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  • Virtually Here: The County in February
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Virtually Here: The County in February

It’s The County in February. It’s freezing and a global pandemic has been altering life as we know it for 11 months – and counting. As a result, staying connected – to the people, places, and activities we love – can feel overwhelming.

Fortunately, The County party is still on this February, thanks to three local masters of the pandemic pivot. The County Museums, The Department of Illumination, and Escape Camp Picton bring you Flashback February, ICE BOX and The Arrow’s Secret puzzle box, respectively. And all this fun is available to enjoy at home!

Read on for an amazing array of County-inspired, COVID-safe activities. We’ve got inspiration for everyone from locals to locked down County lovers pining for their next in-person visit. We’ve got this – through the February freeze and beyond! 

Stay Connected with Flashback February

First up is Flashback February: The Living Room Edition! From February 15-20, 2021, The County Museums and their community partners are taking their annual exploration of The County’s heritage online.

Image of Terry Sprague presenting a lecture while standing on rocks in a natural environment.
Local naturalist Terry Sprague leads a chat about The County’s natural heritage during Flashback February. | Photo supplied by Terry Sprague.

Longing to connect with The County’s natural surroundings? Flashback February offers a chat with local naturalist Terry Sprague about the interplay between our environmental and human histories. Green thumbs can summon springtime with a session on native plants.

Want to dig in to our more mysterious side? Join a live-streamed edition of the Museums’ popular Graveyards and Gallows tour.

Photo of a woman in historical dress behind a wooden gallows. A ghostly, blurred figure in the foreground.
The livestreamed Graveyard and Gallows tour will take you to a heritage graveyard and the courthouse. | Photo by Robbie Garden

Delve into post-war Canadian connections to the Holocaust with speaker Melissa Mikel. Learn about local tools for piecing together histories of your own family and home with the Seventh Town Historical Society and the Marilyn Adams Genealogical Research Centre. The list of intriguing and informative events goes on!

Ready to go all in? Get access to all of the Flashback February events and some extra perks with the Flashback Pass.

Stay Creative with The Department of Illumination

In good times and bad, you can find The Department of Illumination bringing a steady stream of art-filled joy to Prince Edward County. A collective sigh of relief followed the announcement that ICE BOX – a midwinter burst of colour and creativity – would return this pandemic winter! 2021’s at-home / physically-distanced incarnation runs from February 20th-28th. 

Artist Mehdi Agahi, wearing a mask, organizes images of artwork by taping them on a wall. A table with more art images in the foreground.
ICE BOX collaborating artist Mehdi Agahi curates the Art in Isolation exhibit, part of ICE BOX 2021. | Photo by Krista Dalby

Rainbow Dance parties – what’s not to love?! Shake off the winter blahs with free daily 40-minute Zoom sessions with dancer Arwyn Carpenter. All ages, bodies, and levels of experience are welcome. Come one day or every day. And for bonus fun points, join the physically-distanced flash mobs on Sunday the 28th!

The Art in Isolation PEC outdoor exhibition, another ICE BOX 2021 treat, runs from February 20th-28th at Armoury Square (206 Main Street, Picton). It features 96 works of art by 66 County artists created over one month during the spring 2020 lockdown. Exhibition catalogues are available for purchase on the Department of Illumination’s website.

Photograph of a dozen individuals gathered in front of an ICE BOX hut in winter. They are wearing costumes, animal heads and carrying musical instruments and flags.
The costumed parade leaders at 2020’s ICE BOX festival. The 2021 festival aims to capture this spirit through online and distanced activities | Photo by Mile Murtanovski.

As Artistic Director Krista Dalby says, “Art has the power to lift people’s spirits”. Luckily, the Department of Illumination’s spirit-lifting work continues all year round! Follow them on social media and sign up for their e-newsletter for up-to-date info on ICE BOX and all of their programming. For instance, you can look forward to Join our HERD, a parade on the Millennium Trail in collaboration with DeRAIL Art & Architecture (Spring 2021); The Scarecrow Festival (October 9 & 10 2021); and the Firelight Lantern Festival planned for November 6, 2021.

Stay Curious with Escape Camp Picton

Groundhog Day may have come and gone, but all the days of our pandemic lives can feel a tad… repetitive. Why not switch it up for your next games or date night? Take flight – at Mach 2 speed – into the world of the Avro Arrow! Introducing Escape Camp Picton’s latest offering, The Arrow’s Secret – a limited edition solve-at-home puzzle box.

The Arrow's Secret puzzle box is a blue box with a series of dials on top and a combo lock on front hasp. Various puzzle pieces,  ciphers, images and documents displayed in foreground.
The Arrow’s Secret play-at-home game: part puzzle box, part escape room, part history lesson. | Photo supplied by Escape Camp Picton

This handcrafted game is part puzzle, part escape room, part interactive mystery, and part history lesson. Most importantly, it’s all parts fun.

