Visiting Us

Events at the Museum


Upcoming Events


Date Time Event  Description Cost Drop In or Pre-Register
May 28th and May 31st, 2025 1:00 - 3:00pm Special Viewing of Dionne Quintuplets Documentary

In honour of Annette and Cécile's 91st birthday we are hosting a special showing of "Miracle Babies", produced by the BBC with a planned discussion after. There will be two showings, one on Wednesday May 28th and one on Saturday May 31st. There will be light refreshments provided and the event is free with donations welcome.

Free Drop In
June 4th, 2025 10:00 - 12:00pm Métis Workshop: Finger Weaving
Learn about Métis culture through traditional art mediums! This session will focus on finger weaving on Wednesday June 4, 2025.
Three introductory-level workshops for participants to advance their skills are being offered. Workshops are facilitated by rights bearing Métis Rebekah Trudel. Ages 18 and up (workshops for those 12 and up will be offered in July).
Space is limited so please pre-register and pre-pay to secure your spot. Email us at museum@callander.ca or call us at 705-752-2282.
$15 Pre-Register
June 11th, 2025 10:00 - 12:00pm Métis Workshop: Embroidery
Learn about Métis culture through traditional art mediums! This session will focus on embroidery on Wednesday June 11, 2025.
Three introductory-level workshops for participants to advance their skills are being offered. Workshops are facilitated by rights bearing Métis Rebekah Trudel. Ages 18 and up (workshops for those 12 and up will be offered in July).
Space is limited so please pre-register and pre-pay to secure your spot. Email us at museum@callander.ca or call us at 705-752-2282.
$15 Pre-Register
June 14th, 2025 2:00 - 4:00pm Scattered by Kimberly a. Ravinville - Opening Reception

Come and join us on Saturday June 14th for the opening reception of Kimberly a. Rainville's "Scatterd" Art Exhibition. There will be light refreshments, free museum admission and the artist will be on site. This event is free and donations are welcome.

More information TBA

Free Drop In
June 18th, 2025 10:00 - 12:00pm Métis Workshop: Beading
Learn about Métis culture through traditional art mediums! This session will focus on beading on Wednesday June 18, 2025.
Three introductory-level workshops for participants to advance their skills are being offered. Workshops are facilitated by rights bearing Métis Rebekah Trudel. Ages 18 and up (workshops for those 12 and up will be offered in July).
Space is limited so please pre-register and pre-pay to secure your spot. Email us at museum@callander.ca or call us at 705-752-2282.
$15 Pre-Register
July 8th, 2025 10:30 - 12:00pm Historical Walking Tour
Back by popular demand, we are running our historical walking tours this year! Each year we tweak the tour a bit, so if you have done it before we hope you will join us again.
FREE
Please meet at the museum at 10:15am with all necessary items (sunscreen, waterbottle, comfortable shoes, umbrella, etc).
It is approximately 1km in length.
Every Tuesday starting July 8th until August 26th.
$2 admission to the museum to those who attend the tour! 
Free Drop In
July 9th, 2025  10:00 - 12:00pm Métis Workshop: Finger Weaving (ages 12+)
Learn about Métis culture through traditional art mediums! This session will focus on finger weaving on Wednesday July 8th, 2025.
Three introductory-level workshops for participants to advance their skills are being offered. Workshops are facilitated by rights bearing Métis Rebekah Trudel. Ages 12 and up.
Space is limited so please pre-register and pre-pay to secure your spot. Email us at museum@callander.ca or call us at 705-752-2282.
$15 Pre-Register
July 15th, 2025 10:30 - 12:00pm Historical Walking Tour
Back by popular demand, we are running our historical walking tours this year! Each year we tweak the tour a bit, so if you have done it before we hope you will join us again.
FREE
Please meet at the museum at 10:15am with all necessary items (sunscreen, waterbottle, comfortable shoes, umbrella, etc).
It is approximately 1km in length.
Every Tuesday starting July 8th until August 26th.
$2 admission to the museum to those who attend the tour! 
Free Drop In
July 16th, 2025 10:00 - 12:00pm Métis Workshop: Embroidery (ages 12+)
Learn about Métis culture through traditional art mediums! This session will focus on embroidery on Wednesday July 16th, 2025.
Three introductory-level workshops for participants to advance their skills are being offered. Workshops are facilitated by rights bearing Métis Rebekah Trudel. Ages 12 and up.
Space is limited so please pre-register and pre-pay to secure your spot. Email us at museum@callander.ca or call us at 705-752-2282.
$15 Pre-Register
July 19th, 2025 2:00 - 4:00pm B. Giesler & Sons Ltd: A Discovery by GOODERHAM Photography Opening Reception

