The Great Ontario Communities Series (Port Hope) ~ Part Two

 Port Hope was also the home of The Great Farini (William Leonard Hunt) and Joseph Scriven. Joseph Scriven is best known for penning the hymn “What a Friend we Have in Jesus”. This is as a result of a letter he sent his mother. Scriven was born in Ireland and eventually immigrated to Canada. He lived and died in the Municipality of Port Hope.

William Leonard Hunt lived in the mid 1800’s and was one of Canada’s and perhaps the world’s most interesting characters. Hunt, or as he became better known as "The Great Farini", was everything from a "tight rope walker", to a "trapezes artist" and  to a "Circus performer trainer and manager". He managed people and businesses. He was a botanist and produced several new plants. He was an explorer, "discovering" the Lost City of the Kalahari Desert He was an inventor and is credited with inventing the "human cannonball", "folding theatre seats" and much more! And, he was a land owner. He once owned most land in Hope Township (now part of the municipality of Port Hope). In his later years he lived and died in Port Hope and is now buried in Port Hope’s Union Cemetery. You can learn more about “The Great Farini” by going to www.shanepeacock.ca  and about Joseph Scriven by going to www.josephscriven.org . Other famous Port Hope residents include Baseball pitcher and Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer, Paul Quantrill, artists, David Blackwood and writer, Farley Mowat. Port Hope is a great place to work and live and a special place to visit.

The Great Ontario Communities Series (Port Hope) ~ Part One

 During the past 14+years Judi and I have visited over 300 Ontario community festivals and events. The majority have been planned and managed by dedicated community volunteers. As a salute to these wonderful communities and their hard-working residents, I will be writing a series of blogs entitled “Great Ontario Communities”. These blogs describe the communities we have visited and will tell you about some of the interesting things we have experienced and the people we have met. The twenty first article is about Port Hope which is located about an hour east of Toronto along Highway 401.

PORT HOPE - If you love antiquing, Port Hope is the town to visit! Known for having the "Best Preserved Main Street in Ontario", Port Hope boasts over 20% of Ontario’s Canadian Antique Dealers offering unique antique shops and a flourishing Architecture Conservancy. Port Hope is also home of the Capitol Theatre, Canada’s only surviving “atmospheric theatre”. Many of Canada’s best-known stars have performed there. Port Hope, located on the shores of Lake Ontario offers an idyllic way of life. Many seniors have escaped from Toronto and now call Port Hope their home. For many years Judi and I worked in Port Hope and enjoyed it immensely. Port Hope offers its residents and visitors great amenities including 2 golf courses, Ganaraska Forest and the Jack Burger Recreation Centre. Port hosts numerous festivals and events.

(To be continued in Part Two)

The Great Ontario Communities Series (Port Credit) ~ Part Two

 Port Credit...

On a lighter note, I spent many years enjoying all that the beautiful harbor, river and parks offered to Port Credit residents. We sailed out of the Port Credit Yacht Club for over 10 years, kayaked from the Mississauga Canoe Club, rowed with the Don Rowing Club, played organized baseball in Memorial Park, canoed up the Port Credit river to the Mississauga Golf course to collect golf balls from the river bed. (we sold them to the players for 25 cents each, A fortune at the time!), and we spent many wonderful winters cross country skiing on the river and skating on it till our hearts content.

In 1968 Port Credit amalgamated and became part of Mississauga. On its 10^th anniversary Mayor Hazel McCallion, was presented with a “45 vinyl record”. On it was a song written about and dedicated to Mississauga by the famous country singer Tommy Hunter. Although I can’t play the record (no equipment) the tune is engrained in my mind. A while ago, the Festival Nomad and I visited the Mississauga Waterfront Festival held in Memorial Park located in the heart of Port Credit.  “Port Credit” still hosts many wonderful festivals and events.

The Great Ontario Communities Series (Port Credit) ~ Part One

 

By Festival Nomad "Sidekick" and Partner, Judi McWilliams

During the past few years, the Nomad and I have visited almost 150 Ontario community festivals and events. The majority have been planned and managed by dedicated community volunteers. As a salute to these wonderful communities and their hard-working residents, we will be writing a series of blogs entitled “Great Ontario Communities”. These blogs describe the communities we have visited and will tell you about some of the interesting things we have experienced and the people we have met. The twentieth article is about Port Credit which now forms part of Mississauga.

