Join Our Board
Call for volunteers to join our Board of Directors, by Sept. 20th 2025
The Department of Illumination has been bringing our creative magic to Prince Edward County since 2013, and our volunteer board of directors are looking for new members to help us shape a creative future. If you have a passion for the arts and a desire to put your strengths toward growing an important part of PEC’s arts and culture, we want to hear from you. We believe that a cooperative, diverse board is essential for our success, and want to reflect the vibrancy of the community we serve.
As a board member, you will play a crucial role in the DOI’s governance and strategic direction. Board Members are expected to attend 6 meetings a year, as well as sit on a committee and assist with events and special projects. Ideally, we are looking for individuals with experience in three key areas:
Development and Fundraising: Help us cultivate relationships with donors, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Experience in event planning, and donor stewardship is highly desirable.
Finance: Help us to oversee our budget, financial reporting, bookkeeping, and fiscal health. The ideal candidate has experience in accounting or finance, and is confident to work with our accountant. This board member would assist the current treasurer.
Board Governance: Help us strengthen our organizational effectiveness by guiding board policies, compliance, and best practices. The ideal candidate has experience with nonprofit governance, strategic planning, or board leadership.
If you want to support the creative culture in our community and think you’d be a good fit, please get in touch to find out more. Email board@deptofillumination.org by September 20th, and tell us a bit about yourself. All candidates will receive a response. Thank you!
Boxtopia at The Picton Fair
Join us for another edition of Boxtopia (our creative cardboard kingdom for kids) at the Picton Fair! We'll be there Saturday September 6 from 10-5, and Sunday September 7 from 10-3. Stop in for a while and get creative with us as we build our own cardboard fair within the Picton Fair! Free! Thank you to Base31 and Chestnut Park for sponsoring Boxtopia.
WHEN: Saturday September 6 from 10-5, and Sunday September 7 from 10-3
WHERE:The Picton Fairgrounds
Zucchini 500
Make a zucchini race car and challenge your friends to a race!
Our inaugural Zucchini 500 races took place in September 2025 Taste! Community Grown. Participants made zucchini race cars and challenged their friends to a race down the track!
We'd love to bring the Zucchini 500 to your special event - get in touch for more information.
Quilting the Progression of Queer Rights in Canada
Join exceptional artist and activist Bill Stearman for a talk about this incredible project!
We're so honoured to have exceptional artist and activist Bill Stearman on our Board of Directors. Bill recently spent ten weeks travelling Canada speaking with quilt groups and Queer groups about 'quiltivism,' teaching workshops and interviewing Queer seniors about their lives during decades of significant change in Queer rights. On September 14 at 7 PM Bill will be giving a talk at The Andrew about this incredible project, with admission by donation to The Department of Illumination. This is bound to be a fascinating presentation, please join us! We'll be accepting donations by cash, cheque, debit or credit.
WHEN: September 14 at 7 PM
WHERE: The Andrew, Picton
The Delhi Park Pageant 2025
An original pageant written, scored and performed by our local creative community. A smashing success!
The Delhi Park Pageant was the culmination of our residency in the park in the Summer of 2025. Together, our cast and crew of 50+ people told the story of the park through story and song. It was a magical love letter to Picton’s green gem and was presented on August 23, 2025, to a crowd of upwards of 400 people. Due to enthusiastic demand, we will be remounting the pageant in 2026!
