Past Events
This page showcases some of the past events held by the Northern Lake Chapter
Rideau Paddlefest
JUNE 15, 2024
Smiths Falls, ON
Virtual Presentation
The Southeastern Willits Brothers Canoe Museum
by
WCHA President Michael Grace
via ZOOM
Thursday, April 4, 2024
7pm Eastern
WCHA President Michael Grace gave a presentation to the Chapter on Thursday April 4th on his collection of eight Willits' Brothers Canoes. There was also a brief discussion regarding the inner workings of the WCHA as a global organization – how the board works, how events like Assembly are planned, how to be more involved, etc. A recording on the presentation for those who missed it can be found at the following link:
2024 Event Planning Meeting
via ZOOM
Thursday, February 29th, 2024
7pm EST
A small chapter gathering was held on February 29th to discuss plans for upcoming events in 2024. A variety of ideas for event planning were shared. A recording of the meeting and the discussion can be viewed at the following link:
Mike Elliot - Old Town Canoe Restoration
via ZOOM
Wednesday, January 17th, 2024
7pm EST
Joining the Northern Lakes Chapter for our year-in-review annual meeting was Mike Elliot of Kettle River Canoes. Mike is the author of the well received wooden canoe restoration book, This Old Canoe (2015). His latest book, to be released in the summer of 2024, is entitled This Fancy Old Canoe. It will feature repair techniques for other vintage construction styles not covered in the first publication. As a preview, Mike put together a slideshow to outline the steps in restoration of an Old Town sailing canoe with sponsons.
For those who missed it, a recording of the Mike's full presentation with a Q & A at the end can be viewed at the following link:
John Runciman Paddle Making presentation
via ZOOM
Monday, December 4th, 2023
7pm EST
On Monday December 4 at 7 pm the Northern Lakes & Upper Chesapeake Chapters hosted a joint ZOOM presentation by John Runciman. John is an expert on paddle design and dynamics who has given several presentations at WCHA Assemblies over the years. He offered to repeat his talk on paddle making from this past July. During this presentation, John explained his unique technique and reasoning for building hollow designed paddles.
For those who missed it, a recording of the full presentation can be viewed at the following link:
Lake of Bays Silent Boat Rally
JULY 29, 2023
Dwight, ON
Two members from the Northern Lakes Chapter participated in the annual Lake of Bays Silent Boat Rally in Dwight, Ontario. Hosted by the Lake of Bays Heritage Association, roughly two dozen watercraft launched from the public beach to paddle the lower Oxtongue River to Marsh's Falls. This year, the host group extended the event to include a shore lunch next to the falls and a chance to explore some of the new trails on the Marsh's Falls Nature Reserve. This is a wonderful annual paddling event that Chapter members are encouraged to join. This year, the Chapter covered the modest registration from our funds. Full report with additional photographs and a trail map can be read HERE.
Rideau Paddlefest
JUNE 17, 2023
Smiths Falls, ON
Leacock Museum Boating Exhibit Launch
Saturday May 20, 2023
Orillia, ON
On Saturday, May 20th, the Northern Lakes Chapter provided some canoe-themed programming for the Leacock Museum National Historic Site in Orillia, Ontario. The facility was celebrating the launch of a new permanent boating & fishing exhibit in their restored boathouse. Our volunteer members provided additional canoes for display, presentations on historic paddles, displays of rare model sample canoes and an in-water paddling demonstration.
A full report with more pics and details can be read at the following post HERE.
Toronto, ON
Wednesday, March 29th
On March 29th, some members of the Northern Lakes Chapter were treated with rare visit to the storage facilities of the the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Curatorial Technician of Ethnology, Tracey Forster, prepared a wonderful display of items that are not normally on display in the museum's large gallery exhibits. These included over 15 full-sized canoe paddles of various indigenous and commercial designs, multiple birchbark model canoes of varying sizes and construction techniques, and some wonderful specimens of artwork from famed artists such as Francis Ann Hopkins (1838 - 1919) and William Armstrong (1822 – 1914). The group was also able to examine the museum's fine collection of crooked knives from across the country. Afterwards the group enjoyed a complimentary tour of the First Peoples Gallery which includes four birchbark canoes on display.
