Installed in the 160-year-old Fairbairn farmhouse in Wakefield, La Pêche,  The Fairbairn House Heritage Centre features visual displays and special exhibits, interactive and audio-visual displays, school programmes, special events and community involvement.

What’s New

Fairbairn House is now closed. See you in the spring!

March 23rd 2024

We’re hiring!

The Municipality of La Pêche and the Fairbairn House Heritage Centre are currently looking for friendly and energetic Tourist Office staff for our 2024 summer season. The Tourist Office staff play an integral part in creating a welcoming and memorable experience for visitors to the region. 

 

Please email your resume and a cover letter to info@fairbairn.ca by April 14th 2024.

Full details here: Employment Opportunities

March 22nd 2024

2024 AGM + Membership Renewals

Fairbairn House Heritage Centre 2024 Annual General Meeting and Volunteer Appreciation Event.

This year’s Annual General Meeting and Volunteer Appreciation Event is taking place on Tuesday April 23 from 6-7 (Volunteer Appreciation) and 7-8 pm (AGM) at the Fairbairn House Heritage Centre, 45 ch de Wakefield Heights, Wakefield.

We will be sharing highlights of our past year and exciting news about the coming season. All members in good standing are eligible to vote at the AGM. 


Please RSVP by emailing: info@fairbairn.ca

Meeting details and agenda will be sent to attendees closer to the meeting date. 

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

With an exciting season of activities coming up at Fairbairn this summer and our AGM just around the corner, it’s now time to renew  your membership.

Your annual membership dues helps us manage a multitude of expenses that aren’t covered by program funding. With your help, we can continue to maintain the beauty of this 160-year old community treasure! 

Once you make this purchase someone from the Fairbairn House Heritage Centre will contact you to confirm your membership. Please make sure to provide a valid email! 

March 8th 2024

MUSICAL MONDAYS 2024

The sun is getting warmer, the snow is melting and the sap is running… This all means that Musical Mondays are just around the corner!

 

🎵 Calling all artists!

Fill out the application form to be considered for this year’s Musical Mondays.

Click here to access the form.

The application process is open until March 31st 2024 after which artists will be selected and announced.

Please note that only selected performers will be contacted. Thanks for your understanding.

 

December 6th 2023

Christmas Eve at Fairbairn house heritage centre

HO HO HO!

Our annual Christmas Eve event is right around the corner! 

Join us on December 24th from 2-4pm for some festive activities for the whole family.

 

Free admission! Bring cookies to share (Optional)

· Carol Singing

· Tree Decorating

· Hot chocolate and cider

· Christmas cookies

· Sale of our 2023 honey harvest

November 27th 2023

50 years of the Low Down to Hull and back to the future! – Now ONLINE!

“50 years of the Low Down to Hull and back to the future!”
Our latest retrospective exhibit celebrating 50 years of the Low Down and independent journalism has been digitized and is available for viewing online!

If you didn’t get a chance to make it out to Fairbairn House Heritage Centre or Centre Wakefield La Pêche to view it in person now is your chance to check it out! 


View it here

September 14th 2023

50 years of the Low Down to Hull and back to the future! – Centre Wakefield La Pêche

“50 years of the Low Down to Hull and back to the future!”
Our latest retrospective exhibit celebrating 50 years of the Low Down and independent journalism is now on display at Centre Wakefield La Pêche until October 18th 2023.

Take a second to check it next time you’re there! 

September 12th 2023

FAIRBAIRN HARVEST FESTIVAL

The annual Fairbairn harvest festival is fast approaching!

Join us Sunday October 1st from 11-4pm for a day full of free activities and workshops for the whole family with participation from Apiverte, Kayo-Tea, Ferme Taïga and Ferme et Forêt! 

There will also be pumpkin painting as well as a free concert starting at 1pm presented by CKWE 103.9 Fm featuring Mike “The Bluesman” Buckshot + Rabbit Stew + Eddie Cote and Company. 

See you all there !

July 24th 2023

A SELF GUIDED TOUR OF HISTORIC WAKEFIELD: THE SITE OF THE WAKEFIELD MILL

We know how much you all loved doing our walking tour of historic Wakefield so we’ve added a second component featuring the site of the Wakefield Mill!

The 19 stop tour takes you through the site starting and ending at the MacLaren cemetery. 

Check it out Here!

July 8th 2023

LIVING HISTORY WORKSHOPS FOR KIDS

We’re very excited to once again be hosting a series of Living History workshops for kids.

Workshops will be taking place on Thursdays and Saturdays at 10am starting Thursday July 13th.

All workshops are free but children must be registered to participate.

Registration and more information can be found HERE.

 

July 13th – Cardboard Steam Trains

July 15th – Natural Dyes

July 20th – Beeswax Candle Making

July 22nd – Paper Basket Making

July 27th – Paper Quilt Making

July 29th – Ice Cream Making

August 3rd – Paper Marionnet Making

August 5th – Beeswax Candle Dipping

August 10th – Bracelet Making

July 7th 2023

RIVER: A YEAR IN COLOUR

Exhibit, video and drawings to colour!

