Unique Muskoka - Issue 40 - August 2023 WH

AUGUST 2023

THEATRE IS BLOSSOMING

Performing arts rebounds from pandemic hiatus

Multimillion-dollar investment features Muskoka’s heritage

A cut above defines the art of woodworking

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...telling the Muskoka story

Features

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Article and Photography by Andy Zeltkalns The sport of pickleball is on the upswing in Muskoka. With clubs and courts across the region, pickleball is easy to learn, accessible and a social gathering. Often thought of as a sport for retirees, the game can and should be played by anyone who is interested.

Women on Purpose

Article by Maria Duncalf-Barber Photography by Josianne Masseau Mother-daughter duo Cindy and Jade Watson have launched their Women on Purpose Planner. The planner aims to help women step into the best versions of themselves. After pouring their hearts into the project, they’re excited to help change lives daily.

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Community Science – The ASH Muskoka Project

Article by John Challis Since 2019, the ASH Muskoka Project aims to improve the health of trees in Muskoka by adding calcium to support tree growth. Community scientists are helping measure the impact, as well as supplying ash for the experiments.

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Heritage Curators – Bala’s Museum Article by J. Patrick Boyer Photography by Andy Zeltkalns Jack Hutton and Linda JacksonHutton, drawn to the charm of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Prince Edward Island during their honeymoon, were thrilled to learn of the time she spent in Bala in the 1920s. Since, they’ve spent 30 years researching, collecting and curating Bala’s Museum.

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Pickleball – A Game for All Ages

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Designing in Wood – Cirvan Hamilton

Article by Bronwyn Boyer / Photography by Josianne Masseau Craftsman and designer Cirvan Hamilton is skilled both in construction and in building fine wooden furniture. From Stone Tree Studio near Dorset, which he shares with his sculptor wife, Elise Muller, Hamilton designs and builds everything from chairs to stairs.

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Passion Plays

Article by Bronwyn Boyer / Photography by Kelly Holinshead The blossoming growth of theatre in Muskoka is made evident by the many local theatre companies currently active across the region. From those who took part in developing theatre programs to those who have participated and now returned to mentor the next generation, the talent in Muskoka is undeniable.

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Celebrating Muskoka’s History – Charting the Way Forward

Article and Photography

by Tim Du Vernet Muskoka Discovery Centre ushers in a new era with the opening of three new exhibits, [26] following four years of research, development and collaboration. Evolving Muskoka: Life on the Edge of the Shield, Misko-Aki: Confluence of Cultures and Wanda III: Steam to Green opened in July 2023.

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A Luxurious Find – Lady Eaton Lives On Article by Meghan Taylor Photography by Andy Zeltkalns Historic buildings and items can be found throughout Muskoka, some on display at museums and some in personal collections. Rosseau Lake College, on the former site of the Eaton family’s summer retreat, has both preserved and renewed their slice of history.

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Dorset’s Forest Ranger School

Article by J. Patrick Boyer Once the bustling education centre for government foresters and university students, the Leslie M. Frost Natural Resource Centre, originally opened as Ontario’s Forest Ranger School, faces an uncertain future.

AUGUST 2023

[49]

Opinion

Performing arts rebounds from pandemic hiatus

Multimillion-dollar investment features Muskoka’s heritage

A cut above defines the art of woodworking

Our Cover

Photograph by Kelly Holinshead David Wray and the actors of PRISM Theatre in the Park’s forthcoming presentation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream know how to have some fun. The play was the first Wray acted in and now it’s his first production as artistic director of the company.

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By Meghan Taylor

By Val Hamilton

Muskoka Insights

Muskoka Moments

Departments 58

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Article by Matt Driscoll A new full-service provincial park is slated for Bracebridge while floating accommodations are banned from overnight docking on provincial waterways. Muskoka Lakes Township tightens their dark sky rules, a survey by Safe Quiet Lakes reveals concerns about boating safety and Muskoka Chautauqua unveils their 2023 lineup.

Article by K.M. Wehrstein Photography by Tomasz Szumski On hot summer days and nights, the last thing anyone wants to do is slave over a hot stove. Thanks to the experts at Blue Willow Tea Shop and Bigwin Island Golf Club, you don’t have to.

Owners Alison McKinnon and Pamela Harris share two recipes for bruschetta that keep it cool while executive chef Dominic Grimaldi takes it outside to the grill with a fresh take on a delectable burger.

What’s Happened

THEATRE IS BLOSSOMING

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Cottage Country Cuisine

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…telling the Muskoka story Unique Muskoka is published six times per year

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Muskoka Insights of the region.

At Muskoka Discovery Centre, three new exhibits honour our past while looking forward to the future. As contributor Tim Du Vernet shares, the four-year process involved extensive research and collaboration among the Indigenous advisory group, designers, community groups and dedicated volunteers to bring the exhibits to life.

Similarly, collaboration and teamwork are hallmarks of the local theatre groups across the region. In this issue, regular contributor Bronwyn Boyer highlights the founders and the up-and-comers making Muskoka’s performing arts scene one that should not be overlooked.

There is something for everyone in Muskoka and, with its rapid increase in popularity across North America, pickleball is a contender for providing a fun afternoon.

In this issue, contributor Andy Zeltkalns outlines the how’s and where’s of pickleball in Muskoka. Not only is the sport accessible and easy to learn, but it’s also a team sport that any demographic can enjoy.

The management of natural resources is integral to the protection of Muskoka. It may come as no surprise that the education of government forest rangers from across Ontario took place among Muskoka’s forests. As Patrick Boyer shares, Ontario’s Forest Ranger School was a joint venture between the University of Toronto and the Province of Ontario for many years, training and educating rangers in the care of forests, prevention of wildfires and operational practicalities of surveying, drafting, mathematics and road locating.

Throughout this issue of Unique Muskoka, the importance of relationships is obvious. As you continue to experience all that Muskoka has to offer, take a moment to choose kindness as well.

Happy reading!

Photograph: MacKenzie Taylor

Recently my husband cut our neighbour’s lawn. It wasn’t a small job; their lawn is quite large and hadn’t been cut for quite some time. He wasn’t asked to do it. He knew they were busy working and didn’t have a lawn mower. There was no expectation of anything beyond a “thank you.” Just kindness.

His act of kindness made me think. At the height of summer, Muskoka’s population explodes. The signature forests and lakes of Muskoka are packed with day-trippers, vacationers, cottagers and locals.

Roadways, beaches, restaurants and shopping areas contend with an influx of people.

Too often, an “us versus them” mentality exists among locals. “The cottagers are here” is a common refrain as spring moves into summer. But, of course they are. Why wouldn’t they be?

Muskoka’s economy is reliant on cottaging and tourism, and there’s nothing like summer in Muskoka. So, why wouldn’t we share it?

Experiencing Muskoka isn’t like a pie; there are more than enough experiences to go around. The experiences I have, that make up my Muskoka, may vary greatly from yours.

The lives of tourists and locals, seasonal residents and year-round residents, settlers and Indigenous peoples are inextricably intertwined throughout Muskoka’s history and today. Our lives and experiences are braided and woven together, based on where we choose to be: Muskoka.

Those who are visiting, for the day or longer, have an obligation to respect the environment around them. Those of us who call Muskoka home, whether permanently or seasonally, have an opportunity, with patience and kindness, to educate those visiting on the importance of keeping the district beautiful.

Muskoka has been known as a tourist area since settlement and even before that in the details of Indigenous records. For decades, collaboration and partnership have been crucial to the growth and development

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Women on Purpose Article by Maria Duncalf-Barber Photography by Josianne Masseau

“I

t takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” — Eleanor Roosevelt Cindy Watson is a 30-year trade union lawyer, women’s empowerment and negotiation coach, international speaker and writer. As a lawyer, Cindy spent much of her career negotiating.

As a coach, Cindy works with clients to rediscover their true purpose and live life on their own terms.

“All of life is a negotiation,” shares Cindy. “Whether you are negotiating with your kids, your intimate partner or multi-million-dollar business deals.”

Cindy is the co-founder and president of the Muskoka Authors Association. She is proud to be a Wall Street Journal best-selling author of The Art of Feminine Negotiation: How to get what you want from the Boardroom to the Bedroom.

“It may be the most important skill we learn,” Cindy says of negotiation. “Yet we are not taught it. It is based on myths that negotiation is all about toughness, that the person speaking the loudest and longest is ‘winning,’ neither of which are true.”

Focused on supporting women in finding their truth, Cindy collaborated with one of her three children, her daughter Jade Watson, on writing the Women on Purpose

Cindy Watson, writer, coach, international speaker, lawyer and co-founder and president of the Muskoka Authors Association, is the Wall Street Journal best-selling author of The Art of Feminine Negotiation: How to get what you want from the Boardroom to the Bedroom.

August 2023 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 11

The Purpose Planner is a must-have for every woman looking to get more of what she deserves in life. Cindy and Jade Watson’s unique approach to creating the planner uncovers how to live a good life on purpose from a place of authentic feminine power.

Planner. The dynamic duo worked together to create a planner aimed at women of all ages.

“Jade and I were at an event together on ‘Life Mastery’,” says Cindy. “We recognized that the approach was very masculine and task-oriented, which led to our epiphany that it was one of the problems with conditioning around success generally. Women, who were already conditioned to be peoplepleasers and nurturers, put their own needs and desires on the backburner.”

“When my mom and I created the Purpose Planner, I was using five different planners combining them together to create my own system,” shares Jade. “I took bits of one planner and parts of another. No planner seemed to suit my needs. I approached my mom when we were in Fuji together to create our own planner, one that focuses on our needs. By the end of our trip, we had a skeleton of what is now our Purpose Planner.”

The result of their efforts is a unique daily and weekly planner women can use as an asset

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to their lives. The Women on Purpose Planner asks women to design the life they deserve.

Exploring ways to rediscover their authentic self, the planner guides users as their destiny is calling them to live their most passionate life.

“We believe that using this Purpose Planner daily will change lives,” explains Cindy.

“It shows women how to step into the best version of themselves.”

Completing a purpose assessment within the planner identifies whether someone is living their purpose already. Actively using the planner leads to a journey of selfdiscovery, ensuring that you are embracing and living toward your vision each day.

Cindy and Jade have given women the opportunity to take charge of their lives on their terms; to get out of the never-ending cycle of the mundane to gain balance. They speak of the power women can reclaim to live the life they want.

“This was a total passion project for us both,” says Cindy. “We were excited to offer Jade Watson recalls making use of five different planners to make her own system, none of them women the opportunity to be inspired to live meeting her needs on its own. After bringing the idea to her mother while on vacation, they had with intention, designing their life, rekindling developed the skeleton of the planner before they travelled home.

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their purpose, and living into their dreams and big visions unapologetically.”

The mother-daughter duo poured their hearts into their work. They researched extensively and interviewed female professionals, entertainers and athletes for more input. They completed the book utilizing what they learned about setting intentions and vision.

The Purpose Planner is a must-have for every woman looking to get more of what she deserves in life. The questions within the planner are designed to speak to the soul of women. Cindy and Jade’s unique approach uncovers how to live a good life on purpose

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“What I hope women get out of our Purpose Planner is that they can live into the fullness of their true potential, as opposed to living day-to-day, putting their hopes and dreams on hold,” says Jade.

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COMMUNITY SCIENCE

Photograph: Friends of the Muskoka Watershed

The Ash Muskoka Project

Jacqueline and Glen Norton jumped at the opportunity to participate in the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed Citizen Science Ash Program after seeing a display at a community fair. They selected two maple trees on their property to monitor and feel their participation in the program makes a difference.

Article by John Challis

F

or decades, Muskoka’s forests have been suffering from calcium deficiency — an arboreal equivalent of osteoporosis, slowing growth and increasing susceptibility to wind damage and disease.

ASH Muskoka, an experiment fostered by the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed (FOTMW), set about to reverse the trend by adding calcium-rich wood ash to the forest floor. Essentially, it’s an inexpensive nutritional supplement for the forest.

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This year, the first official results are in.

ASH Muskoka’s research lead, Dr. Norman Yan, describes the findings of the first two years’ work as “dramatic.” In that short time, the foliage has shown an increase in calcium of up to 20 per cent. Dr. Yan says the trees have also taken up more potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. It means denser foliage, improved growth rates and potentially stronger roots and seed production.