A full report with more details and report of the visit can be read at the link HERE.
Spring Virtual Gathering
via ZOOM
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
7pm
The group held a spring virtual gathering on March 22, 2023 hosted by Northern Lakes Chapter Head, Alex Guthro. Our summary for those who missed it is below:
Meeting attendees: Murat Vardar, Jim MacLachlan, Colin Whitehead, Lee Benson, Al Witham, Pat Witham, Roger Young, David Darwin, Graham McGee, Tom Connell, Rob Stevens, Neil Burrell, Maury Breslow, Sandy Bray, Alex Guthro
The purpose of this meeting was to discuss Chapter paddling events and shows we would like to attend & support. The following is what we are committing to so far;
March 29 - Our first event this year is the ROM Group Tour
May 20 - Leacock Museum Boating Exhibit Launch in Orillia. We have a free rein of what we would like to do. Confirmed for this event is Murat, Neil Roger, Lee, Graham, Bruce, Alex. On Mar 24 Murat will find out if we can launch our canoes from this property. Lee will find out whether her ORCKA Day Trip Leader course or WCA membership will allow her to use the opportunity to lead and insure Chapter members for a group paddle. To help with Instructor: participant ratios, Lee, Neil [and Tom] are all ORCKA Basic Instructors. Lee [with Tom and Sarah, if attending] and any others who are keen may be able to put on a Canadian-Style demonstration in traditional boats. Murat may bring poles. We’ll put out a call to Chapter members to see how many canoes we can have on display.
June 17 Rideau Paddlefest in Smith Falls. We still need details but if we are allowed to attend, Maury, Jim, Roger, and Alex will attend. Lee will also try to attend and will let Becky Mason and Reid McLachlan know that the Chapter will attend. They have expressed an interest in hearing about any events in eastern Ontario that the Chapter attends. We/they might be able to do a Canadian-style demonstration. We’ll try or organize a Chapter paddle on the 18th.
July 11 -16 - WCHA Annual Assembly at Paul Smiths. Several members attend our parent organization’s annual Assembly. It’s a terrific time and for the past 15(?) years has been organized by our own Rob Stevens. If you can attend, even for a day or two, it’s well worth the trip.
July 29 - Oxtongue River Silent Boat Rally in Dwight. Murat attended last year and said it’s a great day with paddling, hiking, and a catered lunch. There is a cost of $20 for and registration is through the Lake of Bays Association & Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation. We’ll promote this internally as a Chapter paddle and see how many wooden canoes we can have participate.
We also discussed other events and outings that have a reasonable expectation of happening:
Temagami Canoe Festival – July 2023. The group running this has advertised there will be a show but we don’t have details yet.
Trent Severn Canoe Brigade – August 5 which will paddle Georgian Bay to Peterborough this summer. Bruce Clark is organizing this trip. Bruce suggested this might be a fun paddling event for the Chapter, to join them for the last portion of the paddle into Peterborough. They leave Waubaushene July 29th and arrive Peterborough August 5th. While the Canoe Museum will not yet be open, we will still celebrate on the site on Little Lake.
Humber River and/or a Toronto Island paddle in the early Fall.
Canadian Canoe Museum opening – date early fall?
Other event ideas that need additional confirmation and coordination:
Sandra Bray – a Chapter paddle from her rustic cottage(no running water, no electricity) on the Muskoka River.
Wayne Parker – a Chapter paddle from his property on Livingstone Lake.
Muskoka Lakes Museum Group Tour.
Killbear Provincial Park type gathering over a weekend. We discussed a more central location like Haliburton, Bon Echo, or even Beavermead park in Peterborough to allow more members to attend. I’m not sure this will be organized for this year, but we might be able to do this in 2024.
