For its modest size, the Meaford Museum boasts a remarkable collection, and next week, you can learn how it acquires and manages these remnants and reminders of historical Meaford. The Meaford Library hosts a talk by Museum Curator Pam Woolner next Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Pam will discuss how the museum sources and acquires artifacts for the museum; how staff researches and catalogues the artifacts, and the challenges such a small museum faces in taking care of a growing and changing collection.

Space is limited, so call or email to register soon. (It’s free.) 519.538.1060 (ext 1123) or email lori@meafordlibrary.on.ca.

If this talk interests you, you may also be interested in volunteering at the Museum. It’s a great way to get involved in the community, and the historical insight you gain through spending time there will give you a real sense of this beautiful small town – not to mention arming you with a bunch of cocktail party conversation starters.

Just don’t worry about the ghost of the museum.

On a winter evening in 1897, a 38-year-old Hamilton, Ontario woman named Adelaide Hoodless gathered her skirts and rose to take the lectern at the Farmer’s Institute Ladies Night meeting in nearby Stoney Creek. An emissary of the Ministry of Education, she spoke on “Domestic Science” and the importance of proper hygiene at a time when many rural families lived not exceedingly differently from their pioneer forebears. She was passionate about the topic. Eight years earlier, her 14-month old son, John, died from what folks called “summer complaint” – probably from drinking unpasteurized milk in the days when refrigeration during the summer months was difficult. In the years since, she had worked to establish domestic science education and taught classes in it – in an effort to provide better education for new mothers.

Adelaide Hunter Hoodless

That February night in Stoney Creek, Adelaide suggested that rural women should form a group devoted to broadening knowledge of domestic science and agriculture – as well as to provide an outlet for socializing. A week later, she returned to discover 101 women in attendance. A week after that, Adelaide presided over the first formal meeting of the Women’s Institute as honourary president.

Today, Women’s Institutes have spread around the world, and are particularly prominent in Britain, where they emerged in 1915 to revitalize rural communities and to encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War.

What does this tale have to do with our lovely town of Meaford, Ontario? Well, Meaford had its own WI, begun in 1902 and since disbanded, but the local St. Vincent WI has thrived since 1918. Your blogger recalls reading minutes of WI meetings in the Meaford Express 20 years ago, and thinking it a quaint, rural tradition – which was later reinforced by the portrayal of the stodgy WI members in the 2003 film Calendar Girls.

It turns out there’s more to the Women’s Institute than that.

In addition to action and advocacy on a variety of social issues over the decades, WIs provide a unique link to our past.

This week, at a local meeting of Heritage Meaford, Meri-Diane Carroll introduced the group to the Tweedsmuir Community History Books (or Tweedsmuirs). These painstakingly recorded histories of local communities are kept in many communities, and usually include the history of the

• Local Women’s Institute Branch
• Earliest settlers in an area
• Agricultural practices and individual farms
• Industries that formed the basis of the local economy
• Social institutions and public buildings, such as churches, schools and community centers
• Local personalities, such as war veterans
• And more!

Meaford and St. Vincent are fortunate to have this record, kept by the local WI in hand-written volumes over many years.

To learn more about the St. Vincent WI, contact Shirley Moore at 519.538.1671.

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.

Well, the Meaford Farmer’s Market has kicked off for this Friday as we write, so once we’ve filed this report, we might just mosey on down. It’s a special market day, as the event is part of the kick off to Canada Day weekend celebrations. There’ll be live music and, taking a page from the past, surrey rides through town. And of course, there’s all the goodies you can find every week, from organic meats and vegetables and herbs to baked treats and more – with many vendors offering tasty samples to entice you to buy. This year, chef Micheline Zammit, who works at Cobble Beach Golf Club, prepares free sample dishes featuring products she’s found at the market – try her creations, and pick up the ingredients at the vendors’ booths.

Beyond food, you’ll also find crafts and more. And don’t forget to get your duck race tickets (more below).

With your appetite taken care of, plan for a busy weekend. Here’s the schedule of events for Saturday and Sunday (you can rest up Monday.)

