Free Admission to Highland Folk Museum for 2007, the Year that Scotland Celebrates Highland Culture.
As a part of the Highland 2007 celebrations to mark the richness and diversity of Highland culture, the Highland Folk Museum is admitting visitors to both its Kingussie and Newtonmore sites free for the forthcoming season, which begins on Thursday 5 April.
The award-winning Museum is renowned for its collections of Highland artifacts from the early 1700s to the mid 1900s and its living history and interactive interpretive programmes.
Particularly at the Newtonmore site, visitors can experience aspects of life in a 1700s Highland Township; farming in the 1930s or simply relive their school days under the watchful eye of the school’s teacher.
At different times during the main season, visitors will also be able to view and sometimes join in a variety of activities that will include a sculptor in residence, a week of crafts and skills, learning about traditional food and a week celebrating music, storytelling and dance. Further information on these and the Museum’s other activities may be obtained from the Museum’s office on 01540 661307.
New to the Newtonmore site are two new features. ‘Kirk’s Stores’ is a 1930s community shop recreated in a front room of the Museum’s ‘Aultlarie Farm’, where, during the main season, visitors will be able to buy a range of traditional sweets and toys. Due to open on July 8 will be the relocated Presmuchrach shepherd’s bothy from near Dalwhinnie. This is being undertaken in partnership with ‘Laggan Heritage’. This will be complemented by a recreated drystone set of sheep handling pens or ‘fank’.
Principal Museums Officer, Bob Powell, said: “In this particularly notable year for Highland culture, we look forward to welcoming all our visitors and hoping that they will enjoy sharing with the Museum’s staff the features that make and continue to make the Museum a special place for all.”
Both Highland Folk Museum sites re-open for the forthcoming season on Thursday (5 April).