The Avro Arrow was a marvel of Canadian aeronautic ingenuity. It flew its first test flights over Lake Ontario and Prince Edward County – where your puzzle journey begins – before the project was abruptly cancelled. Decipher clues, crack codes, and discover who killed the Arrow – all while bonding with your bubble! The game is best suited for adults – but kids 10+ can happily join the puzzle party with some assistance. The Arrow’s Secret can be shipped anywhere in Canada, or picked up at Escape Camp Picton’s HQ.

A group of six celebrate their escape from Escape Camp Picton's game with signs that say Mission Accomplished, New Best Time and Back to Basic Training.
Mission accomplished at Escape Camp Picton! | Photo supplied by Escape Camp Picton.

The pivots continue! The Escape Camp Picton team is busy crafting exciting new game experiences to debut this spring and summer. This summer you can play a new outdoor escape room/obstacle course at their historic site. Or take in the full Camp Picton Experience featuring a walking tour, puzzle-solving, wartime food, plus a “make your own take-home escape room” activity! And of course, when it’s safe to do so, they will reopen their popular WW2 espionage-themed in-person escape rooms.

A Virtual Visit

With all this fun at your fingertips, if you can’t visit The County in person this February, you van visit virtually! For more information, check in with The County Museums, The Department of Illumination and Escape Camp Picton.

This post is sponsored by The County Museums, The Department of Illumination and Escape Camp Picton, with support from the Regional Tourism Organization 9.

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#PrinceEdwardCounty

visitthecounty

Official tourism account. #PrinceEdwardCounty: a rural community bursting with creative talent & natural stunners. See also @countylicious