Calcium has always been in short supply in Muskoka’s soil and bedrock but, in the years when acid rain was uncontrolled, precipitation depleted what limited supply there was. Calcium is what builds the exoskeletons of zooplankton, crayfish and molluscs. In the forest, it’s crucial for cell development but also for snails and birds.

Since 2019, the ASH Muskoka experiment has been taking place at selected test sites in three local sugar bushes and at Camp Big

Photograph: Friends of the Muskoka Watershed Photograph: Friends of the Muskoka Watershed

Watershed Muskoka ds of the Photogra ph: Frien

Canoe’s forest — collectively, about 10 hectares. At the test sites, carefully calibrated quantities of ash are deposited around candidate trees. Trent University students have been measuring the health of the trees since before the ash deposits began.

The community’s support is part of the success story. Appeals for ash donations from local fireplaces have generated a supply that is replenished every couple of months. Spencer MacPherson, project lead for FOTMW, says about 10 volunteers help coordinate the ash drives.

Last year, a community science component sprang into being. MacPherson calls it the Citizen Science Ash Program. Participants were invited to select two similarly sized trees of the same species on their own property.

They deposit ash around one tree and leave the other intact, allowing for comparisons in health.

Glen Norton and his wife Jacqueline jumped at the opportunity when they saw a display at a community fair. It was, he says, “something we can do that will make a difference. We signed up and left with our bucket of ash and tool kit that day.”

The Nortons are among 55 community scientists who have signed up. Each participant gets a training package and wood ash from ASH Muskoka’s donated supply.

They monitor tree dimensions and the canopy cover and create photo records of the trees.

Being involved has deep significance for Norton. A fourth-generation Huntsville resident, his greatgrandfather was drawn to Muskoka by the Free Land Grants. The original farm is no longer in the family but the property he’s on has been in family hands since the 1920s.

“I purchased my property from my father in 1984,” he explains, “and built our home on the footprint of the original squared timber cabin that was built in the ’30s

Top: Ash collection days at Rosewarne Transfer Station in Bracebridge are busy. Sara Sinclair records donation information while FOTMW's project lead Spencer McPherson carries one can of ash and FOTMW chair Peter Kelley puts a donated can of ash on the scale to measure its weight. Middle: Sifting the donated ash is dirty work. Spencer McPherson, FOTMW's executive director Doug Clark and dedicated volunteer Jim Martin ensure the donated wood ash is clean and filtered. Bottom: Judy Simmonds, an enthusiastic ash drive volunteer since 2018, helps with registration. Simmonds is also an ash donor, citizen scientist and happy to promote the work of FOTMW.

August 2023 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 17

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Pam Dunlop (left), a longtime ash drive volunteer, assists an ash donor with registration and weight recording during ash collection. Donors are given empty cans to fill with home woodstove or fireplace ash. When they bring a full can to the ash collection day, they receive an empty one in return.

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He and his wife chose two sugar maples at the back of their lot; “the maple to us is the iconic tree of Muskoka.”

Given the results emerging from ASH Muskoka’s test sites, Norton says it’s exciting “to feel that we are actually accomplishing something that we will see the results of in our lifetime and the benefits will continue when my children and then their children eventually own the property.”

Spencer MacPherson is enthused, too. “All in all, our team of citizen scientists have been amazing to work with,” he says. “I am already so excited for our next season of citizen science programs; we’ve got some great ideas and feedback on how to further improve.”

With the media attention it has drawn, they began wondering whether local residents were taking inspiration from the project.

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Photograph: Friends of the Muskoka Watershed

LIGHTING

They sent out a public request for people to inform them if they were spreading ash on their own land.

MacPherson says these “self-spreaders” will help them develop “a better understanding of how common this practice is in Muskoka, as a function of public will and action.” It all adds to the overall information on the community science aspects of ASH Muskoka.

More ASH Muskoka expansion is anticipated, Dr. Yan says. If they’re able to scale up “to whole catchment treatments,” there could be multiple benefits, including “forest-scale carbon capture rates and (reduced) risk of severe spring floods because healthy trees pump more water. Finally, it does seem reasonable to suggest that healthy trees will be wetter and have fewer dead branches, reducing the risk of severe fire.”

Those positive consequences are what drives Glen Norton. “There are so many really large challenges with the devastating effects of climate change, all over the world and in the news every day,” Norton says. “It often feels like we as individuals can do nothing to help. This program helps, and it is really very simple and basic ‘technology’.”

Dr. Norman Yan, founding director of Friends of the Muskoka Watershed displays the metal debris collected from wood ash.

The debris is attached to a magnet used to clean metal from the screened donated wood ash before use in the program.

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Bala’s Museum, opened in 1991 by Linda Jackson-Hutton and Jack Hutton, is an ode to Lucy Maude Montgomery and her novel, The Blue Castle, inspired by her time spent in Muskoka.

MUSKOKA HERITAGE CURATORS Bala's Museum Article by J. Patrick Boyer / Photography by Andy Zeltkalns

F

or preserving and perpetuating Muskoka’s heritage, the saga of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 1920s Muskoka novel The Blue Castle and Bala’s Museum, opened in 1992 by Linda and Jack Hutton to celebrate both author and book, is a study unto itself.

On July 14, 1922 the writer renowned world-wide for her series of Anne of Green Gables novels,

Iconic Anne of Green Gables collectibles are on display at Bala’s Museum; considered one of the best Lucy Maud Montgomery museums in Canada.

already in five foreign-language editions with a dozen more translations yet to come, motored two hours north from Leaskdale with her husband and sons to Bala for a halfmonth Muskoka respite, booking into Roselawn Lodge. Montgomery did not intend to begin a new novel, just inhale the district’s curative air and savour Muskoka’s mystique.

Yet charmed by Muskoka and dreaming in solitude on Roselawn’s verandah, a plot began to percolate. An unmarried and unhappy 29-year-old woman, Valancy Stirling, would escape henpecking and humiliation by retreating to her romantically exotic

castle. This was drawn from Montgomery’s own fantasy experience but now her castle would be on an island in Lake Muskoka.

Shards of plot and features of characters crystallized in her mind.

On July 30, she diarized: “What a lovely name is Muskoka! Music – Charm – Wonder – it suggests them all.” Realizing the importance of names, she added, “Suppose Muskoka had been called Udora! Or Stouffville?” She wrote a friend saying Muskoka was “a fairyland,” totally different from Leaskdale and Prince Edward Island.

On July 31, again relaxed on the verandah, she dreamt the core plot and “picked out an island that just suited me. I built thereon a summer cottage and furnished it deluxe. I set up a boathouse and motor launch. I peopled

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As an accomplished writer, Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote all of her children’s books set in Prince Edward Island, except for The Blue Castle. With the subtitle A Love Story of the North Woods, L.M. Montgomery explored adult paradoxes and themes in her only novel set in and inspired by Muskoka.

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it with summer guests. We spent a whole idyllic summer there.” As usual, “there” resided in her imagination, yet in Muskoka.

Her new work-in-progress was not only a book for adults but would be her only one

not set in PEI. Good writers use the material they have, to tell stories they believe need telling. In The Blue Castle, Lucy Maud Montgomery works her magic showing adult paradoxes – how

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Jack Hutton (above) and his wife, Linda Jackson Hutton, have carefully crafted a museum centred on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s connections with Muskoka, her stay in Bala and The Blue Castle.

social respectability entraps life, how death can be a miracle worker. Completing her manuscript in Leaskdale, she added the subtitle A Love Story of the North Woods, distinguishing it from her other novels and connecting to enchanting mystical terrain.

Published in 1926 at Toronto by McClelland & Steward, The Blue Castle opened a necessary fresh dimension for Montgomery – grappling with serious adult conundrums and uncannily portraying Muskokans as everywoman and everyman.

As a schoolgirl in Sarnia, Linda Jackson thrilled each afternoon when her Grade 6 teacher read a passage from Anne of Green Gables. She was captivated by Montgomery’s literary universe. In 1990, after she and Jack Hutton married aboard R.M.S. Segwun, they honeymooned on Prince Edward Island “because I wanted to see where Lucy Maud Montgomery lived and wrote and I wanted to see Green Gables.”

Linda “sat with Jack on a long pier, where lobster boats were tied up” and read him Anne During her time in Muskoka in July 1922, on the verandah of Roselawn Lodge, Lucy Maud of Green Gables. “Jack was hooked. He was Montgomery envisioned the core plot and the idyllic summer cottage that is the landscape of The losing his male bias about LMM’s writing. Blue Castle. Today, Bala’s Museum is proud to share the story of her time in Muskoka.

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Linda Jackson-Hutton (above) and her husband, Jack Hutton, have spent over 30 years researching, curating and capturing the history and magic of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s experience in Muskoka in the 1920s. The couple have also written books about L.M. Montgomery and their unique experience in operating a museum.

Some sort of island spell had captivated him.”

If Muskoka’s mystique captured Montgomery in 1922, Montgomery’s PEI cast its spell over the newlywed Muskokans in 1990. “Lucy Maud Montgomery,” says Linda, “was working in our lives.”

Returning to Bala, the postmaster handed

them a general inquiry letter from Mary Rubio, a University of Guelph literature professor, inquiring about Montgomery’s turning-point experience in 1920s Muskoka.

They were stunned to learn the author in whose aura they were freshly basking had even been in Bala. Their investigation, aided

by supportive and intrigued Rubio, official biographer of L.M. Montgomery, began.

In June 1991, Linda and Jack purchased the building that is now Bala’s Museum.

They opened it on July 24, 1992, the 70th anniversary of Montgomery’s arrival in Muskoka. Their museum is centred on Montgomery’s connections with Muskoka, her stay in Bala, and The Blue Castle.

They investigated every angle of Montgomery’s engagement with Muskoka.

Their co-authored, richly-illustrated, 68page book, Lucy Maud Montgomery and Bala – also subtitled “A Love Story of the North Woods” – is a gem of Muskoka heritage. They have written also about their museum’s unique story and contents in many publications dedicated to Montgomery’s life and literary prowess, including The Lucy Maud Montgomery Album, a definitive 531page 1999 masterwork.

For over three decades, Jack Hutton and Linda Jackson-Hutton have proven in stellar fashion that you do not need to be an institution to curate Muskoka’s unique heritage.

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With determination and persistence, Lorna and Jim Popofski worked with Huntsville town council for three years and eventually, in September 2022, established four permanent, dedicated pickleball courts at McCulley-Robertson Recreational Park.

W

hat do you do when your family is bored and can’t find anything to do? Well, you invent a game to get them involved.

One weekend in 1965, that is exactly what happened when Joel Prichard and Bill Bell of Washington State created a new game using equipment they had lying around the house.

Using an old badminton court, some table tennis paddles and a perforated plastic ball, they designed an activity the whole family could enjoy.

26 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

Article & Photography by Andy Zeltkalns By the following weekend, a friend, Barney McCallum, was introduced to the game and the three men decided to refine the rules.

They relied on badminton as a guide but ensured the game could be easily played by all. By 1967, the first permanent pickleball court was established. Over the next 50 years, the new game started to slowly gain in popularity.

A regulation size pickleball court is 44 feet by 20 feet, which is one fourth the size of a tennis court. Most commonly the game is

played as doubles, with two people on each team, using a net of 34-inch height in the middle. Players use a solid paddle which is in between the size of a tennis racquet and a table tennis paddle. In pickleball one uses a regulation size perforated plastic ball with 26 to 40 holes, depending on whether the ball is being used indoors or outdoors.

Outdoor balls have more holes, are smaller, heavier and harder and therefore less affected by wind.

Canadian snowbirds who had learned

about the game in the southern states originally brought pickleball to Canada in the early 1970s as they returned home from winter vacation. However, it wasn’t until around 2013 that pickleball started to appear in various places throughout Muskoka.

According to Diane Wieber, sports and recreation programmer at the Bracebridge Sportsplex, there were initially three indoor courts established at their facility using painter’s tape to create the required lines. In the beginning, it was common to get 15 to 20 people coming out at a time, explains Wieber.

By 2015 the courts were made permanent and since then the number of people playing has continued to increase. Presently, during the fall and winter, courts at the Sportsplex are used seven days per week, four to five times per day.

The Town of Bracebridge also has four dedicated outdoor courts for pickleball at Kelvin Grove Park and there will be six additional indoor

Pickleball is low impact and easier on the body compared to tennis, although it can get intense at the competitive level.

The game also requires less movement and strength to get the ball over the net which makes it accessible to more ages.

courts available at the new Muskoka Lumber Community Centre when construction is completed.

