Our Favourite Picks for Spring 2017
Must stop and smell the spring flowers, participate in an Earth Day event, take in an Eco-Film fest and visit the museum.
Must sniff
Stop and smell the spring flowers at one of Lilactree Farm Garden Open Days in south Mulmur. On opening day, Sunday, April 30, you’ll marvel at what’s already afoot.
Because it sits on a sheltered south-facing slope, much of Brian and Maureen Bixley’s expansive garden blossoms early. Spring daphne – underplanted with white sweet woodruff – will perfume the east side of the driveway. Depending on the weather, you’ll see either winter aconites and snowdrops or large plantings of blue and white Puschkinia, Chionodoxa (glory-of-the-snow), Leucojum vernum (spring snowflake), dwarf iris and other gems. Hedged and tree-lined paths, many of them thyme-carpeted, lead out to spectacular views over the Niagara Escarpment. Other garden days are May 14, May 28 and June 18. There is no admission fee for this splendid way to welcome spring. For more info, email [email protected].
Spring at Lilactree Farm March 2012 – cover image and in-depth story for In The Hills Spring 2012.
A pale pink form of bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis.
Must green
Tap into the benefits of unplugging and join Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club on Saturday morning, April 22 in Mono. As one of nine member clubs that form the Bruce Trail Conservancy, the group has organized its inaugural Earth Day Event – and it’s about much more than hiking.
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The day includes tree planting, installing bluebird boxes to woo more feathered friends, and a sign unveiling. Hikers can help clean up the parking lots on this section of the trail and then, of course, take a walk in the woods. Light refreshments cap the day. Meet at 5 Sideroad Mono, just east of Airport Road, about 3 km north of Highway 9. Please bring a shovel and gloves. See details on the Earth Day Flyer at caledonbrucetrail.ca.
By Ivana Forgo / Shutterstock.
Must watch
The Fast Forward Eco-Film Festival was born on a canoe trip in 2009 when members of the Climate Change Action Group of Erin discussed starting a book club. Reading the books ahead of time was deemed “too much like homework.” So a spring film festival – no homework required – debuted in 2010 instead. Still going strong, the annual series has inspired a parallel endeavour from sister group Climate Change Action Dufferin-Caledon. The two series are underway, with dates remaining in April and May, at the Erin Legion and Orangeville’s Westside Secondary School.
Passionate seed keepers who are protecting a 12,000-year-old food legacy from being lost forever are the focus of Seed: The Untold Story. It screens April 5 in Erin. The Messenger takes a look at humanity’s deep connection to birds and the effects humanmade hazards have had on their populations. It will be screened April 26 in Erin and May 2 in Orangeville. Ethiopia Rising – a film that traces the environmental transformation of a country known for famine and poverty – screens April 11 in Orangeville.
Admission is free (donations appreciated). Bring a mug for light refreshments. For info on the Erin fest call 519-833-4676 or visit transitionerin.ca/eco-film-fest. For the Caledon-Dufferin fest visit climatechangeactiondc.org.
The Fast Forward Eco-Film series includes Seed: The Untold Story featuring Vandana Shiva, left, and The Messenger, which focuses on avian stars such as this tree swallow photographed near Saskatoon.
Must reflect
For a fascinating reminder of how Dufferin’s pioneering spirit runs through its history, visit Dufferin County Museum & Archives’ exhibit True. Grit. The exhibit presents intriguing sets of photos comparing historic groups of musicians, immigrants, lacrosse teams and other groups with their contemporary counterparts (present-day photos are by In The Hills’ contributor Pete Paterson). In one grouping called “Newcomers,” for instance, a sepia-toned image of a British immigrant family in the 1890s is twinned with a photo of a Syrian refugee family who only recently arrived in the region.
“There are so many interesting characters in Dufferin County, both past and present,” says curator Sarah Robinson. “I want to share their stories. These people were – and are – truly ‘gritty.’ They are leaders, artists, heroes, movers and shakers. With the ‘now’ and ‘then’ photos side by side, it really gives perspective as to how some things have changed – or not changed.”
True. Grit. opens May 6 and runs through December, 2018. For information call 519-941-1114 or visit dufferinmuseum.com.
Dufferin Lacrosse Club, Orangeville, c.1885. Photo Courtesy Dufferin County Museum And Archives, P-0162. Orangeville Northmen Lacrosse: Nick Rose, Travis Brown and Bishop, 2017. Photo by Pete Paterson.
Must groove
The charming frontmen of some of the best alt-rock and pop bands of the 1990s have joined forces as the Trans-Canada Highwaymen supergroup. Moe Berg of The Pursuit of Happiness, Chris Murphy of Sloan, Craig Northey of Odds and Barenaked Ladies’ Steven Page have known each other for 25 years and are hitting Rose Theatre in Brampton on Friday, April 28.
Need a refresher course? How about Sloan’s “The Good in Everyone”? Or Barenaked Ladies’ “If I Had a Million Dollars”? Bet you can’t get them out of your head now. For tickets call 905-874-2800 or visit rosetheatre.ca.
