AMHERST – The oldest house in the town of Amherst will have its doors open for mini tours on Saturday as part of the Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Festival.
Bent Cottage, owned by Don Miller, will be just one of the old homes to offer tours with musical entertainment and crafts.
“In this house (Bent Cottage), there’s going to be antique sample collection, there’s going to be old antique rugs and some of the other houses are going to showcase Cumberland County talent,” said Miller. “Not only do they get to see the houses, not only do they get to see the fibre but they get to be part of the fun.”
In order to prepare the houses for the tours, Miller said there was a lot of co-ordination that needed to be done.
“Because this is the oldest house in town, we didn’t want to go too crazy, so we’re sort of just using the collection that is here already,” he said. “But you have to do a lot of cleaning and find some things that would be fun for the people who come. As a little extra on the side, I’ll also be doing my bird house sale.”
The house tours, Miller said, are part of the finale for the festival and hopes it to be one of the best events for the festival.
“We really just want to share the house tour experience with our guests,” he said. “The First Baptist Church is set up to feed you so you can go there after for a cup of tea and some cookies. It’s a great way to end the festival.”
Miller said he is sure the tours will see great success over the weekend. With the festival having been in town, he said there have been many people booking hotel rooms and staying at the local bed and breakfasts.
“They’re coming from all over. They’re here from England, they’re here from the States,” he said. “It can’t help but be a good thing for Amherst economically. I think that when people see our town and how lovely it is, (residents) will start believing them.”
Tickets for the tours are $5, available at the church, J.G. Jewelers or Fort B Flowers. Everyone is welcome to tour the houses at random, beginning at the church. The tours begin Saturday from 1 until 4 p.m. All of the funds go to the church.
jturner@amherstdaily.com
