From Fall Roads
Autumn Splendor!
Fall, for me, is always a wonderful time of warmth and beauty. The amazing colours, especially in our area, sparkle in the daylight. Judi and I love to take “fall drives”, both to bask in the “autumn splendor” and to take in the aroma of fresh baked apple pies, and wood burning in open fireplaces. I know that winter will be upon us soon, but first I’ll enjoy all that the Fall has to offer.
In this month’s INSIDER, the Festival Nomad takes a look at the “joy’s” of Getting There! Perhaps, I should say, the “trials” of Getting There! Read the article, and you’ll see why it’s the “trials”.
Next up is our tribute to the Fall Season. Our “From Fall Roads to Autumn Splendor” will take you along with us, as we travel across country roads that lead to nature’s treasures.
This month’s Community Spotlight, sponsored by All-Purpose Realty and Ontario Visited, features the town of Seaforth. The Main Street is one of the province’s finest examples of commercial architecture from the nineteenth century.
Finally, our guest contributor, Deb Crossen, is from the Buckhorn Community Centre. Deb tells us what’s going on at the amazing BCC.
Getting There!
Article by Gary McWilliams (aka Festival Nomad) Original Artwork by K.C. (Susan) Caron
As I have said before, getting there can be half the fun! I hadn’t been to Keswick in many years. This was where the “Rise to Rebellion” re-enactment was going to take place, and Judi and I wanted to be part of it. Rather than drive the boring highways, we (I) decided to take the back roads to Keswick. In the past, any time I had traveled to Keswick I had taken Hwy. #48 from Toronto straight to Keswick, no problems! Being the “Festival Nomad”, I, of course, know all the correct route to get to any Ontario festival or event!!?? With this confidence, Judi and I set out for Keswick and the re-enactment. All was going well, the sun was shining and the roads were clear of traffic, so what could go wrong? Nothing, until we turned from Hwy #12 onto Hwy #48. This is where I encountered my first “Brain Lapse”! I assumed (you know what that means!) that we were south of Keswick. Imagine my surprise and concern when signs started telling me that we were heading “SOUTH” to Toronto! It couldn’t be! I pulled over onto the shoulder of the road and stopped the car! I took my road map out to see where we were! No help! I turned the car around and started to retrace our steps! Then I got “cold feet”, I turn around again and headed “SOUTH”! One of the signs that I had seen earlier had said “this way to Keswick”! I decided to trust the signs and not my brain! At each indecision, Judi just “sighed”! We continued traveling “SOUTH”! This is where my second “brain lapse” took place! I mistook “Sutton” for “Keswick”. Don’t ask me why, I just did! I turn down the road that said “this way to Sutton”. We traveled through Sutton towards Jackson’s Point. I was sure we were on the right track! When we reach Jackson’ Point there was a “T” in the road. Judi suggested that we should turn left. I confidentially said “no, we should go right”. We turned right, followed the road and eventually came back to Hwy #48. We had just traveled in a big (scenic!) circle! Now I was REALLY lost!
Fortunately, this time I followed Judi’s advice and turned right. We followed Hwy. #48, passing the “Sutton this way” sign and headed south towards Toronto. A few kilometers south of Sutton we saw a sign saying “this way to Keswick”. We turned right and followed the sign’s directions! We eventually came to Woodbine Avenue and another “Keswick” sign. We turned right again and this time drove straight in to downtown “Keswick”. From there it was easy to find the re-enactment! It was being held at the Georgina Pioneer Village which was part of the Georgina Community Centre complex. The way to this complex is very well marked, we couldn’t go wrong! The sad ending to this story for the “know-it-all Festival Nomad” is that if we had turned left in Jackson’s Point, as Judi had suggested, we would have driven directly to the complex and the re-enactment. We would have arrived a half hour earlier and would have saved a quarter tank of gas! The moral –
“The Nomad isn’t (sigh) always right, but his trusty side kick (Scoop Judi) is!”
