About Perth County, ON

Shakespeare Conservation Area is a quiet little spot great for picnics, hikes in the forest, fishing, or just reading and watching the geese and great blue heron.

It is located just north of Shakespeare, also known as one of Ontario's antique hot spots between Kitchener-Waterloo & Stratford.

If you haven't heard of Shakespeare, I'm sure it's neighbour to the west, Stratford is more of a household name. Perhaps due to the famous Stratford Shakespeare Festival, or perhaps for being the home of one Justin Bieber.

But getting back to the Conservation Area, on a recent visit I noticed that all of the picnic tables had been repaired, with new boards. That was nice to see. I was disappointed however that the boardwalks were all grown over with weeds and it made for a tricky hike around the perimeter of the lake/reservoir.

That didn't stop my dog Lola and I from enjoying the late summer sunshine and snapping some photos. I hope these photos will inspire you all to get out and enjoy nature now that the fall season is upon us.

Perhaps next time Justin Bieber is home and needs a bit of downtime he can check out the Shakespeare Conservation Area.

The City of Stratford, Ontario will be hosting their annual Heritage Weekend on June 3rd - 5th.  I have already checked off the events that I'm interested in attending. 

I am a history nut so that's part of the reason that so many of the weekend events appeal to me.  Here is how the www.welcometostratford.com  website describes the weekend festiviities.

"Come celebrate the rich heritage of Stratford, St. Marys and Shakespeare on June 3-5 at the Stratford Spring Heritage Weekend with an antiques fair; special guided walks of antique shops and carriage tours of Stratford's heritage district; St. Marys "Once Upon the Thames" Storytelling Festival; a railway heritage show and exhibitions of costumes and the Doors of Perth County.

Stratford, St. Marys and Shakespeare have some of the best conserved 19th century heritage districts in Ontario. Shakespeare is renown for its quality antique shops and informed dealers. St. Marys, has a unique 19th century limestone architectural character unique in English speaking Canada. While Stratford's heritage district stretches for miles, filled with some of the finest 19th century homes, churches, commercial buildings and civic buildings in Canada.

The Heritage Weekend is filled with lots to see and do. Check out the calendar of events."

Hidden almost out of sight, just off the Huron Street bridge in downtown Stratford, Ontario lies the Shakespearean Gardens. This well manicured English garden offers a formal setting with boxwood hedges,stone walkways, benches and gazebo yet comes alive with the brilliant colour of an amazing array of flowers, herbs, shrubs and trees.

The views from the garden are just as impressive with the historic Perth County Courthouse to one side and the gently flowing Avon River on the other side. Stone steps and a pathway along the Avon River lead you underneath the old Huron Street bridge and towards the Shakespeare Festival.

The tulips were brilliant on my recent visit and I'm looking forward to seeing what is next to bloom. The Shakespearean Gardens is one of those little pieces of heaven that you can sometimes find in the middle of a city. The perfect spot to bring a book, sit on a bench by the river and enjoy the sights and smells of an old English garden.

S

It's Census time in Canada. It comes once every five years and all Canadians would have received their questionnaire recently in the mail. I'm not big on filling out forms anymore and prefer to do so online whenever possible. I "key" faster than I write and being left handed it saves me from getting ink smudges on my fingers.

I found the Government site to complete the census form online but "due to technical difficulties" the site was "currently unavailable" and I was informed to complete my paper questionnaire and send back via snail mail.

I do love technology - when it works.

I did find some interesting information however, while viewing the Government site. For quite a few years now I've been working on my family history and I've often used past census's to find my ancestors. The trouble for genealogists is that census information is kept private for 92 years.

Therefore the "newest" census that I can have access to for information purposes is 1911. Another Canadian Census now being performed is the Census of Agriculture. Now that I've recently moved to a smaller community in the heart of Ontario agricultural land I've taken more interest in my neighbouring farms and the agricultural industry.

I found the 2006 census information to be very interesting, especially that the average age of a Canadian farm operator is 52 and that only 2.2% of Canada's total population are farmers.

"The Census of Agriculture provides a statistical portrait of Canada's agriculture industry and its farm operators and families. Read about what's new for this Census of Agriculture and find answers to all your questions.
The last Census of Agriculture, in 2006, told us that Canada's agriculture industry has: "

• 229,000 farms
• 67.6 million hectares of total farm area
• 35.9 million hectares of land in crops (excluding Christmas trees)
• 15.8 million cattle
• 15.0 million hogs
• 125.3 million hens and chickens
• $248.3 billion in farm capital
• $42.2 billion in total gross farm receipts
• 2.2% of Canada's total population (known as the farm population)
• 327,000 farm operators, of which
• 27.7% are female and
• 52.0 years is their average age.

Are we to assume then that farmers are aging and farms are decreasing in numbers? I guess we will have to wait to see what the 2011 Census results tell us.

So if you are Canadian and you haven't completed your Census yet, please do so. I'm heading over to the Government website to see if the technical problems have been resolved.

The 10 year expensive battle is over. Walmart is coming to Stratford, Ontario. Not in its' desired location or original size but none the less ground will be broken in 2012 to pave the way for the mega box store to put down roots in the Stratford community.

The city has spent $1.4 million dollars on legal fees alone in their fight to keep the retail giant at bay with their efforts to preserve the downtown retail businesses. Many downtown merchants are concerned that Walmart's arrival will put additional stress on businesses already facing challenges.

The new location, still in the City's east end is a smaller parcel of land, meaning the size of the department store will shrink from the desired 135,000 square feet to 90,000 square feet.

Big box stores versus local merchants is a common battle faced by most communities. While it is sad to see some mom and pop businesses suffer, many do survive and thrive as they cater to a different type of clientele.

There is no denying that these large anchor stores bring jobs and keep dollars in the community. Here in Stratford, you must travel a half hour away to Kitchener or Woodstock, Ontario to find a Walmart or Home Depot.

Walmart's biggest competition in Stratford is Zellers, a chain stores that have recently been bought out by Target. If the existing Zellers store eventually converts to a Target, it will be interesting to see the two big American giants go head to head vying for their share of business from Stratford's 32,000 residents.

Will Home Depot and Chapters be far behind?