The City of Pickering announced that the Pickering Museum Village has received $95,000 from the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), to help tourism-oriented programs recover from the pandemic and to welcome back visitors.
“The Pickering Museum Village will be welcoming back visitors from all over southern Ontario to enjoy exhibits at Durham’s largest community museum,” said the Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. “Our government has been making smart investments that put people first and grow tourism across Canada – and that’s what today’s announcement will do.”
Anne and Maud Augmented Reality Murals
Pickering is celebrating the iconic Canadian Author Lucy Maud Montgomery and her many connections to Durham Region. Two original murals have been created by artist Meegan Lim, which can be found at the Pickering Civic Complex, southern wall facing the municipal parking lot (see below), and at the Pickering Museum Village, near Gate 3, said a city statement.
The mural illustrations reflect the Anne and Maud tourism route programs inspired by Anne of Green Gables (above) featured at Pickering Museum Village, and marks the partnership between the City of Pickering and the Township of Uxbridge, home of Lucy Maud.
They also commemorate the Pickering Museum Village as the filming location for many movies and television shows about the Anne of Green Gables books. Lim has produced Augmented Reality (AR) animations to accompany her mural artwork. The animations are available until December 2023 and can be viewed by downloading the free Artivive app on your mobile device. Instructions and a QR Code are available at both sites to download the app and view the animations.
Visit pickering.ca/en/discovering/placemaking.aspx to see these murals and animations.
Anne and Maud Trail coming soon!
The Pickering Museum Village, in partnership with the Toronto Region Conservation Authority, will have a new experience available on the Greenwood Trail in the fall of 2023. The Anne and Maud Trail will include nine interpretive signs that feature a look into the life of Author Lucy Maud Montgomery and provided an opportunity to create your own story as you take a journey through the outdoors like Anne. This new experience in the Greenwood Conservation Area will start at the trail head in the parking lot, found on 5th Concession Road near Westney Road.
On July 29 and 30, 2023, the Pickering Museum Village presented ‘Adventures with Anne’ to explain about the community’s connections to Anne and author Lucy Maud Montgomery, including how the museum has been a main filming site for many Anne productions over the years.
The city said Process Consulting was retained to collect feedback from all participating partners in 2022 and provided a 2023 Forward Planning Report that envisioned the next iteration of the Anne & Maud Experience. The report provided a comprehensive plan to increase the experience’s impact, marketability and customer journey. It clarified roles for key partners, including the City of Pickering, Town of Uxbridge, Durham Region and Central Counties Tourism. It also addressed solutions for more effective integration of local business resources.