End of Year Virtual Gathering
via ZOOM
Wednesday, December 7th, 2022
7pm
The group held an end of year virtual gathering on December 7th, 2022 hosted by Northern Lakes Chapter Head, Alex Guthro. The ZOOM meeting was attended by 14 folks spread around Ontario and discussed a variety of Chapter related issues including a financial year-end summary and outline of upcoming plans for scheduled events in 2023. In addition, member Bruce Clark also did a presentation on his week long summer trip along the historic Peace River as part of a 7 boat Brigade paddling large replica Voyageur canoes. A recording of the entire meeting for those members who missed the evening can be viewed at the link below:
Peterborough Museum & Archives
Peterborough, Ontario
Saturday, October 29th
Members of the The Northern Lakes chapter visited the Peterborough Museum & Archives for a private group tour the PMA's collection of canoe artefacts. Of particular interest to the group was the collection of full-sized and model canoes. The storage area showcases rare wooden canoes including a Strickland, Stephenson, Gordon and Peterborough Canoe Co models. Members were able to photographs and get close up to compare building techniques, hull design, wood types and other neat features. Archival materials like historic catalogues, documents and photographs were also made accessible for review. For a full report, more photos, and a downloaded list of the PMA's canoe collection, go to the event report HERE.
Historic Peterborough Walking Tour
with Ken Brown
Saturday, October 29th
Members of the Chapter took part in a roughly 3 hour historic walking tour of Peterborough led by well known local resident and author Ken Brown. Accompanied by binders full of historic photographs, the group meandered through the lovely streets while taking note of historically significant landmarks and buildings linked with city's long history in the canoe building industry. Of particular note were locations of the Ontario Canoe Company factory, which burned in 1892 as well as the surviving homes & church of many of the area's key businessmen of the industry. The stop also noted former locations of the Canadian Canoe Co various factories, the former location of the William English Canoe Co, and the surviving brick offices of the Peterborough Canoe Co.
For a full report with more photos, descriptions, as well as a link to the album of historic photos utilized in the tour, go to the full event report HERE.
Oxtongue River - Silent Boat Rally
Saturday, July 30, 2022
Saturday, July 30, 2022
Dwight Ontario
Hosted by Lake of Bays Association & Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation
The Northern Lakes Chapter was represented at an annual paddling event held in the Muskoka region of Ontario. The Oxtongue Silent Boat Rally, hosted by the Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation, involved a pleasant 4 km paddle up the lower Oxtongue River to picturesque Marsh's Falls and back to the public beach at Dwight. Roughly 25 participants in canoes and kayaks took part in the activities which included a nature scavenger hunt to identify various plant and animal species as well as a guided tour with Naturalist Mark McLean. Prizes were given out for those who were able to correctly identify the most number of items on the cheklist.
For a full description of the event, more photos, maps and a video of the paddling route, check out the full report at this link HERE.
Annual Wooden Canoe Heritage Assoc. Assembly
July 12 – 17, 2022
Paul Smith's, New York State
For the first time in two years, the annual WCHA Assembly was able to resume. Wooden canoe enthusiasts from all over the USA, Canada, and a few other countries converged at Paul Smith’s College in New York. The event ran from Tuesday evening through Sunday morning, and included classes on canoe paddling , construction and restoration, camp crafts, and lots of paddling opportunities on the beautiful adjacent Adirondack lakes.
Freestyle Canoeing Meetup
July 6, 2022
Guelph Lake Conservation area
Hosted by Lee Benson
Lee Benson organized and hosted a Freestyle Paddling meetup for a group of Chapter Members for an informative and fun day. Taking place at the Guelph Lake Conservation Area, the attendees included Tom Connell (an accomplished Canadian Style paddler), Chris Sternik, and Alex Guthro. Lee started by teaching the group Freestyle paddling strokes to maintain a straight course and keep the canoe going straight once paddling has stopped. She then moved on to how to turn your canoe using only weight distribution, then enhancing it with a paddle, as well as many other maneuvers to control the canoe.