Saturday

8am-11am Meaford Hall
John McKay home product trade show

9am-11am Market square
MFRC pancake breakfast

9am-9:30am Market square near hall
Soap Box Derby registration

10am – Collingwood St to Bayfield St
Soap Box Derby race

10am – Downtown Meaford
BIA sidewalk sale
GBSS Idols & MCS buskers on the street

10am-4pm Meaford Foodland
Meaford Duck Race kick off BBQ

2pm- Sykes St bridge to Bridge St
Meaford Duck Race

11am&3pm Meaford Museum
Historical walking tour of downtown

noon-4pm – Nelson St at Meaford Hall
BIA surrey rides

noon-4pm – Meaford Hall
BIA scavenger hunt – pick up list

noon-4pm – Meaford Harbour
Sail Georgian Bay introduction to sailing

Sunday

9am-10am Eggcitement Bistro
Motorcycle Rally meet for breakfast
10am- Motorcycle Rally – ride starts

9am-4pm Bayfield Street
Golden Town Cruisers classic car show

10am-4pm Bayfield Street
Net Shed Book Depot open
Meaford Museum open

11:45am Meaford Community Centre
Form up for parade

Noon – Collingwood St to Harbour
Canada Day parade

Noon to dusk Harbour pavilion
Rotary Club food & beverages

12:45pm Harbour Entrance
• Singing of “O Canada”
• Mayor’s & Dignitaries’ speeches
• Flag Raising Ceremony – Anthem by Mike Weir & Sylvie
• Goldenaires Canadian Folk Song Medley by Bert Hood

1pm Rotary Pavilion at harbour
Birthday cake for 1000 – prepared & served by Canada Catering

Noon to 4pm Meaford Harbour
Family Fun Festival
• Canadian Coast Guard
• Meaford Fire Department
• Kid’s activities & games
• Sail Georgian Bay introduction to sailing
• OPP boat & K-9 unit
• Heritage Meaford display
• Beautiful Joe Heritage Society display
• Meaford Library display & activities
• Remote control car & truck display
• Skateboard demonstrations

2pm-9pm Meaford Harbour
Live entertainment
• Honeyhammers
• Bored of Education
• Vickie Van Dyke & Friends

2pm Meaford Museum
Historical walking tour of downtown

Dusk – Meaford Harbour
Meaford Kinsmen Club Fireworks

Footsteps on the floorboards of the upper room when no one was there. An inexplicable chill that moved around the room on the hottest of summer days. Objects mysteriously moved by an unseen hand. And visitors who sensed a ghostly feminine presence in an upstairs room.

These manifestations had long led people to believe the ghost of a young woman haunted the second floor of the Meaford Museum. But clues to her identity were as evanescent as her presence.

When a gentleman claimed to have spoken to the ghost for hours, Curator Pam Woolner was too shocked to press him for details that might have contained hints about her identity.

She seemed to have a special affinity for an antique rope bed, an old cradle, and a child’s doll. But none of the items were connected; indeed, they came from different families and different eras.

But the items suggested the ghost was perhaps the spirit of a young mother who had died in childbirth – a common enough occurrence in the 1800s. The bed and cradle had come from two old Meaford families, the Sings and the Whitelaws, so perhaps there was a clue hiding in the families’ histories.

Pam searched through the Whitelaw history, and was unable to find a female who had died in her late teens or early 20s. Clues in the Sing family history proved similarly absent. “I got stumped,” says Pam.

Then a volunteer at the museum said she’d had an impression that the woman wasn’t a member of the family; her name was Louise, and she was a governess for the Sing family who’d actually died of an illness in the old roll bed.

Pam returned to the records for the 1880s and found a tantalizing clue. One year’s census showed a young woman named Louisa, of the right age, living with the Sings as a servant – though her position wasn’t specified. The next year, she was no longer listed. And around the same time, a child of two in the family had died of an illness.

Swarthmore Hall was the home of the Sing family of Meaford

Pam admits the evidence is sketchy. “There’s any number of reasons she disappeared. She could have married. She could have moved. Unfortunately, we can’t find any more information on her. I have no way of tracing it or proving it.”

She also points out that it would have been unusual for a servant to have used such a nice, large bed. “On the other hand, if she had been quite close to the family, they may have felt that nursing her in that bed would have been more humane than in the small cot she would have had,” she says.

Pam never felt afraid of the ghost, but she’d been irritated by the way she moved objects and by her other games. She’d begun giving the spirit a piece of her mind. “I started to talk to her. I was hoping that she’d stop some of her antics, and it seemed to work.”