Graham Hall, a level 2 certified pro and competitive player in his 70s, who teaches and coaches pickleball throughout Muskoka, spearheaded the creation of five indoor courts at the Gravenhurst Curling club in 2018. Originally, there were 40 people using the facility weekly and now there are approximately 150 people participating each week, explains Hall.

The trend of increasing numbers in pickleball has been seen everywhere throughout North America. Since the pandemic, the growth has been astronomical.

Statistics collected by Pickleball Canada in January 2020 indicated there were 350,000 people playing pickleball throughout the country. By 2022, the number had tripled.

Although pickleball is often associated with retirees, the survey also demonstrated the sport is attracting younger adults as well.

Players in the 18- to 34-year-old age range have the fastest growth rate, rising 26 per cent between 2020 and 2022. Hall is not surprised with these increasing numbers. He explains that pickleball is very accessible and easy to learn.

“I can teach someone the game in approximately 15 minutes,” Hall shares, and because the game is very social and includes fitness benefits, it has become very popular. Pickleball is low impact and easier on the body compared to tennis. The game also requires less movement and strength to get the ball over the net which makes it accessible to an aging demographic.

Play of the game can be at a relaxed and slow pace recreationally or the game can get intense at the competitive level.

"I can teach someone the game in approximately 15 minutes."

Pickleball is played to a score of 11 and games typically last around 15 minutes depending on the level of experience of the players. After the game is done, players usually switch up and play another team creating many opportunities for social interaction.

Corby Kent, a high school teacher at Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School in Bracebridge, introduced his physical education classes to pickleball in 2018 through a provincially funded program.

He observed that his students were quickly able to learn and participate in the game which made it an enjoyable way to improve fitness.

Youth pickleball initiatives in schools, sports clubs, and in summer camps have been increasing according to Pickleball Canada which reflects a growing number of under 18 players nationwide, so the game is not just for retirees. In response to this interest, the Bracebridge Sportsplex will be offering introduction to pickleball classes for youth, aged 9 to 12 years old, starting this fall.

Kent, also a level 2 certified pro, enjoys playing recreationally but likes the competitive challenge of the sport as well.

He has played at provincial level tournaments in the 35- to 50-year-old category and sees a growing trend towards more competitive play. There are now professional leagues for pickleball, explains Kent, and it is not uncommon to see former competitive tennis players switching to the game.

Although most people playing pickleball still do it for the fun, fitness and social aspect,

August 2023 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 27

Graham Hall, a level 2 certified pro and competitive pickleball player in his 70s, spearheaded the creation of five indoor courts at the Gravenhurst Curling Club in 2018.

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a recent 2023 survey by Pickleball Canada showed the number of people playing the game at a competitive level increased from 18 per cent to 27 per cent over the last year.

The rise was mostly driven by women for whom competition being a key motivator for playing pickleball increased by 170 per cent.

A testament to the sport being accessible for a wide range of age groups is 94-year-old Doreen Murray of Muskoka who has been playing pickleball for the last four years.

“I’ve always been active, and I played tennis in my fifties and until recently participated in curling,” explains Murray. “As I got older, I was concerned about slipping on the ice while curling and needed to find another activity which was social and also maintained fitness.”

As a result, Murray decided to try

pickleball and has never looked back. Now Murray plays three to four times per week in the Muskoka Lakes area at venues in Milford Bay, Port Carling and Bala. Murray has also played in tournaments in the 65+ category but does that more for enjoyment and not competition.

“I like that my whole family can be involved in pickleball and that I can keep up with them,” emphasises Murray.

Gloria Gardner, who is a key organizer for pickleball in Muskoka Lakes, explains that it was 2014 when the sport first got its start in the area.

“At that time there were two courts established in Bala and about 100 people played the first year,” states Gardner. She went on to describe how pickleball then expanded to Port Carling and by 2016 two courts were created on the main floor of the Milford Bay Community Centre.

At present pickleball is being played at least six times per week throughout Muskoka Lakes and about 1300 people have played since 2014. Gardener also explained that the game has been popular with kids and in 2019 Port Carling started offering a

Proof the sport is accessible for a wide range of age groups is 94-year-old Doreen Murray of Muskoka who has been playing pickleball for the last four years.

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According to Gardner, there is a good demographic mix of people playing pickleball and she has seen a lot of social interaction taking place as part of the game. She described how cottagers and people new to the area have found it a great way to meet others.

In the Huntsville area, Lorna and Jim Popofski have established themselves as key drivers of the pickleball explosion. Lorna and Jim both retired to Muskoka in 2013 and, while spending winters in Florida, discovered and developed a passion for the game.

Both are highly skilled players and together they have played in more than 30 tournaments all over Ontario and Florida, including five Ontario Championships and one Eastern Canadian National Championship. They wanted to continue playing pickleball in Muskoka but were disappointed by the lack of opportunities available in Huntsville.

In the beginning, they used a nearby, accessible arena and relied on painter’s tape to create their initial courts. Eventually they were able to have permanent lines painted for the boundaries and slowly the interest in pickleball increased. As the game grew in popularity, Lorna and Jim wanted to add outdoor courts to the list of facilities available.

With determination and persistence, they workedM

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The Town of Bracebridge has four dedicated outdoor courts for pickleball at Kelvin Grove Park and there will be six additional indoor courts available at the new Muskoka Lumber Community Centre when construction is completed. Indoors, the Bracebridge Sportsplex has three permanent courts. with Huntsville town council for three years Thanksgiving in October. The courts are free email list.” Aside from all the other benefits, THE RIOBEL MOMENTI™ COLLECTION and eventually, in September 2022, after six p.m. on weekdays and during the Popofskis explain that pickleball is a AVAILABLE AT KNOWLES PLUMBING! established four permanent dedicated weekends they see many families playing at relatively inexpensive sport to participate in, pickleball courts at McCulley-Robertson the facility, states Jim. which adds to its appeal.

Recreational Park. They also created a “Membership has doubled since last With wide availability throughout pickleball club where, for $60, members can September,” explains Jim. “We now have 260 Muskoka, plus its many other benefits, play fromHthe&long until OW members 100 interested players on an pickleball is a game for all ages.

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T

imber framing and fine woodworking require more than just proper cutting and shaping tools. Both disciplines also require a level of fortitude and patience that can only come from the joy of the craft.

Cirvan Hamilton is equally immersed in large-scale construction projects and smallscale furniture pieces. Growing up in Hamilton, Ontario, he always had a keen interest in building and auto mechanics.

When he and his wife, Elise Muller, moved to their new property near Dorset in 1999, Hamilton’s first project was building their home and then a shop where they could work. As Muller is a stone sculptor, the couple named their venture Stone Tree Studio, for his work with wood and hers with stone.

Hamilton began working for Huntsville contractor Dean Ungard, who taught him how to timber frame. “I became interested in bracing techniques and mortise and tenon joinery,” Hamilton recalls. “I loved the style of building with primarily wood-to-wood connections, rather than metal fasteners. It’s much stronger and also looks better. That got me thinking about furniture and applying

the same principles on a smaller scale.”

When Hamilton got in on the ground floor of Portico Timber Frames in Dorset, his love of craftsmanship deepened. “It’s not just basic carpentry,” explains Hamilton. “It’s much more detail-oriented, so it grasped my attention a lot more. I would go home each night and practice building furniture until I got to a point where I felt I either taught myself everything I could, or learned all I could from the field.”

In 2008, Hamilton took a three-month craftsmanship program at Rosewood School of Fine Woodworking in Perth, Ontario.

“That solidified at a lot of hand skills,” Hamilton recalls. “I learned more about working with hand tools and how to cut proper joinery for furniture. From there I just kept practicing and learning in finer detail.

When people started noticing what I was doing, I was able to make a living at it.”

Whether it’s a large building or a small, elegant cabinet, Hamilton prefers the traditional joinery technique known as mortise and tenon. This means there is virtually no metal and any metal that is required is invisible.

Cirvan Hamilton and, his wife, Elise Muller’s Stone Tree Studio near Dorset is named in recognition of both of their crafts; hers as a stone sculptor and his as a wood craftsman and designer.

32 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

Hamilton recently finished expanding his workshop to allow him to complete larger projects off-site. In addition to improving Stone Tree Studio’s operating environment, it’s also a testament to his work. After completing that project, Hamilton can take a break by moving back into furniture building, which gives him a good balance of both worlds.

“I love timber framing but it’s incredibly heavy,” he explains. “It’s months of heavy lifting and working with chisels and mallets that weigh a couple pounds each. After a while your back starts to hurt, so it’s so great to be able to take a break and scale down. The principles are the same; it’s just that one is much smaller and lighter than the other.”

Hamilton’s shop expansion is also the result of his specialty in building custom staircases.

For the last few years, designing and building stairs has become the majority of his construction business.

“It’s a niche market and people are looking for something unique,” Hamilton says. “There is a lot of fine woodworking skills involved – a lot of fitting and joinery.”

Hamilton uses computer software to design the staircases, which gives him an x-ray vision of the internal framing, the intersection of joinery and bracing details and how it will all fit together.

“It allows me to see what pieces interfere with each other and which issues will need to be solved,” he explains. “So, before I even start cutting timbers, I can fix all my mistakes.”

Some of the stair projects are more difficult than others.

“Log stairs are tricky and require more planning,” Hamilton says. “The round shape makes them harder to

The inlay patterns Cirvan Hamilton uses to embellish his work could be called a signature style. Fine lines, geometric shapes, butterflies and blades of grass made of purpleheart, holly, ebony and zebra woods are meticulously sliced on the bandsaw and set into perfect indents cut in the wood.

August 2023 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 33

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fit together. They’re very heavy, so it’s a lot of lifting. The natural wood has bumps, knots and twists that cause a lot of trial and error.

And when the steps curve around corners, it’s especially challenging because the tree is misshapen and unpredictable. So, it’s very enjoyable work for me because it never gets boring.”

Designing staircases is also a creative outlet for Hamilton. “They’re fun, interesting, and are typically the focal point of a house,” he says. “It’s a nice feeling, having people trust me to design these important pieces for their dream homes.”

Hamilton first learned how to build stairs from Dean Ungard, who later approached Hamilton to collaborate. “One day he called and asked if I’d like to build an oak staircase with him,” Hamilton recalls. “It was such a great time I’ve been building them ever since.”

Hamilton’s employee Jamie Clarke has been instrumental in the development of the stair construction side of the business. “Jamie is a huge help because he can tackle a lot of the heavy lifting,” explains Hamilton. “And a lot of time needs to be spent laminating, milling wood, gluing, planing, and sanding.

While he’s doing that, I get to work on furniture building, so it’s a terrific balance.”

Although many would consider his furniture beautiful works of art, Hamilton isn’t comfortable with the word “artist.” He considers himself a craftsman and designer because his work is practical despite the creative aspect.

Hamilton’s designs are fine-boned structures that are practical and exquisite. The silkysmooth grains, varied colours and textures and delicate inlay patterns give his pieces an air of sophistication fit for a fairy tale. But though

Cirvan Hamilton always finds something to love about each type of wood he shapes, even when some woods are more difficult to work with than others and cause more wear and tear to his tools.

34 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

The furniture designs of Cirvan Hamilton are fine-boned structures that are practical and exquisite. The silky-smooth grains, varied colours and textures and delicate inlay patterns give his pieces an air of sophistication fit for a fairy tale. they may look delicate, they’re crafted to stand the test of weight and time. Hamilton often adds surprising details like off-centre inlays in unexpected places and door pulls made from motorcycle parts.

The inlay patterns Hamilton uses to embellish his work gives it a signature style.

Fine lines, geometric shapes, butterflies and blades of grass made of purpleheart, holly, ebony, and zebra woods are meticulously sliced on the bandsaw and set into perfect indents cut in the wood.

“It’s a process cutting the pieces and strips on the bandsaw but then I still need to plane it to fit the grooves,” Hamilton explains. “So, you’re cutting for a groove that’s 40 thousandths of an inch wide. It’s very painstaking work. But I find it meditative and very enjoyable.”

Hamilton first learned to inlay from Garrett Hack at Rosewood School, although it went against the lesson plan. “The class was on building a cabinet but I already knew how to do that,” Hamilton recalls. “So, I built

mine really quickly and then pestered him to teach me to do inlays. Luckily he was generous in teaching me. I practiced until I perfected it because it got addictive. A lot of things around the house ended up getting

inlays on them because I needed the practice.”