National Canoe Day
Sunday, June 26, 2022
Gravenhurst, Ontario
Volunteers of the Northern Lakes Chapter collaborated with the Muskoka Steamship & Discovery Centre in Gravenhurst, ON to celebrate National Canoe Day on June 26, 2022. Over a dozen canoes were on hand for the public to peruse and enjoy, representing all forms of the craft. These included birchbark, various new and restored cedar-canvas, modern and vintage cedar-strips as well as modern composite hulls, sailing canoes, and large freighters / North canoes.
A pleasant day of browsing, sharing and paddling were had by the group. For the full report and more photos, go to this Update Post.
Saturday, May 28, 2022
Bracebridge, Ontario
Five Volunteers from the Northern Lakes Chapter participated in the first annual Muskoka Earth Festival. The event took place under bright sunny skies at the expansive fairgrounds in Bracebridge, Ontario on May 28th.
Our outdoor display included some full-sized, wood-canvas canoes. Chapter Head, Alex Guthro brought his 14' Bearwood Canoe and Al Witham brought along an restored 12' Peterborough that was once covered in orange fibreglass . Both drew plenty of attention from the crowds throughout the day.
Equally eye-catching were two sets of rare Factory Sample canoes from the personal collection of member, Roger Young. Roger also recently published a book on his vast model canoe collection, entitled Little Things that Matter: Collecting antique factory sample canoes available for sale through his his site as well as on Amazon.
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Our volunteers spent some pleasant time working on hand-caning some canoe seats. This drew in some attendees who were curious as to what they were doing. We'll be featuring some seat caning again at the next outdoor event in Gravenhurst scheduled for June 26th.
We had lots of foot traffic admiring the boats and distributed complimentary back issues of Wooden Canoe Journal while informing them of the WCHA parent organisation as well as upcoming Chapter Activities.
Overall, the event was a success as we sold enough raffle tickets and other crafted items to more than adequately cover the expenses of attending the show. Also, we were able to network with other local organisations such as the Friends of Muskoka Watershed, Aspen Wildlife Sanctuary and the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve. Hopefully there will be some collaboration for future Chapter Events.
Feb 15, 2022: Winter Virtual Gathering
Northern Lakes Chapter Head, Alex Guthro, organised another virtual ZOOM meeting on Tuesday, February 15, 2022. The meeting was attended by 24 participants including a few from outside the Chapter. Here is the summary of events:
Jim MacLachlan gave a wonderful presentation on Henry Wicksteed and his canoe. The canoe was designed in 1911 and Jim commissioned Joe Calnan to build one for him. This story can be seen by clicking on the link below or paste the following into a web browser:
Brad Fisher from the Three Rivers Chapter followed with the story of his restoration of a 1972 Northland Canoe built by Albert Maw. Maw’s canoes did not use canvas as a cover but fiber-glassed his canoes. Brad discusses the issues he came across and what decisions still need to be made. To see Brad's presentation click on the link below or paste the following into a web browser:
Rob Stevens discussed the 2022 Annual Assembly. While it appears a physical assembly will take place, Rob and the Assembly Committee need to have a contingency plan in place by having pre-recorded sessions like we had for the 2021 Assembly. Also the pre-recorded sessions may be shown as part of a hybrid Assembly. If anyone is interested in presenting on a topic and recording it, please contact Rob.
Status of upcoming 2022 Events
Bruce Clark is looking at re-booking our Peterborough Archives tour and talk by Ken Brown. The event should take place in April or May. We need to have an estimate of who many people are interested and what weekend (preferably Saturday) you would be available for the tour. We’ll check our dates against dates the Archives give us, and make a selection.