Things seemed to quiet down. During the 2003 renovation, the significant artifacts were put in storage, and currently none are on display. “The bed had been up for 20 to 30 years, and they had stuffed the mattress with straw,” says Pam. “Unfortunately, that made great nesting grounds, and we had things living in it, so we decided to take it down. And the cradle hasn’t been that relevant to exhibits lately.”

Accessibility requirements meant the upstairs room could no longer be used for exhibit space or even office space, so fewer people climbed the narrow stairway. And with the museum’s renovation, the floor was firmed up, making noises from above barely noticeable in the rooms below.

Has the ghost departed?

“I’d originally thought maybe she had moved out,” says Pam. “But we’ve had some people who claim to be sensitive who’ve been upstairs in the last year or so who have felt her presence. The lady who gave us her name said that she’s not as active now because she’s quite happy with her new home and how it looks. So she doesn’t feel the need to do things.”

Visit the Meaford Museum

The upstairs exhibit room beneath the gables of the hundred-year-old building gathers the heat on a summer day. And with no table or desk to work at, the young volunteer prefers to lie on the floor, the text panels she’s preparing spread in front of her, pencils and pens close at hand. A 14-year-old with a passion for history, Pam loves her summer volunteer job at the Meaford Museum, and she’s soon lost in her work.

She reaches for the blue marker to underline a title, but it’s gone. Of course! She knows it hasn’t simply rolled off or been accidentally kicked to the side. She’ll have better luck looking around a corner or underneath one of the exhibits – a place the marker would have no place being on its own. She prowls the room with some irritation, lifting items and peering behind furniture, until she locates the missing pen behind the wooden rocker of the old baby cradle. The ghost has been at it again!

Pam Woolner first heard about the ghost of the Meaford Museum in 1994, from the curator who hired her on in her first volunteer position. Today, Pam is herself the museum’s curator, and the ensuing 18 years have left her with a host of stories of the woman who walks the upstairs room.

“It used to sound like someone with boots on,” says Pam. “She got a big kick out of walking around, because I think she knew we could hear her footsteps downstairs.”

Before the renovation of the museum in 2003, the building – which was built to house the town’s pump house in 1895 – had not been much modified. Dark rooms crowded with antique curios led visitors to a winding narrow stairway up to the small exhibit room under the eaves. Former museum curator Fred MacDonnell once called the building a “dark, dank hole”.

The upstairs flooring was the original wood, and the thumps and creaks it gave off when someone (or something) crossed it told of their passing.

With no insulation, the upper room trapped summer heat, and Pam says it could regularly reach 120 degrees F. So the presence of the spirit was that much more noticeable. “That particular space would get hot very quickly,” says Pam, “But it wasn’t unusual to be walking around and all of a sudden have the temperature plummet 15 degrees in a spot maybe 2 feet square.”

Visitors would comment on “the cold spot”.

“There was no rational reason for it,” says Pam. “And it would move around; it was never in the same spot. Sensitive people would mention it and ask if we had a ghost.”

Her actions, and the ghost was a “she” as far as everyone was concerned, seemed centered around three artifacts in the upstairs exhibit: a century-old rope bed, an antique cradle, and a child’s doll. “She didn’t like it when we changed the way they were set up or put different things in them,” says Pam. “She would let us know she wasn’t too impressed.”

A few years back, a Meaford woman asked Pam if she’d come across some items her family had donated years before. Pam discovered a few pieces of weaving that fit the description, and tucked them in the cradle. When the woman arrived the next day to see the items, they were nowhere to be found. “She decided to move them on me,” says Pam with a sigh. “She made me look like a complete idiot in front of the lady who’d come in.”

It was months before the items surfaced – on a shelf in the attic behind a locked door. To this day, no one who would have had access to the key has admitted to moving them.

Another time, the morning after setting up a display case of men’s grooming supplies in the upstairs room, staff discovered it had been completely rearranged. “It looked better,” says Pam. “We left it that way.”

Even as a teen, when Pam had to crawl around looking for pencils that had mysteriously disappeared, she never felt afraid of the spirit. “She isn’t malevolent. I’ve never felt threatened by her or scared by her,” she says. “I’ve been frustrated by her jokes, irritated, duped by thinking there was someone walking around upstairs, but I’ve never had any fear.”