Original art from the following artists:

Sofia Jain-Schlaepfer
Nathalie Coutou
Stephanie Hill
Gabiyen Ottawa

During the days of the pandemic, STO Union sent out an insert through our local paper, the Low Down to Hull and Back, and we asked people who were stuck at home to colour one drawing per season and to share what the river means to them.

The inserts were also available in libraries and schools. We received hundreds of submissions from people who shared their love of colour, of the river, and of the community they are in.

Come and see some of the coloured drawings on exhibit and colour your own to put up on the exhibition wall.

View the River video, a charming and moving short video about the project and how it grew into something much greater.

This sweet and uplifting community project is in French and English and will be on display at the Fairbairn House Heritage Centre from July 7th to September 3rd, 2023.

June 27th 2023

Musical Mondays

Wow!

What a great start to this year’s Musical Mondays!

 

Thanks to everyone who braved the many weather warnings and came out to what ended up being an incredible intimate show in the barn.

 

Shannon’s set was so good and we are beyond thrilled to have hosted her! If you missed the show or aren’t familiar make sure to check out her incredible album “Late Bloomer” on bandcamp!

 

See you all next week for Le Diable à Cinq !

June 19th 2023

Masham Memories

The Fairbairn House Heritage Centre is proud to present an exhibit showcasing Mr. Bernard Legros’ remarkable miniatures.

 

Starting June 24th, 2023, visitors can admire Mr. Legros’ intricate replicas of Masham’s past and present landmarks, including the Guinness World Records-recognized “Smallest Sawmill in Operation.”

June 16th 2023

Fairbairn Escape Challenge

Fairbairn House Heritage Centre is excited to announce the launch of our log cabin escape room challenge!

Help school teacher Margaret find the gold stashed by her husband in the one room school house, just before he headed back out west to the BC gold rush.

 

The Fairbairn log cabin escape room challenge is a free activity that takes approximately 1 hour to complete and is suitable for those 6 yrs old and up! Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. For groups of 1 to 6 persons.

More information HERE

June 14th 2023

The Low Down to Hull and Back to the Future! 

Join us at Fairbairn House Heritage Centre on June 23rd 2023 at 6pm for an extraordinary retrospective exhibit, commemorating half a century of local journalism. 

 Explore a curated collection of front-page headlines, local stories, photographs and relive the moments that defined an era in our community. We look forward to seeing you there!

The Exhibit runs June 23rd – October 15th 2023.

May 15th 2023

2023 MUSICAL MONDAYS

We are excited to unveil the highly anticipated lineup for this year’s Musical Mondays! Once again, we will be hosting all concerts on our picturesque outdoor stage.

After carefully considering the valuable feedback we received from our community survey, we have made some exciting changes for this year’s series. First and foremost, we are delighted to announce that all concerts will be free for children and all students. While most events require tickets, our kids show will be completely free (thanks to the generous support of Les Serres Bourgeons). Additionally, the Hampsey’s House Party concert will operate on a voluntary contribution basis on the night of the event, ensuring everyone can attend. In making these changes our objective is to foster inclusivity and accessibility for all individuals.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Municipality of La Pêche, MRC des Collines de l’Outaouais, the Moulin Wakefield Mill, and all other sponsors who have played a vital role in making this series possible. We are immensely grateful for their support.

We look forward to welcoming you this summer for an unforgettable musical experience!

Full lineup and ticket information can be found: HERE

April 12th 2023

AGM 2023

Dear Fairbairn Members,

We look forward to meeting you and sharing news for the coming year at the 2023 AGM. All members in good standing are eligible to vote.

THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 7 PM

Fairbairn House Heritage Centre

45 Chem. de Wakefield Heights

Wakefield, QC, J0X 3G0

Please RSVP by emailing info@fairbairn.ca

Meeting details and agenda will be sent to attendees closer to the meeting date.

 

April 6th 2023

Membership Renewals

Over the last few years we’ve waived membership fees but with activities coming back to a full swing at Fairbairn this summer and our AGM just around the corner, it’s now time to renew and pay your dues.

Fairbairn House needs you! Your annual membership helps us manage a multitude of expenses that aren’t covered by program funding. With your help, we can continue to maintain the beauty of this 160-year old historical gem!

Once you make this purchase someone from the Fairbairn House Heritage Centre will contact you to confirm your membership. Please make sure to provide a valid email.

March 16th 2023

Hippie Music history @ La Fab sur Mill

We’re super thrilled to announce that our exhibit “Hippie music history in Western Quebec” is on display at La Fab sur Mill in Chelsea for the next 2 months!

Make sure to check it out at one of their upcoming events and be on the lookout for a special announcement regarding a night dedicated to the exhibit!

March 11th 2023

We’re hiring!

Fairbairn House Heritage Centre is looking to hire 3 tourist office clerks and 1 supervisor for our 2023 season!
 

Please email your resume and a cover letter to info@fairbairn.ca by April 14th 2023.

Full details here: Employment Opportunities

January 22nd 2023

Pinock – Birchbark Canoe Workshop

Last weekend we had the absolute pleasure and honour of having Pinock lead an introduction to Algonquin birch bark canoe building workshop at Fairbairn.

Next steps will be to go to his studio in Kitigan Zibi where we will be building a canoe for our permanent exhibit which we are currently working on renewing.

If you’re interested in attending these workshops, stay tuned as we’ll be announcing dates later on this year!

EN