Murat Vardar talked about the Muskoka Earth Festival taking place on May 28 from 10 am to 5 pm in Bracebridge. The deadline for applying to participate in the event is April 2. If we participate we will need to decide on what we would display or demonstrate. An indoor spot costs $50 and we would receive a 10 x 10 foot space plus tables. If we choose an outdoor space we will need to supply our own tables and canopy. If we operate a workshop the $50 fee can be waived. We’d like to know if there is anyone who would like to volunteer at this event, to either help out, give a presentation, a hands on demonstration, or run a workshop. Please let me know if you are interested.
Muskoka Discovery Centre (MDC) – Canoe Day Sunday June 26. The event takes place in Gravenhurst. Ron Riddell has asked if we would put together some programming to help celebrate Canoe Day. Again we’re looking for volunteers to either help out, give a presentation, a hands on demonstration, or run a workshop. Ron said the MDC is looking for a theme for this year’s event and thinking about “Courting Canoes”. They have one from the 1920’s. The thinking is this canoe, complete with period costumed paddlers (looking for a female volunteer) will lead a paddling tour around Gravenhurst bay.
Freestyle Lesson – Lee Benson & Lyn Barsevskis. A lesson in freestyle canoeing will be held on Wednesday June 29 at the Guelph Lake Conservation area, with a possible rain date of Wednesday July 6. We would like to know who is interested in this event. Please send me a note if you are interested. Lee said earlier in the day is better because there is less wind. Regular park fees would apply to each attendee. As a precursor to this lesson we will have a zoom session with Charles Burchill to whet our interest.
Wayne Parker – In the agenda for this meeting I included an offer by Wayne to lead a paddle / hike from his property on Livingston Lake to Bear mountain, an approximately 8 hour day. Wayne has suggested dates between July 9th to 25th and August 1st to 8th. If you are interested in attending this event please let me know as soon as possible, and which dates you are available. Currently there are 3 people who are interested. If you would like the full details please let me know.
What we would like to learn about. Please continue to give this topic some thought and send me any ideas and thoughts you have. Ideas suggested during our meeting were;
· Spring maintenance on a canoe – what should & needs to be done
· The basics of canoe construction. Rob Stevens offered his 5 foot model form as a learning tool.
· Making a paddle from a plank using simple tools such as an axe and a draw knife.
Nov. 17, 2021: Fall Virtual Gathering
Northern Lakes Chapter Head, Alex Guthro, organised a virtual ZOOM meeting on Wednesday, November 17, 2021. Twenty-four participants joined in from all over Ontario including Niagara Falls, London, Parry Sound, Ottawa, Renfrew and Gananoque and many places in between. Participants learned about Roger Young's impressive model canoe collection, discussed future plans for events in 2022, as well as proposals for fundraising. Alex has prepared a summary of the events which should be visible below for those unable to attend. Alternatively you may click HERE to download the document (in *.PDF format).
July 12-15, 2021: Virtual WCHA Assembly
The 2021 WCHA assembly ran as a virtual event in 2021 as a result of the Covid pandemic. A series of pre-recorded and live presentations were conducted over 4 evenings. Each of the presentations are now available on the WCHA Youtube Channel. Dates for the in-person 2022 event have been tentatively set for July 12-17, 2022 at the Paul Smith's College in New York State.
February 2020: Royal Ontario Museum canoe tour
Toronto, Ontario
Early in February (before the COVID crisis hit the country) our Chapter organised two events in downtown Toronto as a winter gathering. Participants were from Toronto, Midland, Parry Sound, Renfrew, and Hamilton. The group first visited the Royal Ontario Museum to view and examine their collection of four birch bark canoes as well as other indigenous artefacts in the First Peoples Gallery.
Details about ongoing research in identifying the tribal origins and provenance of the canoes were shared with the attendees.
Details were also discussed of a special set of accompanying paddles which a member was able to document during a previous arranged visit to museum's storage collection.
