Barriefield Village Honoured with Lieutenant Governor Heritage Award

Published on: 2017/03/06 - in Releases

Barriefield 1882

The Barriefield Village Association (BVA) was honoured with a Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation on February 17th for its celebrations of the 200th anniversary of Barriefield.

The Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, presented the award to Barb Carr, Chair of the Barriefield 200th Anniversary Committee, and Christine Sypnowich, President of the BVA, at a ceremony at the Legislative Building, Queen’s Park, in Toronto.

The annual Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Awards recognize exceptional contributions to cultural and natural heritage conservation, environmental sustainability and biodiversity. Established in 2007, the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Awards are annual juried awards administered by the Ontario Heritage Trust to recognize exceptional achievements in heritage conservation.

There were only 5 winners in the Excellence in Conservation category from across Ontario, and the BVA were the only volunteer group among them.

The citation for the award reads:

Presented to the Barriefield Village Association for 200th anniversary of Barriefield interpretive and commemorative activities (Kingston). Barriefield, a designated Heritage Conservation District in the City of Kingston, celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2014.

Through the efforts of a volunteer committee, members of the Barriefield Village Association devoted countless hours planning and carrying out events for the anniversary.

The heritage of the village was the main focal point for the interpretive and commemorative activities, which included a documentary film, guided walking tours, the publication of the book Barriefield: Two Centuries of Village Life, a museum exhibit and a successful festival that saw over 2,000 attendees.

Barriefield award
Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario; Christine Sypnowich, President, Barriefield Village Association; Barb Carr, Chair, Barriefield 200th Anniversary Committee, holding the Heritage Award – photo: David Craig

‘We are so pleased to be recognized for all our efforts,’ said Barb Carr, Chair of the Anniversary Committee. ‘It was quite a thrill to have the plaque presented to us by the Lieutenant Governor in the beautiful hall of the Legislative Building.’

‘This is a tremendous honour for the village, which shows just how important is Barriefield’s heritage, and how committed we villagers are to protecting it,’ said Christine Sypnowich, President of the BVA.


Top image source: Barriefieldvillage.com –  Kingston in the distance as seen from Barriefield across Green Bay in 1882 (large).
Lower photo by David Craig via the Barriefield Village Association.

Tags: