THE WILNO HERITAGE SOCIETY

No one was happier than Martin Shulist to celebrate the official opening of the Park and Museum and he commented that he had been waiting for this for many years. He had also worked tirelessly towards the goal of commemorating the Polish Kashub culture in Canada and was instrumental in getting the Ontario Heritage plaque for Canada's First Polish Settlement and in collecting a number of artifacts for a Museum. Later in the summer of 2002, the Wilno Heritage Society honoured

In 2002, the Wilno Heritage Park and Polish Kashub Heritage Museum project was greatly boosted by the receipt of a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. In August, 2002, Shirley Mask Connolly, Kashub historian, joined the Heritage Society as the first curator of the fledgling Museum. Her first exhibit was dedicated to the Harvest theme and celebrated the farm families who worked so hard to develop this community.

2002 was a very exciting year for Polish Kashub heritage in Canada as the culture was recognized in the national publication: the Canadian Geographic magazine which featured a two page spread entitled Kaszub Heartland.