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Orangeville celebrates Heritage Week, invites public to learn about town’s history

February 22, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

Long before Orangeville was designated a town in 1874, it has carried a rich heritage, admired by many.

To recognize the town’s long and storied past, from Feb. 19 to 25, local committee Heritage Orangeville is inviting residents to learn about its history as part of Heritage Week.

Heritage Week takes place in February every year.

Heritage Orangeville’s theme for this year “celebrates the places and ways Orangeville lives, works and plays.”

“Although Orangeville has changed in many ways, the streets, buildings, and other cultural remnants of Orangeville’s past serve as lessons on community living from those who came before us,” said Orangeville councillor Debbie Sherwood, chair of Heritage Orangeville. “We can find inspiration to deal with the challenges of our times as citizens of Orangeville as we remember the ways past residents built their sense of community.”

Heritage Orangeville also notes the importance of recognizing the roots on which Orangeville was built, offering a Land Acknowledgement to honour the Indigenous history and previous stewards of this land.

“We would like to acknowledge that Orangeville occupies the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe people including the Ojibway, the Potawatomi, and the Odawa of the Three Fires Confederacy,” said Sherwood. “This Heritage Week, we ask everyone to reflect on the legacy of all past residents and the ways they interacted in their living and working spaces, how they relaxed, and how they were entertained.”

As part of Heritage Week, displays will be available at the Mill Street and Alder Libraries, providing graphics and information about parts of Orangeville’s heritage in relation to this year’s theme. A local history section and access to the Museum of Dufferin (MoD) archives are also available through the Orangeville Public Library.

The Orangeville Visitor Information Centre will feature a MoD Pop-up Heritage Gallery as well.                                                 

For more information about Heritage Orangeville, visit orangeville.ca/ourheritage.


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