The gentleman climbs the narrow stairway heavily, and soon he can be heard moving around upstairs as he examines the exhibit. Pam has a lot of work to do, and visitors pop in throughout the day, so the shadows have grown long before she notices that the upstairs visitor hasn’t yet come down. Nearly three hours have passed, and the exhibit is small. She realizes suddenly that she hasn’t heard his footsteps in some time. He was somewhat heavyset, she remembers, and a tingle of worry crosses her spine. What if he’s fallen over, or had a heart attack, even? It’s only when she heads for the stairs to check that she hears the man descending.

“He told me he’d talked to her for quite an extensive period of time,” says Pam. But, taken aback by the idea that the spirit had actually spoken, she didn’t press the man for details. “I remember asking what she looked like, but I was a little too shocked to ask exactly what they talked about. I wish I had now.”

So who is the ghostly figure who haunts the Meaford Museum? Some have suggested her story lies in a tragic past. More on that in Part 2.

Among the casualties of the Second World War was the architecture of Europe. Countless magnificent, ancient structures crumbled under the blasts of bombs and shells. Churches suffered as well; centuries of craftsmanship and painstaking, devotion to craft were reduced to rubble in seconds.

But in Meaford, fragments of European ecclesiastical history are preserved in the stained glass windows of Christ Church Anglican. Broken glass from 125 English and European cathedrals and churches have gained new life in the beautiful Gothic windows, and while the stone church itself is more than a century old, its windows contain glass once gazed upon by clergy and churchgoers during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

The first Anglican service in Meaford was conducted in Stephenson’s Inn in 1856, and six years later, the parish built a frame building on the south side of the Bighead River. In 1876, a more substantial stone church welcomed the congregation, and within 14 years, the stone building had expanded to include a bell tower and a larger building which has now become the parish hall.

In 1938, a young rector arrived at the church, and Reverend Harold Appleyard quickly plunged into working with the congregation, the community, and the building, spearheading the difficult task of excavating under the original church to create a basement with a passage under the cloister to link it with the parish hall basement

But when war broke out in Europe, it wasn’t long before Reverend Appleyard heard the call. He joined the Grey and Simcoe Foresters in 1941as Chaplain, and on Sunday, March 22, 1942 preached his farewell sermon before leaving to join the Canadian Chaplain Service.

The destruction in England struck him as appalling nearly as soon as he landed. He quickly began to collect shards of stained glass from the shattered windows of damaged churches, and soon began to envision using them for a memorial window at his parish church. On volunteer fire duty one night in the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, he met an architect responsible for London’s ancient churches, who referred him to the Cox and Barnard Stained Glass Works in Hove, Sussex. The firm offered to design and re-lead the glass into windows to fit Appleyard’s Meaford church – free of charge in gratitude for the Canadian war effort.

Rev. Harold Appleyard in 1946

After being shipped to Europe, Appleyard continued his collection, retrieving glass from churches in France, Belgium and Holland, and a year after the war ended, the church unveiled them as memorials to the parishioners and townspeople who had been killed or wounded during the years of fighting.

“During my first few moments in England, the appalling destruction of homes and churches alike, along with the courage of the British people, made it desirable to link their sacrifice with ours,” said Appleyard at the service dedicating the memorial windows, his words heard in a broadcast across Canada and Britain.

The church, which became a Centre for Prayer for World Peace in 1999, is celebrating its 150 year anniversary this year. You may visit Christ Church and see the windows on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon. For information on the windows or booking tours, call Sharleen Schefter at (519) 538-3365. www.christchurchmeaford.com

With many of our virtual focus groups in, we’re starting to get a clear picture of what the Meaford Haven retirement neighbourhood will look like. In keeping with the genuine small-town Ontario heritage appearance that Meaford has naturally acquired over the last century and a half, our prospective residents have voted resoundingly for a “small town Ontario” look for this Southern Georgian Bay retirement community.

The initial survey described that style this way. “This bears a close family resemblance to small towns and villages all around Ontario, such as Meaford. It’s made from modern-day materials and is clearly not 100+ years old, but the buildings make clear reference to the indigenous historic architecture of the area.”

So it seems prospective residents of Meaford Haven want to have it feel and look like an extension of the beautiful town of Meaford.

