Please note the COUNTRY ROADS PHOTO CONTEST IS CLOSED. Click for more details.

Check out all that beautiful Stirling-Rawdon has to offer. Specialty shops and services, dining, events, and much more. CONTACT EACH BUSINESS FOR THEIR CURRENT OPERATING CONDITIONS.

Click here to find out more about THE ART SCENE in eastern Ontario. Browse the details of tours, artists, galleries and more.

Lamb shanks are my favourite thing to order in a restaurant. This recipe is so good that I may never go out to have them again…absolutely delicious! The perfect dinner for company and so easy.

Margaret Grotek, Manager at Farmtown Park says that once the park closes on September 30th, it’s an all hands-on focus as they immediately turn their attention toward their annual Christmas event, “the Festival of Trees.” While they get ready for this event, they have also rented their facilities, especially for weddings that she says are “extremely popular in September.”

As summer slips away I still crave the taste of a citrusy dessert...and this one is the best! It’s so easy and so delicious. At a dinner party that I hosted I looked down my table to see one of the guests licking out the dish...I mouthed, “Would you like more?” His response was to close his eyes and nod yes. Perfection.

Mark your calendar for August 17-19 and attend the 160th anniversary of the Stirling Agricultural Fair! Among this year’s roster is the return of the Blacksmith Show, and a new Mini-horse Chuck-wagon event. There is a strong-man competition that will run over two days. While the midway is provided by Homeniuk Rides Inc., these other exhibits are self-run, with an emphasis on family fun. The line-up features many traditional standards such as the Beef, Goat and 4-H Shows, the Big Daddy Derby (an old-fashioned derby, where guys and gals, smash their car wrecks for prize money)…

One of my favourite summer salads is a slaw made from three of the cabbage family members: cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts. It is great to take to a potluck and it stays fresh for days in the fridge. If you have a food processor or mandolin it takes very little time to make.

It still has the feeling of winter and nothing is better for a weekend lunch than a bowl of homemade soup. This coconut-spiked squash soup is so easy that children can help make it (and eat it!!). If by chance there is any leftover (not likely...) it can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. YUM!

This year, Sydney Dodson of the Township of Stirling-Rawdon has organized an exceptional event that will once again showcase local home and lifestyle options. The 4th annual Home and Lifestyle Expo will be held April 27, 5:30 – 8 p.m., and April 28 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Stirling Rawdon & District Recreation Centre, located at 435 West Front Street. And, as in previous years, this Expo is sure to have something to offer everyone. For those new to visiting the arena, please be assured that the arena offers ample free parking, a fully accessible entrance and washrooms, with a canteen for purchase of burgers and hot dogs for the kids.

As publisher of Country Roads, receiving the 2017 MVP Tourism Award at the Hastings County Awards Celebration held recently at the Village Playhouse in Bancroft was a tremendous and humbling honour. In truth, the award is a reflection of the great amount of work everybody puts into Country Roads. We have an extremely dedicated staff that is committed not just to the magazine but also to presenting the best Hastings County has to offer...

If you have never made bread, figured out how yeast works or don’t want to do all that kneading then this recipe is for you. The only thing that you really need is time and then you will have the most wonderful artisanal bread. Friends will ask what bakery made it.

As I was to discover, Dr. Scott was an exceptional individual — a true visionary who was the principal reason why Lavalée was ahead of its time. Little wonder that the attractions and facilities found on the extensive Scott property that straddled Faraday and Wollaston Townships surpassed the competition.

By Barry Penhale -- Yet another source of interesting background to Flint may be found in the writings of Nila Reynolds. In “Bancroft: A Bonanza of Memories”, she informs readers of how the community of York River, with a post office since May 1, 1861, became officially known as Bancroft solely due to the enormous political clout of one Billa Flint — Senator Flint, if you please...

2017 marks the 150th Anniversary of Canada. Country Roads magazine will celebrate with editorial that shines a spotlight on Hastings County and its importance to this great country. Watch for special articles and celebrations throughout our 2017 issues.

if you enjoy Shelley Wildgen's column 'Just Saying,' you're in for a treat because Loyalist College Alternative Radio is airing audio versions of 'Just Saying.' Tune in at Loyalist College Alternative Radio 91x to hear Shelley reading selections from her column. Or listen here!

We want to express a great big thank you to Paula and everyone else who took time out of their day to complete our online survey. Your feedback is so valuable to us, and helps us provide all the Hastings County content you love. If you haven't done the survey yet, don't worry, you can still complete it here.

The Bancroft Apsley and Tweed studio tours provide a truly unique experience for art lovers. Not only do they get to explore this majestic region of eastern Ontario during its most aesthetically vibrant season and immerse themselves in art, they also get to connect with the creators in their own studios. Often, upon arrival, visitors enter the very landscapes that have inspired the art they admire. 

Do you love the featured articles in Country Roads? Are you interested in what's happening around Hastings County? Then hurry, hurry, hurry, and sign up for our newsletter! Delivered straight to your inbox, our newsletter contains top stories from our magazine and posts from our blog, as well as updates about Hastings County news and events, special offers, and more.

Residents of downtown Belleville awoke to an unusual sight on the morning of Labour Day, 1936. If they lived on Yeomans, Moira, Everett or Catharine Streets, they found snow fencing and haybales in front of their homes, lining the roadways. If there was any confusion as to the purpose of these barriers, it would be erased soon enough by the cacophony of 35 motorcycle engines leaving the startline as the inaugural Canadian 200-Mile Motorcycle Roadrace got underway.