Tag: Sydenham

Historic Sydenham Escape Adventure returns to Lakes and Trails Festival:

The Spirit of Sydenham Awaits!

Small towns are full of mysteries. Some people talk, but others do not.

Sydenham’s hearsay tells us that a body went missing, but whose body was it? Only a revealing walk through the history of this town will tell. Come to the Lakes and Trails Festival, July 16 , the Point Park, Sydenham to participate.

The spirit of this unidentified body is unable to rest until you find out who he was, and why he was so fond of the village of Sydenham. You are the experts who will solve this crime.

The Historic Sydenham Escape Adventure Walk is part of the Lakes and Trails Festival, a celebration of our active lifestyle, natural beauty and history.

You’ll start at the detective’s tent located it the Point Park Festival headquarters. A detective will tell you the little they know and then turn the crime over to you. You will be given a map, a bag of clues, and a clue decoder card. To solve the mystery, you will visit the places where the mysterious person’s descendants spent time. You will find out more about these places as you read diary entries . At each location, you will gather a clue that will help to confirm their identity. At the end of your adventure, you can confirm your solution at the detective’s tent. And, if you softly whisper his name into the wind, you will possibly meet their spirit .

The Historic Sydenham Outdoor Escape Adventure should take about 60 minutes and involves walking a 2-kilometre paved and gravel route around the village. It will be best enjoyed in small groups working together, 2-8 people, with 4-6 as the optimal size.

No pre-registration is required.  Come anytime between 8:45 and noon to the Point Park, Sydenham on Saturday, July 16.

Historic Sydenham Outdoor Escape Adventure at the Lakes and Trails Festival

The Spirit of Sydenham Awaits!

Small towns are full of mysteries. Some people talk, but others do not. Sydenham’s hearsay tells us that a body went missing, but whose body was it? Only a revealing walk through the history of this town will tell. Come to the Lakes and Trails Festival, July 17 , the Point Park, Sydenham to participate.

The spirit of this unidentified body is unable to rest until you find out who he was, and why he was so fond of the village of Sydenham. You are the experts who will solve this crime.

The Historic Sydenham Outdoor Adventure Walk is part of the Lakes and Trails Festival, a celebration of our active lifestyle, natural beauty and history.

You’ll start at the detective’s tent located it the Point Park Festival headquarters. Two bumbling detectives will tell you the little they know and then turn the crime over to you. You will be given a map, a bag of clues, and a clue decoder card. To solve the mystery, you will visit the places where the mysterious man’s descendants spent time. You will find out more about these places as you read diary entries written by his youngest grandson, William. At each location, you will gather a clue that will help to confirm his identity. At the end of your adventure, you can confirm your solution at the detective’s tent. And, if you softly whisper his name into the wind, you will possibly meet his spirit and win a prize.

The Historic Sydenham Outdoor Escape Adventure should take about 60 minutes and involves walking a 2-kilometre paved and gravel route around the village. It will be best enjoyed in small COVID-respecting groups working together, 2-8 people, with 4-6 as the optimal size.

No pre-registration is required.  Come anytime between 8:30 and noon to the Point Park, Sydenham on July 17.

For information on the cycling, bike tune-up clinic and paddling events at the Festival visit our website, https://lakesandtrailsfestival.org/, and Facebook Page.

We look forward to seeing you on July 17th.

Have Your Bike Tuned-up in Sydenham

A bike tune-up service is being offered at this year’s July 17th Lakes and Trails Festival.  The service is being provided by Gear Up! Kingston.

Gear Up! Recycled Bikes is a social enterprise founded in 2016 and operated by Cycle Kingston.  They provide youth with life skills and foundational employment skills, while providing less expensive transportation options for people living in the region.

Bike tune ups take about half an hour and will be offered from 9am to 12:30. Please per-register online: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lakes-trails-2021-tickets-159996819795.

Make sure and scroll down for the later times.