Commercial suppliers for domestic woods are the main source of material for the projects completed at Stone Tree Studio. “I’m always travelling for wood because I want to

Despite the beauty of his designs, Cirvan Hamilton isn’t comfortable being called an artist. He considers himself a craftsman and designer because his work is practical despite the creative aspect.

August 2023 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 35

pick it myself,” he says. “Especially for the furniture, I want the grain to be just right, so it flows together perfectly.”

Hamilton is also mindful of ethical and sustainable sources for the exotic woods. He also uses locally-sourced wood when it fits the bill. “Muskoka has beautiful figured maple, bird’s eye and curly maple, and though we don’t grow large trees, many are quite spectacular.”

Hamilton finds that some woods are more difficult to work with than others, which causes more wear and tear to his tools. But he always finds something to love about each type of wood he shapes.

“It’s hard to pick a favourite,” he says.

“They’re all my favourite, for different reasons.

When you stain red oak black, the grain structure is very dramatic. Yellow birch is a light wood that mills nicely and comes out quite beautiful. Douglas fir is one of my favourite softwoods; it’s tricky to work with because it’s very splintery, but it’s gorgeous in the end. Each wood has a unique grain and colour and some change colours over time, so it’s always exciting.”

Hamilton gets his inspiration through quiet contemplation. “I just stare at what I’m working on until I get new ideas,” he explains.

“I sketch what comes to me and then I go to the bandsaw and try to refine it, experimenting as I go. Sometimes the best ideas come about through pure accident.”

Hamilton showcases his work at arts and crafts shows throughout Ontario as well as the Artists of the Limberlost tour.

“It’s always fun to answer questions about what I do,” he says. “I like sharing what I know – I’m not secretive about it. If someone asks how I do inlay at a show, I’ll walk them through the process. It’s fun when people take interest in it. When they walk away fired up about trying something new, that’s my favorite part.”

Rather than attribute his success to natural talent or aptitude, Hamilton maintains that it’s determination that got him where he is today.

“I’m just stubborn, more than anything,” he says. “Mostly, it just takes a lot of patience and perseverance. There’s no room for error, so it takes a concerted effort. You have to be in When he and his wife, Elise Muller, moved to their new property near Dorset in 1999, Cirvan the right frame of mind.”

Hamilton’s first project was building their home and then a shop where they could work.

36 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

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PRISM Theatre in the Park prepares to deliver their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream this summer as David Wray’s debut at the helm of the company.

THE BLOSSOMING GROWTH OF THEATRE IN MUSKOKA Article by Bronwyn Boyer / Photography by Kelly Holinshead

T

he performing arts are as vital to the soul as oxygen is for the body; they are woven into the fabric of a community.

It’s only natural that in the current postpandemic climate, theatre companies in Muskoka are flourishing more than ever.

The early seeds of professional theatre in Muskoka were sown by Bracebridge native Robin Clipsham. Clipsham is an educator, actor, director, writer and character creator who has dedicated her life to the performing arts. She taught high school as well as theatre performance and production at Nipissing University. When Clipsham first started studying theatre improvisation at Second

38 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

City in 1993, she didn’t realize how lifechanging it would be.

“I discovered all kinds of benefits for myself,” Clipsham recalls. “And then the kids discovered that it gave them confidence, listening skills, co-operation and team building skills. I’ve been teaching it to everyone from age seven to ninety-seven.”

In 2008, Clipsham launched PRISM Theatre in the Park, a series of outdoor plays at Annie Williams Memorial Park in Bracebridge. In 2016, she started Muskoka StageWorks, an umbrella company encompassing her various theatrical projects.

Currently, Clipsham is focusing on teaching

improv as a tool for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease and their families.

“Improv is about building and creating stories,” Clipsham explains. “When someone develops Alzheimer’s they lose relationships.

Improvising characters and roles can jog their memory and allows them to build new connections with their loved ones.”

Clipsham may be retired from her career in teaching but using theatre to help and inspire others is something she’ll never stop doing.

“Theatre gives you the chance to be part of something bigger than yourself,” Clipsham says. “It teaches how important it is to lift each other up. There’s so much joy in coming

together to create something that everyone can grow from. Theatre is good for the soul, the mind, the body, and everything else. It gave me my life.”

Clipsham recently left her role as artistic director of PRISM Theatre in the Park and passed the torch to her protégé, David Wray.

Muskoka native Wray is an award-winning improviser and actor.

Wray discovered his love of acting in high school. As a stagehand while he was operating the curtain, he found himself singing and dancing along to the songs. From then on, Wray started training and performing in school plays, Hub Productions and then PRISM. To date, Wray has been involved in every show PRISM has put on in some form, so his new role with the company is a natural step.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream was the first show PRISM ever produced and it will return this summer as Wray’s debut at the helm of the company, bringing things full circle.

What Wray loves about outdoor theatre is that it creates a better connection to the audience. “When all the lights are on in a theatre, you can’t see the audience, and you could be anywhere,” he explains. “But being outside on a summer evening in Muskoka really is a truly unique experience. There’s no hiding. The closest thing to backstage is the woods.”

Theatre is collaboration between the performers and the audience, so it requires physical gatherings to create its magic. That ‘magic’ is what motivates performers to work so hard and sacrifice so much to give people that experience.

“It’s amazing what we can pull off in small spaces on shoestring budgets with only local talent,” says Jan Jacklin, co-founder of Huntsville Theatre Company and founder of Dot the T Productions. “When we have the talent and the passion to learn, anything is possible. That’s the beauty of community theatre.”

Jacklin, an enterprising and creative businesswoman, discovered her love of plays when she began performing and writing scripts in high school.

“Once I got a taste for it, I knew it was in my blood,” Jacklin says. “And then when I got involved in community theatre productions

Top: David Wray is an award-winning improviser and actor, taking on the role of artistic director for PRISM Theatre in the Park following Robin Clipsham’s departure. Middle: Jan Jacklin, co-founder of Huntsville Theatre Company and founder of Dot the T Productions, built a venue at her home in Huntsville to host performances during the pandemic and will continue to this summer. Bottom: Lauren Rodrigues, president of Huntsville Theatre Company, moved to Huntsville in 2012 to pursue her career in the arts and was amazed to discover the level of professional talent in the area.

in Toronto, I discovered how much I loved to create opportunities for performers. Once they find an outlet for their talent, they throw their whole soul into it.”

In 2010, the Huntsville Theatre Company (HTC) got its start thanks to Jacklin’s efforts.

Since 2017, HTC has been putting on shows at the Algonquin Theatre. A recent run of the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe gave young actors the chance to perform in a stateof-the-art theatre. The show was part of the company’s Theatre Is My Passion program; a youth collective that learns and grows through theatre.

“I love the journey it takes us on,” says Lauren Rodrigues, president of HTC. “We rehearse a show for months with a group of people, getting to know each other, feeding off each other and brainstorming ideas. And then suddenly all these new people come in and witness it who have never seen it before, and we get to see how they respond to it – there’s just nothing like it.”

Rodrigues studied performing arts as a child in Calgary where she grew up. After graduating with a degree in acting from Queen’s University, her quest for full-time employment in the arts brought her to Muskoka in 2012 to be Les Stroud’s assistant on the hit television series Survivorman. In her spare time, she runs the Huntsville Theatre Company.

“When I moved to Huntsville, I was amazed at how many people have professional experience in the arts,” recalls Rodrigues. “I didn’t know anybody, so I was looking for something else to do besides work.”

When Jacklin left HTC in 2017, she launched Dot the T Productions as a “pop up” touring theatre company. Jacklin is fueled by the challenge of bringing people together to make the performing arts accessible and lucrative.

“When COVID-19 brought things to a halt, I bought a stage and made my own venue where people could gather outside at safe distance,” Jacklin explains. “Many professional actors were out of work because most venues and companies were shut down, so we were able to bring talent up to put on shows that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do.”

Throughout July, Dot the T Productions will be presenting Shirley Valentine at Jacklin’s

August 2023 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 39

For Emma Phillips, co-founder of Dragonfly Theatre Company, being on stage is a way to step away from your own insecurities. But more than anything, her favourite part of theatre production is what happens behind the scenes – imagining ways to make the play different or unexpected and, of course, the costumes. backyard stage on Limberlost Road in Huntsville. Then in August, Jacklin will be hosting free performances of readings to testdrive her own plays.

“As a playwright, I want real feedback,” Jacklin clarifies. “Also, I think establishments should consider hosting readings as well – teaming up with theatre performers would add more variety to local venues. I believe collaboration is the key to our future success.”

Collaboration is a key element in the success of Dragonfly Theatre Company, launched by Emma Phillips, along with her mother and a friend, in 2006. They began with dinner theatre at the Gravenhurst Opera House, putting on British plays because they were all from Britain. Later Phillips teamed up with Earl Sacrey, the drama teacher at Gravenhurst High School.

Individually, Phillips and Sacrey direct

Rotary productions. Most recently Sacrey directed Matilda and Phillips directed Cabaret and The Sound of Music. When they join forces, they make a formidable team. This year, Dragonfly is presenting Little Shop of Horrors in August.

In addition to directing and performing, Phillips makes the costumes and paints and decorates the sets. Meanwhile, Sacrey handles the musical and technical aspects of the shows.

“Little Shop of Horrors will be our first musical, so we’re really excited about it,” says Phillips. “We’ve got some great singers – we’re really excited about the cast. And everyone is doing it for the pure love of theatre, because the money we make goes towards producing the next show.”

As a child growing up in Britain, both Phillips’ parents were heavily involved in theatre and Phillips would watch them work.

At about 17, Phillips started off by trying stage managing. Eventually, she got the courage to perform and fell in love with the experience.

“When you go on stage, you’re not you anymore, so the insecurity falls away,” Phillips clarifies. But Phillips’ favourite part of theatre

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production is everything that goes on behind the scenes.

“I love the process of building the play and imagining how we can make it interesting or different than what people would expect,” Phillips says. “That’s the part that inspires me the most. Creativity is the theme that runs through everything I do.”

As for the inspiration behind the name, Phillips explains that dragonflies denote rebirth and summertime, present only at a certain special time of year.

“I wanted a name that represented Muskoka without having ‘Muskoka’ in the name,” Phillips explains.

Also based in Gravenhurst, TimberBeast Productions pays historical homage to the lumber industry in Gravenhurst while encapsulating Autumn Smith’s proud identity as an “unruly mess,” in keeping with her life’s creed to “say yes to the mess.”

“I teach my students to adopt failure as a success,” Smith explains. “It’s a catalyst for learning and growth. I look at criticism and chaos as a useful part of the process. Art is subjective, so the only failure is giving up.”

From a love of dance at a young age Autumn Smith, founder of TimberBeast Productions, pursued formal acting training and schooling, followed by a masters to teach at the postsecondary level, ensuring a full-time career in the performing arts.

At the tender age of five, Toronto-born actor, director and educator Autumn Smith watched her older brother take dance classes and was inspired to try it herself. At age nine she started performing as a chorus dancer.

“I remember that feeling of how much I loved becoming another character,” Smith recalls. “I loved learning about other people’s worlds and stories so much, it just stuck.”

Smith went on to receive formal acting training at Oxford School of Drama in the United Kingdom and then became a director at her own company in Toronto. Dedicated to carving out a full-time career in the performing arts, Smith currently teaches at York University and University of Toronto.

When she’s not doing that, she’s in Gravenhurst running TimberBeast.

While researching the history of Muskoka, Smith was inspired to adapt the stories she discovered into live theatre pieces. Smith’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol, first developed in 2020, is set in Gravenhurst at the turn of the century and it will return this December. TimberBeast is also running a musical series on the Gravenhurst barge in July and Smith’s original musical, Souls of the Shield, will be performed in parts on Monday nights in August at the Gravenhurst wharf.

Partnering with the Gravenhurst Opera House, Smith is also working on a Cinderellathemed pantomime called Citronella.

“Acting still terrifies me,” Smith says. “It’s the most vulnerable thing we can do. You have to open yourself up to criticism but also

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to the power of the narrative that you’re exploring. But what’s scary is also exciting because there’s so much spontaneity in it.”

“I was always a performer and I always loved performing,” says Emma Grimstead, co-owner of Hub Productions with her mentor, Amy Bridle. “I also love working with creative kids and getting to help them express themselves. They all have great stories that need an outlet.”

