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August 27, 2009
When New Meets Old...
Anyone who thinks that new can’t compliment old and still maintain the integrity of old, has never been to Fanshawe Pioneer Village! Fanshawe is a wonderful heritage village that honors the “old” while conforming to modern realities! (More)

August 12, 2009
Search Me...
About a month ago Judi and I were coming home from the Brockville Riverfest. On our way back home we traveled along Highway #2. We reached Trenton at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Just as we reached the eastern outskirts of the city, we heard a roar overhead! (More)

July 18th, 2009
Living History...
On July 1st of this year our 15 year old nephew became a soldier! No, he did not join the Canadian Armed Forces! He did, however, join his fellow students and their history teacher in a re-enactment demonstration at the Cobourg Waterfront Festival. (More)

July 15th, 2009
Special Feature – St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival
Every once in a while we visit an event that is so outstanding that we want to share it with others! The Festival that we attended last Saturday evening was such an event! (More)

July 8th, 2009
Bayside Boutique and Gallery
I am standing in a room surrounded by wonderful original art. Beside me is my longtime friend, floral artist Mary Kendrick. Outside the room’s windows I can see the sun dancing over the wave of a lake as they roll onto the shore! (More)

July 3rd, 2009
Sunset Cruises - Captain Randy Potts
I would not have believed if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes! One day last spring I drove to Bracebridge to meet Captain Randy Potts. Randy owns Sunset Cruises and the M.V. Idyllwood (More)

June 30th, 2009
Timber Works - Wood Turning
Back in January I wrote about a couple, Nancy and Rolly Hill that we met at the Kleinburg Binder Twine Festival. It was a wonderful festival, because we also met a fabulous “wood turner”, Arnold Veen! Arnold owns Timber Works Wood Turning and presents his creations all over Southern Ontario. (More)

June 23rd, 2009
McLean Berry Farm
"A short time ago I traveled north to the Buckhorn area to visit the McLean Berry Farm and Sam McLean. This is my article about Sam, his family and their farm." (More)

June10th, 2009
IlluminAqua
On Friday, June 12th Welland’s Merritt Park Theatre hosts the first in a series of seven concerts. IlluminAqua is about to start its 3rd triumphant season. (More)

June 6th, 2009
Special Article... New and Improved!
Hershey Chocolate has now left town and the festival has a new name, but the spirit and tradition lives on! Smiths Falls has always known how to throw a great party ... (More)

June 1st, 2009
Special Article… Special Festival
It has been designated as one of Ontario’s “Top 100 Festivals” by FEO (Festivals and Events Ontario)! It has won numerous awards of excellence! And, it is one of the top 5 festivals that Judi and I have visited! I am talking about the Mississauga Waterfront Festival! (More)

May 15th, 2009
The House That Jack Built…
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a play in Toronto, “The House That Jack Built”. The play was created and produced by members of the Suitcase Theatre Company. I had been invited to see the play by one of its creators, Whitney Smith. It was a “Puppet Musical” and had been developed especially for kids! (More)

May 10th, 2009
Toronto Harbourfront Centre
If you have never been to Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, you have missed a lot of fun and entertainment!. (More)

May 9th, 2009
Choosing Where to Go...
Going to a festival or event is very personal. Where you decide to go will depend on many factors, interests, location, costs, dates, etc. Finding out about festivals and events can be frustrating. (More)

May1st, 2009
Stratford Festival
My earliest memory of the Stratford Festival was when I was a kid in public school! Just getting there was a big adventure! My school friends and I excitedly boarded the school bus and then we were off! (More)

Archived Articles


Choosing Where To Go…
Going to a festival or event is very personal. Where you decide to go will depend on many factors, interests, location, costs, dates, etc. Finding out about festivals and events can be frustrating. Most people want to get value for money spent. Word of month is probably the best way to find out about an event. It’s also a great way to evaluate an event, especially if you trust the person who makes the recommendation. We hope that you use Ontario Festivals Visited as a source. We are always glad to share our experiences. Unfortunately we can’t visit every festival or event in Ontario (we wish we could), but there are over 3,000 of them! So, to help you choose, I am going to give you some tips. These are some of the techniques Judi and I use to make our choices.


1. Event Calendars – There are a number of event calendars available on the internet. Here is where you can find three of them: Ontario Festival Visited; Festivals and Events Ontario and Ontario Tourism. We check these first to find festivals or events that we might be interested in visiting.
2. Festival/Event Websites – Most of these calendars have direct links to the different festivals/events that are displayed. So if you find an event that you are interested in, you can go and check out their website.
3. Review Website – Most website will give you enough details to tell what kind of festival or event it is. Information like costs, location, dates and activities. One note of caution, make sure that you are looking at a current site. Many festivals don’t keep their sites up-to-date or have a different site for each year. Some festivals cancel their event but don’t delete their website. Believe me, it can become very confusing if you don’t pay attention to what you are reading.

4. Bad Weather – Check the website to see what there weather policy is. If it is an outdoor event, does it run, rain or shine? Many festivals include this information on their website. If not, you might want to check with the organizers. This was especially true last year with all the awful weather we experienced.
5. Contact Organizers – Where you have any doubt, contact the organizers. Most websites include contact information, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, etc. If they don’t include this information, I would be very leery of going to the event. There many be nothing wrong, but!
6. Internet Articles – Using the Search Engine, “Google”, can be very helpful. If you go to “Google” and type in the name of the festival or event you are interested in, the list that Google gives you should not only include the festivals/events website, but will likely include a list of people who have visited the event and have written about it. These articles will give lots of information, good and bad, about the event you are researching. I always read the articles, especially the negative ones, with a “grain of salt”. Anyway, they will at least give you a sense of the event.
Happy choosing!

 


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