Simcoe Christmas Panorama Celebrates 50 Years

Last December Judi and I had the pleasure of visiting the Town of Simcoe and their Christmas Panorama. Yes, the weather was quite cold and a winter storm almost caught up with us on our way home, but the warmth of the event and the people involved made the trip very worthwhile. It is little wonder that this wonderful event has been attracting thousands of visitors over the last 49 years! This year, 2008, marks their 50th anniversary and the organizing committee has been working overtime to make this the best Simcoe Christmas Panorama ever! The Panorama starts this year on November 29th and runs until January 4th. Many great activities are scheduled throughout this 5 week event. The November 29th Panorama starts at 4:45 PM with the Santa Claus Parade. This is followed, at 6:00 PM, by the Opening Ceremonies, which we attended last year, in Wellington Park. The Opening Ceremonies’ climax the lighting of thousands of lights! After Santa Claus arrives in his vintage Fire Engine, the downtown merchants open their doors for a gigantic Moonlight Madness Sale. If you can’t make it to the Opening day festivities, a trip, during the remaining 5 festival weeks, to see all the lights around the town, is a Christmas must. Check out their website for details (http://www.simcoepanorama.ca/).

"Last year the Honourable David Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, officially opened the Christmas Panorama and turned on the lights!"

Ken Jen Animal Stars and Petting Zoo

A short time ago I wrote an Blog article called “Attention Animal Lovers”. In the article I described how well animals and festivals went together. Very few animal attractions create the attention that the Ken Jen Animal Stars and Petting Zoo does! Owner Ken LaSalle and his wife have put together a magical mix of lovable animals. The animals are hand raised from babies and are completely tame for children to feed and pet. Each animal has its own name and personality! In addition to petting zoo animals, Ken has a full “stable” of animal stars! His friends (the animal stars) have appeared in many movies, commercials and TV programs. Here’s a short list. “Sassy” the Zebra starred in the MacGyver series. “Tony” the “Kissing Llama” is world renowned for kissing the Duchess of York. I wonder if Ken also tried to get in on the action?! These are just two of Ken’s long list of “Animal Stars”! I can remember meeting Ken some 15 years ago. We were holding the Great Farini Festival in Port Hope and the Ken Jen Petting Zoo was participating. Ken’s truck rolled up, on time, to our location in Port Hope. Ken and his staff quickly set-up the Petting Zoo. Their attention to detail and their professionalism was amazing! He delivered what he promised and more, and once the festival was over and Ken had left, the area where the Petting Zoo had been was spotless! Animals certainly do go well together with festivals and so does Ken LaSalle and his wonderful Ken Jen Petting Zoo!

Artists’ Series – Eddie LePage

Many of the festivals Judi and I visit feature the art of Canada’s fabulous artists. We have had the pleasure of knowing and working with many of them. They are all different and yet, they all have one thing in common, their passion for their art! To honour our art community, I am going to write about some of the artists I have known and relate a few personal anecdotes about them. I am calling it the “Artists Series” and it will run frequently over the next several months. The first artist to be featured is portrait artist, Eddie LePage. Although Eddie is known he his wildlife portraits, his native portraits are outstanding and grace the homes of many collectors. I am starting with Eddie simply because I know him the best. We have been friends for over 20 years! When I was in the custom framing business he was the first artist to trust me with his framing. This was a big step considering I had just started my own framing company and was a real rookie at it! He liked my ideas and instincts and we formed a great team for many years. With Eddie you always know when spring has arrived because Eddie became hard to reach during the daytime. He was working on his other passion, golf! Eddie starts golfing in the spring and finishes in the fall. He only lets up in August to prepare for the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival. Only once have I been able to reach him on the golf course by cell phone and I am pretty sure that was a mistake! I too love golf, but not to the same extent as Eddie. We have golfed together in a few tournaments and when we partner, we almost always win a prize! Believe me this is his doing, not mine! Eddie has a natural talent for both golf and art. The only difference is that he earns his living as an artist! Eddie’s animal and native portrayals are timeless. He captures the essence of each subject he paints. That is why he is one of Bradford Exchange’s best selling artists and why so many wildlife conservation groups choose his art to use in their fundraising programs. Check out Eddie’s work on his website at http://www.eddielepage.net/.

Where History Comes Alive (Lang Pioneer Village)

Over the past 9 months, starting last December, we have had the privilege of visiting the Lang Pioneer Village 3 times. It would have been 4, but for a flat tire that was caused by a safety pin stuck through the inside sidewall of our back tire! I quickly discovered that you can’t repair a tire with a hole in the sidewall, but that is another story! Every time that we have visited the village I have discovered something new! Last winter my grandson and I visited all the village buildings by candlelight. It was the Christmas by Candlelight event. During our tour, we saw Christmas gifts being made at the Fitzpatrick House and how pioneer Christmas was spent in the Fife Log Cabin. At the Keene Hotel we tasted hot chocolate and homemade cookies. At the Douro Town Hall we sang old time Christmas Carols. At the South Lake Schoolhouse my grandson made a homemade “Cracker”! We experienced a horse drawn sleigh ride, wandering carolers and gingerman cookie face decorating. In August of this year, Judi and I learned about the fur trade in Canada at the Lang Pioneer Village’s Fur Trade Re-enactment. While we were there we heard some great music played by “Hardtack and Harmony”. At the re-enactment we also learned how to paddle a canoe, build a Tipi and smoke a goose! We saw many pioneer crafts including jewelry making, rock collecting, ironworks, knitting and more. And, I got to explore the village in the daylight! Our latest adventure at the Village was in September where we attended the Dine and Shine event. Here we tasted fabulous steaks prepared by 8 of the area’s best chefs. During dinner we heard the old time music of Sheesham and Lotus. Their playful approach to old time music was captivating. After dinner, rifle and cannon shots sounded the start of the Shine portion of the event. Once again I was able to experience the village by candlelight. As we walked through the village buildings, we felt the warmth and charm of the village and its volunteers. Lang Pioneer Village is a magical place, where “history comes alive”!