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Colin Fowlie
Colin is the Project Manager, and it is his hard work, determination and 'know how' that has kept the entire project on course. Of the Heritage Centre he said..'It is not a provincial or national museum but it is operating at that level and at the core of that is unparalleled community involvement'. He maintains that...' it is not just the bricks and mortar but the quality of the exhibits, the interpretations and how it is being presented to the public, that is important'.
In 2007 Colin stated that such a project had never been done in Nova Scotia before - bringing several existing cultural and museum groups including archives, into one site......it provided a new model for upgrading and making community museums...more sustainable and improved..."


Krista Stoll
Krista has worked with Colin in the office and is a vital part of the entire project. . Many times the Heritage Centre has asked her for assistance, and she has always given willingly of her skills and knowledge, and able to find the required information immediately.

The Construction crew on the Square site in most weathers have always been cheerfully cooperative when called upon by the Heritage Society - they have carried heavy objects, mended things and advised when required.They certainly know what they are about and should feel proud of their achievements.

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Senator The Honorable Margaret Fawcett Norrie
20th Century. Circa 1970?
Colchester County Nova Scotia


Credits:
Creamery Square Association

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The Honorable Margaret Fawcett Norrie (1905 - 1983) was a farm girl brought up in New Brunswick., but devoted her adult life to working for the people of Colchester County, Nova Scotia and the Canadian nation. She ran her late husband's dairy farm in Colchester County, NS for 20 years and was always interested in local affairs and helping others. She became the first woman in Nova Scotia appointed to the Canadian Senate, She loved this area and was always interested in what happened here.

Her daughter Margaret married into the McCain family. It is Margaret McCain who has so kindly made a most generous donation to the project, in memoery of her mother. - hence the new name - the 'Margaret Fawcett Norrie Heritage Centre' and outdoor 'Senator's Stage'. It is likely that some part of the Centre for the Arts will be named after the family.

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New sign and new name for the Heritage Centre
6 December 2012
Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia Canada


Credits:
Creamery Square Heritage Society

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So in October 2012, what has the Creamery Square Project achieved? All going well next year should see it completed, having taken longer than originally anticipated. Hardly surprising with so much depending on availability of finances, decision making and changing plans and ideas the numbers of people involved - and the weather. It has provided construction work for local men and employed office staff. The expansion of the Farmers' Market has given many local producers a central sales base, and there are monthly visits here from vendors producing elsewhere in the Province.

The Heritage Centre, now with a new sign, constantly surprises visitors who express amazement at the layout, the quality of the displays and the friendliness of the volunteer staff and summer students. The money taken during the months the Centre is open just about covers expenses, so sustainability is always something the Board is aware of. Admission is charged but the cost of oil and electricity is high!

By joining together and 'becoming one' the Heritage Centre has increased the number of presentations made in schools, and the class visits from local schools have increased. Opportunities occur now for speaking on a variety of topics with other museums; networking with other heritage organizations gives us more exposure over a larger region; the number of acquisitions has increased. Improvements have been made to policies and procedures, visions, action plans bylaws and mission statements, Provincial attention has been focused on Tatamagouche and our heritage, and this drew media attention to our cause. There is a small group of grade 7 students who drop in after school one day a week and do whatever is asked of them - long may this continue and the interest grow.

There have been problems of course. - nothing on this scale involving so many people, over a long period of time, could not. Some of the participants perhaps failed to remind themselves of the overall concept, so that at times unnecessary misunderstandings have occurred, leading to frustrations, and sometimes, anger. The concept and the running of the establishments has been cleary written down
There are a few people in the community who refuse to accept the facts about the financial arrangements that were put in place at the very beginning of the project - when it was dictated that very large sums of money privately donated would be acknowledged by having a structure named after the benefactor. This did not mean the organization concerned had that money to use as they wished - it paid off loans and went into the building and interior structures, leaving the organization to sustain itself , Thus the generous donation to the project from the Senator Margaret Norrie Estate, meant a stage and building being named after her.

Each organization within the Square has a Board of Directors and runs itself, with designated support to the Creamery Square Association. The Association looks after exterior maintenance of the buildings and the overall maintenance and appearance of the Square. They also are concerned with overall marketing of the Square and major fund raising. This does not prevent each organization from having its own fund raising efforts and advertising its own events.

Currently the Square awaits the completion of Phase Three - The Centre for the Arts. There ara a few weeks to get the foundations in place and perhaps enough of the structure built to enable work to progress under cover through the winter.- there is talk of it being ready by late summer 2013. A Board of Directors is established and plans are underway as to how best to use the facility - a business plan exists.

As Dale Swan suggested the whole process has been rather like baking a fancy cake; the recipe calls for many cups of the following:
Vision, faith, hope, desire, interest, planning, initiative, time, hard work, excitement, positivity, challenges, patience, tolerance, optimism, compromise, resolution, comraderie, smiles and understanding. Add to this a few cups of :
Setbacks, scepticism, frowns, fatigue, frustration
Bake slowly for several years, and stir occasionally....and the result is amazing, with a great sense of accomplishment. We are a destination for visitors and.... yes, an 'Attraction Centre' or 'critical mass' has been achieved. 'Becoming one', is a benefit for all concerned.

With so many of the residents involved in the Creamery Square Project over the years, Tatamagouche should feel a great sense of accomplishment and be justifiably proud of the results of their efforts in creating an 'attraction cluster' on the North Shore of Nova Scotia.

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The Creamery Square logo
21st Century. 2008
Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia Canada


Credits:
Creamery Square Association

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This logo design was accepted by the Creamery Square Association in 2008. The colours involved reflect the colours of the buildings in the Square, and the words state the aims of the Creamery Square project.
There is much more information available about the Tatamagouche and surrounding area , together with various aspects of the Creamery Square 'attraction cluster' by going on line and to Websites.
With the end in sight, it is really a rather remarkable achievement for an area with a small population, on a not very developed section of the North Shore of Nova Scotia.. People who know this region, love it, and visitors are constantly surprised by the friendliness, and energy of the people living here. There is always something happening - a new library, a new club with its live music, films, talks, book club and poetry meetings,an increasingly popular Yoga program, quite apart from the well established organizations. So perhaps it is not so surprising that the early vision of the Creamery Square project has been fulfilled and an 'attraction cluster' or'critical mass' now exists on the North Shore of Nova Scotia - at Tatamagouche.