Hub Productions was founded in 2005 by Bridle, a Bracebridge native, to raise money to build the Rene Caisse Theatre. After completing a performing arts degree at York University, Bridle returned to her hometown and got straight to work. The inaugural show at the new theatre was Annie in 2005.

“Annie was a big success,” Grimstead recalls. “We had hundreds of kids come out and I think it just really spoke to the need for theatre programs for youth in Bracebridge.”

Grimstead starred as Annie at the age of 11 and quickly became Bridle’s protégé. After getting a taste of the performing arts, Grimstead went to university to pursue formal training, which led to some

Hub Productions, operated by business partners Amy Bridle and Emma Grimstea, came about to fundraise for the Rene Caisse Theatre in Bracebridge. Once the theatre opened in 2005, Hub continued to raise money for the theatre but since then has transformed into a year-round learning centre with summer camps for youth.

professional television and film roles. But her real passion is her work with Hub Productions.

After learning and working closely with Bridle over the years to help make Hub what it is today, Grimstead joined Bridle as her business partner in 2020.

After the Rene Caisse Theatre opened, Hub continued to raise money for the theatre from the proceeds of their shows. Since its inception, Hub has transformed into a yearround learning centre with summer camps for youth. Students of the camp get to perform a show each week on a state-of-theart stage with lights and costumes. Hub also runs a year-round training program for ages four to eighteen.

“We find that so many kids who have never stepped foot on a stage before get bitten by the acting bug,” says Grimstead. “At the very least, they end up gaining a lot of self confidence and self expression.”

Theatre is about many things but most of all it’s a celebration of fellowship and collaboration. Those dedicated to the arts are motivated by the love of storytelling to nourish the spirit and build community.

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2023 SUMMER PERFORMANCES

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August 9 | The Jim Cuddy Band A Hot Ticket!

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Festival Favourite Brings a Mix of Jazz and Pop

August 11 | Lemon Full Blown Drag Show August 12 | Steve Patterson

Stand Up Comedian and Host of the Debaters

August 13 | Jay Douglas Blues & Reggae Artist Plays Etwell August 17 | Acoustic Floyd

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September1-3 | La Bulle by CORPUS Dance

Outdoor Dance Performance at Camp Tawingo

October 12 | Burton Cummings & His Band - Unplugged Canadian Rock Royalty Plays Deerhurst Resort

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Misko-Aki: Confluence of Cultures, one of three new exhibits at Muskoka Discovery Centre, brings together a sample of stories showcasing the rich tapestry of Indigenous life in this region spanning some 13,000 years. The exhibit is a very personal one for the four Indigenous cultures involved: Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat and Métis.

Article and Photography by Tim Du Vernet

S

ince its inception Muskoka Discovery Centre (formerly Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre) has been a must-see attraction – for its exhibits showcasing Muskoka’s past, in particular the steamship era, as well as its stunning Murray Walker Grace & Speed Boathouse, filled with sleek launches and exceptional examples of wooden boat construction.

This year, Muskoka Discovery Centre is ushering in a new era. The new exhibits at the Muskoka Discovery Centre in Gravenhurst have improved and modernized the facility, while continuing to provide

44 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

education and preservation of the history of the region. Gary Getson and Rick McGraw, volunteers, board members and partners in the navigation of the renewal, indicate the revitalization was always in the works.

Nevertheless, the work behind the scenes involves a plethora of moving parts.

Fundraising, exhibit designs, personnel, community identity and focus and facility structural changes have each been key elements in developing the new exhibits.

Four years and nearly nine million dollars later, the completion of three new exhibits is at hand.

A fundamental element in the process of revitalizing the museum was collaboration, which required the engagement of voices from many sectors of Muskoka. The exhibit design firm, Haley Sharpe Design from Toronto, took the lead in shaping the spatial experience on the main floor, while the Misko-Aki exhibit on the second floor included the expertise of Ted Johnson along with a team of Indigenous advisors.

A quick look at the map shows Muskoka is a vast and varied region. The interests of several townships, municipalities and Indigenous groups were considered in the

co-ordination and inclusion of culturally significant and deeply personal stories. The multimillion-dollar investment in the centre’s renewal involved the work of a devoted team of volunteers and professionals.

“It has been four years to get where we are today,” says Rick McGraw, director and chair of the Muskoka Discovery Centre revitalization. “I had no idea it would take this long. But the momentum kept building, we kept learning and moving forward.

Timing is everything and the right people came together to make it work.”

John Miller, president of Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre, explains it was always expected the facility would change and evolve. The centre first opened with a focus on the history of boat building and the steamships. The history and cruises aboard Segwun and Wenonah II continue to be significant but there is so much more to Muskoka than these two threads of history.

The challenge became how to define, represent and tell the expanded story.

“We started out to build a boathouse to save Wanda III, which meant electrifying her as the only way to save her,” adds McGraw.

“This expanded into the concept of building her into a more expansive exhibit.”

As discussions of the museum’s exhibits continued to progress, it became clear that telling the history of Muskoka had to

The steamship history and cruises aboard Seqwun and Wenonah II continue to be significant but there is so much more to Muskoka to be shared. John Miller, president of Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre, always knew and expected the facility would evolve. The three new exhibits at Muskoka Discovery Centre focus on the economic development of the region, the Indigenous heritage of Muskoka and the restoration and conversion of Wanda III. encompass the Indigenous story. “That was another huge moment, a realization that we came to,” McGraw shares. “What we have now is an exhibit that is totally authentic, curated, designed by and in collaboration with Indigenous peoples of Muskoka.”

Miller explains the new exhibits focus on three themes; Evolving Muskoka: Life on the Edge of the Shield covers the economic development of the region, Misko-Aki: Confluence of Cultures shares the Indigenous heritage of Muskoka and Wanda III: Steam to Green outlines the restoration and conversion of Wanda III for a return to service. The

Now with her own boat house, the massive restoration of Wanda III is close to a conclusion. In addition to the repair and replacement of much of her hull, planking and flooring, Wanda III’s original steam engine has been replaced by the most modern electrical power.

history of the boat building industry in Muskoka is now an element of the economic development exhibit.

The physical space of the exhibits takes on a completely new form by incorporating materials, colouring and positioning that is fluid and inviting with multi-leveled displays.

Spaces are creatively separated using semitranslucent panels that provide accent colouring and context to the spaces. Paul Caygill, a member of the exhibit design team of Haley Sharpe Design, explains vertical book cover-like structures are used to transition from one part of the story to the next in the Evolving Muskoka exhibit.

Like other regions in Ontario dependent on the natural topography for its identity and economy, Muskoka is approaching a state of crisis. A key message of the main floor exhibit is to inform visitors and increase the awareness of the delicate balance between the use of the environment and its ability to sustain the community.

Shoreline development and recreation, which has been the central resource for the local economy, is not indefinitely sustainable.

Evolving Muskoka traces the economic development of Muskoka and encourages viewers to reflect on their role in preserving its future. At one time, when communities were at their infancy, there was little concern for the long-term impact of industry and populations. The tanning factories, lumber mills and similar industries of the pioneer era have left a mixed legacy. The environmental

August 2023 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 45

future of the District of Muskoka has never been more at risk.

Ann Curley, operations manager and curator of Muskoka Discovery Centre, explains the Evolving Muskoka exhibit represented a very special opportunity to include material, such as the cameos of significant individuals, from all across the District of Muskoka.

However, that also presented a challenge.

For Laticia McCabe, known as the “mother of tourism,” there were no satisfactory images to work with for the exhibit. Local artist Bonnie Bews used historic illustrations to create the representation used in the exhibit.

Curley also notes the Evolving Muskoka exhibit relied on the involvement of many groups and organizations across Muskoka for historic reference materials to tell the stories from past to present.

Wanda III, donated to the organization some years ago, once sat outside, exposed to all manner of weather as she needed repairs.

Now with her own boathouse, the massive restoration of the magnificent craft is close to a conclusion. Wanda III was built in 1915 and registered in 1917 for the Eaton family.

Originally powered by a triple expansion

steam engine with twice the horsepower of the Mildred and a much narrower profile, she was a very fast boat.

Wanda III is 94 feet long yet only 12 feet wide. She is a knife in the water. Capable of nearly 20 mph, she was one of the fastest boats on the lake. In the process of her restoration, she has been stripped nearly to the bone. Decorative panels removed, hull planking seams scraped and re-caulked and much of the floor had been removed to gut the original steam engine and replaced it with the most modern electrical power.

For many, Wanda III holds nearly as much of an emotional historic legacy as Segwun.

She represents an era when steam ruled and majestic boats were a daily sight. Docked nearby at events or offered for social gatherings, she took the lead at many community events. Her steam engine will be a special “working” display of its own that will show how the triple expansion engine developed so much power. She has been out of service for more than a decade and many are excited to see her return to regular service.

While all three new exhibits are welldesigned and curated, there is no question the second floor Misko-Aki Indigenous display is a standout. The Misko-Aki exhibit is a very personal one for the four Indigenous cultures involved: Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, HuronWendat and Métis. Prior to the opening of the exhibit, the Indigenous element of Muskoka history is barely visible in the region.

The Misko-Aki exhibit is a “unique Indigenous collaboration that will bring Muskoka Discovery Centre visitors into our world and our view of history,” explains Rick Hill, a Haudenosaunee scholar, educator, and exhibit curator. “It is the Thirteen Indigenous advisors representing each of the existing first time that the story of communities and those no longer present in Muskoka, as well as Muskoka is experienced artists skilled in traditional crafts, collaborated on the text for the panels and in the creation of the artifacts for the Misko-Aki exhibit. through the minds, hearts

46 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

and voices of the people who hold this region sacred.”

More than just a display of artifacts and text, the Misko-Aki exhibit space itself is intended to create a feeling of fluidity, connection with nature and cultural significance. Select contemporary artifacts were commissioned to represent core aspects of Indigenous culture and belief.

David Beyer, Cree designer and exhibition identity, states the exhibit “reaffirms the continued presence of thriving, contemporary Indigenous communities in Muskoka. There is currently very little representation in the mainstream cultural fabric of the region of its First Peoples. Misko-Aki’s unique in-person and online cultural experience signal a shared desire for greater Indigenous visibility and an important shift in the cultural conversation.”

Karihwakeron (Tim Thompson), a representative of Mohawk Nation Bear Clan at Wahta Mohawk Territory, explains the board of Muskoka Discovery Centre approached Waha:tsa (Tim Johnson) and David Beyer to lead the creation of the Misko-Aki exhibit.

In addition to their extensive experience in developing Indigenous exhibits and that of the technical team, an advisory committee for content was formed. Thirteen advisors representing each of the existing communities and those no longer present in Muskoka, as well as artists skilled in traditional crafts, collaborated regarding the text for the panels and in the creation of the artifacts. The displays aim to bring an authentic perspective to the rich heritage.

For Karihwakeron, seeing the representation of Indigenous communities in the Muskoka region through the Misko-Aki exhibit is very moving and emotional. “That we walk life together and need to look out for each other” is a central message Karihwakeron hopes will inspire visitors. He also recognizes exhibits like this are limited in what they can show and tell, due to space and current understandings. In time, he believes other stories will be told and emphasis may change.

Of particular magnificence within the displays is the wampum belt, a replica of an historic belt, made by Gaya’do:węhs (LuAnn Hill). Gaya’do:węhs is an artisan who lives in Wahta.

“I have always been fascinated by wampum belts,” Gaya’do:węhs explains. “In making replicas, I do all the research I can to learn their meaning and history. Wampum beads are made of shell. The Elders say the shell beads hold the words of our ancestors.”

Museum exhibits are statements of cultural history. Gaya’do:węhs believes “it is so important to educate non-Indigenous people. It is crucial to our living together, that we all know the true history of the land.

Once the history is known, I hope they will see things differently and care for the land.”

Rob MacDonald, an exhibit advisor, notes Misko-Aki: Confluence of Cultures brings together a sample of stories showcasing the rich tapestry of Indigenous life in this region spanning some 13,000 years. By drawing upon multiple ways of knowing the past, including traditional knowledge, oral and written history and archaeology, it strives to leave the visitor with an enhanced appreciation of the land and its Indigenous peoples. It has taken 12 years of building relationships to get here.

The educational aspect extends beyond the

Wanda III, formerly Lady Eaton’s personal yacht, is 94 feet long yet only 12 feet wide. She is a knife in the water. Capable of nearly 20 mph, she was one of the fastest boats on the lake. For many, Wanda III holds nearly as much of an emotional historic legacy as Segwun. She represents an era when majestic boats were a daily sight.

physical space and artifacts. A website experience is currently in development to support the message of the exhibit. The online presence will be especially helpful for educators.

