Upcoming Events
The following is a list of potential group activities being planned for Chapter members. Some of the events are awaiting confirmation of exact dates and times by event hosts. Updates will be provided as they become available.
2024
Rideau Paddlefest
SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2024
Smiths Falls, ON
Rouge National Urban Park Morning Paddle
SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2024
Scarborough, ON
9am
Join in a pleasant morning paddle at Rouge National Urban Park. We will be paddling from Rouge Beach through the marsh and observe the observe the rich diversity of birds that call this area home. Approximately 2 hours to paddle up the tranquil Rouge river into the park up to Glen Rouge campground and then back down to the mouth of the river. Meet at Rouge Beach parking lot (Corner of Lawrence Avenue East and 195 Rouge Hills Drive). Link to Google Maps
Lakefield Jazz, Art & Craft Festival
Saturday, July 13, 2024
10am - 6pm
Isabel Morris Park, Lakefield, Ontario
The Northern Lakes chapter is anticipating having an outdoor booth at the Annual Lakefield Jazz, Art & Craft Festival, taking place this year on Saturday July 13th. The event takes place right along the historic Otonabee River at Isabel Morris Park. Given the rich canoe history of the Lakefield area, we will be showcasing some items related to the various incarnations of the Lakefield Canoe Co.
Wooden Canoe Heritage Association
Annual Assembly
July 16 – 21, 2024
Paul Smith's, New York State
Dates for the 45th annual WCHA Assembly have been confirmed. Wooden canoe enthusiasts from all over the USA, Canada, and a few other countries are set to converge at Paul Smith’s College in New York State on July 16 through July 21st. The event runs from Tuesday evening through Sunday morning, and includes classes on canoe paddling , construction and restoration, camp crafts, and lots of paddling opportunities on the beautiful adjacent Adirondack lakes. The theme this year is "Courting Canoes".
Additional information on the theme with registration details and programs to be be released.
Oxtongue River - Silent Boat Rally
Saturday, July 27, 2024
Dwight Ontario
Hosted by Lake of Bays Association & Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation
The Northern Lakes Chapter invites its members to the Annual Silent Boat Rally taking place on Lake of Bays on July 27th, 2024. All types of non-motorized watercraft are welcome to meet at Dwight Beach for an easy 8km paddle upstream on the lower Oxtongue River to beautiful Marsh's Falls and back.
This guided tour is a fun event for all ages and skill levels and features an opportunity to learn about some of the plants and animals that inhabit this ecologically rich river valley. A joint venture by the Lake of Bays Association (LOBA) and the Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation (LBHF), there is a cost of $25 per person, lunch included with funds going to these non-profit organizations. The Northern Lakes Chapter will be covering this $25 cost of members who bring a wooden canoe. A heritage paddling tour guide has been published by the group (*.pdf format). For a report of the 2023 event, click here.
For more information, or to register, please contact registration @ lakeofbaysheritage.ca with a subject line of Silent Boat Rally.
Make a Splash Festival
August 2024
Specific Date & Time confirmation pending
Gull Lake Rotary Park - Gravenhurst, ON
The Town of Gravenhurst hosts and annual free paddling event every August at Gull Lake Rotary Park Beach. The 2023 event was unfortunately cancelled due to severe thunderstorms but is being planned for 2024. The family friendly, fun-filled day allows folks to try out a variety of paddling craft supplied by the town. The Town will provide PFDs for those participating and the waterfront will be monitored by lifeguards on duty. Local outfitters will be bringing in canoes, kayaks, paddle boards and the associated equipment required like safety kits, paddles, etc. Additional events include swim races and a sandcastle building contest. The Northern Lakes Chapter will have an information booth and displays of wooden canoe craft including a 3-foot model birchbark canoe under construction.