The service is pay-what you can.  A suggested donation of $30 for one bike or $20 per bike for a family, would help off-set the cost of materials and labour.

The Lakes and Trails Festival, and the tune-up service, will be held in the Point Park, Sydenham.  Other activities include Family and Round-the-Lake bike rides, canoeing and kayaking on Sydenham Lake and a historical scavenger hunt in Sydenham village.

Lakes and Trails Festival Registration Opens

Online Registration for all group events and the bicycle tune-up clinic at the July 17 Lakes and Trails Festival is now available at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lakes-trails-2021-tickets-159996819795.

Registration is open for the:

  • 9:30am and 10:30am Family Cycle: an 8-kilometre route on a flat off-road trail beside Sydenham Lake. Suitable for all ages and abilities.
  • 9:00am and 10:00am Bike-Around-the- Lake: a 21-kilometre route on trails and quiet country roads going around Sydenham Lake.
  • 9:00am long paddle circumnavigating Sydenham Lake, about 3 hours.
  • 10:00am short paddle on Sydenham Lake, about one hour
  • bike tune-up/ repair station in half hour intervals running from 9:00am to 12:30 run by GearUp Kingston.

Scroll down the registration page for all events.

All activities are free.  The tune -up clinic is pay what you can with a suggested donation of $30 for individuals and $20 per bike for families to help cover the costs of materials and labour.

Self-guided, any-time, activities include:

  • a cycle route up to Desert Lake, 35 kilometers on hilly country roads suitable for advanced riders.
  • a historical scavenger hunt to identify Points of interest around Sydenham.

All events start at the Point Park in Sydenham, South Frontenac.

Participants in the Festival will receive a festival ball cap on completion of their activity and be invited to pick-up lunch and shop at the many stores and restaurants in South Frontenac.  The Festival is a community celebration of South Frontenac’s natural environment, active lifestyle and history.

Donations are welcome and volunteers needed.

Lakes and Trails Festival: Complimentary Activities

July 20th, the date of the Lakes and Trails Festival, also host four activities complimentary to the Festival.

The Kingston Velo Club is organizing a bike ride from Kingston out to the Festival.  Riders will stay for lunch, music and then bike back.  For details on how to join this ride go to the Velo Club web site, https://kingstonveloclub.ca/ .

Similarly, the Cataraqui Canoe Club is organizing a long paddle around Sydenham Lake with time to join the historic walk of Sydenham village, have lunch and listen to some music.  For details got to: http://cataraquicanoe.ca/.

On July 20th it is free to use Frontenac Provincial Park, a 10-minute drive from the Festival. Anyone who hikes one of the Parks great trails is welcome to come to the Festival for a free lunch and concert. For details visit https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/frontenac/events.

After an active morning of biking, walking or paddling at the Lakes and Trails Festival you can visit the Fantasy in the Forest Art Show, https://www.facebook.com/fantasyintheforest/.  Some of the best artists in Eastern Ontario are 10 minutes from the Festival until 5pm on Saturday and from 10am to 5pm on July 21.

Come out to South Frontenac on July 20. Enjoy a weekend of outdoor activities, history, music, food and art.

Sydenham Walkers Group to Leads a Hike at the Lakes and Trails Festival

The Sydenham Walkers Group, a tireless, unstoppable, group of South Frontenac Resident’s who walk every morning at 6:45, will, be leading a group walk at the third annual Lakes and Trails Festival: Saturday, July 20, at the Point Park, Sydenham.

The group, lead by Vicki England, will meet at the Festival registration table at 9am: walk along the Cataraqui Trail to Harrowsmith (with great views of the Wilton Creek valley) and back.  It will be a leisurely walk with plenty of good company and local history.  People are also welcome to join the hike at Harrowsmith: leaving the corner of Hwy 38 and the Cataraqui trail about 10 am and returning to the Festival.  The one-way walk is 5.5 kilometres.

After the Walk participants can stay and enjoy the other Festival activities: share a free community lunch, go for a swim, take a boat out for a paddle, walk historic Sydenham, listen to live music, and visit the booths.

