Uxpool reopens after holiday hiatus
Roger Varley
Uxpool reopened to the public on Monday after being closed for over a month. The closure was put into effect to enable a number of repairs and refurbishments to the facility, but regular visitors likely will not notice or recognize the work that has been done. As a Post-it note above aquatics manager Carolyn Clementson’s desk reads: “Celebrate the small changes.”
Clementson said a lot of the work done on the pool was cosmetic. That included repairing and painting the main entrance and lobby area, cleaning and sanitizing the change rooms, painting and carpeting the upstairs area and replacing burned out light bulbs.
On the maintenance front, ceiling tiles were removed in the pool area to inspect and repair corroded anchors supporting the tiles, the pool was drained and cleaned and tiles in the accessible washroom were fixed. As well, four hydrostatic relief valves in the deep end of the pool were replaced as preventative maintenance.
The bill for the work is well over $150,000, but more work remains to be done. Uxpool is contemplating another $200,000 in capital expenditures this year, with another $1.7 million in capital expenditures expected from 2026 to 2030.
Uxbridge man charged with murder
Roger Varley
Investigators with Durham Regional Police Service have charged a 37-year-old Uxbridge man with second-degree murder in connection with a stabbing two weeks ago.
Police responded to a disturbance call on the morning of Jan. 12 at a residence on Allbright Road and found a 66-year-old male with life-threatening injuries. The victim, John Genereux, of Uxbridge, was transported to a Toronto-area trauma centre, where he succumbed to his injuries. The suspect was arrested at the scene.
Matthew Lavis of Uxbridge has been charged in connection with the stabbing.
This is the first homicide investigation in Durham Region for 2023.
Anyone with new information about this investigation is asked to contact Det. McDermott of the Major Crime Homicide Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5411.
Destination Uxbridge – Uxbridge tourism: the raw materials
Conrad Boyce, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
In case you missed the memo, Uxbridge is officially the Trail Capital of Canada. It says so on all the signs coming into the township. Some local businesses, such as a dentist and pharmacist, have even incorporated the designation into their names.
Did we just arbitrarily declare ourselves the Trail Capital, in order to attract hikers and skiers and cyclists into our southern woods? No, in fact we had to apply for the honour, which we were granted by the federal government in 2008, and there were other competitors for the title. So bravo for those who took the initiative, it’s definitely a feather in our collective cap. But does the title imply that the township is a one-hit wonder, that the trails, even in all their beauty and diversity, are all that we have to offer the visitor, or even that they’re the main thing?
To find out, we’re going to take a thorough look at Uxbridge tourism over the next few weeks, particularly at how we market ourselves to bring in the visitor. This week, we begin by looking at our tourism resources, the various elements we have within our borders to draw visitors from beyond.
To help us, we surveyed 50 ordinary Uxbridgians last week. We asked three questions:
What are the township’s top three tourist attractions?
What are the township’s top three undiscovered gems?
What are three factors limiting Uxbridge’s tourism development?
To begin, it might be useful to discuss what we mean by tourism. What exactly is a ‘tourist’? One dictionary definition says a tourist is ‘someone who tours,’ and further defines a tour as a ‘lengthy jaunt or excursion.’ In our case, someone who resides beyond our borders, and decides to include Uxbridge in their jaunt (or maybe even choose it as the primary reason for the jaunt!).
Now let’s picture your Aunt Susie from Saskatoon. She decides one fine spring day that it’s time for a jaunt. She could go somewhere warmer, with a beach perhaps. She could choose a spot with more scenic splendour, like the Rockies. If she’s into shooting rapids or screaming on roller coasters, Uxbridge might not be her first choice for a jaunt. Tourism is a highly competitive industry, and every locality has a different list of attractions to offer. So why would Aunt Susie choose Uxbridge?
To begin with, take a look in the mirror. You yourself are a tourist attraction! You are Susie’s favourite nephew/niece, and she hasn’t spent any quality time with you in years. So she comes to visit for a week, bunking in your spare room (since Uxbridge doesn’t have a hotel). And of course, while she’s here, you proudly show her around your home township. You take her to your favourite restaurants, maybe a tasting at a local cidery. If she’s a golfer, you do 18 holes at one of the many golf courses around (check to see if you need to be a member, first). If she’s a big reader, you pop into Blue Heron, and take her for a tour at the Lucy Maud Montgomery historic site in Leaskdale. And yes, even if she’s not a fanatic hiker, you still take her for a stroll on the Countryside Preserve. Because she’ll inevitably ask about the Trail Capital thing.