Come and join us on Saturday July 19th for the opening reception of GOODERHAM Photography's "B. Giesler & Sons Ltd: A Discovery" Photography Exhibition. There will be light refreshments, free museum admission and the artist will be on site. This event is free and donations are welcome.

More information TBA

Free Drop In
July 22nd, 2025 10:30 - 12:00pm Historical Walking Tour
Back by popular demand, we are running our historical walking tours this year! Each year we tweak the tour a bit, so if you have done it before we hope you will join us again.
FREE
Please meet at the museum at 10:15am with all necessary items (sunscreen, waterbottle, comfortable shoes, umbrella, etc).
It is approximately 1km in length.
Every Tuesday starting July 8th until August 26th.
$2 admission to the museum to those who attend the tour! 
Free Drop In
July 23rd, 2025 10:00 - 12:00pm Métis Workshop: Beading (ages 12+)
Learn about Métis culture through traditional art mediums! This session will focus on beading on Wednesday July 23rd, 2025.
Three introductory-level workshops for participants to advance their skills are being offered. Workshops are facilitated by rights bearing Métis Rebekah Trudel. Ages 12 and up.
Space is limited so please pre-register and pre-pay to secure your spot. Email us at museum@callander.ca or call us at 705-752-2282.
$15 Pre-Register
July 29th, 2025 10:30 - 12:00pm Historical Walking Tour
Back by popular demand, we are running our historical walking tours this year! Each year we tweak the tour a bit, so if you have done it before we hope you will join us again.
FREE
Please meet at the museum at 10:15am with all necessary items (sunscreen, waterbottle, comfortable shoes, umbrella, etc).
It is approximately 1km in length.
Every Tuesday starting July 8th until August 26th.
$2 admission to the museum to those who attend the tour! 
Free Drop In
August 5th, 2025 10:30 - 12:00pm Historical Walking Tour
Back by popular demand, we are running our historical walking tours this year! Each year we tweak the tour a bit, so if you have done it before we hope you will join us again.
FREE
Please meet at the museum at 10:15am with all necessary items (sunscreen, waterbottle, comfortable shoes, umbrella, etc).
It is approximately 1km in length.
Every Tuesday starting July 8th until August 26th.
$2 admission to the museum to those who attend the tour! 
Free Drop In
August 12th, 2025 10:30 - 12:00pm Historical Walking Tour
Back by popular demand, we are running our historical walking tours this year! Each year we tweak the tour a bit, so if you have done it before we hope you will join us again.
FREE
Please meet at the museum at 10:15am with all necessary items (sunscreen, waterbottle, comfortable shoes, umbrella, etc).
It is approximately 1km in length.
Every Tuesday starting July 8th until August 26th.
$2 admission to the museum to those who attend the tour! 
Free Drop In
August 19th, 2025 10:30 - 12:00pm Historical Walking Tour
Back by popular demand, we are running our historical walking tours this year! Each year we tweak the tour a bit, so if you have done it before we hope you will join us again.
FREE
Please meet at the museum at 10:15am with all necessary items (sunscreen, waterbottle, comfortable shoes, umbrella, etc).
It is approximately 1km in length.
Every Tuesday starting July 8th until August 26th.
$2 admission to the museum to those who attend the tour! 
Free Drop In
August 26th, 2025 10:30 - 12:00pm Historical Walking Tour
Back by popular demand, we are running our historical walking tours this year! Each year we tweak the tour a bit, so if you have done it before we hope you will join us again.
FREE
Please meet at the museum at 10:15am with all necessary items (sunscreen, waterbottle, comfortable shoes, umbrella, etc).
It is approximately 1km in length.
Every Tuesday starting July 8th until August 26th.
$2 admission to the museum to those who attend the tour! 
Free Drop In

Community Events Directory
Browse through other events going on in Callander.