The group also visited the special collections room of the Toronto Reference Library to view a number of rare catalogues from historic canoe companies. Kept in special storage at the library is a J.H. Rushton catalogue from 1899, a Chestnut Canoe Co catalogue from 1908, a Brown Boat Company publication from 1915 and a Peterborough Catalogue from the mid 1920s.
Details about ongoing research in identifying the tribal origins and provenance of the canoes were shared with the attendees.
Details were also discussed of a special set of accompanying paddles which a member was able to document during a previous arranged visit to museum's storage collection.
The group also visited the special collections room of the Toronto Reference Library to view a number of rare catalogues from historic canoe companies. Kept in special storage at the library is a J.H. Rushton catalogue from 1899, a Chestnut Canoe Co catalogue from 1908, a Brown Boat Company publication from 1915 and a Peterborough Catalogue from the mid 1920s.
A member of the group arranged to have 4 of these special publications digitally scanned for the benefit of distant WCHA and Northern Lakes Chapter members.
2019 Ontario Backcountry Symposium
Guelph, Ontario
Our Chapter had a booth at the ever popular Ontario Backcountry Symposium where a pretty all-wood Langford canoe was being auctioned off for a Scout group. Attendees were also able to see a display of paddle designs recreated from historic artworks and photographs.
June 2019: National Canoe Day
Gravenhurst Ontario
Photo Credit: Muskoka Steamship and Discovery Centre
Hosted by the folks at the Muskoka Steamship and Discovery Centre, the event celebrating the canoe featured a tour of some historic canoes - all wooden Peterboroughs dating to the later 1890s, two birchbark canoes, and Walter Dean racing canoes among others all mounted on displays where you can touch and get real close.
Photo Credit: Muskoka Steamship and Discovery Centre
Photo Credit: Alex Guthro
A paddling tour of historic Gravenhurst bay was arranged with some guided discussion showcasing the logging history of the bay, the location of WW1 POW camp for German Officers and the modern day development pressures happening in the area.
August 2019 - Toronto Islands Day Paddle
A few members made a pleasant excursion to explore some of the urban paddling delights just offshore from Canada's largest city. Highlights included spotting plenty of wildlife (herons, mink) as well seeing historic architecture from the vantage point of the water. More photos and detailed write-up can be read HERE.
September 2019: Bear Mountain Maker's Rendezvous
Westport, Ontario
The event was hosted by Bear Mountain’s Joan Barrett & Ted Moores. Chapter members Jim MacLachlan brought his a Chestnut canoe, Rick Harris brought a
Chestnut and Peterborough Canoe, and Alex Guthro who brought his old “Sears” canoe. There were many builders and display’s of wooden canoes including Westport Canoes, Geoff Burke of Chocorua Boatworks, Roger Foster from Carlisle Canoes, and Headwaters Canoes. WCHA material was distributed at our booth and new members were signed up. A special thanks to all current and
past WCHA members who stopped by to chat with us.
September 2019: paddle on Opinicon Lake
Frontenac County, Ontario
Member Jim MacLachlan led a group on a day paddle tour of on Opinicon Lake to a lovely spot between Deadlock Bay and Hart Lake. In addition to Jim, joining the paddle were Maury and Meg Breslow, Rick and Karen Harris and their delightful grandson Dawson, and Cathy Walker Hammond & Alex Guthro.
June 24: Muskoka Canoe Day
Gravenhurst, Ontario
The Northern Lakes chapter met at the Muskoka Discovery Centre for their canoe day celebration – “The Birchbark Highway”. The day included an on-the-water session led by Ron Riddell and a discussion on the history of the area as a major transportation route used for centuries by Indigenous people, European explorers, and more recent use by the logging industry. In addition to the guided paddle we were able tour the Boat Shop and chat with resident canoe builder Michael Shumaker. Michael is currently working on a canoe that he built from a replica B.N. Morris form that was built under his guidance. Another highlight was Wayne Parker’s birchbark canoe that he helped construct using a single piece of bark.
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