Depending on when Aunt Susie visits, there are actually a multitude of options. If she comes for Christmas, she’ll want to see the Fantasy of Lights in Elgin Park, or The Nutcracker at the Music Hall, or take a Santa Train with the York Durham Heritage Railway. And the next day, either go downhill skiing at Dagmar, or cross country in the Durham Forest.
If she’s a big car buff, you might want to insist that she come for the Demo Derby at the Fall Fair (also the only time she could go on a roller coaster, though not a really steep one). While she’s here, you could take her up to walk the corn maze at the Coopers Farm on Ashworth Road. If she’s into music and/or architecture, she shouldn’t miss a Friday night concert amid the amazing acoustics and mosaics at the Foster Memorial. And because you’re her favourite nephew/niece, you can probably persuade her to stay until the Uxbridge Studio Tour, a chance to demonstrate that we have visual artists to match the best Saskatoon has to offer.
Whenever she visits, Aunt Susie becomes a significant contributor to Uxbridge’s economy, a classic tourist (even if you treat her to everything, the money still counts). Her jaunt helps local businesses, and chances are if she comes at Christmas, she’ll see what a lovely town her nephew/ lives in, and come back for your 40th birthday next summer. Surveys show that if a tourist has a great experience, she’ll return.
And speaking of surveys, now that you have an idea of the nice range of options Uxbridge has to offer, how would you answer the first question above? Which attractions bring in the most visitors from beyond our township borders (and we would count people from Stouffville or Port Perry as tourists, since they’re spending money away from the locality in which they pay taxes)?
Our survey respondents included just about everything in their top three, including events or businesses we haven’t mentioned so far, like the Roxy Theatre, The Second Wedge Brewing Co., the Farmers’ Market or the Springtide Music Festival. One respondent suggested that our reputation as a ‘friendly village’ plays a large role in attracting visitors. One hopes that is true.
In upcoming articles, we’ll see what the numbers say. We’ll look at how the township government has significantly increased its role over the last few years in promoting our attractions, and what its plan is for addressing some of the impediments to making tourism an even more important part of the local economy.
Bruins start another winning streak
Roger Varley
Two power-play goals were the difference last Friday night as the Uxbridge Bruins defeated their arch-rivals, the Port Perry LumberJacks, 4-2.
In a scrappy affair – (Uxbridge had 53 minutes in penalties and Port Perry had 64) – the LumberJacks took an early lead with a goal in the first five minutes of the game. But Jack Davis replied a couple of minutes later, assisted by Anthony Lamanna.
Uxbridge’s first power-play marker came at the six-minute mark of the second period, when Quinn Meek combined with Peter Kerr and Josh Czalij to put the Bruins ahead. With less than a minute remaining in the period, Meek scored what proved to be the winning goal, assisted by Lamanna. The LumberJacks took a penalty with only four seconds remaining in the second, but that was all Czalij needed, putting the puck in the net as the buzzer sounded. The assist went to Caleb MacLeish.
Port Perry came back with a goal early in the third, but the Bruins held on for the win.
MacLeish was selected by the Cosmos as the Bruins’ player of the game, while Mark Stoop received the nod for the LumberJacks.
In Apsley the following night, the Bruins were hit with another 36 minutes in penalties, compared with North Kawartha’s 12 minutes, but still managed to eke out a 6-5 victory. The Bruins took command in the first period, outscoring the Knights 3-0, including a power-play goal and a penalty shot.
Lamanna opened the scoring early, assisted by Sam Davis and Declan Meek, and that was followed a few minutes later by Noah Button’s power-play marker. Assists went to Travis Winder and MacLeish. Cohen Mackie made it 3-0 at the midway mark with a successful penalty shot.
The Knights hit the scoreboard just 40 seconds into the second period, but Meek combined with Lamanna a minute later to restore the three-goal lead. Andrew Swan increased the lead to four when he combined with Sam Davis and Jake Rigillo. The Knights narrowed the lead a little with a goal as the period ended.
However, the Knights staged a strong comeback bid, scoring three goals in the final period, but a goal by Alex Hyde, assisted by Lamanna, secured the win for the Bruins.