 


 

Highlights of Past Events

2022

Cheers to 40 Years - Day 1 - August 9, 2022

We were thrilled to celebrate 40 years of operations in 2022! OVer the course of two days we had lots of fun and many activities. Special thanks to the Nipissing Rock and Mineral Club for bringing their geological mini putt, awesome rock display, and panning for gold activity! We also hope everyone got a kick out of our photograph cut-out boards :)

Cheers to 40 Years - Day 2 - August 10, 2022

On day two of our 40th anniversary celebrations we welcomed a variety of partners to join us for the day! Special thanks to the North Bay Museum, Callander Public Library, Dokis First Nation, Nipssing Township Museum, Sturgeon River House Museum, and Incandescent Glass Studio, as well as Eagle Tree Services for donating a commemorative tree for the event.

MT Davidson Public School Visit

We were pleased to welcome a class from MT Davidson Public School to hang out with us for the afternoon checking out cool artifacts and taking a look at some awesome artwork! 

Girl Guides Visit

We were excited to welcome the Callander Girl Guides to the museum for an evening of fun with the Nipissing Rock and Mineral Club!

North Bay Art Association Workshop - May 11th, 2022

The North Bay Art Association led a workshop making models and dioramas using potatoes and other materials to make the modelling clay!

2021

TD Summer Reading Program - August 17, 2021

The Callander Museum and Callander Public Library teamed up for the library's annual TD Summer Reading Program! The Museum brought some cool artifacts to go along with some awesome crafts

2020

Wire-Wrapping with the Nipissing Rock and Mineral Club - February 29, 2020

The Nipissing Rock and Mineral Club took over the Alex Dufresne Gallery for the afternoon and taught participants the art of wire-wrapping rocks to make beautiful pieces of jewelry!

Rockin' Into 2020: Rocks Up Close - January 3 and 4, 2020

We were pleased to welcome back the Nipissing Rock and Mineral Club to run their event "Rockin into 2020" with us again! We were also thrilled to have the Crystal Cave here with their augmented reality and virtual reality to show off to our guests. Over two days we had over 100 people through the museum and gallery to learn all about rocks and minerals, make some jewelry, and go on a scavenger hunt through the museum! Special thanks to all of our volunteers for their assistance over the two days.

2019

Closing Gala for Adventures in Art - October 26, 2019

To end our Adventures in Art art show we co-hosted a closing gala with Community Living North Bay and L'Arche North Bay with the majority of the proceeds benefitting the Community Living's Outcomes Fund. Attendees enjoyed live music, hors d'oeuvres and each took a painting home.

 

Cranberry Day - September 28, 2019

We had a lot of fun down at the trail for Cranberry Day! Special thank you to Kandyd of the Nipissing Rock and Mineral Club for bringing along some awesome rocks and for creating a treasure trail that could only be found by using a metal detector!

 

Adventures in Art Painting Classes - September 12, 26, October 10 and 24, 2019

We welcomed staff from Community Living and L'Arche North Bay to lead their successful Adventures in Art painting classes at the gallery throughout the fall. These classes were open to those with and without disabilities as a way of bridging the gap that separates us.


Book Launch for "The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets"
- August 27, 2019

We welcomed international author Sarah Miller to the museum for the launch of her new book, a book signing and a Q and A session. Books are still available for sale at the museum.

 

Jack Lockhart Painting Workshops - July, 2019

We were pleased to welcome internationally-known artist Jack Lockhart to the gallery to lead a couple of painting workshops!

 

Child and Guardian Paint Day - June 8, 2019

Children and their parents and/or guardians enjoyed time in the gallery creating a painting together!

 

Toddler Drop Ins - Thursdays all summer, 2019

We welcome adults and their little ones every Thursday morning all summer for some fun activities!

 

Quintland Now and Then Presentation - May 28, 2019

On the 85th birthday of surviving Dionne quintuplets Annette and Cécile, we led presentations on the transformation of Highway 94 near Nipissing Manor from country road to a bustling tourist attraction. Presentation still available on request.

 

Easter Craft - April, 2019

Families had fun creating different crafts while searching throughout the museum for a single golden egg!

 

Rockin' Into 2019 - January 4-5, 2019

Special thank you to the Nipissing Rock and Mineral Club for running this amazing event that featured geological mini-putt, jewellery-making, a magical rock table and a rock gizmo!