WRITER, DIRECTOR, DESIGNER Krista Dalby
STAGE MANAGER Carla McCormick
PROJECT COORDINATOR Hri Neil
Kanyen’kehá:ka perspective Erica Gray
CHOREOGRAPHER Allison Nichol
CHOREOGRAPHER'S ASSISTANT Jocelyn Wattam
COMPOSERS & MUSICIANS Lisa Bozikovic & Annelise Noronha
CHOIR DIRECTOR & MUSICIAN Sam Hirst
DRUMS Heather Kirby
PRE-SHOW MUSIC Matthew Doc Dunn
PROPS & COSTUMES
Nella Casson
Tomas Del Balso
Bear Epp
Susanne Larner
Andrea Piller
Tim Snyder
Jan Swaren
WARDEN OF THE WILDS Stephanie Rose
KEEPERS
Eloise Bergeron
Frank Hannan
Sharon Hart
Ryan Henderson
Catalin Ivan
Angela Lavender
Sarah Selecky
Emmylou Warner
CHOIR
Andrea Dawes
Janet Jephcott
John Lai
Sally McCubbin
Stacey Michener
Keri Nelson
Galen Newman
Jessica Pelchat
Jess Posgate
Lois Russell
Melissa Warren
THE RACCOONS Pierre Bouchard, Kat Burns
THE DOGS Lenny Epstein & Gavin North
THE SQUIRRELS Emberly Doherty, Beth Easton, Artemus Emu, Barbara Leitermanar
THE DEAD Thom Harrison & Nancy Kish
DRAGONFLIES
Elora Faircloth
Hazel Faircloth
Joni Greig
Alice Hanmer
Rumi Hobbs
River Keast
Eden Vreugdenhil
THANK YOU
Christine Renaud
County of Prince Edward
Feral Folc
PECIsh
Picton Home Hardware
PEC Field Naturalists
South Shore Joint Initiative
All our volunteers
Photos by Michelle Beaudette
The Delhi Park Pageant is SUPPORTED BY
Monarch Day & Community Picnic
With the South Shore Joint Initiative.
Saturday July 26th from 11:30 - 6:30. All ages arts and crafts with SSJI’s Wild Thing educator Cheryl Chapman. Make seed bombs, create your own fly-able Monarch, learn butterfly facts, lore and so much more! Community picnic from 4:30 - 6:30 featuring DJ YaYa (AKA Sonja Scharf), and free food provided by Greater Than County Youth Collective. All are Welcome!
WHEN: Saturday July 26, 11:30-6:30 (picnic: 4:30-6:30pm)
WHERE: Delhi Park, Picton - across from the community gardens; if driving, use Lalor St entrance.
Be a Swiftie
Join us for a free presentation from Prince Edward County Field Naturalists about the fascinating chimney swift.
Attention nature lovers! Join us in Picton's Benson Park Sunday July 27 at 7 PM for a presentation from Prince Edward County Field Naturalists about the fascinating chimney swift. Learn why they fly from the moment they wake up until they go to sleep, why they roost in chimneys, and what conservation efforts are being made to save this species-at-risk. Following the short presentation, we'll take a walk to look at some nearby chimneys to see if we can observe some swifts in flight. This is a free all-ages event presented by PECFN and The Department of Illumination.
MDD & TDB Performance with Community Picnic
Experience a special improvised performance by these two independent County musicians!
Attention live music lovers! Join us in Delhi Park Saturday August 2 from 4:30 - 6:30 for a special improvised performance by local independent musicians Matt Doc Dunn and Tomas Del Balso, as well as a community picnic with free food provided by Greater Than County Youth Collective. All are welcome!
WHEN: Saturday August 2, 4:30-6:30pm
WHERE: Delhi Park, Picton - across from the community gardens; if driving, use Lalor St entrance.
Sandwich Spirits and Community Picnic
Get your jam on with these exceptional local musicians!
Attention jam band lovers! Join us in Delhi Park Saturday August 9 from 4:30 - 6:30 for a live performance by Sandwich Spirits, featuring: Alexandra Bell, Nathan Mahaffy, and Ian McKendry, as well as a community picnic with free food provided by Greater Than County Youth Collective. All are welcome!
WHEN: Saturday August 9, 4:30-6:30pm
WHERE: Delhi Park, Picton - across from the community gardens; if driving, use Lalor St entrance.
The Delhi Park Project
A weekly art activation in Delhi Park with a community pageant finale.