PORT CREDIT - It is with many fond memories that I can write about the beautiful Ontario community of Port Credit. This is where I spent the majority of my childhood and where I “met up with” the Festival Nomad. Port Credit is located at the mouth of the Credit River on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is in the south-central area of the City of Mississauga. Earliest references to Port Credit date back to 1757 where it was once a fishing port and the regional trading centre for grain.  1882 saw its lighthouse built and it served mariners until 1918. It was destroyed by fire in 1936. The village, itself, was planned in 1834 and was a “police village” in 1909. It didn't become a “town” until 1961.

I have lived through two interesting stories. The first occurred with the Texaco Oil Refinery (1932-1985) tank “blow-up”! Talk about “Déjà vu"!  My memories of this are vague, although the massive number of flames and billowing black clouds remain vivid.  In my teenage years we lived in a high-rise condominium directly beside the train tracks.  It was a Sunday evening and our family were just sitting down to my mother's famous “roast beef dinners”.  The loud speakers from the fire trucks were bellowing out “leave immediately, get out now, evacuate now!”.  My mother insisted that we finish our “dinner”, then we began to panic.  More and more police and fire vehicles came by, insisting we leave the area and evacuate immediately. This second "interesting story"! The "great Port Credit train derailment" had just occurred and there was a major chemical spill. At that point we tried to collect our two cats. With bleeding arms (on all of us) and the two terrified cats had "completely disappeared" and could not be collected. We hastily left the condo in tears and without our cats! We did not think to “pack” anything. We had zero provisions!  We had no idea that we would be “evacuated” for over 2 weeks!  We were eventually compensated for clothing and general expenses but it was a great stain anyway.  Fortunately, the humane society were able to obtain access to our unit and “checked on the cats” to ensure their well being. The cats were okay, but sadly, my mothers (over 200) plants had all died.  This happened not from lack of water but from the toxic odor that filled our unit.

(To be continued in Part Two)

The Great Ontario Communities Series (St. Jacobs)

 During the past 14+ years Judi and I have visited over 300 Ontario community festivals and events. The majority have been planned and managed by dedicated community volunteers. As a salute to these wonderful communities and their hard-working residents, I will be writing a series of blogs entitled “Great Ontario Communities”. These blogs describe the communities we have visited and will tell you about some of the interesting things we have experienced and the people we have met. The twentieth article is about St. Jacobs, located in the heart of Mennonite country.

ST. JACOBS - St. Jacobs is a quaint village located just north of Kitchener-Waterloo. It is a place that Judi and I love to visit whenever we are in the area. To me, the present-day St. Jacobs, although very interesting and still quite quaint, does not have the same feel as the St. Jacobs I visited so many years ago. The first time I visited St. Jacobs (about 1975), I was dazzled by the uniqueness of the village. St. Jacobs sits in a hollow, with both ends of the village slopping down towards the thriving village centre. Picturesque shops and restaurants line both sides of the main street. I first discovered St. Jacobs when I was living in Waterloo. A number of the people I worked with liked to go to St. Jacobs for lunch at the Stone Crock Restaurant. Back then it was visibly run by the Mennonites and the food was always fresh and lots of it! It wasn’t unusual to see Mennonite horse drawn carriages sauntering down the main street or tied up at one of the many hitching posts. The products, back then, seemed to be a little different in the types that they offered now. Most then, seemed to be hand made. Over the years I have continued to visit St. Jacobs and have noted the subtle changes. The Stone Crock became more commercial and I believe it is now owned by a corporation. The facility has been expanded and renovated, and the atmosphere and food remain warm and inviting. Judi particularly loves the restaurants fresh home-made raspberry pie, thick veggie soup and newly made sandwiches. St. Jacobs still is the home of picturesque older buildings. The Old Gristmill has had its silos converted into interesting shops offering a large variety of unique products. We were fortunate, years ago to acquire hand made pottery coffee mugs. We still use them today after all these years. Another addition to the village is the Benjamin Inn. Judi and I had the pleasure of staying there one weekend and enjoyed it immensely. South of the town, closer to Waterloo, is the fabulous St. Jacobs Farmers' Market. When I started visiting St. Jacobs, the Market was quite small and not that well attended. Now it has now grown and become one of the premiere attractions for the area. The Market grounds include not only the Farmers' Market but Factory Outlet stores as well. Close by a Best Western Hotel was built and now offers luxury accommodations for St. Jacob and Farmers' Market visitors. Other new businesses have come to the community and it is always fun and interesting to discover them. St. Jacobs is one of the many communities in Waterloo county and plays an integral part in attracting visitors to the area.

