hope
Drop by and visit our Wesleyville Heritage Village display at the Port Hope Sustainability Expo, a local showcase of sustainable initiatives in our community. This year’s Expo takes place at the Town Park Recreation Centre, and is organized by the Environmental Advisory Committee of Port Hope.
Annual Country Market and Nature Fest
Thank you to our generous bakers, vendors and volunteers for your support of our Country Market!
We truly couldn't have done it without you! Held on Sunday, June 1st, 2025, and featuring a fun baking auction with baked goods made by our own local celebrities, this event was a ton of fun. Visitors to the market were able to browse local crafts, plants, baking and collectibles, and enjoy a peaceful spring stroll through the nature trail. It was a lively day of food, fun, and local flavour that raised over $2,000 in support of the village.
Free Summer Pop-Up Concerts at the Schoolhouse
June and July, 2026
Dates and times to be determined.
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.
Guests brought lawn chairs, snacks, and good cheer as they gathered to enjoy music in this beautiful outdoor setting, and each performance offered something special. The series was a wonderful way to enjoy the peace of Wesleyville’s landscape while connecting with neighbours, friends, and fellow supporters of the village.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the musicians who generously shared their time and talent: Lloyd Johnson and Warren Tate, Angie Robinson Austin and Winnie Finney, Dave Chown, Eric Lambier, The Stonehill Fiddlers, Clara Capkun, and Bev & Ewanna!
These events added something truly special to our summer calendar, and we hope to build on their success in the future. Stay tuned for more music to come!
Friends of Wesleyville Village Keynote BBQ
Saturday, July 25, 2026
Seventy guests and volunteers gathered last year to enjoy a classic summer menu of burgers, corn, and salads. Although the weather was certainly hot, it did nothing to dampen the spirits of our attendees, who spent the evening mingling, reconnecting, and enjoying great company!
We were pleased to welcome several special guests, including Wendy Russell Johnson and some of her former Wesleyville students, Susan Giliauskas, and many long-time supporters of the village. The event was further brought to life by the fantastic live music of Greg Ward and Tom Merey, who kept the atmosphere lively and entertaining.
Thanks to the generosity of local businesses and friends of the organization, we were able to offer an impressive array of door prizes and raffle items. Altogether, the evening raised over $5,000, an important milestone that helped support our ongoing restoration and programming.
It was truly heartwarming to see our community come together for this special evening. Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, donated, or supported the event in any way. We’re already looking forward to doing it all again next year!
Step Around Wesleyville Weekends in July and August 2025
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.
Our 2025 Wesleyville Waggle: nature, crafts, & creativity!
Watch this space for information about the return of our nature-inspired childrens' event.
Last year, we were thrilled to host a fun and enthusiastic group of local kids for our first-ever Wesleyville Waggle — a morning of nature and creativity with Arts & Crafts in the Schoolhouse, and a Guided Nature Scavenger Hunt with our very own Heritage Village Technician Robin. Our visitors ranged in age from 4 years to 10 years, and they truly impressed us with their curiosity and creativity. We rounded-off the morning with snacks and juice for the kids, and coffee for the adults — and we can hardly wait to start planning next year's creative adventure!
First Nations Cultural Day
This annual fall event is presented by our special guests from the Dibaajimowin Cultural Centre.
Date and time to be determined.
The Dibaajimowin Cultural Centre will be joining us at Wesleyville Heritage Village, as they host a day of education, sharing, and Anishinaabe culture.
We are proud to welcome back members of the Dibaajimowin Cultural Centre again this year. Attendees will enjoy Naandewagaan Women's Hand Drumming, arts & crafts, and more.
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.
Members' Appreciation Event
We are proud to celebrate our donors, members and volunteers!
Date and time to be determined.
Our annual members, volunteers, and supporters are the backbone of our organization, helping to ensure that Wesleyville Village remains open and thriving for generations to come, and that's worth celebrating!
Last year, our supporters gathered in October for a first look at our new QR-code enabled signage — a tribute to the stories of the past and to the generosity that keeps them alive today. As the first guests to stroll the newly marked trail, they enjoyed stories from village history, light refreshments, and a heartfelt moment of recognition for their valued support.
We invite everyone to drop by the village and find the 10 new QR signs placed throughout the property. It's a new way to learn about what makes Wesleyville Heritage Village so special!
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.