This project took place from May 17 to August 9, 2025, we set up our mobile studio in Picton’s Delhi Park three days a week, offering free drop-in workshops centered on collaborative art-making and nature appreciation, with a community picnic every Saturday from 4:30-6:30
Delhi Park is a 31-acre green space in the heart of Picton, and a stone’s throw from The Department of Illumination studio. Starting in the spring of 2025 the DOI began our self-appointed artist residency in the park, inviting the community to join us as we explored the flora and fauna, as well as the natural and human history of this place, seeking to deepen our knowledge and find its hidden magic. From May 17 through August, we spent three days a week in the park, offering a mix of free drop-in workshops centered on collaborative art-making. The art we created was inspired by the place itself and shaped by the participants and the professional artists leading the process. We wove these elements together to create a large-scale community pageant that tells the story of this beautiful public space. The Delhi Pageant was presented for free on August 23, 2025 and will be remounted in August of 2026. Watch this space for updates, or sign up for our newsletter.
SUPPORTED BY:
John M. & Bernice Parrott Foundation
THE ELDERBERRY FUND
PEC Field Naturalists Visit and Community Picnic with DJ Avery Hone
Saturday June 21st, 11:30am-6:30pm
Join The Department of Illumination from 11:30-4:30 PM as we work on crafting elements for the Delhi Park Project. PEC Field Naturalists will be joining us at 3pm to do their nature grid check-in with us. Bring some snacks and stay for our community picnic with a live performance by DJ Avery Hone from 4:30-6:30; we've got plenty of picnic blankets as well as chairs and tables - let's hang out! All are Welcome!
WHEN: Saturday July 19, 11:30-6:30 (picnic: 4:30-6:30pm)
WHERE: Delhi Park, Picton - across from the community gardens; if driving, use Lalor St entrance.
Community Meal and DJ Chris Byrne
Saturday June 21st, 11:30am-6:30pm
Join The Department of Illumination from 11:30-4:30 PM as we work on crafting elements for the Delhi Park Project. All are welcome! Stay for a community picnic and live DJ Chris Byrne, from 99.3 County FM’s Global Grooves Radio show, spinning sunny tunes from around the world for our enjoyment from 4:30-6:30; we've got plenty of picnic blankets as well as chairs and tables - let's hang out!
WHEN: Saturday June 21st, 11:30-6:30 (picnic: 4:30-6:30pm)
WHERE: Delhi Park, Picton - across from the community gardens; if driving, use Lalor St entrance.
Canada Day In Benson Park
Tuesday July 1 we are celebrating Canada Day in partnership with The Picton Rec Committee
Join us in Benson Park from 12-4 PM to help us build Boxtopia for Beavers, and contribute your favourite thing about Canada to our collaborative map. There will be lots of activities going on in the park and on Picton Main Street, so make a day of it!
WHEN: Tues, July 1, 12-4
WHERE: Benson Park, Picton
Pride Celebration in the Park
Saturday June 28 we’re celebrating Pride in partnership with Greater Than County Youth Collective!
To participate in the Sidewalk Takeover:
Meet behind Circle K at 11:45 am
Walk starts at 12:00 pm sharp.
The procession will wind up in Delhi Park, so stick around for Pride in the Park from 1–4pm, featuring:
Drag shows & live performances
Yoga & reiki
FREE snow cones, cotton candy & popcorn & swag
Games, crafts & community booths galore
Let’s show what it means to be County Proud. Everyone is welcome—youth, families, allies, and 2SLGBTQIA+ folks.
We'll keep the good vibes going with our weekly community picnic from 4:30 - 6:30.
WHEN: Saturday June 28th, 11:30-6:30
WHERE: Delhi Park, Picton - across from the community gardens; if driving, use Lalor St entrance.
Indigenous Peoples Day Picnic
Saturday June 21st, 11:30am-6:30pm
Join The Department of Illumination on National Indigenous Peoples Day from 1-4:30 PM as we paint banners for the Delhi Park Project incorporating Kanyen'kéha (the Mohawk language). Erica Gray, (Mohawk Wolf Clan from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory), will be on site to help you add some Kanyen'kéha words to your vocabulary. All are welcome! Stay for a community picnic 4:30-6:30; we've got plenty of picnic blankets as well as chairs and tables - let's hang out!
WHEN: Saturday June 21st, 11:30-6:30 (picnic: 4:30-6:30pm)
WHERE: Delhi Park, Picton - across from the community gardens; if driving, use Lalor St entrance.
