Unique Muskoka Issue 47 - September 2024 : simplebooklet.com

2 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024...telling the Muskoka storyFeatures11Magical Minds and Powerful FriendshipsArticle by Bronwyn Boyer Photography by Tomasz SzumskiGravenhurst resident Julia Tilson ﬁrst had her short story published as the opening story of the 25th anniversary edition of Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. Since then, she’s self-published her ﬁrst novel Coincident and has much more in the works. 16Rob Stimpson – A Photographer’s JourneyArticle by Andy ZeltkalnsRob Stimpson, Muskoka-based professional photographer describes the feeling he gets about his dream job as needing to pinch himself on occasion. Working across the globe, Stimpson is a renowned nature and landscape photographer, who continues to travel, in addition to oﬀering lectures and teaching classes about photography.24As The Wheel Turns – Spruce and Sand CeramicsArticle by Bronwyn Boyer Ceramic artist, potter and designer Kristi Bails creates handmade ceramics from her home studio; Spruce and Sand Ceramics. Her focus on quality, useful items with an original ﬂair stems from wanting unique pieces in her own home and making them if they don’t exist elsewhere. 32Aeronautic History Gets Personal in MuskokaArticle and Photography by Tim Du VernetCanada Day celebrations at Muskoka Airport this year were an opportunity to recognize Muskoka’s aeronautic history, with a special visit from the PBY-5A CANSO aircraft during her cross-country tour. Local resident Kate Oldham’s family were directly involved in the restoration of the Second World War-era airplane that was repurposed as a water bomber. [11][32][24]

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Our CoverPhotograph by Tim Du Vernet Muskoka’s aviation history was celebrated on Canada Day with a visit from the restored Second World War aircraft PBY-5A CANSO, now ﬂying as C-FNJE.SEPTEMBER 2024Historic Buildings -The past and the futureThrough the lens -Landscapes and wildlife from Muskoka and abroadChosen coverHIGH FLYING CELEBRATIONSAVIATION HISTORY TAKES TO THE AIRSeptember 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 5[58]40The Early Days – Port CunningtonArticle by J. Patrick BoyerLike many pioneering individuals and families, Boyce Henry Cunnington founded a community on Lake of Bays. While other locales drew more settlers to become villages or towns, Port Cunnington remained more a Franklin Township place at the edge of Muskoka with its eastern boundary abutting Haliburton County.Departments55What’s HappenedArticle by Matt Driscolle District of Muskoka looks ahead with a 30-year solid waste plan and three new waste drop-oﬀ locations are being watched for South Muskoka. Huntsville Festival of the Arts reveals their stacked fall lineup and fall fairs arrive across the region. e District of Muskoka has threatened to withhold hospital funding from MAHC’s planned redevelopment and the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre opened in August. 58Cottage Country CuisineArticle by K.M. Wehrstein Photography by Tomasz SzumskiCooking with mushrooms can provide a world of ﬂavour and texture to dishes. Whether you’re cooking them with meat or as their own meaty substitute, mushrooms can stand up and pair well with many dishes. Opinion9Muskoka InsightsBy Meghan Taylor64Muskoka MomentsBy Sandy Lockhart[46]46The Aerlife of Muskoka’s Purpose-Built StructuresArticle by J. Patrick Boyere saga of Muskoka’s purpose-built structures portrays what happens when heritage structures face abandonment, demolition, repurposing or restoration once their original duties have ended. Every community across the region has handled these structures diﬀerently, with varying results.

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…telling the Muskoka story Unique Muskoka is published six times per year by Unique Publishing Inc.Meghan TaylorPublisher/EditorDonna AnsleyJennifer MontpetitSalesLisa BrazierMarianne DawsonDesignSusan SmithAdministrationBronwyn BoyerJ. Patrick BoyerMatt DriscollTim Du VernetSandy LockhartTomasz SzumskiK.M. WehrsteinAndy ZeltkalnsContributorsAnnual Subscription Rates: (including HST where applicable)In Ontario $30.00 All Other Provinces $36.00 U.S. $60.00 All Other Countries $72.00HST: 773172721Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement Number: 43268016Copyright © 2024Unique Publishing Inc.No content published in Unique Muskoka can be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.Mailing AddressBox 616, Bracebridge ON P1L 1T9Street Address28 Manitoba St., Bracebridge ON P1L 1S1www.uniquemuskoka.cominfo@uniquemuskoka.com 705-637-0204 6 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024DISCOVER THE LOCAL MARKET WITH BIG CITY SELECTIONS IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN BRACEBRIDGEbigriverbakingco.com• Black Angus AAA beef, Ontario lamb, pork, chicken and sustainable sh• Assorted selection of house-made sausages• Variety of cheeses, dips, sauces and exclusive pantry items• Chef-inspired ready-to-eat meals and salads• Catering for staff luncheons, private parties and everyday needs• Fine Artisan Breads Daily• Assorted Baked Goods• Made in House DessertsServing fresh gourmet and artisan coffee, an assortment of teas, hot beverages, seasonal refreshments and baked goodsHIRAM ST MARKET 705-204-0857SULLYS MUSKOKA705-204-0857BIG RIVER BAKING COMPANY705-394-4499OPEN TUESDAY TO SATURDAY11A TAYLOR ROADOPEN TUESDAY TO SATURDAY 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.baristahcoffee.ca

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 9Muskoka InsightsPhotograph: MacKenzie TaylorARIYA HYBRIDby DreamStar BeddingMUSKOKACURATED COLLECTIONby Marshall MattressYour Home and CottageMattress Centre6 Monica Lane, Bracebridge705.646.2557www.mattressesofmuskoka.comTHE LARGEST SELECTIONOF IN-STOCKMATTRESSES IN MUSKOKAis year, and this summer in particular, I’ve frequently said “I can’t believe it’s (insert month here) already!” To be honest, I think I’ve been saying it since about March. Time moves quickly when you ﬁll your days, whether its work or play, and there are so many ways to get lost in the excitement of a Muskoka summer. As I look back on the summer, there are always more things I want to have ﬁt in – events to attend, new places to explore and experiences to savour. And yet, I am ever grateful for everything I have enjoyed and accomplished during this summer in Muskoka.Now, as we move into September, there are so many ways we change and adapt for the looming fall and winter. e days are shorter, kids head back to school, boats are winterized and stored for the season, gardens are overhauled and summer attire is transitioned into fall. Transitions frequently seem daunting at the outset, like climbing a mountain. As we reach the top and look down, or back at all we’ve been through, we realize the challenges that seemed insurmountable at the beginning were achievable. Knowing the journey is worth the struggle makes a diﬀerence in preparing for life’s shifts. Fall is often a time to re-evaluate what comes next. In mid-August, after returning from a trip to Scotland, my parents announced their retirement from retail and their plans to shutter their shop on Manitoba Street in Bracebridge. is is the third time my parents have “retired” and I know them well enough to know this is simply closing one chapter and opening a new one. at said, I congratulate them on taking this next step in their journey and I thank them for their unending support. Much like the transition from summer to fall, this edition of Unique Muskoka includes several features that explore processes and changes we go through. Ceramic artist Kristi Bails shares with contributor Bronwyn Boyer the intricacies of creating goods at the pottery wheel. Plans and designs may not always come out as initially intended but the transformation from clay to pottery is the product of patience, practice and knowledge. Bails’ work balances originality, creativity and functionality, allowing her to craft items she feels make a house into a home. Contributor Tim Du Vernet who often pens features about vintage and wooden boats instead shares with us some of Muskoka’s aeronautic history. e visit of the restored PBY-5A CANSO aircraft to the Muskoka Airport in July brought together family members from across the country, along with dignitaries, aircraft and military enthusiasts and a Second World War veteran, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RCAF. Perhaps the most obvious example of the progression of time are changes to the buildings we construct. Regular contributor Patrick Boyer shares the history of many of Muskoka’s purpose-built structures and the myriad ways those buildings have been maintained, or not, after their initial use has been fulﬁlled. e activities and needs of communities change over time, which necessitates updates and modernization of certain facilities. However, many buildings are gems, worth retroﬁtting to suit modern needs while preserving the history they represent. Truly, I can’t believe it’s September already. However, I plan to enjoy the transition and make the most of what’s left of summer in Muskoka. I hope you do too!Happy reading!

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12 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024Author Julia Tilson is at work on the sequel to her rst novel, as well as two other manuscripts she has underway: a high fantasy novel and a coming-of-age novel for young adults.“Seeing my work published for the ﬁrst time was a thrill,” remembers Tilson. “But when they sent me the edited copy for my approval, I wasn’t expecting to see my name right at the beginning.” Meanwhile, Tilson had been working on her debut novella, Coincident, which she ﬁnished writing in 2020 and published in 2022. Instead of being discouraged from the lack of response from publishers, Tilson decided to take the self-publishing route. “I just wanted to take control,” she explains. “I knew the story deserved to be told, and I’m proud of myself that I could make it happen on my own.”Apart from a writer friend who helped edit the novella, Coincident was a one-woman job. Tilson designed the cover and layout herself. During her oﬀ-time from running a home daycare centre with her mother, Tilson manages social media promotion and arranges book signings. “It can be overwhelming,” she admits. “And I'm not making a living oﬀ of it by any means but it’s my passion.”Tilson’s creative process hasn’t changed since her youth, still writing ﬁrst drafts by hand. “It's a very organic process that started in high school,” she explains. “I remember studying space and learning that the light from the moon takes eight minutes to come to Earth. I found that really fascinating and it became the inspiration for the book.” Coincident is a fantasy story conceived from an image Tilson had of a character who could grab onto light as it was hitting the Earth and travel with it into outer space, then grab onto the beam of another star to land somewhere else on Earth. “I just had that image in my mind,” she recalls. “And I started jotting down all these crazy ideas in the middle of the night and all of the pieces came together.”Coincident tells the story of Vanessa, an eccentric young woman with a strong sense of self, who has a vision that she could ﬂy. When she was a small child she fell ill and the fever caused her to forget she couldn't ﬂy. Removing this barrier in her mind unlocks her superpower, allowing her to develop her “star jumping” ability. Her brother Wesley has a similar experience that allows him to move things with his mind. While trying to ﬁgure out the secrets of the universe, he is captured by someone who wants to steal his power. Vanessa must embark on a search and rescue mission

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14 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024using “coincidences” as clues along the way. “A lot of people would think the book falls under the young adult category,” says Tilson. “But it's for people of all ages who have unique ways of looking at the world and believe we’re capable of so much more than we think.”As Tilson gathers ideas for the sequel to Coincident, she has two other manuscripts in the works to publish in the meantime. One is a high fantasy story and the other is a coming-of-age novel for young adults that deals with trauma. Tilson says both are very diﬀerent from Coincident but have a cohesion that may only be apparent to her. “I see myself in all the characters I write,” she shares. “My protagonists are all very diﬀerent versions of me. Vanessa represents my eccentric and fun side; another character deals with a lot of darkness and the third is a slave ﬁghting for her freedom.” Coincident is available on Amazon or at e Shipyards in Gravenhurst, where Tilson enjoys doing author events. “People love the chance to talk to authors and hear their stories,” says Tilson. “It's such a personal experience to sign my name in their books and I love having the chance to connect with readers in that way.”e magic of human connection is an important theme for Tilson. “Coincident is ultimately about friendship and the connections we form with people,” she explains. “Vanessa connects to starlight by believing in magic and having faith in herself. But in the end, her connections to her friends prove to be even more valuable. My own friendships inspired a lot of this story and I hope that resonates with people.” Muskoka's Largest Home Service Company!No job is too big or too small! www.GBScontracting.com 705.687.9143 1082 Beaumont Farm Rd., BracebridgeCoincident is a fantasy story that follows Vanessa, who can travel to dierent places by beams of light. While she has superpowers, the relationships and connections in her life prove equally powerful on her journey.

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Imagine working in a profession where you have to pinch yourself occasionally to be reminded that what you do for a living is actually real. at is how Rob Stimpson describes the feeling he gets about his “dream job” as a Muskoka-based professional photographer. Although Stimpson enjoyed photography in his 20s, spurred on by an urge to create, it wasn’t until later in life that his career as a photographer materialized. Working ﬁrst in the pharmaceutical industry, Stimpson was oﬀered an exit package when his company was downsizing. It was at this point in his life he decided to pursue photography as a profession. Many adventures and 24 years later, Stimpson is still doing what he loves and getting paid for it.Early in his photography career, Stimpson had the opportunity to work all over Switzerland for six months as a photographer’s assistant where he gained valuable experience for his portfolio. Back in Canada, Stimpson began knocking on doors in pursuit of assignments and had a breakthrough commercially when the National Film Board of Canada purchased his images. He also made a positive impression on the tourist industry and found himself working throughout Canada for tourism agencies. Stimpson’s landscape and wilderness images have been used by Ontario Article by Andy ZeltkalnsSeptember 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 17Photograph: Rob Stimpson

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One of Rob Stimpson’s most recent adventures found him exploring the UNESCO World Heritage section of the South Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories.Photograph: Rob StimpsonSeptember 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 19Parks, Parks Canada and many other tourism organizations. Aside from his photography, Stimpson is also an eloquent writer who has produced many articles about special areas to visit in Canada and worldwide. Writing about Algoma Country in Northern Ontario, Stimpson has penned articles about the Group of Seven Discovery Route, Beaches of Algoma and Capturing the Algoma Landscape, just to name a few. As co-author to An Artist’s and Photographer’s Guide to Wild Ontario, published in 2007, Stimpson travelled thousands of kilometres across the province to help create a guide of the “best places in Ontario to sketch, paint, sculpt, carve and photograph wilderness and wildlife images.” Stimpson has also been published in in-ﬂight magazines for Cathay Paciﬁc and Japan Airlines and has worked with Qantas Airlines to help promote destinations to visit in Canada. Stimpson’s work in tourism has earned him numerous awards, which include a Northern Lights Award from the Canadian Tourism Commission and Best Travel Photography Award from the Ontario Tourism Summit.One of the hallmarks of Stimpson’s career has been the opportunity to travel all over the globe to the more remote regions of the planet. Visits to Antarctica, Greenland, the Arctic and Labrador, among other extraordinary places, have given Stimpson the chance to capture images in very unique landscapes. For eight years he worked as an expedition photographer and photographer in residence for One Ocean Expeditions. During his tenure, he spent time exploring the island of South Georgia. is magical place, sometimes referred to as an “Antarctic oasis” or “Galapagos of the Poles” is home to a vast population of penguins and seals and its marine ecosystem is one of the world’s richest in biodiversity. Located in the Southern Ocean between the southeast coast of Argentina and the Antarctic continent, it is truly oﬀ the beaten path. Nevertheless, it is a photographer’s mecca for those who can visit.e opening lines of an article Stimpson wrote for Canadian Geographic in 2014 gives readers an inkling of what an experience in South Georgia might be like.

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 21Photographing the wildlife at St Andrews Bay on South Georgia Island continues to be one of Rob Stimpson’s most memorable experiences while working with OneOcean Expeditions. Sometimes referred to as an “Antarctic oasis” or “Galapagos of the Poles,” South Georgia is home to a vast population of penguins and seals and its marine ecosystem is one of the world’s richest in biodiversity.Photograph: Rob Stimpson“I jump out of the Zodiac and look left. A hanging glacier perches on a wall of rock and snow-capped peaks soar over the beach, where hundreds of elephant seals mingle with 100,000 king penguins and nine-month-old chicks. is is Gold Harbour on South Georgia Island, a remote bay in the Southern Ocean, 2000 km from the South American coast.”In addition to conducting photography lectures for clients and capturing marketing images for the company, Stimpson describes himself as a “Jack of all trades” when working on these expeditions. He had to learn many new skills, one of which was driving a Zodiac, and was responsible for many other important tasks required on a ship. Stimpson enjoys sharing his wealth of knowledge and adventures with others and his animated and engaging lectures have received rave reviews from many audiences. Consequently, Stimpson is a highly sought after speaker with camera clubs and other organizations. One of his presentations, “Chasing Ernie,” recounts Stimpson’s 2014 experience as an expedition photographer on the ship Akademik Sergey Vavilov. e odyssey was a centenary voyage which retraced Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated 1914 trans-Antarctic journey. Using his own images and accounts from descendants of people on the original voyage, Stimpson presents a captivating story of “human spirit and endurance.”As an avid instructor, Stimpson conducts photography workshops all over Ontario and has an international following for his Moose Photo Safari in Algonquin Park. For many years Stimpson taught photography at the Haliburton School of Arts and Design and has recently been invited to teach the summer program at Loyalist College in Port Hope.When not travelling, Stimpson enjoys spending time close to home in Muskoka, where he has lived for the last 22 years and runs his own photography studio. Being asked what inspires him, Stimpson explains simply being active in nature either hiking or paddling brings him pleasure and an urge to “see what’s out there.” An area in Muskoka Stimpson enjoys photographing is the Oxtongue Rapids. Although he’s been there many times, Stimpson always ﬁnds something new at this location to feed his creativity.When striving to create a high-quality

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22 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024Rob Stimpson’s photography work in tourism has earned him numerous awards, which include a Northern Lights Award from the Canadian Tourism Commission and Best Travel Photography Award from the Ontario Tourism Summit. His career has seen him travel the globe to remote locations, such as Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.In addition to his globe-trotting photography skills, Rob Stimpson also teaches and lectures on photography. His presentations have oen received rave reviews as he recounts his adventures accompanied by his stunning photographs.Photograph: Rob StimpsonPhotograph: Rob Stimpsonimage, Stimpson states “the composition of the photo needs to have a good narrative and should bring the viewers eye into the image.” Trying to pinpoint a favourite place he has visited in all his travels is a challenge for Stimpson but a top choice must be South Georgia. “Beaches with thousands of penguins and elephant seals leave one gobsmacked to what they are seeing,” shares Stimpson. Although Stimpson has been working as a professional photographer for many years now, he shows no hint of slowing down. In recent years he has become a licensed drone operator and continues to oﬀer his photography services on a regular basis. Stimpson’s most recent adventure ﬁnds him exploring the UNESCO World Heritage section of the South Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories during a 350 km canoe trip. Other than in his studio, Stimpson’s awe-inspiring images can be viewed in person at the Algonquin Art Centre, the Canadian Canoe Museum, Ontario Parks French River Visitor Centre and Arrowhead Visitor Centre.Stimpson’s career in photography highlights that adventures and incredible imagery to document travels can be abroad or close to home. Whether you are travelling to an exotic destination or simply exploring your own backyard, there is always beauty to be discovered.

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 25things like that and it was something I really missed doing.”Bails is originally from Guelph, Ontario, where she had her ﬁrst pottery class at Guelph, Community Pottery Centre. “ere’s a big pottery community there, so I was pretty into it when I was younger,” she recalls. “I also took some classes for fun for about a year when I was in university. I think it was something that had been missing in my life for a long time.” When Bails moved to Muskoka in 2019, the lack of pottery studios in the area forced her to take a break from the craft, which didn’t sit well with her for too long. “I ﬁnally just bit the bullet and decided to build my own studio,” she says. Bails’ parents had a cottage in Muskoka, so she and her husband would visit them from Ottawa on weekends. ey fell in love with the area and decided to settle in Port Sydney, after Bails landed a job with an architecture ﬁrm in Port Carling. Currently, