Meaford, snug at the mouth of the Bighead River on Georgian Bay, lies in a valley surrounded by rolling hills and the heights of the Niagara Escarpment. You don’t need to go very far to find yourself forests, fields and wooded trails. A two-minute stroll from downtown has you at the trailhead of the Trout Hollow Trail, and another couple of minutes down the trail, you’d think you’re far from town. But you don’t even need to go that far to find a beautiful greenspace. Before taking the trail, turn around and cross the street to the entrance of Beautiful Joe Park.

This emerald jewel cradled on one side by the sweep of the river, nestled in a hollow below the streets of town, is named for the Meaford mutt made famous in the worldwide bestseller that bears his name. Sixty-nine years after Beautiful Joe, by Margaret Marshall Saunders, was published, in 1894, Meaford Mayor Frank Garvey and his wife, Judy, were walking the woods across the Bighead from their Cook Street home, and they came across an old marker near the banks of the river and below the home where the real Joe had been nursed back to health and a long life by the Moore family. They’d found Beautiful Joe’s grave.

Beautiful Joe – The Meaford Edition

The couple worked hard to establish Beautiful Joe Park on the wooded site, and today, the Beautiful Joe Heritage Society (BJHS) continues the work.

Tomorrow, the BJHS welcomes visitors to the sixth annual Beautiful Joe’s Autumn Adventure. It’s an opportunity for people to learn more about the famous book, its author, the park, heroic canines, and more.

The family event features an interactive science tent, a fairy tale scavenger hunt with prizes for all, horse-drawn wagon rides by Ritchie’s Clydesdales, pet portraits by Wendy Webb Photography, and a number of vendors selling pet treats, toys and accessories; gifts and other items; and food for all. There’ll also be a plaque dedication ceremony and a “Blessing of the Animals” by Padre Major Michael Allen.

Padre Major Michael Allen blesses the animals at Beautiful Joe’s Autumn Adventure

Ritchie’s Clydesdales take you on an old fashioned wagon ride at Beautiful Joe’s Autumn Adventure

Admission’s by donation to the society; just head down to the park tomorrow between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.