Beechwood’s Living Library – Trailblazers 2025

Beechwood’s Living Library – Trailblazers 2025

Walk Among the Stories That Shaped Canada

Date: Sunday, September 7, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Starting Location: Section 27, at the Tank
Location: Beechwood Cemetery, 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa K1L 8A6
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This year’s Living Library: Trailblazers invites you to experience Canadian history in motion through live performances, storytelling, and a walking tour that highlights individuals who helped shape the nation. The event begins at a location that is as meaningful as the stories being told.

Start your visit at Section 27, at the Tank.

From here, guests will receive a map and are free to explore the grounds at their own pace, encountering actors from the Ottawa School of Theatre who will bring four trailblazing Canadians to life.

This starting location not only sets the physical direction of the event—it also sets the emotional tone. Positioned among the final resting places of veterans and public servants, the Tank stands as a symbol of dedication, courage, and national service.

This Year’s Trailblazers

As you walk the grounds, you’ll meet the stories of four remarkable Canadians portrayed at their actual gravesites:

• Ruth Margaret Spencer – A pioneering naval librarian and cultural advocate who served during WWII

• Shirley Moulds – A groundbreaking women’s hockey player and champion of sports equality

• Lawrence Morris Lambe – One of Canada’s foremost paleontologists, who named several iconic dinosaurs

• James Wilson Robertson – An agricultural innovator whose work influenced Canada’s global food policies after WWI

Each story is shared by The Ottawa School of Theatre in period-appropriate costume, offering a powerful blend of fact and feeling.

Practical Details

• Parking: Parking is available near the Tank and along the road in the area.

• Weather: This is an outdoor event. Please dress for the weather and bring water.

• Navigation: Maps will be available to help guide attendees to the highlighted graves. Visitors are welcome to take the route in any order after starting at Section 27.