UPDATE ~ I wrote this Blog article a number of years ago. Since then, GPS devices have taken over the directional thought process. It’s a “sure” way of getting to your final destination… well, MAYBE not so “sure”! One Christmas, my daughter and her husband gave us a GPS device. We were so happy to have it that we named it LUCY, after Schultz’s “know-it-all” cartoon character. All was going well with “LUCY” until I programmed if to find a route to Creemore. LUCY seemed to start off right until we got deep into a forested road. All of a sudden, in the middle of the forest she told us to “turn right” We entered a road that was a “Dead-end”. As we stopped, LUCY announced that we had “Reached Our Destination”! Creemore, my friends, is NOT located in the middle of a “forest” on a “dead-end” road! We started out again, this time with Scoop Judi navigating the route and we successfully found our way to the “real” Creemore. To “punish” LUCY, I put her in the car’s “glove box” while Judi (me navigation hero) and went into the town’s great bakery for a coffee and goodie.
I think that this punishment might have taught LUCY a lesson, because she didn’t “mess up” again!
From Fall Roads to Autumn Splendor
From Fall Roads…
The sun is shining on this beautiful fall day. The air is crisp and fresh. We load the car with a nourishing picnic lunch. We know that we will be out all day. Country roads are telling us, “Autumn is here”. Our cameras are ready for what is to follow. As we travel on “fall roads less traveled”, the fall colours are breath taking! Autumn Splendor is everywhere we look, there’s something that needs to be explored, to be admired. From fall roads, to autumn splendor!
To Autumn Splendor
Driving throughout the Blue Mountains, the Autumn colours are spectacular! The Blue Mountains are made up of so many amazing places to enjoy Fall’s bounty. Driving over the high hills and looking down into the valleys below gives you a unique perspective of how awesome Fall really is! Unless you experience it in person, it’s hard to really image Autumn’s beauty. Like Spring blossoms, Fall colours fade away far to quickly, timing is everything. Living in this part of part of Ontario is certainly a blessing!
Ontario Community Spotlight ~ Seaforth
This month’s Ontario Community Spotlight, presented by Ontario Visited, is the Community of Seaforth.
My son is a trickster! A while ago Scoop and I visited he and his family for a couple of days. It was a great visit until, we decided that it was time to leave. I told him that we wanted to visit a few communities on the way home. Ones that we had never experienced before. He asked me which ones. I told him Mitchell and Seaforth. He tried to tell me that they were too far away and weren’t that great to see. He had been to both, many times and really like both communities! He was just trying to play with me. Like father, like son!
Of course, I didn’t believe him and went to visit them anyway. Scoop and I were very glad we did. Both communities were very nice. We love Seaforth. It’s a beautiful historic town, established in 1855. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of time to explore, so we plan on visiting Seaforth, and Mitchell again in the future. Don’t tell my son that we are going back for a second visit!
If you are looking for a fun place to visit, and take in a great play, visit Seaforth, and enjoy all if has to offer!
Click HERE for the Google Map of Seaforth.
Still Lots Going on at the BCC!
By Deb Crossen
While it’s been a busy summer at the Buckhorn Community Centre (BCC), there’s still so much going on! Here’s just a sample of a great way to spend your time with us here in Buckhorn.
Thanksgiving Weekend is our annual Harvest Craft Show featuring more than 60 artisans from around the province. Vendors are set up in the main building and inside the pavilions in the park. There’s something for everyone at the show – jewellery, clothing, home décor, knitted items and much more. Everything is handmade so you can find something unique for yourself or as a gift.
The show runs Saturday, October 7 from 10am to 5pm; Sunday, October 8 from 10am to 4pm; and Monday, October 9 from 10am to 3pm. Admission is $5 per person, parking is free and there’s a free shuttle bus from our parking lot to the gate.
Fall Dinner Theatre is another tradition at the BCC. This year, our talented group of actors offer up three one-act comedies and our exceptional chef and her team provide a delicious three-course meal. The shows run November 3 to 5 and November 10 to 12. Tickets are $45 per person and must be purchased in advance by calling 705-657-8833 or dropping in at the BCC.
The Buckhorn Community Centre is a not-for-profit organizations, run with three staff and an army of volunteers. Our mission is to be the cultural centre of our community – providing activities, events and programs to meet our community’s social and recreational needs. The BCC is not supported by the municipality and relies on the generous donations of visitors, participants and members to keep our lights on!
You can find out more about us, our ongoing programs and our special events at www.buckhorncommunitycentre.com.
To Autumn Splendor
