final brick laid for town hall 

Bayfield Town Hall Heritage Society President, Margo Robeson and Vice President Jerry Selk check out the final installment of bricks that were laid this past week at the Bayfield Town Hall by Gold Coast Landscaping of Varna. (Photo by Roger Lewington)

The final brick has been laid at the Bayfield Town Hall as part of the fundraiser for the landscaping and exterior improvements made to the hall in the last couple of years.

The project has been generously supported by the community through donations and the purchase of bricks that have been placed in the walkway. The landscaping and brick laying was done by Gold Coast Landscaping, of Varna, and the ironwork by Jim Wallace of Sharpe's Creek Forge near Goderich.

Margo Robeson, president of the Bayfield Town Hall Heritage Society (BTHHS) said, "On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank the community for their generous support of this project."

This most recent project at the hall cost approximately $35,000 with the majority of the funds generated from the community. In addition, there were heritage grants from the County of Huron and Municipality of Bluewater.

The Town Hall was built in 1882 then moved to its present location on Clan Gregor Square in 1920. The Town Hall was the seat of village government from that date until 1927 and again from 1965 to 1984 at which point the aging building was closed for failure to meet fire code standards.

In 1989, a committee was formed to restore and re-energize the Town Hall. The committee was known as the "Friends of the Town Hall" and after years of fundraising, collecting private donations and grants, enough money was raised to restore this historic building.

The BTHHS, a non-profit charitable corporation with a volunteer board of directors, is charged with the maintenance and upkeep of this historic building. This upkeep is possible through the many fundraising events run by the board as well as generous donations from Bayfield residents.

In addition to maintaining the Historic Town Hall, the mission of the BTHHS is to provide cultural events and activities for Bayfield and area residents.

The Bayfield Town Hall has become an iconic symbol of the village with many residents and visitors choosing to have their event at the Town Hall.

For rental information call 519 565-5788 or email bayfieldtownhall@gmail.com or visit their website for more information www.bayfieldtownhall.com.

visitors find their way on woodland Trail 

Tom Friesen, past president of Hike Ontario (fourth from left), and Bayfield River Valley Trail Association President Dave Gillians (on his left), led about 25 walkers on the Woodland Trail to celebrate the Camino de Santiago Trail to Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain and St. James. (Photo by Roger Lewington)

The Bayfield River Valley Trail Association (BRVTA) welcomed 25 walkers from Southwestern and Central Ontario that have walked the El Camino Trail to Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain on July 24. The group enjoyed a walk on the BRVTA’s Woodland Trail.

They also took some time at the village’s Trinity Anglican Church to celebrate the Apostle St. James, who is buried in the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.

Many Bayfield residents have walked the Camino. These people have great stories to share from their adventure and did so following the local walk over traditional Spanish soup and bread served up in the parish hall at Trinity.

The Way of St. James is the pilgrimage to the cathedral, where legend has it that the remains of the apostle, Saint James the Great, are buried. St. James’ Way has existed for over 1,000 years. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times. It is believed that his remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain where they were buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela.

There is no single route; the Way can take one of any number of pilgrimage routes to the cathedral including through Portugal, Spain, England, France and Switzerland. The distances vary widely from a couple of hundred kilometers to over a thousand kilometers.

The participants were able to share stories of hiking through the Pyrenees Mountains to walking through French villages and vineyards. Several people had made the trek from several points and had made a number of trips. Hikers are able to set their own pace and cover as much of the way as they can in the time they have available. For accommodation, there are hostels along the way that are organized by each of the particular trails.

The most popular route, which gets very crowded in mid-summer, is the Camino Francés which stretches nearly 500 miles from St. Jean-Pied-du-Port near Biarritz in France to Santiago.

The network is similar to a river system - small brooks join together to make streams, and the streams join together to make rivers, most of which join together to make the Camino Francés. During the middle ages, people walked out of their front doors and started off to Santiago, which was how the network grew up. Today, cheap air travel has afforded people the opportunity to fly to their starting point, and often to do different sections in successive years. Some people set out on the Camino for spiritual reasons; many others find spiritual reasons along the Way as they meet other pilgrims, attend pilgrim masses in churches and monasteries and cathedrals, and see the large infrastructure of buildings provided for pilgrims over many centuries.