CALL FOR CAST & CREW - The Delhi Park Pageant
CALL FOR CAST & CREW - The Delhi Park Pageant
Join our creative ensemble! The Department of Illumination seeks performers and crew to join us in the creation of The Delhi Park Pageant.
Together as a community of 50+ artists, performers and crew, we will tell the story of Delhi Park. Will you join us in a magical theatrical adventure this summer?
Time commitment: Rehearsals will primarily take place early evenings in Picton starting July 21. Show is August 23, rain date August 24.
To apply: tell us in 50 words or less who you are, what role you’re interested in and why. If you are new to The Department of Illumination, please include a photo. No photos or statement required for kids, just a willingness to dance and have fun!
Send your applications to pageant@deptofillumination.org
All roles are for age 16-96 except where otherwise indicated.
Deadline to apply: Friday July 4. All applicants will be notified within a few days of the deadline.
ROLES:
THE KEEPERS x 10 - Nature spirits and guardians.
One speaking role - honorarium available
Nine non-speaking roles - volunteer
MUSICIANS: We can use a couple of musicians to support the production; particularly interested in melodic acoustic instruments, woodwind, brass, glockenspiel, xylophone, etc. Let us know what you play!
PERCUSSIONISTS: We are looking for 2 people with a great sense of rhythm to play in a “junk band,” as well as someone to play bass drum. Let us know what percussion you play!
Junk band are speaking roles, honorarium available.
CHOIR: 4 spots left; volunteer. Choir is led by Sam Hirst, and there will be opportunities for co-creating some of the music.
CHILDREN: 10 spots left for kids ages 7 to 10 to play dancing dragonflies, working with choreographer Allison Nichol. Volunteer. Rehearsals start around August 1.
TWO DOGS: Looking for folks with some good comedic timing. Honorarium available.
FOUR SQUIRRELS. Speaking roles. Honorarium available.
OLDER VICTORIAN MAN. Speaking role. Honorarium available.
OLDER VICTORIAN WOMAN. Speaking role. Honorarium available.
CREW (19+ - volunteer)
Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Wardrobe
General Crew x 2 (16+)
ABC Choir
A fun and casual choir for those who love singing. Choir director Sam Hirst.
The Aurora Borealis Community Choir, directed by Sam Hirst, is a fun and casual pop-up choir. All are welcome, regardless of age or experience. We won't be meeting again until September 2026, when we will start rehearsing for our performance at The Firelight Lantern Festival.
For more information contact abcchoir@deptofillumination.org
Kids Fashion Workshop 2025
For kids of all ages, make fabulous costumes to wear on the fashion runway!
WHEN: Sunday June 1, 1pm - 4pm
WHERE: DOI Studio, lower level of The Armoury, 206 Main St, Picton
PRICE: FREE! Sponsored by the Picton BIA
**All children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult**
KIDS FASHION SHOW: Friday June 6, 7pm, Armoury Square, 206 Main St.
The Department of Illumination is gearing up for Picton Fashion Week with a Kids Fashion Workshop! ✨ We welcome kids of all ages to dive into our supplies and make fabulous costumes to wear on the fashion runway ✨ Bring your wackiest ideas and wildest creativity!
Supported by:
Community Launch & Picnic
Saturday May 17, 11:30am-6:30pm
Stop by and check out our new solar-powered art trailer! Find out about the Delhi Park Project and how you can get involved. Join the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists (PECFN) at 3 PM as we practice deep observation and launch our “nature square” that we’ll be checking on throughout the season.
From 4:30pm to 6:30pm join us for a community picnic - bring your picnic blankets and food, we'll provide the music and good vibes. All are welcome.
WHEN: Saturday May 17, 11:30-6:30 (picnic: 4:30-6:30pm)
WHERE: Delhi Park, Picton - to the east of the dog park
Drop In Community Art Making
Lend a hand in creating The Delhi Pageant. ALL SUMMER LONG!
Drop in and lend a hand in creating The Delhi Pageant! We might be making masks, puppets, costumes, props or installations.
WHEN: Thursdays & Fridays, 10am-5pm ~ May 22 - Aug. 15, 2025
WHERE: Delhi Park, Picton - across from the community gardens; if driving, use Lalor St entrance.
