Mark your calendars for a new fall date of October 3rd for the community’s fourth annual Doors Open Quinte West event. The date is quickly approaching and coordinators and site representatives are promising another great year with many interesting sites to visit and view.
This year there are 17 sites on the tour including: Research Casting International, The Montrose Inn, Quinte Waste Solutions, The Hastings Prince Edward Counties Fire Training Complex, The Parrott Centre at Loyalist College, Trenton Town Hall 1861, St. George’s Anglican Church, The National Air Force Museum of Canada, the Ontario Genealogical Society, Quinte Branch, the Quinte West YMCA and the Quinte West Sports Wall of Fame, Trenton Lawn Bowling Club, The Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens, Trenton Rowing and Paddling Club and Batawa Ski Hill. In addition, City Hall will host a selection of writers who will be showcasing their new books on local history and Bethel Pentecostal Church where a free BBQ between 12 – 3 pm will be offered along with their day-long tour.
“Although some of these sites have been on previous Doors Open tours, it is important to note that each visit will be a new experience,” explains the City’s Tourism Coordinator Jennifer Rushlow. “For example, RCI always has different projects on the floor that they may be working on and the Montrose Inn, is under new ownership and has been redecorated. Many of the sites each year, like the National AirForce Museum, select a feature that highlights the Provincial theme.”
This year, the Ontario Heritage Trust adopted the theme of Play. Endure. Inspire. Ontario’s Sports Heritage. Through this year’s province wide theme, we can explore our community’s rich and robust sports heritage visiting sites like the Lawn Bowling Club and the Rowing and Paddling Club. See how fire fighters train and stay fit at the Fire Training Complex. Visit the YMCA during Doors Open and try out their facilities for FREE including swimming from 1 – 5 and open Gym from 2 – 5:30. There will be an opportunity to enjoy a free skate at the Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens from 10 – 11 am to kick off the morning and you can end your afternoon with another free skate from 3 – 4 pm at the Dr. McMullen Recreation Centre (Arena) in Frankford. The Batawa Ski Hill is also featuring a guided nature walk and many other exciting activities during their Harvest at the Hill event taking place in coordination with Doors Open.
Doors Open Quinte West is a free self-guided tour. Participants are invited to tour as many or as few sites as they wish between the hours of 10 am – 4 pm. For more details about the sites on the tour, please visit www.doorsopenontario.on.ca or on Facebook at Doors Open Quinte West.
Doors Open Ontario is an event developed by the Ontario Heritage Trust – an agency dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting built, cultural and natural heritage across the province.