During the Middle Ages, the route was highly traveled. However, the Black Plague, the Protestant Reformation and political unrest in 16th-century Europe resulted in its decline. By the 1980s, only a few pilgrims arrived in Santiago annually. However, since then, the route has attracted a growing number of modern-day pilgrims from around the globe. The route was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in October 1987; it was also named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 1993.

Walking the Camino is not difficult - most of the stages are fairly flat on good paths. The main difficulty is that few people have walked continuously for 10, 20 or 30 days.

According to websites on the trek, approximately, 250,000 walkers undertake the walk to Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain every year.

Fall Fair searching for talented youth

Once again, the Bayfield Fall Fair will play host to a Preliminary Competition as part of the Western Fair Youth Talent Search on the opening night of the fair, Aug. 19.

All summer long, aspiring entertainers between the ages of six and 21 have been performing at preliminary competitions, like the one planned to take place in the Bayfield Community Centre at 7 p.m. on the Friday of the fair.

Competitors hope to win a chance to represent their area at the finals to be held at the 2011 Western Fair in London this September. There are a number of prizes to be won at the Western Fair in the Junior (ages six to 12 years) and Senior (ages 13-21) Divisions. In the Senior Division, one act at the Western Fair finals will ultimately be chosen to compete at the national championships in Calgary on Nov.19.

For more information on the Bayfield Talent Search including, rules, regulations, and online registration forms, please visit the Bayfield Fall Fair website at www.bayfieldfallfair.ca.

Interested contestants need to be sure to read the rules thoroughly before entering. Entries must be made in duplicate on the Official Youth Talent Entry Form. All required information must be provided, and sent or delivered to the Contest Coordinator, Charlie Kalbfleisch, by the closing date, Aug. 8.

The following people can be contacted for more information: Kalbfleisch, 519 565-2244; Wilhelmina Laurie, 519 482-9265; or Dave Bieman via email at dbieman@tcc.on.ca.

time is running out to nominate a great tree

The quest is now on to discover the great trees of Bluewater. As part of the Bluewater Blooms, Communities in Bloom, initiative people are being encouraged to join in the Great Tree Hunt and nominate a heritage or native tree in the municipality for recognition.

A Heritage Tree is considered to be a specimen of note, a part of a generation of photographs or associated with an historic person or community landmark. Or nominate a Native Tree, remarkable specimens of the Tulip Tree, Silver Maple or Red Oak varieties are but examples.

The Great Tree Hunt is running from now until Aug. 12. The winning trees will be researched and recognized in a future publication.

For entry forms, contact thyra.knudsen@gmail.com or www.town.bluewater.on.ca

Anglican

The Bayfield Antique Fair is set to open its doors for the 26th season at the Bayfield Arena, Aug. 5-7. The congregation of Trinity Anglican Church organizes this annual event with proceeds going toward church needs and outreach.

Professional antique dealers from across Ontario bring an impressive array of quality antiques and collectibles including: Canadiana, furniture, books, porcelain, ironstone, silver, estate and costume jewelery and antique toys - in short, something for everyone and every pocketbook.

The Gala Evening Opening Celebration is set for Friday, 7-9 p.m. This year the gala will feature a nautical theme and will be hosted by the venerable Admiral Bayfield himself. Fine wine and assorted cheeses will be served along with appetizers from the village’s stellar local restaurants. The talented members of Elliott's Liquidation Band will provide the musical entertainment for the evening.
Always a highlight of the weekend, those who attend the gala can mingle with the knowledgeable vendors, chat, browse and even purchase a unique item for their collection.

Gala tickets are available now for $10 in until Aug. 4 at 5 p.m. and then the price increases to $12. Tickets are $5 per day on Saturday and Sunday with the show hours being 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. respectively.

During the show refreshments and light fare can be purchased at the café; in addition to delicious home made sweets, sandwiches made from recipes past down by former tea room hostesses are offered.

According to organizers, the dealers love the show and bring beautiful antiques and collectibles, big and small, to suit every taste. For more information please call 519 565-2974 or visit their website at www.trinitychurch.