The other options respondents could choose from generated much less enthusiasm. While a rural look – rustic Ontario farmhouses typical of the surrounding countryside – did get some votes, the Muskoka cottage look and the modern community got a couple of big collective thumbs down. Seems people think that’s been way overdone in other communities in the Southern Georgian Bay area.

Here are a few comments that came in along with the surveys.

Have a look at the Maple Meadows project in Meaford. A very nice looking development. Whatever you do, please don’t go Muskoka Cottage. It will end up looking like all the other Collingwood/Thornbury area developments.

Small town feel, relaxed lifestyle, have lived the big city life and when retired we only want to enjoy the rest of our years in comfort.

The most important thing for me, would be to ensure that the building are adapted towards seniors; no/very few steps, ensuring all properties are built with safety and comfort in mind and opportunities to socialize with other people. For example, slip free floors, possibly cupboards and shelves that rotate, less bending, etc.

I like the look of the old Ontario farmhouses and Georgian manors with zipper edge brickwork, keystone arches, gingerbread trim, oak doors with brass kickplates, stained glass accent windows. An old world exterior but with a modern interior. Like taking an old farm house and stripping it to the clapboards, putting up new stud walls with modern insulation, wiring, plumbing, internet network, entertainment and security wiring, with chair rails and cornice mouldings thrown in for good measure.

See the full results here.

And you can still be part of the design of Meaford Haven by joining in the virtual focus groups.

The waters of Georgian Bay have inspired songwriters, surely, beyond recorded history. Its deep waters can be blue and inviting and a summer playground… or turn on you without warning. As Stan Rogers wrote in “White Squall”,

Now it’s a thing that us old-timers know, in a sultry summer calm
There comes a blow from nowhere, and it goes off like a bomb!
And a 15 thousand tonner can be thrown upon her beam
While the gale takes all before it with a scream.

That song, about a laker heading north on either Georgian Bay or Lake Huron proper after losing one of its crew to the “fury of the blow”, reminds us that a “red-eyed Wiarton girl” is left behind – and the liner notes explain that more than “30 percent of the Captains and First Mates employed in shipping on the Lakes came from this quiet fishing town in the Bruce Peninsula.”

Across the Bay to the east, Gordon Lightfoot’s “Christian Island (Georgian Bay)” paints a sunnier picture of our waters.

I’m sailing down the summer wind
I got whiskers on my chin
And I like the mood I’m in
As I while away the time of day
In the lee of Christian Island
Tall and strong she dips and reels
I call her Silver Heels
And she tells me how she feels
She’s a good old boat and she’ll stay afloat
Through the toughest gales and keep smilin’
But for one more day she would like to stay
In the lee of Christian Island

When Kevin Moyse, an Owen Sound songwriter, read tales of Georgian Bay shipwrecks written by Scott Cameron (Meaford resident and former principal of our high school) – he was inspired to create an entire album and DVD package called “Songs of Georgian Bay”. Visit here to learn more.

Other songs of Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay by Laura Ranieri
The Georgian Bay Suite by D. Bain
“Georgian Bay Sunsets” by Evan Paul (among other songs inspired by the Bay). Hear the CBC podcast.
Paul Motian’s “Georgian Bay”, featuring Keith Jarrett. Listen to a sample here.

And now for some shameless self-promotion. Back in 1994, the communities ringing the Bay from Owen Sound to Midland held the Georgian Bay ’94 Marine Heritage Festival, which featured numerous events and visits by tall ships to many of the ports, including Meaford. Organizers held a song contest, calling for songs that celebrated marine heritage, and your faithful blogger got to work on a lyric – “The Dance of Georgian Bay” – asking Sean Keating and Maureen Keating to join in to write the music and perform the song.

“The Dance of Georgian Bay” won the contest. If you’d like to listen, here’s the original contest demo. (Right-click to download the song or left-click to play.)

THE DANCE OF GEORGIAN BAY
© 1994 Maureen Keating, Sean Keating and Vic Michener

Cedar and birchbark sewn taut as a drum skin
Whispering paddles wove spells in our lees
Lost in the wake of the timber and iron
Rolling like thunder from over the sea.