Uxbridge is now on a three-game winning streak and looking to extend that streak against the Lakefield Chiefs on Tuesday night. The Chiefs remain mired in the cellar of the PJHL’s seven-team Orr Division while Uxbridge is in second place, four points behind the Clarington Eagles.
European trip to commemorate D-Day anniversary
Honour Them Well program director Tish MacDonald and author, historian and new Member of the Order of Canada, Ted Barris, invite Uxbridge residents on a trip commemorating the 79th Anniversary of D-Day and honour the service of the Allied troops in their role in the greatest amphibious invasion in history – the June 6, 1944, landing at Normandy.
The trip will include visiting points of interest on the beaches and further inland. Visitors will attend a variety of commemorative services, the highlight taking place at Canada’s Second World War Museum, the Juno Beach Centre.
The tour then shifts focus to the First World War, visiting sites of Canadian and Allied significance including Second Ypres, The Somme, Vimy Ridge, and Passchendaele, and will include participation in the Last Post Ceremony in Ypres.
The tour ends in Paris, where travellers will enjoy a guided walking tour, finishing atop the charming village of Montmartre, known for its artistic history and the white-domed Basilica of the Sacre Coeur.
Travellers can join this Remembrance Tour from May 31 – June 12, 2023. For a detailed itinerary and pricing information, please email Tish MacDonald at honourthemwell@gmail.com or call 905-649-0180. Current prices are guaranteed until Feb. 10, 2023.
Music Fest celebrates 30 years of bringing joy
Justyne Edgell
Thirty years ago, a group of Uxbridge residents joined together to bring music and art to local seniors, and though it has morphed over the years, Music Fest continues, and welcomes new additions to the group.
Music Fest was launched by the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Uxbridge on the first Sunday in February of 1993, when founding members Nancy Minden, David Honsberger, Sonya Schmoll, Joe Crone and their children were inspired to give back to the community.
“They asked various friends to join them, and put an ad in the local paper, and in November of 1993, Susan and Gerry Hegarty, and Karen and Brian Larter joined the group singing folk songs,” says Brian Larter, one of the longest standing members, and current organizers, of Music Fest. “Jo Erickson, who had already been visiting the seniors to play piano for them, joined the Music Fest group and has been a member ever since. Originally the group performed at both the seniors’ home and the (Uxbridge) Cottage Hospital, but later dropped the second session.”
Music Fest brings together musicians, storytellers, Highland dancers, cloggers, tellers of jokes, magicians and more, on a volunteer basis, to the Uxbridge seniors home of Revera ReachView Village, entertaining residents for an hour each month.
Larter says that while he was the de facto leader of the group, the performers that gathered were rarely the same each month, which allowed it to constantly evolve and provide new and different entertainment for the residents.
If you can sing, dance, tell jokes, read poetry, read stories (books), the residents would be very thankful – and the best part is that it feels wonderful to ‘give’.
Brian Larter, music fest coordinator
Over Music Fest’s three decades running, nothing quite changed its course like the COVID-19 pandemic.
“No one was able to enter for the purpose of entertainment for well over a year,” recalls Larter. “After that, through the ebbs and flows of restrictions on outsiders, I sometimes went in on my own, or with a small subset of the core group, to entertain and give the residents a bit of a boost.”
At that point all performers were required to be cleared with a COVID rapid test before entering, and masks were required until the singing began. Entertainers and audience members were also required to keep a two-meter distance between each other. “But whatever it takes to maintain the continuity of Music Fest, it will be done,” exclaims Larter.
While the group of performers is constantly evolving, Larter says there are no plans to stop this monthly event for the next 30 years.
“It has always been said that Music Fest works because when participants of the loosely formed group can make it, they come. If they are unable for various reasons, there will always be someone there to perform.”
Larter encourages anyone who has something they could share with residents in any seniors’ care home, to get involved, whether it be under the Music Fest umbrella or not. “If you can sing, dance, tell jokes, read poetry, read stories (books), the residents would be very thankful – and the best part is that it feels wonderful to ‘give’, he says.”
The 30th anniversary of Music Fest will be on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 10 a.m., and with the current status of viral infections, there will only be standard hall capacity limits in place, allowing all residents to enjoy the music and entertainment.
Upon entry, all performers will be rapid tested for COVID-19, masks must be worn, unless singing, and a 2m distance will still be required between visitors.
Larter says Music Fest is hoping to have a larger anniversary celebration, later in the year, when more visitors can gather together, in warmer weather, outdoors.