BSRA

Learn more about what the implications of industrial wind farms could be in the local community by attending a screening of the award-winning documentary, “Windfall”.

It will be shown at the Bayfield Town Hall on Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door.

The Bluewater Shoreline Residents Association (BSRA) is sponsoring this event.

Town hall

The Bayfield Town Hall Heritage Society will host “Detroit to Bayfield with Music” at the town hall on Aug. 19.

This evening of beautiful chamber music will feature a fun mix of international duos and trios for violin, clarinet and cello. The performers, Velda Kelly, Nadine Deleury and Brian Bowman are members of the Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra.

The concert will begin at 8 p.m.

Another highlight of the evening will be an auction. A wine tasting for 10 as well as a “Why I love Bayfield” poster will be auctioned off during intermission.

Also all who attend are invited for a complimentary glass of wine after the concert to meet the musicians.

Tickets are $20 each and are available on Ticket Scene, at Ernie King Music in Goderich or by calling 519 565-2827 or 519 565-2894.

Midsummer readings

The lawn of The Village Book Shop, on Catherine St., is the perfect place for a midsummer tryst with a favorite author.

On Aug. 6, the store will host, A Midsummer Night's Reading with D J McIntosh, author of The Witch of Babylon. Gary Davidson Group and Beate Bowron Etc generously sponsor this reading.

This event will begin at 7 p.m. and is free of charge. Participants are reminded to bring lawn chairs or beach blankets.

On Aug. 21 The Little Inn of Bayfield will play host to a Books and Brunch with Alissa York starting at 12:30 p.m. Tickets for this event are $30. They can be purchased at The Village Bookshop, 20 Catherine St. or by calling 519 565-5600 or emailing Mary Brown.

pioneer park

Pioneer Park is going to be a very active place over the remaining weeks of summer with some family fun in the works.

For two Saturdays in August as dusk settles over this lakeside park a film will be shown under the stars. Families are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to cuddle up and watch Enchanted on Aug. 13. Something for the older crowd is set for Aug. 27 when the classic Rocky Horror Picture Show will be presented.

A new event for families, entitled Art in the Park, will be held on Aug. 6th followed by the Annual General Meeting of the Pioneer Park Association at 10 a.m. on Aug. 13.

Bayfield concert series

The Bayfield Concert Series summer line up is really heating up with a "bare naked lady" now on the docket.

Kevin Hearn, of the very popular Canadian group, Bare Naked Ladies, will show off his solo talents on the Bayfield Town Hall Stage on Aug. 25.

The doors will open at 8 p.m. and the show will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 each and are available now at www.ticketscene.ca.

Horticultural Society

The very future of the Bayfield and Area Horticultural Society (BAHS) may depend on the outcome of the organization’s next general meeting to be held on Sept. 19.

According to Sue van Baardwyk, secretary for the BAHS, “The focus of the meeting will be to discuss and vote on the future of BAHS. We need you to come out, to bring all members and friends of BAHS and to be ready to talk and cast votes for our future.”

She noted that this is an extremely important general meeting for all members, and those who would like to become members. The meeting will be held in the Bayfield Lions’ Community Building starting at 7:30 p.m.

Prior to this discussion and vote, a guest speaker will share his knowledge on a popular subject with the BAHS membership – Trees. The speaker will be Ian Jean from the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA).

diners' club

Anyone who is 55+ years of age is invited to join the members of the Bayfield Diners’ Club for their weekly Thursday lunches. Newcomers and summer residents are most welcome to join in the meal.

The meals are served at noon at the Bayfield Community Centre. The cost for the lunch is $8 per person. Anyone who wishes to enjoy the meal but cannot make it to the community centre is invited to order a take-out lunch.

Participants should call Betty Brodhagan at 519 565-4123 on the Monday prior to the Thursday lunch to inform organizers of their intention to attend or not to attend the luncheon.

The Bayfield Diners’ Club is also looking volunteers to assist in the kitchen for the summer months. Anyone who can donate two hours of their Thursday morning to help prepare or serve the lunch would be most welcome and should contact Brodhagen at the number listed above.