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Clayburn Village hosts Heritage Christmas

Event runs Saturday, Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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James Reinheller prepares his house for the Clayburn Christmas Heritage House Tour.

Clayburn Village celebrates a Heritage Christmas on Saturday, Nov. 19.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes a vintage marketplace in the schoolhouse, tea and scones in the church, old-fashioned kids’ crafts, guided village tours, carolers, and a visit from Father Christmas himself.

Attendees can also experience the magic of Christmas past as four historical homes and two heritage community buildings adorned with Christmas decor open their doors.

Tickets for the house tours are $15 and will be available at the event.

Clayburn Village is B.C.’s first company town and one of its oldest historic villages. Though it has evolved over time, it is still a thriving, close-knit community.

Clayburn Village is located at the foot of Sumas Mountain, east of the Abbotsford-Mission Highway.

It owes its existence to a seam of high-quality fire clay that was discovered late in the last century. John Charles Maclure, the brother of the renowned architect Samuel Maclure, founded the company in 1905.

With the architectural and planning expertise of his brother, he quickly established a town site and connected it via a narrow gauge railway line to the Canadian Pacific Railway system and the wider world.

While the village is part of the city of Abbotsford, it is in part administered by the Clayburn Village Community Society, which promotes community spirit with recreational and cultural and endeavours, promotes the educational value of local history and encourages the preservation of heritage sites.

Every community member has an ownership stake in the common community buildings – the original schoolhouse, which is now a community centre, and a decommissioned church, which are both popular for weddings.

For more information about Heritage Day or the Heritage House Tour, email stettler7@gmail.com. For more information about Clayburn Village, visit ClayburnVillage.com.