 

2018

Métis Days - July 11 and August 1, 2018

We welcomed back the Métis Nation of Ontario to run their Summer Youth Cultural Program for two days to teach participants all about Métis culture!

FunFest at the Museum - June 30, 2018

We welcomed the Nipissing Rock and Mineral Club to lead activities such as using a metal detector and panning for gold at the museum during Callander's Canada Day FunFest Celebrations! We also opened our new exhibits "Callander Rocks! Callander's Geological Journey" co-created by the Rock Club as well. Despite losing power near the end of the day that didn't stop our guests from improvising by using their phone lights to view our exhibits!

"The Northern Coney Island" Exhibit Opening Reception - May 26, 2018

In commemoration of Annette and Cécile Dionne's 84th birthday, we opened our new exhibit which explores Quintland as a physical site itself and examines the different buildings and shops that filled the landscape.

2017

Darlene's Silver Streak and the Bradford Model T Girls - July 4, 2017

We welcomed the "Silver Streak", a 1926 Ford Model T, back to the museum 80 years after it first visited with a group of woman from Bradford, Illinois, who had roadtripped to Callander to see the the Dionne quintuplets and meet Dr. Dafoe in 1937.

 

25 year old time capsule opening - July 1, 2017

On July 1st 1992, during Canada’s 125th celebration, the community of Callander gathered at the North Himsworth Museum (now the Callander Bay Heritage Museum) to fill a case with objects of their present for people of the future to open. Now, 25 years later, the time came to cut the lock, open the box and step back to the early 90s!

 

Calendar Quintuplets Exhibit Opening – May 27, 2017

In commemoration of Annette and Cecile’s 83rd birthday on Sunday May 28th, the Callander Museumshowcased a special exhibit on Saturday May 27th.

Beginning in 1936, the largest calendar company in the world at the time, Brown and Bigelow, licensed the image of the girls and commissioned 2 painters to create yearly illustrations to be distributed in calendar form. The Callander Museum has, in its collection, calendars from 1936 until 1955. In addition, on display is one of the original paintings by Andrew Loomis that was then printed into calendar form for the 1942 illustration “Springtime” (as seen in the cover photo). The exhibit will have the calendars on display, background information on the artists, and it will explore how the media portrayed the girl’s through promotion and endorsements such as these calendars.

CTV Northern Ontario Clip from the day → http://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/mobile/video?clipId=1134296

 

2016

Carol Pretty Retirement Luncheon - September, 2016

It is with sad hearts and warm regards that the Callander Museum says “Happy Retirement!” to our long standing Curator, Carol Pretty. Over the past 19 years, Carol has dedicated herself to promoting the arts and heritage of Callander, and the surrounding area. Visitors to the museum and gallery will always remember Carol’s kind and welcoming personal-ity, as well as her vast knowledge of the region—there were few questions she didn’t know the answer to! With her dedica-tion to preserving the history, objects and stories of the town and the relationships she forged with local artists, Carol served an important role in the Callander community and will be sorely missed.

 

Beau Bridges and Brooke Shields Visit the Museum - February, 2016

It was a pleasant surprise in February when actors Beau Bridges and Brooke Shields took a break from filming in the area to visit the museum. Back in the 1930s and 1940s all the celebrities of the time came here to visit Dr. Dafoe, but in 2016 it looks like Hollywood Came to Callander.. again!

2014

Quintland site tours (80th anniversary commemoration) – May 28 and 31, 2014

On May 28th and May 31st, 2014 the Callander Bay Heritage Museum commemorated the 80th Anniversary of the Birth of the Dionne Quintuplets with two historic tours of Quintland in Corbeil.

The original location of the Dionne Homestead (now the Dionne Quints Museum in North Bay), the Dafoe Hospital & Nursery, the Quint Observatory and several souvenir shops were all discussed with the help of historic photographs. Over 50 people attended these tours to learn more about this major historical event, and where it all happened.

Thank yous go out to Clarke Heipel with Cogeco North Bay News and Kate Adams with Bay Today for covering the event! We also pass our regards along to Mr. Wentworth Graham and Nipissing Manor for allowing us to tour the grounds. A big thanks to Madison Maitland, Roch and Linda Legros, and Russel Robinson for helping with the tours.