The transformation of the Muskoka Discovery Centre has taken many years.

Endless planning, online meetings, reviewing plans, balancing budgets and all the elements the devoted team waded through day after day, in the midst of COVID-19 as well. The unveiling of the exhibits is a celebration of all the hard work.

Museums are challenging institutions to frame within a community. Traditionally they serve to capture visions of history and the past but also to give a contemporary contextual foundation and understanding as a platform for moving forward. But who speaks for the past and who represents the future? The Muskoka Discovery Centre has achieved what many similar communities and institutions have long struggled to accomplish – to build a foundational collaborative process in representing the history of the region.

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What was once Lady Eaton’s art and sewing cabin on the Eaton estate in Rosseau, one of the first buildings you encounter on the Rosseau Lake College campus, has recently been renovated and transformed into a welcome centre, meeting room and the head of school’s office.

Article by Meghan Taylor / Photography by Andy Zeltkalns

W

anda III isn’t the only piece of history from the Eaton family still being used in Muskoka. The Rosseau Lake College campus is a property that was first owned by the Ditchburn family and was purchased by John and Flora Eaton in 1906 as their summer retreat.

While the Ditchburn family had referred to the property as “the Pines”, the Eatons changed the name to “Kawandag” which means in Ojibwa “the meeting place of the pines.”

The log cabin near the main driveway of the campus is one of the first things visitors see when they arrive at the school.

Constructed during the Eaton family’s ownership, the cabin served as Lady Flora Lena Patten, a dedicated Rosseau Lake College volunteer and Rosseau resident, helped head of Eaton’s sewing and art room. The Eaton’s school Dave Krocker navigate the renovation and redesign of the log building for current use.

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mansion stood roughly where Brock House is today on the campus and was often bustling with guests. Lady Eaton’s cabin would have been her quiet escape from commotion of the main building.

The building has been used for many purposes during the lifetime of Rosseau Lake College, from an art room to a music room.

Through the years, the building was modified multiple times to fit its new uses and was, at times, unused altogether. The exterior of the log structure invariably captures attention; inside, the ceiling and wall coverings destroyed the look of the log timbers, high ceilings with wooden beams and stone fireplace.

Current head of school, Dave Krocker wanted to make use of the cabin and over the last year pursued returning the cabin to its former grandeur. Krocker reached out to Lena Patten, Rosseau resident and business owner, volunteer, fundraiser and parent of former students, to ask her opinion of what the school should do with the design and décor of the building.

Not only was Patten thrilled to hear the cabin would be revitalized but she also had a hidden treasure she knew would be at home in the cabin. Lena had acquired a parlour sofa of Lady Eaton’s after she was approached by the previous owner who knew its provenance.

“Someone approached me and said ‘Lena, you should have this because you’ll know a good home to put it in’,” shares Patten. “He didn’t want to throw it away or give it to just anyone. I was thrilled to death he thought of me because I’m connected to the village and I do like the historical side of cottage country.”

Patten stored the sofa but knew she wanted it to go back to the college at some point.

Krocker’s renewal of the cabin as a welcome building provided the ideal opportunity.

Patten felt the building’s previous modifications took away from the historic and natural beauty of the materials. Bringing the space back to its original walls would have more charm and warmth.

“When they uncovered the ceilings and the full fireplace, it was just magnificent,” says Patten.

Peeling back the layers of modifications created a space Krocker could use as an office, a greeting place for new parents and students

Lady Eaton’s parlour sofa had been in Lena Patten’s storage for some time, awaiting the perfect space. Returning the piece, reupholstered in Rosseau Lake College blue, to what was Lady Eaton’s cabin felt well-suited to Patten.

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and a meeting room. A sitting section for people to have coffee and chat in front of the fireplace was the ideal place for the RLC-blue upholstered parlour sofa. What was Lady Eaton’s space to escape from the day-to-day would now be one of the first places new students would see.

“Lady Eaton’s sofa went back home and it was the perfect place for it to go,” says Patten.

“It’s so heavy. It’s solid wood. It’s a sitting sofa. Not a big, deep slouchy sofa. It’s where you sit and have a cup of coffee.”

In addition to the sofa, Patten had an early 1900s chair from a local cottage that she reupholstered to match the sofa in the college’s signature blue. An antique rug was also donated to help pull the whole space together.

“The cabin still needs a lot of work but I’d love the Eaton family to come and see it,” says Patten. “It’s in beautiful shape.”

Like many of the buildings and trappings of settlement life in Muskoka, Lady Eaton’s sofa and cabin have been revitalized and returned to use. Only time will tell what future adventures these items will encounter.

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gratitude [grat-i-tood, -tyood] noun.

the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful

Jacey and Darius, a determined young couple, were ready to begin their careers in highdemand fields but faced the obstacle of finding affordable housing. Thanks to your support, they now have a safe and suitable place to call home, where they can put down roots, and continue their dedication to volunteering in the Muskoka Lakes community.

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Photograph: Marilyn Long

The Ontario Forestry School at St. Nora Lake, seen here as it had developed by 1953, had an extensive “university forest” for field training. As viewed from the 100-foot St. Nora fire tower’s observation platform, the practice forest stretches into the distance, beyond Highway 35.

Photograph: Chapleau Public Library/ Department of Lands and Forests

Article by J. Patrick Boyer

M

uskoka forests sustain wildlife, supply wood-product industries and attract visitors. Yet tourists once gazed upon Muskoka’s clearcut stumpand-slash scenery with the impression of an apocalyptic vision.

In the 1850s, when loggers began felling Muskoka’s forests, some crossed the Severn River from logged-out Simcoe County and others worked up the Algonquin dome’s watershed. Lumbering continued as an economic driver and political juggernaut.

Logging companies and sawmills employed thousands. Their owners became wealthy timber barons. Queen’s Park reveled at all the jobs and provincial revenues. As these were Crown lands, not private forests, Ontario’s forestry department exercised provincial jurisdiction over natural resources.

Departmental foresters measured out timber berths to auction for harvesting. They also monitored forest and mill operations to ensure stumpage fees were accurate and Crown royalties collected. Other staff gathered statistics to report on Ontario forestry operations.

A portable sawmill, set up in 1944 south of Chapleau by Lands and Forests, cut red and white pine timbers and lumber for construction of Ontario’s new Forest Ranger School. The material was shipped by rail to Huntsville then trucked to St. Nora Lake.

Conservationists appealed to Queen’s Park for better forestry policies because all-out logging seemed on a par with forest fire devastation. More attention was needed for silviculture (care of forests) and dendrology (the study of trees), but Ontarians’ overarching concerns were forest fires and logging practices.

In 1882 Bracebridge’s Aubrey White, Muskoka’s Crown lands agent, became Ontario’s Deputy Minister of Lands and Forests. He took to Queen’s Park visceral understanding of the need to control fires and initiated a system of fire rangers and fireobservation towers. By 1885, more than

three-dozen Lands and Forests rangers patrolled northern woods.

By the twentieth century, more people were using forests for different purposes. The commercial value of wooded areas for lumber and tourist lodgings soared. Besides logging, camping, hunting, fishing, waterways, and roads, the challenge was nature’s own handling of forests with fires and infestations.

Because foresters and game wardens shouldered all these tasks, better training would make them more effective and benefit both the forests and Ontarians.

A 1906 Ontario royal commission concluded, “No doubt a great deal of work in

August 2023 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 53

Photograph: Ministry of Natural Resources, Boyer Family Archives

Instruction in geology and demonstrations in sawmill operations at the Frost Centre also provided visiting city students with physical connection to resources and woodland operations. forestry can be done in this province by the University of Toronto, provided it receives the co-operation and encouragement of the government.” The following year the university across the road from Queen’s Park created Canada’s first Faculty of Forestry.

In 1919, Ontario’s new Farmer-Labour government, ousting the old-line parties, initiated an Ontario Air Service for forestry operations and headquartered at Sault Ste Marie. By 1921, to get more forest management operations into the north, one of those planes tracked the Bobcaygeon colonization road into Muskoka north to Dorset. From above, forester Peter McEwen spotted an ideal location by St. Nora Lake, where soon the new Chief Fire Ranger station was built.

By 1940, the imperative of a northern location for the university’s outdoor teaching program led to use of a Haliburton boy’s camp on Boshkung Lake. In 1943 visionary forester Peter McEwen of Lands and Forests, who had foreseen St. Nora Lake’s potential, delivered a paper to the Canadian Society of Forest Engineers proposing Ontario establish a forest ranger school. The government acted immediately. McEwen would determine the school’s location, devise its curriculum and become its inaugural director.

The forest ranger school, supplanting instruction at Boshkung, was established south of Dorset by the St. Nora Lake Fire Ranger headquarters. The campus was just barely in Haliburton County. Nearby Dorset’s main street straddles the Muskoka-

54 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

Haliburton boundary. In Toronto, where it was all the same thing, “Dorset” became shorthand for the forester school.

In June 1944, Lands and Forests and University of Toronto formed a partnership.

The government would erect all buildings, place a full-time ranger on site, hire a superintendent, and enroll students. The university would run undergrad and graduate courses, equip the facility with educational materials and equipment, manage the buildings and operate a “university forest.”

The mixed woodland, rich in wildlife, began as 2,000 acres west of St. Nora Lake, across the highway from the Fire Ranger headquarters. By the mid-1950s, the training and teaching forest would encompass 17,000 acres, including a corner of Muskoka’s Ridout Township.

Construction of the school, begun in 1944, continued to 1948. In autumn 1945, when the first 50 students arrived, the campus alongside Highway 35 was a workin-progress, with classes held in tents.

Students reached their classes through builders, moving machinery and stacked construction materials for what would become one of North America’s most prestigious forestry academies.

Previously, Ontario forestry training had been for Lands and Forests personnel. Now, to their mutual benefit, government foresters mixed with students enrolled in the University of Toronto’s forestry program. The blended stream received both classroom instruction and hands-on teaching in the

university forest, which faculty also turned into a laboratory for experiments and longerterm observations.

Ontario’s Forest Ranger School institutionalized the campaign of conservationists and foresters to monitor and protect Ontario forests. From 1945 to 1966, the facility expanded, responding to new forester roles while upgrading methods of instruction.

In the 1940s, rangers wanting to upgrade their education were men 40-years or older employed by Lands and Forests having at least Grade 8. As the curriculum expanded and faculty mandates grew, what had begun as continuing education for Lands and Forests personnel and higher education for university students shifted to include postwar training for soldiers wanting work in public and private forestry. After that phase, the program morphed into a post-secondary option for younger and less-experienced high school graduates. Then women showed up for classes amidst the ranks of male foresters.

In the 1950s, one of the forestry students was George Long of Gravenhurst who liked outdoor life more than factory employment.

In 1953, he left lab work at Gravenhurst’s Rubberset plant for a temporary job with Lands and Forests at Dorset. Earning $5.45 a day plus $35 a month for costs of living, Long enjoyed fresh air from spring to fall, having nothing to do with the Forestry School.

Next year, Long landed timber clerk work in Lands and Forests’ Parry Sound office. By 1957, his impressed supervisor suggested the department would pay Long’s salary while he studied at the Ranger School to qualify as a timber technician.

For classroom instruction, rows of desks faced a large blackboard on which instructors wrote in white chalk key points about lessons that rotated through geology and soil types, fish and wildlife, fire protection of forests, mathematics, tree types and characteristics, surveying, road building, and timber cruising.

Timber cruising, vital work for foresters, explains Long, “involves running a line into the bush for a mile or so, then measuring the girth of trees and calculating how many of each size stood in that sector, based on extensive sampling and measuring.” The forester “then calculated the area’s volume of

Photograph: Marilyn Long

harvestable wood,” data the government uses setting fees for the timber berth and lumber companies rely on when bidding for cutting rights. Hands-on instruction in cruising “required a full afternoon of teaching in the forest,” recalls Long.

By the 1960s, evolution became transformative. Entrance now required Grade 10 education. Graduating from Ontario’s Forest Ranger School was a prerequisite for anyone seeking outdoor work with Lands and Forests. More females were joining forestry classes. The field itself was expanding with other forestry schools operating in New Brunswick, Quebec, and Alberta.

In 1964, the forestry school was brought under Ontario’s Technical and Vocational Schools Act. The change qualified it for more government funding and students for government-backed loans but the tradeoff drew the school into Ontario’s mushrooming educational system.

