Maeve Bonny River, New Brunswick
Fair address: Anglophone South Regional Heritage Fair (Saint John)
Project: Covered Bridges in New Brunswick
My project is about covered bridges in New Brunswick. They are an important part of New Brunswick's heritage and they are disappearing and not being replaced. I want people to understand their significance.
What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?
In 1976 there was a horrible ice storm that destroyed the Second Falls Covered Bridge; the bridge was split in two. One half was jammed in the river in ice. Now, no remains of the Covered Bridge are around.
What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?
Covered Bridges are disappearing and being replaced with concrete and steel; this is not in any way as historical and as lovely, as Covered Bridges. If we don't act now, Covered Bridges may not be around! Covered Bridges are part of our heritage, and I don't want that heritage to disappear, do you?
How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?
Covered Bridges are important to many people because their family might have lived on the other side of the Covered Bridge. It might have got destroyed, so they couldn't see each other for awhile. My life is a lot easier because I don't really think about how to get from point A to point B; people back then would have relied on Covered Bridges a lot.