The Lakes and Trails Festival is a community celebration of South Frontenac’s active lifestyle, natural beauty and history.  It focuses on walking, paddling and cycling activities and includes a live outdoor music concert and free community lunch.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  Registration starts at 9am at the Point Park in Sydenham, South Frontenac.  Come anytime until two pm.  There is no registration fee.

For more information go to the Festival’s website, https://lakesandtrailsfestival.org/, or visit the Lakes and Trials Festival Facebook page.

Gary Raspberry, Children’s Performer, Returning to 219 Lakes and Trails Festival

Gary Raspberry, who played to a rapt audience of about 50 children at last year’s Lakes and Trials Festival, will return this summer.

Gary is a well-known local children’s entertainer.  More on Gary can be found at:  http://garyrasberry.com/.

Among other local activities Gary volunteers to help out at New Leaf Link program for adults with disabilities.  We are very excited to have Gary back for another year.

The third annual Lakes and Trails Festival is on July 20 from 9am to 2pm in the Point Park, Sydenham, South Frontenac. Everyone is welcome, all event are free.

2018 Festival Final Report

The Second annual Lakes and Trails Festival took place on July 14, 2018 at the Point Park in Sydenham. The participant evaluations (56) and comments from the volunteers were overwhelmingly positive.

There were 405 registered participants, up from an estimated 385 last year. 230 came from South Frontenac, 172 from outside the Township and 3 did not state a location. When asked at registration what their main activity interests were 103 said cycling, 102 paddling, 87 the historic walk, music and 38 other. Many did not enter an interest and many entered more than one.
Most participants heard about the Festival from family or friends (116), 63 identified Facebook as their source of information, followed by posters (36) and newspapers (32).

The event focused on four main components: cycling, boating, the historic walk and music.

Cycling

The main cycling feature was an Around the Lake bike lead by South Frontenac Rides. Approximately 45 people took part in one of the 21, 36 and 44-kilometer bike loops. Another 25 joined the “Family Cycle”, 8 kilometers out and back on the Cataraqui trail. The Cycle Skills competition was busy for the whole morning and ran overtime. Similarly, use of the cycle repair station and the helmet fitting service was steady. The bike parking was less well used.

Boating

Boating started slowly but picked up with dozens using boats supplied by Frontenac Outfitters for short personal trips supervised by the Sydenham Canoe Club. Many people also participated by swimming at the Point.
The Kingston Dragon Boat Club was unable to participate this year due to scheduling conflict. The Cataraqui Canoe Club lead a trip on the lake with 15 boats participating.

Walking

The walking event was a historic 3-kilometre walking tour of Sydenham, including a stretch on the Cataraqui Trail and in downtown Sydenham. Five historic interpreters, dressed in period costumes, met participants at set locations and told stories about different aspects of Sydenham’s history. The crowds were large and went on after the formal closure of the event.

Music

Gary Raspberry, a children’s performer, lead a rapt audience of about 40 in a hour long performance under a tree on the Point. The afternoon “Music-on-Mill Street” was attended by about 50 over the two hours. It was hot with little shade. The music was enjoyed by those that came and others that passed by.

Food

The food was beef on a bun and salads organized by volunteers working South Frontenac Community services. Trousdale’s General store provided ice cream for all participants. There was enough food and service was well organized and generally received favourable comments.

Organizations that set up booths at the event included, The County of Frontenac; South Frontenac Township; The Cataraqui Conservation Authority; the Kingston Frontenac Public Library -which organized giant lawn games for children; The Cataraqui Canoe Club; The Rideau Trail; The Kingston Field Naturalists; Reptile Rescue Kingston; Frontenac Provincial Park; Kingston Frontenac Public Health Unit; and South Frontenac Community Services.

The results of this survey indicate that the Festival had resonance both as a local community celebration and as an attraction drawing people from Kingston and farther a field to South Frontenac.