Curriculum had been driven by new technology and forestry innovations. Forestry fundamentals focused on trees, care of forests, distinguishing all types of plants and wildlife,

Future forestry student George Long, seen here working at the Dorset Ranger Station in summer 1953, plots bearings from fire lookout towers onto a topographic map. The intersection of sightings of smoke from two towers – in this case, at Dorset and Oxtongue Lake – pinpoints the fire’s location. operational practicalities of surveying, drafting, mathematics and road locating, and familiarity with forest environments. But now structural revamping of Ontario’s educational apparatus and new policies at Queen’s Park shifted the school’s very foundations.

In 1966, the Forest Ranger School was

renamed the Ontario Forestry Technical School. Two years later, its training curriculum was transferred from University of Toronto to Sir Sandford Fleming College at Peterborough, one of Ontario’s 21 emerging Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology and one of the province’s three College Institutes of Technology and Advanced Learning. The University of Toronto terminated its agreement with Lands and Forests. The next year, the university surrendered its Crown lease on the training forest at Dorset.

Radical revamping of Ontario postsecondary education altered forest worker education. In tandem, specific training was increasingly provided by forestry companies for their own employees.

“The government could neither afford nor justify the whole operation without the university’s involvement,” observed Carol Moffatt in Minden & Area magazine, “so the facility at Dorset was handed over to the Ministry of Education. The school reverted to its original role, offering short courses for Lands and Forests employees, adding some

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August 2023 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 55

Photograph: Ministry of Natural Resources, Boyer Family Archives

outdoor education courses.”

By the winter of 1969-70, it was even offering outdoor education classes to public schoolers. Grade 6 classes from Bracebridge Public School attended its five-day course that winter, staying in the foresters’ dormitory and eating in their cafeteria.

In 1974, another shift came when Premier Bill Davis redesignated the former Forest Ranger School the Leslie M. Frost Natural Resource Centre. It was a nod to the former premier and Haliburton MPP who oversaw creation of Ontario’s forestry school but the reality was the institution’s role had changed.

The Frost Centre’s newly improvised purpose made use of a remnant facility whose mandate had evaporated.

Like other purpose-built complexes, the afterlife of Ontario’s Forest Ranger School entered a twilight zone. After the abrupt closure of the Frost Centre in 2004 as a costsaving political move, the facility became an environmentally-focused private school until 2010. The property and its 21 buildings were severed from the university forest.

After several stumbles and dead ends, the

In the Frost Centre, teaching by skilled ministry staff acquainted visitors with management and use of natural resources, in this case, fish and wildlife. Out-of-doors, canoeing lessons took place on St. Nora Lake. facility was listed for sale in 2020. Multiple bids pushed the number high and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union’s cinched acquisition with $3.2 million in January 2021. OPSEU would revitalize the historic site as a training and vacation centre for members. Work began but stalled with

OPSEU’s leadership crisis.

Whatever fate awaits the buildings and land at St. Nora Lake, Ontario’s unique Forest Ranger School, in its time and place, launched deeper understanding of precious woodlands and developed worthy steps to sustain healthy forests.

Hospice Muskoka’s Virtual Butterflies Have a Fresh New Look In many cultures, butterflies are thought to be the souls of the departed, returning to their loved ones to provide joy and comfort.

Honour your loved ones with the purchase of a virtual butterfly.

Each butterfly purchased helps us create a live butterfly garden next to Andy’s House for all to enjoy!

Purchase a virtual butterfly today at hospicemuskoka.com/butterflycampaign 56 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

Thank you for a successful event!

We raised over $93,000 for the Muskoka Conservancy! We can’t wait for next year!”

- Taylor Ross, Event Chair

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Bigwind Provincial Park is slated for upgrades in 2024 that will add 250 campground campsites and up to 25 new cabins to the Ontario Parks system.

Full-service provincial park planned for Bracebridge For the first time in 40 years the Province of Ontario has announced a new all-season, full-service provincial park and the new plan calls for it to be located in Muskoka.

Bigwind Provincial Park is located east of Bracebridge near the community of Vankoughnet. Currently designated as a non-operating provincial park, Bigwind offers low-intensity, self-guided recreational opportunities like hiking and nature appreciation. Presently, there are no staff-maintained facilities or campsites.

That will change very soon with construction of the new provincial park set to begin in fall of 2024. In June, David Piccini, the Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, along with other dignitaries, visited the park to make the announcement.

“Having grown up camping in Ontario Parks with my dad, I know just how special it is to have access to the great outdoors,” said Piccini. “This will be the first new operating provincial park in almost two generations and, with the demand on our parks system on the rise, our government understands the importance of investing in Ontario Parks, which is the largest provider of outdoor recreational experiences in the province.”

Once completed, the park will offer overnight, electrified campgrounds,

58 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

backcountry camping and a variety of four-season recreational activities. The park is expected to add 250 campground campsites and up to 25 new cabins to the Ontario Parks system.The park design will also consider environmentally sustainable elements, such as low-energy buildings, easy-to-access biking and walking routes and wildlife-friendly planning and design.

Over the coming months, the government says they will engage Indigenous communities, local municipalities, stakeholders and the public on the proposed new operating park. Individuals also have an opportunity to comment on the park’s design features until August 6.

Safe Quiet Lakes survey reveals concerns over boating safety A public survey recently completed by a local boating organization indicates the majority of Muskoka residents do not feel safe on local lakes.

Safe Quiet Lakes is a Muskoka-based organization dedicated to making Muskoka lakes safer and quieter. Representatives from the group recently attended the District of Muskoka’s finance and corporate services committee with the results of their survey on boater safety.

The survey, conducted by Eron research, includes data taken from other surveys over the past 12 years and it revealed some troubling trends. Perhaps the most concerning discovery was more than half of the residents surveyed indicated they feel less safe on Muskoka’s waterways.

During the presentation, Safe Quiet Lakes director Colleen Kennedy revealed residents of Muskoka have reported an increase in boat traffic, noise, speeds and wake size since 2013. The survey results also indicated people

A public survey recently completed

by Safe Quiet Lakes indicates the majority of Muskoka residents do not feel safe on local lakes.

are increasingly concerned about the danger the increased traffic creates for swimmers and paddlers, as well as the potential damage done to shorelines through erosion and damage to other boats and docks.

Residents were most concerned with personal watercraft; despite the fact they only make up between 5 per cent and 7 per cent of water traffic. The group said they plan to host educational webinars for personal watercraft owners and launch a social media campaign in an effort to increase safety.

Floating accommodations banned from overnight docking on provincial waterways The province has issued a crackdown on floating accommodations. Effective July 1 the Government of Ontario has prohibited floating accommodations from docking overnight on provincial waterways.

“We heard a number of concerns about the use of floating accommodations on Ontario’s waterways, including their potential effects on the environment as well as concerns about safety,” said Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry.

“With these changes, we are taking action to protect our waterways by preserving access to lakes and rivers, ensuring access for recreational users, and reducing the potential for pollution of lakes and rivers.”

Floating accommodations, such as rafts and barges, contain buildings or structures equipped for overnight accommodation.

Unlike watercraft, they are not primarily designed for navigation.

The regulatory changes follow consultations with the public, boaters, cottagers, municipalities and Indigenous communities. Concerns were expressed that floating accommodations could disturb local Photograph: Mike Bowman

Photograph: Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks

Whats Happened

communities where I grew up.”

The festival will focus on independent films.

“Independent film enables the filmmaker’s artistic vision for a more realistic reflection of the state of our world,” said Pole.

Bracebridge resident Melissa Pole brings Three Fires Film Festival to Huntsville, with a focus on independent and Indigenous films.

Three Fires Film Festival headed for Huntsville A unique film festival featuring work from around the globe will soon be on the big screen in Huntsville.

The Three Fires Film Festival will feature 68 films from 20 countries and will comprise more than 60 per cent Indigenous content.

The film festival will run from July 27 to 30 in Huntsville at River Mill Park. In addition to many films, the festival will also feature workshops and an arts marketplace.

“I hope this project provides a space for us to come together to learn, have conversations and get to know one another,” said founder and director of the festival, Bracebridge resident Melissa Pole. “I look forward to growing the festival into something truly transformational to the

Muskoka Chautauqua, one of the longest-running and most iconic cultural institutions in the region, returns to Windermere in 2023 with a wide variety of events and activities.

Councillors in Muskoka Lakes Township recently made several significant changes to the municipality’s dark sky regulations.

Councillors made the changes during their meeting in June.

Among the new changes, residents will not be permitted to leave architectural lighting or landscape lighting on from 11 p.m. to sunrise of the next day, except for dock light fixtures, pathway light fixtures and a maximum of three outdoor luminaires can be attached to the exterior of a boathouse.

Muskoka Lakes resident Daniel Bornstein said as part of a delegation to council, the dark sky friendly bylaw was a great start but it needed more work. Bornstein showed photographs of a number of lights within the municipality which he believed would remain compliant under the new rules but were intrusive and should not be allowed.

Bornstein said all lights which are not being used should be turned off. He also took issue with the three-year grandfather clauses for existing lights that are non-compliant.

Councillor Ruth Nishikawa said she also felt the bylaw needed more work.

Muskoka Chautauqua unveils 2023 lineup

Photograph: Aperture Vintage

Photograph: Melissa Pole

Muskoka Lakes Township tightens dark sky rules

Photograph: Muskoka Chautauqua

fish and wildlife by disrupting the natural environment and increasing pollution risk from garbage, greywater disposal and spills.

The changes, which clarify the difference between floating accommodations and watercraft, only apply to public lands in Ontario managed under the Public Lands Act and will not address floating accommodations located on private water lots or on waterways under the jurisdiction of other governments and ministries (e.g., portions of Trent-Severn Waterway).

The regulation will not impact anyone exercising their right to navigate, including reasonable mooring or anyone exercising Aboriginal or treaty rights.

During their meeting in June, councillors in Muskoka Lakes Township recently made several significant changes to the municipality’s dark sky regulations in order to reduce light pollution.

Brass bands, literary lectures, morning meditations and so much more.

Muskoka Chautauqua has unveiled their summer lineup which includes dozens of events packed into a 10-day festival, overlooking the shores of Lake Rosseau in the historic village of Windermere.

Springing from a tradition started 100 years ago, when the village of Windermere attracted North America’s leading thinkers to its shores, Muskoka Chautauqua is one of the longest-running and most iconic cultural institutions in the region.

Festivities kick off on August 4 with several activities including a festival opening and welcome, the official gallery exhibition opening, a water-ski show by SWS and a waterfront concert by the Big Smoke Brass Band. All of the August 4 events are by donation.

For music fans there will be a concert with the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra on August 5, music under the stars with Bet Smith on August 6, an acoustic performance

by Leah Leslie on August 8, the Toronto All-Star Big Band on August 9, an acoustic performance by Jen Morgan Anderson and Kelly Creasor on August 10, a blues concert with Po Cholly and Beverlie Robertson on August 11 and Jennifer Tung in concert on August 13.

There are many more events planned throughout the week. Visit MuskokaChautauqua.com for more information.

Feature by Matt Driscoll August 2023 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 59

Hot Days, Cool Meals No stove necessary Article by K.M. Wehrstein / Photography by Tomasz Szumski It’s a beautifully sunny but sweltering day in Muskoka. Mealtime is near and you want to stay out of the kitchen because you can’t stand the heat.

Pity the poor food-preparers of Muskoka, who cannot escape slaving over a hot stove!

Except when they’re making the sorts of dishes that don’t require the hot stove. With their knowledge of how to keep it cool, a few have seen fit to share their secrets so you can keep the stove off while the weather’s hot.

We will start at the Blue Willow Tea Shop in Gravenhurst, which is a place like no other. It’s right next the Muskoka Wharf dock, with a clear view of the steamships.

The décor is thoroughly British, from the Union Jack flags in the planters to the special display offering tribute to the late Queen. It is a celebration of all that is ornate, matching and fine, so much that they’ll flavour your glass of water with pineapple and cinnamon sticks and put a doily in the container for your leftovers. The shop is spectacularly lined with precisely arranged tea sets of every colour and style; some for sale, others are investments on display.

Originally established in 2006, Blue Willow is now owned by Alison McKinnon and Pamela Harris, who met as co-workers in management at a Muskoka resort in 2017.

