Accommodations Nova Scotia
Your Guide To Accommodations In Nova Scotia
Lake Ainslie, Nova Scotia
Lake Ainslie, the largest freshwater
lake in Nova Scotia, surrounded by
fertile land and fascinating mountains,
and with a width of six miles and
length of 12 miles, is approximately
the size of the Sea of Galilee. As you
stand or drive amid this remarkable
beauty, it may be difficult to grasp,
but the provincial government once
entertained a proposal to drain the
entire lake.
As farfetched as the story sounds,
it almost came to pass. In 1880, the
provincial government granted the
land on the bottom of the lake to two
enterprising men, Ellenhausen and
Burchill, who had plans to drain the
lake and drill for oil. Fortunately for
everyone, the deal fell through, and
today we can still enjoy the peaceful
serenity of fishing Lake Ainslie’s
waters, riding the waves, or walking
along its shoreline.
Fortunately saner brains prevailed
the day, and today Lake Ainslie is home
to a thriving tradition in the heritage
arts, and few places showcase those
skills as freshly as the Lake Ainslie
Weavers and Craft Guild.
Active since 1985, this dedicated
group of individuals have brought the
once threatened cultural art of weaving
to a living craft carried out by its
members in their centre at Scotsville.
The centre itself, a former community
school closed through a wave of rural
amalgamations, is once again at the
heart of community activities.
While the weavers who sit at the
looms most often reproduce ancestral
plaids and tartans of the Highlands
clans, the weavers themselves are
not lost in the past. From this creative
centre new designs for tartans
celebrating Inverness County and Lake
Ainslie itself have been registered.
Since 1990 the guild has turned
the school into a vital, community based
learning and cultural centre
known as the Scotsville School of
Crafts. During the spring and fall the
organization offers a broad range of
courses.
During the summer months, the
Scotsville School of Crafts is staffed.
Displays of the weavers’ work are
available, as well as a gift shop, and
for visitors’ convenience the school
also houses a C@P site where people
can access e-mail and conduct other
online research or activities.
The main objective of this
committed group of artisans is to
perpetuate the traditional Celtic
handcrafts while incorporating the
most modern methods and techniques.
It is also building a body of documents
on all textile weaving in Inverness
County. The long-term hope is that this
information will one day take book form
and become widely available.
Weaving is not the only craft
practiced by members of the guild.
The school’s gift shop, open for
summer hours and by appointment,
features hand woven items, tartans,
knitted items, paintings, quilted items,
woodwork.