Sponsors

The sponsors, monetary and in kind, for the 2018 event were:

Barb’s Handmade Pierogi
Beckwith Contracting
Cataraque Canoe Club
Clinton Dentistry
CyclePath
DFC BBQ Sauce
Fran Willes
Frontenac Outfitters
Frontenac Cycle
KFL+A Public Health Unit
Lanherne Technology INC.
Linden Tree Bed and Breakfast
Memory Lane Florists
Nancy Bayly
One Stop Convenience
RBC Sydenham Branch
Ross Sutherland
South Frontenac Township
South Frontenac Community Services
South Frontenac Fire and Rescue
South Frontenac Rides
Sydenham Canoe Club
Sydenham Medical Clinic
Sydenham Pet&Farm Supply
Sydenham Veterinary Services
Steve Clinton
Trailhead
Trousdale’s General Store
Trousdale’s Funeral Home

It is important to mention significant support from Frontenac Outfitters who staffed and organized the boat trials, KFL+A Public Health that donated water bottles and provided generous logistical support and printing, South Frontenac Township that donated staff time and facilities, Trousdale’s General Store that provided staff, ice cream and organized the Music-on-Mill Street, South Frontenac Community Services’ who prepared the food, Wilma Kenny and the volunteers who organized the historic Walk, and South Frontenac Rides and the Sydenham Canoe Club who were central to the paddling and cycling events.

The Future

An eventuation meeting will be held in the fall. If you are interested n attending please contact the Festival. The tentative date for next year’s Festival is July 20, 2019

Walk Historic Sydenham at the Lakes and Trails Festival

The second annual Lakes and Trails Festival is on July 14 in Sydenham Ontario. It celebrates the areas natural beauty, active lifestyle and history.

Sydenham is a historic village dating back to early 1800s.  It is home to Canada’s longest continually running general store and has vibrant industrial and cultural history.

The walk of historic Sydenham follows a 2 kilometre route with local history interpreters.  The historic interpreters will be on the route from 9:30 am to noon.

Go at your own pace.  The walk starts at The Point Park.  Come at a time convenient to you and hear stories from Sydenham’s past.

If you want a longer walk Sydenham is close to the junction of the Cataraqui Trail, the K+P Trail and the Rideau Trail.  Frontenac  Provincial Park is only 12 Kilometers north.  All provide wonderful hiking options.

After the walk stay for a free community lunch – donations appreciated – and a free music concert on Mill Street. There will be a not-free beer garden and coffee patio with other treats.

Other events include paddling on the lake, cycling around the lake, a cycle skills competition, a children’s music concert with Gary Raspberry and a variety of other activities and booths. Join-in where you can.

Registration begins at 9:30 in Sydenham’s Point Park and the music ends at 4. Come any time.

Cycling at the Lakes and Trails Festival

The Lakes and Trails Festival is held annually in Sydenham Ontario.  It celebrates the areas natural beauty, active lifestyle and history.

Cycling events include:

The Around the Lake Bike.  Bike around Sydenham Lake on off-road trails and on quiet, low-speed, paved rural roads. The 21-kilometre loop leaves the Point Park at 10:30, the 34K loop leaves at 10:00, and the 44K loop leaves at 9:30.

The Family Bike.  An 8-kilometre trip out and back on the Cataraqui Trail beside Sydenham Lake.

The Cycle Skills Competition.  Suitable for cyclists from training wheels to advanced.  The Paper Route, the Zig Zag and the Slow Bike events will be scored and a leader board will be kept through the morning.  Prizes will be awarded to the winners by event and age.

Yellow Bikes will help with bicycle maintenance.  Helmet fitting and safety instruction will be available.  All cyclist will be given bells and lights.

Other events include paddling on the lake, a community lunch, historic village walk, swimming and Music-on-Mill Street in the afternoon.

Registration begins at 9:30 in Sydenham’s Point Park and the music ends at 4.  Come any time.