Back Roads

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Photo courtesy of Community Archives of Belleville & Hastings County (album donated by Don Kellaway) Reference: 2019-034/3.

Photo courtesy of Community Archives of Belleville & Hastings County (album donated by Don Kellaway) Reference: 2019-034/3.

In July 1932, eight young Belleville men travelled by canoe along the Trent-Severn Waterway. They began their journey from Belleville and continued north of Peterborough, camping on the sides of lakes, rivers and canals. The photographer was S. Alec Gordon (1905-1989), who was a music teacher for the Ontario School for the Deaf (now the Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf). This image is one of 33 taken on the journey, 13 of which have been delicately hand-tinted like this one.

 
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A LIST OF AREA BUSINESSES & HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THEM

COVID-19 is affecting the lives of every one of us.

The businesses that advertise on the pages of COUNTRY ROADS magazine are all doing their best to ride out this pandemic and still be here when the virus is not! To help we’ve put together a list with contact information for advertisers from the Spring 2020 issue. Check with them for their current operating details.

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Cycling through and beyond Hastings County: Slow travel offers cyclists an eco-friendly and unique vacation experience
Cycling through and beyond Hastings County: Slow travel offers cyclists an eco-friendly and unique vacation experience

By Heather-Anne Wakeling - Tourists travelling through Hastings County always mention the magnificent views. However, with interest in reducing carbon footprints and participating in eco-friendly excursions, vacationers are opting to trade their vehicles for bicycles. As they pedal along Heritage Trails and the TransCanada Highway, otherwise known as Highway 7, people create wonderful memories as they re-discover just how slow travel can unveil our area’s natural beauty in intimate, physical detail.

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MARMORA & LAKE - Shop, Dine, Seek Adventure & more

The beautiful municipality of Marmora & Lake is home to many unique businesses. Check out what you can find from the merchants of Marmora.

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Purposeful Painting: Putting the fun back into fundraising
Purposeful Painting: Putting the fun back into fundraising

Story and photos by Victor Schukov - Natural born artists stand out at a very young age and usually, if not eventually, will display their multiple talents. Lorraine Shalitis was born in Kingston, and raised in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Her Mom often said that Shalitis was painting, drawing and singing before she could even talk.

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Meet friendly STIRLING-RAWDON
Meet friendly STIRLING-RAWDON

Stirling-Rawdon is a charming rural community with vibrant towns and hamlets. Explore the many exciting businesses located in this beautiful part of Hastings County.

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“Home Scent Home”: Lost Lucy’s four-day 80-kilometre round trip an amazing tale of canine capability
“Home Scent Home”: Lost Lucy’s four-day 80-kilometre round trip an amazing tale of canine capability

By Andy Sparling. - Missing two-year-old dogs don’t tend to survive outside for four days and nights in Belleville’s early November weather. But Lucy did. And it looks like Lucy may have made it on foot across a good chunk of southern Hastings County — and back again — before crawling into bed and waking her beloved owner Kristy Sinclair in an almost magical return home.

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BEAUTIFUL BANCROFT
BEAUTIFUL BANCROFT

The Bancroft region offers residents and visitors access to lakes, forests, parks, golf courses, theatres and museums, cultural and sporting events, recreation trails, and is home to many unique businesses. CONTACT EACH BUSINESS TO LEARN THEIR OPERATING CONDITIONS AT THIS TIME. Learn more about this lovely community at www.bancroft.ca

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REMEMBERING: Canadian History Recorded in Letters
REMEMBERING: Canadian History Recorded in Letters

By Barry Penhale- At a neighbourly gathering at our farmhouse, a guest now into her 80s brought up the topic of pen pals — a term that today seems quaint and out-of-fashion. As it turned out our neighbour has kept up a cherished correspondence with two childhood friends for over seventy years. Just imagine the history these three faithful friends have witnessed and documented as they recorded, page by page, their daily experiences, in letters that have regularly made their way across the country. 

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MADOC - the town with the Big Heart
MADOC - the town with the Big Heart

Madoc, located in the Community with the Big Heart in the Municipality of Centre Hastings is home to a wide variety of local businesses with exceptional products and services. CONTACT EACH BUSINESS TO LEARN THEIR CURRENT OPERATING CONDITIONS. Learn more about this lovely community at www.centrehastings.com

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JUST SAYING: Morning Has Broken: The other side of midnight as a life-altering encounter
JUST SAYING: Morning Has Broken: The other side of midnight as a life-altering encounter

By Shelley Wildgen - Sleepy, slothy, comfy, cozy… everything that keeps us under the blankets all winter long. Just try to beat that cold-outside-no problem-inside, roll-over-after-the-snooze-alarm charm? Impossible. It’s the bliss enjoyed by all hibernating humans … unless, of course, you’re a morning person, all hopped up because your spring-time fresh season has just arrived!  

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MAYNOOTH & HASTINGS HIGHLANDS - on the wild side of Algonquin Park
MAYNOOTH & HASTINGS HIGHLANDS - on the wild side of Algonquin Park

One of the highest inhabited areas in Ontario, a short distance North of Bancroft on the way to Algonquin Park, Maynooth is noted for beautiful sunsets, a vibrant art scene, and friendly shop owners. Contact each business to learn their current operating details. To learn more about Maynooth and Hastings Highlands www.hastingshighlands.ca

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THE VILLAGE IDIOT: In a bad mood
THE VILLAGE IDIOT: In a bad mood

By John Hopkins - We generally live in a world of trade offs in this part of the country. The price we pay for beautiful summer weather is the aggravation of a wide assortment of pesky bugs. On the other hand, while we deal with the cold, ice and snow of winter, traditionally we have the advantage of an absence of insects. This delicate balance is one of the most maddening, but also strangely beautiful aspects of nature. 

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