— by Joyce MacDonald, reprinted courtesy of the Inverness Oran
September 27th, 2009

There wasn't a giant cruise ship in Lake Ainslie, but a bus load of tourists from a cruise ship docked in Sydney came over to spend a day at the Scotsville School of Crafts on Monday.

This is the first time a cruise ship excursion has come to Scotsville.

The American travellers got to learn about the history of the area, watch demonstrations of spinning, carding wool, weaving on various types of looms, Gaelic singing, bead weaving and basket weaving. These demonstrations were put on by volunteers from the Weaver's Guild and the Lake Ainslie Historical Society.

"There were a group of people who approached the cruise organizers and said they were interested in the fibre arts and textiles," said Eileen Rickard, a volunteer at the school. "They found the website of the Weaver's Guild."

The tour company, Excursion Society, approached the Weaver's Guild about creating an excursion to Scotsville. A group was supposed to come over in the spring, but not enough tourists signed up for the optional outing. This time, a group of twenty-five travellers made the trip.

"We try to come up with an experience for our travellers that is unique," said Sandra Wilson, owner of an Excursion Society franchise. "This is a thrill for us, to come here and experience your music, your food and your history."

The tourists had lunch at the Scotsville Fire Hall, catered by the women of the community. Then they returned to the Scotsville School of Crafts to participate in a milling frolic led by Geoffrey May.

"It's a nice way for people to meet people who live here and work here," said Rickard. "If people want to buy things, that's fine, but it's not about that. We want people to feel they are meeting real people."

She said the tour company had contacted her to let her know about all the positive comments they got about the experience. She said she doesn't know if it will lead to more excursions to Scotsville, but she hopes it might.

"If people like it and the cruises too, we'd be willing to do it," she said.