L.M. Montgomery group hopes to capitalize on 150th birthday to attract new fans
'So far there's about 77 events, and there's more to come,' says an organizer
L.M. Montgomery's 150th birthday is still five months away, but the days and weeks until then will be filled with organizations and businesses across Prince Edward Island using creative ways to celebrate the iconic author.
Linda Lowther has been working to raise awareness about Montgomery for decades, starting with a summer job as a guide at Green Gables, the historic house that provided the setting for the author's most popular novel, Anne of Green Gables.
Lowther helped create the Montgomery Park in Cavendish, and The Inspiring World of L.M. Montgomery – A Literary Tour. Now she's a member of the organizing committee for Montgomery 150.
"Not counting the two musicals, so far there's about 77 events, and there's more to come," Lowther said.
"We have everything from ice cream socials and birthday cakes, to people impersonating Montgomery as a teacher in Bedeque and at Macphail Homestead."
There will be journalling workshops, painting and photography sessions inspired by Montgomery's writing, musical events revolving around her poetry, and a hike exploring the author's favourite paths.
Not everybody knows the full Montgomery
Lowther said Tourism Cavendish Beach and Central Coastal Tourism Partnership formed a committee for Montgomery 150 and created a fund to give organizations, associations and businesses the chance to create some events of their own.
"Everybody knows Anne, but not everybody knows that Montgomery was a famous photographer, or that she had all kinds of other talents," Lowther said.
"People have gone out of their way to show some of the things that Montgomery did, that people maybe don't know about."
Lowther said she and her group have been planning for the milestone birthday for a while.
"She's our hero. She's the one thing that's unique for Prince Edward Island that nobody else has," she said.
"She's still the world's best-selling children's author, better than any other author. So we know that she has potential. If she was here today, she'd be the Taylor Swift of today for writing. She was a pretty smart cookie."
She's the one thing that's unique for Prince Edward Island that nobody else has.— Linda Lowther, Montgomery 150 committee
Lowther said the special events will continue until the actual anniversary of Montgomery's birth on Nov. 30, 1874.
She said her group is also hoping to do something else for Montgomery, more permanent, to celebrate this milestone.
"I'd still like to see more because we'd like to see a legacy piece that would stay forever," she said.
"This is a one-year thing, but how do we keep her legacy alive over the next few years? And I think we will be trying to do something for that."
Huge market
The executive director of Tourism Cavendish Beach has a daily vantage point of the influence Montgomery has had, talking to visitors who have travelled to Prince Edward Island because of the famous author.
"We see visitors coming from all over the world... who are huge fans of Montgomery and we see a huge market for that," Darcy Butler said.
"We do see a need for an investment, and continued investment, and this 150 is an opportunity for us to really showcase that."
Butler said a logo created for Montgomery 150 portrays the author together with her beloved creation Anne Shirley, whom author Mark Twain called "the dearest and most moving and delightful child since the immortal Alice," created by Lewis Carroll.
"We thought it kind of neat to link the two so that people that are familiar with Anne may also learn more and understand who the author is," Butler said.
"The issue sometimes is that people don't always know who the author is. And we want to make sure that the author is brought to the forefront and that she's recognized as much as Anne."
Butler said the project has received financial support from Tourism P.E.I., Heritage Canada, and the Resort Municipality that includes Cavendish, as well as the destination management fund, generated through a levy from the two Cavendish Beach summer music festivals.
Ideally, he said, they would have liked $500,000 to work with, but they are "doing their best" with just under $200,000.
Butler said he would also like there to be a long-term legacy project coming out of the Montgomery 150 celebrations.
"We don't need to be sold in this region. We know how important she is and what she's contributed," Butler said.
I think we all need to get behind Montgomery, and just realize the contributions and what an incredible woman she really was.— Darcy Butler, Tourism Cavendish Beach
"Elsewhere throughout the province, she may be dismissed. But I think we all need to get behind Montgomery, and just realize the contributions and what an incredible woman she really was."
A day in her teaching life
The Lower Bedeque Schoolhouse, where Montgomery taught for about six months in the late 1890s, will be offering a program for children called "A Day in L.M. Montgomery's Classroom" as part of the birthday celebrations.
A teacher in historical costume will offer children the chance to write on slates, do historic crafts and play historic games at recess.
"I'm hoping to think about Lucy Maud Montgomery when I'm doing that — maybe read some dramatic stories to the children, some poetry, and also maybe stick to the classics like reading, writing and arithmetic," said Caeley Currie, manager of the Bedeque Area Historical Museum in Central Bedeque, P.E.I., where the schoolhouse is now located.
Currie said she hopes the schoolhouse program will also raise awareness.
"I'm also really excited for people to realize that L.M. Montgomery touched so many parts of this Island," she said.
"A lot of the attention is obviously focused on the North Shore around Cavendish, but she lived in many parts of the island, and Lower Bedeque had a really important place in her heart. "
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