Mighty Falls
On the Road Again!
Winter is winding down and the thoughts of Spring are on our minds! With Spring coming soon, Judi’s and my thoughts are “where are we going this year?” Ontario, in the Spring, has so much to offer… birds singing, flowers blooming, trees budding, air warming and communities awakening. Judi and I can’t wait to get on the road again, exploring and experiencing all that Ontario has to offer. Hopefully you will too. Maybe we will see you along the road. Happy Spring!
A Sense of Community…
Article by Gary McWilliams (aka Festival Nomad) Original Artwork by K.C. (Susan) Caron
One of the great things about being a “Festival Nomad” is being able to visit unique rural communities! Over the past years, we have had the privilege of visiting a number of such communities. Our first festival took us to Elmvale. This is a small town located northwest of Barrie. They host a wonderful Maple Syrup Festival each spring and attract thousands of people to it! Colborne was our next rural experience. Colborne, located just east of Cobourg, is the home of the Old Tyme Apple Blossom Festival. Judi was able to find a few “treasured” books in the book sale that was held in their town park! Other great rural communities followed, Frankford (located on the Trent-Severn Waterway), Gravenhurst (in the heart of Muskoka), Warkworth (where we discover that Cowboys and Cowgirls do exist in Ontario!), Smith’s Falls (where chocolate filled the air), Buckhorn (twice!), Wellington (a great retirement community, plus my late brother and his wife lived there), Bala (where the street on a fall weekend are lined with Cranberry products) and Waterford (where the pumpkins glow in the dark and people’s homes are decorated to match the theme of their festival). There were, of course, more, many more, but I think you understand what I am trying to convey. While big cities may be the engine of our economy, rural communities and their residents are the “heart and soul” of our province. They represent what most of us would like to achieve in life, “peace, quiet and a sense of community”! My own town, Thornbury, gives me this “sense of well-being”. I hope you find or have found your own “heart and soul”!
NOTE: Some the events I have mentioned in this article may no longer be held. There are many reasons why some events are discontinued, but they were all once “part of a community” and gave the citizens of each community a “Sense of Community”.
Rivers and Falls…
Spring is almost here! Rivers and falls are just coming to life. Snow and ice are beginning to melt. Rivers start to flow faster and “bulge at their seems”. Falls lose their “glistening” icicles and winter ice jams flow over the edge and fall into the abyss below. This is the birth of new life and the refreshing of our earth! Spring, the dawn of promises yet to come!
Ontario Community Spotlight ~ Stayner
This month’s Ontario Community Spotlight, presented by Ontario Visited, is the Community of Stayner.
To get to The Blue Mountains, you can pass through the Community of Stayner. When we moved to Thornbury, that’s what we did, passed through Stayner. Since then, instead of “passing through”, we’ve visited and enjoyed Stayner many times.
It’s not just a “gateway” to the Blue Mountains and Georgian Bay, it’s a wonderful community to discover, explore and enjoy!
If you are looking for a fun place to visit, take a trip to Stayner and enjoy all if has to offer!
Click HERE for the Goggle’s map of Stayner.
Read more about this great Ontario community by clicking HERE.
OAAS Convention Fun ~ The Results!
Well, the OAAS Convention is over, and we had a lot of fun bringing our GREEN SCREEN to our booth. The convention Green Screen participants had a lot of different ideas of “WHERE THEY” wanted to be! Below is a video of the “WHERE ARE WE” locations. We hope that everyone arrive back home safely!
Rambling Rivers