We’re born to the slap of the waves on the pilings
And someday we’ll rest as our bones are picked clean
Stranded on sand like our poor sister Nancy
Or rotting in drydock for want of a dream

But for one sparkling moment
We’ve lived on this water
We’ve weathered her anger and dreamed through her calms
Passing on secrets
From daughter to daughter
As long as she’s here then our dreams will live on.

Sing us a song to the wind in the rigging
Sway like a bride to the beat of the waves
Sweep us away on the breath of a storm cloud
Dance the dance of Georgian Bay

The turtlebacks challenged the old wooden schooners
And now their own nets lie there dry and unused
Even trusty old freighters rust sooner or later
Each weary side wheeler limps through her last cruise

So drive deep your paddle and fire your engines
Cast for your luck in the old fishing hole
Ride on the wind till the land dips astern
Oh, your voyage may end, but they can’t sink your soul

And for one sparkling moment
We’ll live on this water
We’ll weather her anger and dream through her calms
Passing on secrets
From daughter to daughter
As long as she’s here, then our dreams will live on.

Sing us a song to the wind in the rigging
Sway like a bride to the beat of the waves
Sweep us away on the breath of a storm cloud
Dance the dance of Georgian Bay

The Georgian Trail is a great way to take a leisurely cycling trip from Meaford to Collingwood, with stops along the way (It’s also popular for strolls, walking the dog, or cross-country skiing and snow shoeing in winter.)

Fall colours on the Georgian Trail (from www.meaford.com)

Starting in Meaford at the bridge by the harbour, ride the trail through Meaford, past homes and the Knights of Meaford hardwood factory. Then it’s an easy grade (trains couldn’t handle too steep a hill), out of time between stands of trees. At the first road crossing as you leave town, you could venture off the trail for a quick look at the beautiful 1860s home known as Swarthmore Farm, built by Cyrus Richmond Sing, who was Reeve of St. Vincent Council at the time the rail line was built, and served as a Director of the North Grey Railway Company. Down an adjacent tree-shaded road lies Meaford’s scenic Lakeview Cemetery.

Back on the trail, you’ll parallel the highway, with opportunities to detour for refreshments at Grandma Lambe’s or Almond’s Fruit Stand. As you enter a small section of County Forest, you’ll pass over the steep banks of Workman’s Creek, named for Captain Workman, a pioneer who settled with his family at its mouth in the 1800s, followed soon thereafter by a gate which leads to the site of an old brick factory high atop Meaford’s clay banks (private property today).

Some seven kilometres into your ride, you’ll cross Christie Beach Road. If you’d like a dip in the waters of Georgian Bay at this sandy beach, cruise down the hill and jump in. Remember, you need to climb back up the hill when you’re done!

A couple more kilometres brings you to a sharp left in the trail. This detour was created during the construction of Lora Bay, an exceptional golf club and residential community with dramatic views of Georgian Bay. A stop at the Clubhouse might be in order to wet your whistle. But if you don’t stop here, Thornbury is a mere four kilometres down the trail, with numerous restaurants (and at least two ice cream vendors right near the trail.) On the way, you’ll pass the impressive 15th tee on your left, a par three to a green sitting 200 feet below, with a beautiful view of the sweep of Georgian Bay cradled in the trees.

After winding through Thornbury, you’ll emerge at a highway crossing. Cross carefully and continue on, or ride along the highway for a short bit to visit Peasemarsh, a secluded public beach. The trail continues past Georgian Peaks and past Craigleith Provincial Park, a small camping park on the shore, and Northwinds Beach, reputed to be one of the birthplaces of windsurfing.

Soon after, you’ll cross Blue Mountain Road. If you like, venture up into the resort area to see the sights and visit the Village. Or simply stay on the trail and continue on to Collingwood. The trail enters a fragrant lilac grove at the old train station at Blue Mountain Road, where you can stop to visit the Craigleith Heritage Depot’s exhibit. Beyond the lilacs, the trail cuts away from the highway through woodlands; past streams where beavers work to create their own little ponds; through stands of cedars; and past Cranberry Resort Golf Course before reaching the trailhead near Harbourview Park.

Rest awhile here, and head back the same way, take a different route along backcountry roads, or call up that friend who’s coming to pick you up to take you home.

Trail map from www.georgiantrail.ca

Check out these images of the trial:
www.meaford.com/town/georgiantrail.htm
Click “next” on the page to see more photos.

www.georgiantrail.ca/photogallery.html