08/26/2026
Upcoming events at the Head of the Lake Historical Society.
The Head-of-the-Lake Historical Society will be resuming our meetings in September after our summer break.
We hope you can enjoy us at the three upcoming meetings in the Fall of 2026:
Friday, September 18, 2026
'A Life in History' presented by Dawn Martens
A child of two historians, Dawn Martens will explore what it was like to grow up in this rich environment, and how she has carried on her parents’ love of research and publishing. In 2020, her students’ online production of the opera Brundibar received a Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has been a guest on CBC radio, including Saturday Afternoon at the Opera and Peter Gzowksi’s Morningside. Martens has written for The Hudson’s Bay Company online Classroom, Canada’s History Kayak, Canada’s History, and Opera Canada, to name a few. She hosts Opera Night in Canada on 100.9 CanoeFM, and is a music director of three choirs in Hamilton including The Women of Song, a chorus in The Duet Club of Hamilton which is the longest running club of its kind in Canada.
Friday, October 16, 2026
'The Made in Hamilton Exhibit at the Art Gallery of Hamilton' presented by Glen Faulman and Tor Lukasik-Foss
Collector Glen Faulman is a third-generation Stelco worker and an eighth-generation Hamiltonian from a family tightly bound to a ‘buy Hamilton / buy Canadian’ ethic. It is no surprise then that he has devoted over two decades to collecting a range of Hamilton-made goods and ephemera from all stages of its manufacturing history. Made in Hamilton will present Faulman’s remarkable collection in a way that evokes the spirit of the city’s bygone industrial exhibitions. Three exhibition rooms on the main floor are organized into a series of ‘booths’ or displays, including Automotive, Appliances, Hardware, Pantry, and more. Items are displayed in conjunction with signs and advertisements of the era, as well as photos, promotional films, brochures and ephemera from ‘Made in Hamilton’ events between 1913 and 1952. Tor Lukasik-Foss was the guest curator for the Exhibit and they will discuss collecting and preserving local history. Their exhibit runs until January 3, 2027.
Friday, November 20, 2026
'The Head of the Lake at War' presented by Jonathan Vance
Professor Vance teaches military history, Canadian history, and social memory at the University of Western Ontario in London. He is also a son of Waterdown, where his father was a prodigious amateur historian and photographer. He is one of our popular speakers and we keep asking him back. His current research focuses on the First World War, commemoration and social memory, and prisoners of war. He will talk about how the two world wars were manifested in some unexpected places in our region. He says “If you were to go on a walking tour of Hamilton and area in wartime, you probably wouldn't expect to make stops in these locations!”
Meetings take place at The Coach House, 2nd Floor @ Dundurn Castle National Historic Site, 610 York Blvd., Hamilton
Doors open at 7:00 pm; Presentation at 7:30 pm
Elevator available; Light refreshments
Admission: $5; HOTL Members free
