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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