Prince Edward County 🏖🍇🎨🌈
✨ What's on (Virtually) in The County? ✨⁠
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How do you spend February in The County if you can't get to The County? Let The County come to you, of course.⁠
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Read our latest blog for the online, at home and physically distanced activities offered by @thecountymuseums @deptofillumination and @escapecamppicton this February. Link in bio.⁠
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👉🏼 Channel spirits of the past through a livestreamed Graveyard and Gallows tour⁠
👉🏼 Check in with The County's artists at an outdoor, distanced art exhibit ⁠
👉🏼 Find clues and solve a mystery with a play-at-home puzzle game⁠
👉🏼 Explore your own history with The County's genealogical experts⁠
👉🏼 Get groovy at a Zoom based community dance party⁠
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To our friends in regions under Stay at Home orders...We can't wait to welcome you back when the time is right. Keep your County vacation dreams alive and plan for a visit at a later date. But for now: #StayHomeON #StaySafe #RestezChezVous ❤️⁠
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If you are planning a visit from another Green-Prevent zone to ours, please travel responsibly. Limit your travel group to people you live with, limit contact with others and take advantage of take-out, curbside pick-up and activities outdoors in nature. 💚⁠
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For more information about visiting The County during the pandemic, check out our COVID-19 info page. Link in bio.⁠
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#SponsoredPost ⁠
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#VirtualVisit #VirtualVacay #AtHome#VisitTheCounty #VisitPEC #CountyUp #SouthEasternOntario #ExploreON  #PEC #DiscoverON #travel #ontario #TheCounty #DiscoverOntario @southeast.ontario⁠
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📷 Photo of Escape Camp Picton's "Arrow's Secret" puzzle box with text laid over the graphic that says "Virtually Here: At Home Heritage Art and Games"
We miss you. Tu nous manques beaucoup. 🥰🤗⁠ We miss you. Tu nous manques beaucoup. 🥰🤗⁠
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To our friends in regions under Stay at Home orders...We can't wait to welcome you back when the time is right. Keep your County vacation dreams alive and let this cute barn cat inspire your visit at a later date. But for now: #StayHomeON #StaySafe #RestezChezVous⁠
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If you are planning a visit from another Green-Prevent zone to ours, please travel responsibly. We're not out of the woods yet. Limit your travel group to people you live with, limit contact with others and take advantage of take-out, curbside pick-up and activities outdoors in nature. 💚⁠
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For more information about visiting The County during the pandemic, check out our COVID-19 info page. Link in bio.⁠
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#SouthEasternOntario @southeast.ontario #VisitTheCounty #TheCounty #CountyUp #VisitPec #DiscoverON #BarnCat #Winter #SafeTravels⁠
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📷 by Anne McIssac⁠
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We miss you. Tu nous manques beaucoup. 🥰🤗⁠ We miss you. Tu nous manques beaucoup. 🥰🤗⁠
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To our friends in regions under Stay at Home orders...We can't wait to welcome you back when the time is right. Keep your County vacation dreams alive and let the beauty of Macaulay Mountain inspire a visit at a later date. But for now: #StayHomeON #StaySafe #RestezChezVous⁠
⁠
If you are planning a visit from another Green-Prevent zone to ours, please travel responsibly. We're not out of the woods yet. Limit your travel group to people you live with, limit contact with others and take advantage of take-out, curbside pick-up and outdoor activities. 💚⁠
⁠
For more information about visiting The County during the pandemic, check out our COVID-19 info page. Link in bio.⁠
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#SouthEasternOntario @southeast.ontario #VisitTheCounty #TheCounty #CountyUp #VisitPec #DiscoverON #ConservationArea #MaucaulayMountain #Winter #SafeTravels
⚡ Flash Back (Virtually) this February! ⚡ ⁠ ⚡ Flash Back (Virtually) this February! ⚡
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Explore The County's history and heritage from the comfort of your own home, during Flashback February: The Living Room Edition! From February 15-20, @thecountymuseums and their partners have put together dozens of activities to celebrate the County's past:
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🔍 Solve an interactive online mystery set at Picton's historic Macaulay House⁠
⚰️ Get up close an personal with County spirits in a virtual Graveyards and Gallows tour ⁠
🛩️ Decode the secrets of the Avro Arrow with a play-at-home escape game by @escapecamppicton
📔 What's your story? Find out with the Marilyn Adams Genealogical Research Centre
🏚️ Plus, expert talks on The County's natural heritage, built heritage, restoration, native plant gardening and more!
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Read on. Link in bio.⁠
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NOTE: If you live outside the Hastings Prince Edward area, we encourage you to visit us virtually for now. Please let our content inspire your travels for a later date. The Province and our local Health Unit is advising that non-essential travel between regions should be avoided at this time.⁠ #stayhomestaysafe⁠ #stayhomeON
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#flashbackfebruary #ontarioheritageweek #ontarioheritage #genealogicalresearch #naturalheritage #builtheritage #nativeplants #graveyardtour #virtualevents #athomeactivities #avroarrow #visitthecounty #visitpec #countyup #southeasternOntario #pec #countyup #thecounty #discoverontario @southeast.ontario @onheritage
📷 Photo courtesy of @merrillhouse1878 #StayHom 📷 Photo courtesy of @merrillhouse1878  #StayHomeON  Stay home now so we can welcome you to #TheCounty again soon. Let this pic of the historic Church at Macaulay Heritage Park inspire a future visit. (Or, better yet, plan to visit The County Museums virtually during #FlashbackFebruary!)  But for now:  Stay Home. Stay Safe. Save Lives.  #StayHome #StaySafe #SaveLives #PrinceEdwardCounty #VisitTheCounty #CountyUp #winter #museums #picton #heritage #FlashbackFebruary #SoutheasternOntario #MuseumsPEC #CanadianHeritage @southeast.ontario @thecountymuseums  Photo description: On a sunny winter day, the historic former Church of St. Mary Magdalene in the background, a heritage cemetery in the foreground.
Repost from @thebrookpec #stayhomeON Stay home n Repost from @thebrookpec  #stayhomeON  Stay home now so we can welcome you to #TheCounty again soon. Let this pic of one of Sophiasburgh's neighbourhood horses inspire a future visit. But for now:  Stay Home. Stay Safe. Save Lives.  #stayhome #staysafe #savelives #princeedwardcounty #visitthecounty #countyup #winter #horse #sophiasburgh #southeasternontario @southeast.ontario
📷 Repost from @nik.dh #stayhomeON Stay home 📷 Repost from @nik.dh  #stayhomeON  Stay home now so we can welcome you to #TheCounty again soon. Let this sweet pic inspire a future visit, but for now:  Stay Home. Stay Safe. Save Lives.  #stayhome #staysafe #savelives #princeedwardcounty #visitthecounty #countyup #winter #lakeontario #southeasternontario @southeast.ontario
🎀 In the giving season, County hospitality give 🎀 In the giving season, County hospitality gives back... ⁠🎀⁠
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There are countless stories of how The County's tourism and hospitality sector supports local causes. Here's another worth highlighting:⁠
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County Artists Give Time and Talent⁠
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Throughout the year, The County's visual artists step up and support so many causes. When they are not in the studio or welcoming visitors to their galleries, they are helping the community however they can. 🖌️👨🏼‍🎨⁠🖼️⁠
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They donate or provide deeply discounted artwork to charity auctions, they donate proceeds of sales to causes, and they give their time and talent to community projects, designing posters and merch, creating murals and installations, and so much more.⁠
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🎨 This year, @pamelacarterstudio ran two fundraising sales for the @foundationpecmh Back the Build campaign. A detail of her painting "Winter Dreams #2" is pictured here.⁠
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❤️ Artistic giving takes many forms, from the Love Wall community art project by @nellarules that brought joy and hope in the early days of the pandemic to the recent @arthouseatelier County art auction that raised funds for arts scholarships for students, to the twenty artists who created work for the pop-up display "Intersections - an Anti-Racist Conversation on Sir John A MacDonald."⁠
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The County's artists make this a vibrant, beautiful, thoughtful and kind place to be.⁠
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🎴 You can support The County's artists this holiday season by stuffing some stockings with County Art Playing Cards from @countyarts. Proceeds help to build their artist career development fund. (Link in bio)⁠
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#countyup #visitthecounty #thecounty #princeedwardcounty #tourismgivesback #community #volunteer #charity #dogood #socialgood #fundraising #sponsorship #community #art #buyart #charityauction #artforgood #visualart #painter #scultpor #artforchange @southeast.ontario
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