Lock & Paddle 2024
Specific Date & Time confirmation pending
(Typically Last Saturday in August)
Join Parks Canada at this free community paddling event to celebrate the Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site and take a ride to the top. Enjoy a paddle on the waterway alongside hundreds of colourful canoes and kayaks, before we pack the World’s Tallest Hydraulic Lift Lock and send you 65ft into the air. At the top, take in the spectacular view surrounded by the sounds of music and laughter, in the company of new friends and family. Additional information on how to get there along with photos of previous events can be found on the Parks Canada website.
Canadian Canoe Museum Opening
Peterborough, ON
2024
Dates and event confirmation pending
The Chapter is hoping to arrange a group visit to the newly constructed home of the Canadian Canoe Museum. The Museum's opening date, which has been delayed several times, has been tentatively set for May 2024. Depending on confirmation and attendance numbers, we may be able to combine this with an on-water paddling event on Little Lake in Peterborough or surrounding areas. More details to come.
Muskoka Lakes Museum Group Tour
Port Carling, ON
2024 DATE to be confirmed
A group tour of the quaint Muskoka Lakes Museum, located on James Bartleman Island, right in downtown Port Carling, Ontario. The museum collection features nearly a dozen vintage canoes on display, including an Algonquin birchbark canoe from 1885, a 19th century settler dugout, a Lakefield Canoe Co cedar strip, various Walter Dean Sunnyside Cruisers with metallic batten construction, as well as a William English board-and-batten canoe. Also in the collection is a very rare vertical cedar rib sailing canoe built by the Toronto Canoe and Boat Company circa 1890.
Location & Parking
The Muskoka Lakes Museum is located on James Bartleman Island Park, which is between the two locks in the centre of Port Carling. There is no parking or vehicle access on the island, but free parking is available behind the Muskoka Lakes Library, at the Port Carling Memorial Community Centre, and along the main street. The island is accessed by a footbridge; follow the big blue signs.
Humber River & Sunnyside Shore paddle
Toronto, Ontario
May 2024
Specific Date and Time to be determined based on group interest
Meet: Humber River Boat Launch
King's Mill Park, Etobicoke
Paddling Distance: 7km with option to extend to 11 km along lakeshore
Join us for a pleasant springtime day-paddle in a hidden nook of Toronto's west end. The mouth of the Humber river is the terminus of the historic Toronto Carrying Place, an indigenous trail that connected the Great Lakes with watersheds well north of the city. It was also the location for much of Toronto's leisure canoeing in the 1890s to the 1940s with many liveries and local canoe builders setting up shop along the shore.
Canoe excursion on the Humber River
June 4, 1896
R.S. Cassels. Library and Archives Canada, PA-123333
Paddling fun in front of a Canoe Livery on the Humber
1910 - 1912
1910 - 1912
Lakefront View of Palais Royale / Dean's Boathouse.
Due to shoreline filling, the boathouse is located slightly inland but its unique architecture can still be viewed from the water today. Locations of other historical boathouses (now demolished) will be pointed out. For a historical perspective of the Humber and Sunnyside canoe area, check out this 25 minute YouTube video that was presented as part of the 2021 Virtual Assembly:
City of Toronto Archives Facility Tour
Toronto, ON
329 Chaplin Crescent (Eglinton / Spadina area)
Possibly October 2024
Date and Time to be determined based on group interest
The City of Toronto has a large warehouse storage facility containing items from shuttered museums and collectable donated to the municipality. Included in their collection is a range of full sized canoes, model canoes, paddles, historic photographs and medals from Toronto's rich canoe history. If there is enough member interest, we can plan a private group tour of the main storage site near Eglinton & Spadina.
Items in the collection include a high-end Walter Dean Sunnyside cruiser, a William English Board & Batten (circa 1900), a circa 1910 Kennebec, and a rare decked sailing canoe from the Gilbert Boat Company (Brockville) dated to 1910. Also of interest are remnants of a dugout canoe collected just west of Parry Sound, ON and radiocarbon dated to no later than 1683 AD.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete