Georgian Triangle

THERE ARE MANY SCENIC SPOTS TO STOP AT WHEN VISITING THE GEORGIAN TRIANGLE TO TAKE PICTURES, BIRD WATCH, OR PICNIC.

Area offers visitors lots to do

GEORGIAN TRIANGLE SURROUNDS THE GEORGIAN BAY AND SPANS FROM SOUTH OF OWEN SOUND AROUND TO MIDLAND.

The Georgian Triangle region is becoming a popular tourist destination. Visitors from Canada and beyond make their way to the area every year. Apple orchards, Blue Mountains and the clean waters of Georgian Bay make it a perfect vacation spot all year-round.

The Georgian Triangle area covers the apple region of Meaford and Thornbury, south of Owen Sound, to the skiing resorts of Collingwood and the sandy shores of Wasaga Beach. Each unique small town has something to offer at different times of the year.

The fall is the perfect time to take a bike tour. A 32-km cycling and hiking trail goes from Harbourview Park in Collingwood to Meaford. While on the tour, take in the beautiful colors of the changing leaves.

ONE OF THE POPULAR ANNUAL EVENTS IS THE GREAT STAYNOR PUMPKINFEST, HELD IN LATE OCTOBER IN THIS TOWN, JUST SOUTH OF COLLINGWOOD.

If the winter is your time of the year, then take advantage of some of the best resorts in the province. Blue Mountain in Collingwood and Talisman in Kimberley offer everything from downhill and cross-country skiing to snowshoe trails, snowmobiling and winter horseback riding.

Spring and summer offer endless opportunities in the Georgian Triangle, including camping, hiking, swimming, canoeing and walking tours.

Visit a tourist information booth in your area and ask for the Georgian Triangle Visitor Guide for 1996/97 for a complete listing of things to do.

If you've wanted to learn more about Georgian Bay, with its shores of scenic caves and mysterious shipwrecks, you will enjoy the film and guide book "Ghosts of the Bay". It is called a "journey into the forgotten history of Georgian Bay" and is available at book and gift stores across Ontario.

The film is 90-minutes long and comes with a 300-page book that will be used by anyone planning a visit to the area or those just interested in history. Both include endless stories from the communities -- their shores, shipwrecks, ghost towns, native villages, abandoned fishing and lumber camps.

The collection comes after four years of research by people who were fascinated by the rich history of the bay and its shores and "those who dared to make a life here."

COLLINGWOOD -- A special ceremony and reunion is being planned for veterans who served on a war ship 50 years ago.

Collingwood will be welcoming those who served on the HMSC Collingwood, a corvette war ship, launched on July 27, 1940 at the Collingwood Shipyard. There were 13 other corvette war ships later built in Collingwood, but this was the first one used for service by the Royal Canadian Navy.

The reunion is planned for May 9, 10 and 11, and will include tours of the community, a dance, and ceremony at the cenotaph. One of the highlights will be a special display of the ship. The event is being sponsored by the Collingwood museum. Members of the public are also invited to attend. The community will be offering special rates and discounts to veterans. If you are a veteran who served on this ship or know someone who did, call the museum at 1-705-445-4811.

• The Grey-Bruce AA Tween ringette team won the All-Ontario title in March in Waterloo. They beat 8 of the top teams in the province.
  
  
• District Health Councils have not yet released final reports on hospitals in rural Ontario. The provincial task force should be visiting the area in the fall.
  
  
• Almost half a million dollars has been raised for flood victims in Durham. At press time, the government still had not declared the town a disaster area.
  
  
• Wiarton Willie, the groundhog who predicted an early spring, has needed the protection of body guards. Apparently death threats have poured into Wiarton from angry people upset that spring was longer than six weeks in coming.
  
  
• Amy Sky, Canadian Juno nominee, played to a sold out crowd in March at the Wingham Town Hall.