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Rideau River park celebrates 50 years with community day Emma Jackson
emma.jackson@metroland.com
Emma Jackson/Metroland
Rideau River Provincial Park will mark 50 years on July 20. Assistant park superintendent Harvey Cornell and senior park clerk Laurie Dulmage hope the community will help them celebrate the anniversary. While individual activities are free all day, a day pass entrance to the park is $14 per car. Assistant park superintendent Harvey Cornell said the celebration is open to everyone. “Just like anything, we want to celebrate the anniversary,m because
it’s quite a big milestone,” he said. “We want to talk about the park.” The 98-hectare green space is located off Donnelly Drive near Beckett’s Landing, along the “long reach” of the Rideau Canal – the longest stretch between any two lockstations.
The park was part of the province’s explosion in park development in the 1950s and 1960s, when Ontario’s parks jumped in number from only eight in 1954 to a whopping 77 in 1961. In 1957, Ontario’s minister of lands and forests, J.W. Spooner,
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News - Any 50th anniversary is reason to celebrate, and staff at Rideau River Provincial Park are jumping on the opportunity. On Saturday, July 20, members of the public are invited to wish the park a happy anniversary with a funfilled day of fishing, canoeing and exploring. At various times between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., families can meet Smokey the Bear, visit with conservation officers and learn about the park’s rich habitats and wildlife with natural heritage education staff from sister park Murphy’s Point. The Friends of Murphy’s Point will host a barbecue and cake-cutting event for a nominal fee, and in the afternoon families can jump in an 18-person voyageur canoe for an hour-long free tour on the Rideau. Families should register in advance for a voyageur canoe tour. Family fishing on the public docks will also be available, but park supplies are limited so families should bring their own tackle if they can. Family activities wrap up around 5 p.m., but everyone can return at 8 p.m. to see the Celtic Rathskallions perform in the park until 9:30 p.m. with Celtic-rooted music, dance, drama and stories.
announced plans for a swimming beach and campground on forest station land along the Rideau. Camping started in 1959, and in 1963 Rideau River was officially designated a provincial park. In those days, a day pass cost only 50 cents, and a camping permit was $1. For $3, you could use the park all season. Today the park is a popular site for day use as well as car and RV camping. Along with 184 regular camp sites, it offers six group sites which are well-used by local scouting and community groups. The park boasts sandy beaches, a fitness trail and fishing opportunities. Senior park clerk Laurie Dulmage has worked at the park for 13 years and said it’s unique because of its accessibility. “We’re on the Rideau Canal, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we’re close to Ottawa and close to Merrickville,” she said. Down the road, visitors can find hiking trails and a golf course. In the past decade the park has upgraded its washrooms and sewage systems, and has seen much of its park infrastructure updated as well. Last year 39,000 visitors used the park. The park is located at 2680 Donnelly Dr. For more information call 613-258-2740.
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Ottawa West News EMC - Thursday, July 18, 2013