“We were doing events together,” Harris recalls, “and thought ‘let’s start our own thing’.” On a whim they had lunch at Blue Willow in December 2018, found out it was for sale, saw the potential and bought it in time to open in March 2019.

When disaster struck the hospitality field a year later, the partners had to scramble to survive businesswise. “‘Pivot’ was a word we used a lot,” says Harris.

60 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

The Blue Willow Tea Shop in Gravenhurst, co-owned by Alison McKinnon (left) and Pamela Harris (right), offers a high tea menu that changes every month. Each high tea has a different theme and tea service is all delivered on an elegant three-tier tray with sandwiches and savoury items, scones and sweet treats.

“Every time a rule changed, we adapted,” McKinnon adds. “We increased our retail because you could be a store but not a restaurant – then decided we love it so we’re not getting rid of it.”

Their virtual store on the arts and crafts site Etsy helped them weather COVID-19 and become known as a source for fine china.

“We ship all over the world,” says Harris, naming Norway, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Australia, Japan and Spain in addition to all over Canada and the United States.

“COVID-19 pushed us to where we are today,” says Harris. “It got us to where we wanted to be. In a weird way, we’re grateful.”

Open year-round, the tea shop does a

special Christmas high tea and a French-themed Valentine’s Day one but, says Harris, “Our most popular day is Mother’s Day. We are always sold out. It’s a wonderful weekend here, a lot of happy people.”

For summer, Blue Willow partners with Muskoka Steamships to offer high tea afloat on their historic vessels. “We have a lot of celebrations here,” says McKinnon, since you can rent the shop for wedding showers, baby showers, anniversaries, retirement parties and the like. Blue Willow also offers take-out and catering services.

The high tea menu is changed every month, with a different theme, such as “Strawberry Fields” (June) which included the strawberry bruschetta included below, and “Tastes of Muskoka” (July) which included butter tarts with maple syrup. Tea service is all delivered on an elegant three-tier tray.

“On the bottom is sandwiches and savouries,” Harris explains. “We try to stick to some classics—cucumber with cream cheese is standard—but infuse the themes. The second level is different scone flavours with imported Devon cream. The top level is a selection of little desserts.” Original items are created by inspiration, trial and error, drawing on cuisines such as Greek and Italian.

Accompanying all this, of course, is tea.

With the watermelon bruschetta, Harris and McKinnon paired Blue Willow Watermelon Oolong, which is quite the amazing experience. The tea’s flavour separates out and features the non-sweet aspect of watermelon’s taste, providing something entirely familiar and yet utterly new at the same time.

With both bruschettas, the herbs and the cheeses are equally cogent in combining with the fruit to create the full effect, and texturally they still provide the crusty/moist foiling that bruschetta is so loved for, for an all-over delicious experience.

“We want every bite to taste amazing,” says McKinnon. “You leave feeling full – it’s a generous amount of food – and everyone gets to taste something good.”

Dominic Grimaldi, executive chef at the Bigwin Island Golf Club, recalls his very first memory of cooking: “the smell of garlic and onions in a frying pan. I started drooling like Pavlov’s dog.”

It will not surprise you, then, to hear he is a first generation Italian Canadian. “Food has always been a big part of our lives,” Grimaldi reminisces. “It’s an integral part of an Italian family. We made tomato sauce and preserves, my dad made prosciutto… the main ingredient is love. You feed your family because you love them. My grandmother rolled fancy pastas because she loved us.”

As a youth in Toronto, Grimaldi started out working the front of the house but, because he so enjoyed cooking for family and friends, he decided to pursue a career in it, attending Humber College and George

Lamb Feta Burgers – Dominic Grimaldi

To roast garlic Cut a whole head of garlic in half, exposing the cloves inside their skins.

Cut a 12-inch square piece of aluminum foil and pour 50 ml of olive oil onto it.

Season the two halves of the head with salt and place flat, cut sides down, on top of the olive oil. Bring corners of foil together to form a pouch. Place on grill on medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes.

When done, garlic should be brown and soft to the touch. When cool, squeeze each half and the half-cloves should come out easily. Use the broad side of a chef ’s knife to smash garlic to a pulp.

To make the burgers Ingredients

500 grams Ontario ground lamb 100 grams feta cheese 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 egg ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley ½ bunch cilantro 1 tsp ground cumin 1 clove roasted mashed garlic 100 grams goat cheese

Method

• Combine all ingredients except the goat cheese in a large bowl. Mix well by hand and form four balls of equal size.

• Place on flat surface and press firmly with palm to make patties. Season with salt and pepper.

• Cook on clean hot grill until medium to well done.

• Place 25 grams of goat cheese on each patty after the last flip.

To make the grilled vegetables Ingredients 1 yellow zucchini squash, cut at a 45-degree angle into ¼-inch pieces 1 green zucchini squash, cut at a 45-degree angle into ¼-inch pieces 1 small eggplant, cut into ¼-inch circles 1 red bell pepper, with stem and seeds removed, cut into bite-sized pieces

Method

• Season all the vegetables with salt and toss with olive oil.

• Use the grill to cook all the above ingredients.

• Place a piece of each vegetable on each burger. Toast favourite burger bun on the grill and enjoy.

Yield: four burgers.

Wine pairing: Cabernet or fullbodied Shiraz.

Chef ’s Tips

• Make sure the grill is hot so that you can actually make grill-marks. “Cold grills boil meat.”

• Always season with salt and pepper before grilling, even 20 minutes before, if possible, as that brings out the flavours. “People think salt will dry it out. It’s the exact opposite.”

• “I like feta cheese in it to make it kind of creamy, and cumin for the Mediterranean taste. I like roasted garlic because it’s toned down, not sharp as when it’s raw."

Dominic Grimaldi, executive chef at the Bigwin Island Golf Club, shares his lamb feta burger with grilled vegetables, saying he had “the recipe in my back pocket for a long time.”

August 2023 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 61

Brown College, then apprenticing under an award-winning chef in Toronto. After an eight-month sojourn in Italy, specifically Tuscany and Genova, where he learned much from Italian chefs, he returned to Toronto to cater for crowds ranging from 10 to 5,000.

Currently he’s in his fifth summer at Bigwin.

Grimaldi, who first connected with Muskoka as a teen, visiting to fish and spend time with friends, explains its draw: “Natural beauty, fresh air, nature, wildlife. This island in particular is pretty special. It’s scenic, and the members are amazing people, very supportive; they love the food. People up here are chill. In the city there’s always a place to go; everybody here is where they need to be.”

Grimaldi expounds on his culinary philosophy: “Using fresh ingredients, as much local as possible, cooking within the seasons and making people happy with food. When someone comes to my house, I feed them; that’s how I grew up.”

“I’m Italian, my style is Mediterranean, lots of olive oil, tomatoes, olives,” he says—but adds that he still looks to other cuisines for inspiration. “I love all kinds of food. We live in a multicultural society and every culture has a great dish. For me recipes are sort of like having a brainstorming session: how can I tweak it, how can I make it better.”

Grimaldi’s lamb feta burger with grilled vegetables is a “simple take on the burger,” in his words. His take is a memorable one. First of all, it’s made of ground lamb. Second, well, let’s defer to his own description. “It’s rustic but elegant at the same time; the flavours go well together. Anything grilled with grilled lamb is great. Goat cheese and feta cheese with lamb is a match made in heaven.”

“I had the recipe in my back pocket for a long time,” says Grimaldi, who has been an executive chef since 2008. “I introduced it in my first year here. It’s a great summer burger.”

How was the audience reception? “It’s now the signature burger of the island, very popular with the members. I can’t take it off the menu. If I do, people ask where it is.”

Like any Italian, Grimaldi knows the deep connection between food and happiness.

“If you want good food,” he says, “you have to have happiness in your soul.”

62 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

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Watermelon Feta Bruschetta

– Alison McKinnon and Pamela Harris

Ingredients

1 French baguette cut into 1-inch angled slices (toasting optional) 1 cup feta cheese crumbles 2 tablespoons of heavy cream 2 cups of fresh seedless watermelon, diced into small cubes 3 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped 3 tablespoons of balsamic glaze

Method

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• Cut baguette on an angle to make 1-inch-thick slices. You should get about 20 pieces.

• Dice watermelon into tiny pieces.

• Blend feta and whipping cream until smooth.

• Spoon feta cheese/cream mixture onto baguette, about 1 tablespoon.

• Top with a generous amount of watermelon.

• Drizzle with balsamic glaze.

• Finish with a sprinkle of fresh basil.

Tea pairing: Blue Willow

Watermelon Oolong (slice of watermelon as garnish, optional)

Strawberry Ricotta Bruschetta

– Alison McKinnon and Pamela Harris

Ingredients

1 French baguette cut into 1-inch angled slices (toasting optional) 1½ cups whole-milk ricotta cheese 2 pints of fresh Ontario strawberries, hulled and diced into small cubes 3 tablespoons of fresh mint, chopped 3 tablespoons of balsamic glaze

Method

• Cut baguette on an angle to make 1-inch-thick slices. You should get about 20 pieces.

• Core strawberries and dice into tiny pieces.

• Spoon ricotta cheese onto baguette, about 1 tablespoon.

• Top with a generous spoonful of strawberries.

• Drizzle with balsamic glaze.

• Finish with a sprinkle of fresh mint.

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Tea pairing: Blue Willow Strawberry Rooibos.

August 2023 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 63

Muskoka Moments

Nothing short of magic Article by Val Hamilton

64 UNIQUE MUSKOKA August 2023

respect for our natural environment top of mind. With visitations at an all-time high, Muskoka Tourism has launched a new summer campaign, not to drive greater business but to remind travellers with their visit comes the responsibility to leave Muskoka just as they found it.

I know this is a message that will resonate with Muskoka’s lifelong, full-time residents, as much as it will act to ensure others take the same care of Muskoka that we do. Our message is to “Go Lightly” and is being shared through social media, radio, YouTube, and in partnering with influencers who visit the region. As we look ahead to 2024, we plan to build on this campaign as it’s never been more important to protect this place we call home.

If I had to choose my favourite Muskoka moments, it would be those spent with my family on our dock in Port Carling. This is my fourteenth year here, and I take none of it for granted. Every winter bonfire on a bluebird day, every late-night jump in the lake, and every breathtaking sunset, I savour each and every moment. There is no place on earth I’d rather be.

Photograph: Scott Turnbull

I was first introduced to Muskoka when I took a summer job at Clevelands House Resort on Lake Rosseau. I immediately knew Muskoka was nothing short of magic.

I spent my days hosting bocce ball tournaments, calling bingo games in the Lake Rosseau Club and planning shuffleboard duels for over 50 players at a time. I even ordered shuffleboard equipment for the one and only Martin Short.

Working at a historic resort like Clevelands House was like being taken back in time. It’s those memories that made me fall in love with Muskoka and I’ve been here ever since.

Today I live with my family in beautiful Port Carling and I have the pleasure of being the executive director of Muskoka Tourism. At Muskoka Tourism, we work to inspire visitors through seasonally focused marketing campaigns. I find my greatest inspiration in my own day-to-day life. Nothing feels more natural to me than promoting Muskoka to the world as a must-experience destination.

As a family, we love the ski trails at the Bracebridge Resource Management Centre or a visit to one of the nine waterfalls in our region. We spend every minute we can on the water and love exploring the array of great shops across the region. I weave these moments into our marketing campaigns and with a love like this for Muskoka, it never feels like work.

When travel writers or media visit Muskoka I often speak of the magic. It’s almost hard to put into words the feeling when you cross the bridge in Port Severn or pass Webers on Highway 11. It’s an instant

sense of relaxation and of being home. Many have used the term ‘Hamptons of the North’ to help would-be visitors better understand Muskoka. While the glitz and glam around the lakes is pretty spectacular, the Muskoka experience is so much more than that.

It’s the many small communities that support one another and come together to create something even greater. It’s knowing everyone by name at your local grocery store. It’s watching people explore the beauty of our winter landscapes for the first time (skating trail anyone!) and it’s watching families coming back to our over 35 public beaches and cottage resorts because once Muskoka is discovered, it’s never forgotten.

A new focus for me, and for Muskoka Tourism, is to keep sustainability and

Val has called Muskoka home for fourteen years, having arrived here from Kingston and never looking back. Val has held marketing roles at Clevelands House, Horseshoe Resort and Muskoka Brewery and is now the executive director of Muskoka Tourism.

Val spends the best part of her day with her husband Jesse and stepdaughter Libby, exploring Muskoka every season of the year.

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