Maud Squad reveals plans for celebrating famous author’s 150th birthday

Roger Varley

In February, Uxbridge council declared 2024 to be the year of Lucy Maud Montgomery 150. On Monday, Melanie Whitfield, president of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario (LMMSO), gave a deputation to council in which she listed a slew of events planned to mark the occasion.

Whitfield explained that “This celebration is a big deal! It is being acknowledged around the world by academics, universities, authors, and celebrities. Documentaries are being filmed, new books are being published, podcasts, theater, and new songs are being written and performed.”

The events begin May 29, when Blue Heron Books' The Book Drunkard Festival presents Carley Fortune with Mary Berg at the Music Hall, followed the next day with a performance of “Maud of Leaskdale,'' starring Jennifer Carroll at the historic Leaskdale church.

Maud will also be featured in the Canada Day celebrations, and later that month there will be a "Downtown Summer Social" in the Coffee Time area, with activities for all ages. Maud (and Anne, of Anne of Green Gables fame) will also have a presence at the fall fair, the Santa Claus parade and the annual Holiday Trail event.

Maud and Anne will get a jump on all the planned activities when they appear this weekend during the BIA's Easter Eggstravaganza. To learn more, visit LMMSO’s website at lucymaudmontgomery.ca