The Great Ontario Communities Series (Fenelon Falls)

 During the past 14+ years Judi and I have visited over 300 Ontario community festivals and events. The majority have been planned and managed by dedicated community volunteers. As a salute to these wonderful communities and their hard-working residents, I will be writing a series of blogs entitled “Great Ontario Communities”. These blogs describe the communities we have visited and will tell you about some of the interesting things we have experienced and the people we have met. The nineteenth article is about Fenelon Falls which is located just north of Lindsay.

FENELON FALLS - Fenelon Falls, often referred to as “The Jewel of the Kawartha’s”, is a picturesque thriving tourist destination. Judi and I can attest to this because of our many trips to Lock 34. Lock 34 takes boats from Sturgeon Lake to Cameron Lake and is a popular lock to stop and tie up at. I can remember one memorable experience when visiting this lock. We had just taken delivery of our new boat and were “sea testing it” with a trip to Fenelon Falls. At the top of the locks, we wanted to dock and tie up. As we approached an empty docking space a gust of wind caught our boat and, much to the dismay of other boaters, we turned in the lock. To boaters, this is NOT a good thing to, especially when you are out of control! To add our humiliation, the lockmaster (over the loud PA system) actually asked us if we were going back into the lock for the return trip down! I had trouble from there, both controlling the boat and docking it!  I couldn’t understand why I was having so much trouble! That is until I found out, upon further examination, that the steering wheel fluid had leaked, thus leaving me without any power steering. Power steering was needed to properly steer this type of boat! Once the problem was solved, I became a “pro” at docking the boat and fortunately did not have this type of “spectacle” again!  My memory of Fenelon Falls goes back some time, as my Aunt Jay and Uncle Herb had a cottage not far from the town.  My own mother and father eventually purchased a cottage close to theirs.  I can remember visiting my parents and Aunt and Uncle and then taking trips to Fenelon Falls. There we toured the town and purchased mouthwatering Chelsea buns from the local bakery. They were certainly something to remember. In later years, apart from visiting Lock34 with our boat, we used to drive to Fenelon Falls to get together with artist friends Marg and Terry Andrews. Terry became one of our favorite artists and was one of Judi’s first "art" mentors.  It was always fun when we played “Pictionary” with Terry.  Terry always drew the most elaborate picture that were easy to recognize. Unfortunately, he normally ran out of time and couldn't finish the picture!

The Great Ontario Communities Series (Kincardine)

 During the past 14+ years Judi and I have visited over 300 Ontario community festivals and events. The majority have been planned and managed by dedicated community volunteers. As a salute to these wonderful communities and their hard working residents, I will be writing a series of blogs entitled “Great Ontario Communities”. These blogs describe the communities we have visited and will tell you about some of the interesting things we have experienced and the people we have met. The eighteenth article is about Kincardine, located on the shinning blues shores of Lake Huron.

KINCARDINE - A number of years ago I had the privilege of living there for a few years. My most vivid memories of Kincardine are of Lake Huron, and of how it could be angry one moment and serine and calm the next. Summer in Kincardine was like most lakeside communities, full of fun outdoor activities, walks along the beach, and visiting festivals and events in the area. One such event happens every Saturday night during the summer. It is known as the Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band parade. This is were Kincardine’s Pipe Band marches down the main street to Victoria Park.  They are followed by towns people and visitors alike.  In Victoria Park the band performs for all those who have gathered. I used to live in a second floor apartment right across from the park. I can remember many Saturday nights sitting at the front window, watching the parade and listening to the music. It was always an awesome spectacle!  Other memories of Kincardine include dining at many of its fine restaurants, snowmobiling with friends in the winter, and getting together with friends for arousing games of ping-pong. Although winters in the area can be very beautiful they can also be very dangerous. I can remember on a few occasions driving from Port Elgin to Kincardine and getting caught in blinding white-out.  If you have never experienced a white-out, I can tell you that it is a most terrifying experience! White-out can occurs when strong winds blow across Lake Huron and then hits the shores and fields, blowing snow in every direction. When you are caught in a white-out storm, you have no sense of movement or direction. The snow banks along the highway can be as high as a transport truck, so there is no-where to pull off the road. You can’t stop driving and you can only pray that no large vehicles comes on your side of the road and crashes into you!  The only good part of this experience is when you finally emerge from the blinding snow and are safe! Fortunately these storms don’t occur often but when they do it’s certainly best to stay off the roads and hunker down in front of a warm fire. For all of this, Kincardine was a great place to live and it’s now a wonderful place to visit!  Kincardine is a wonderful place to visit and has some of their great festivals and events. One such event is the Kincardine Scottish Festival. It has gained province wide recognition as one of the province's best Scottish festivals. Other interesting communities near Kincardine include Goderich, Port Elgin, Southampton and Owen Sound.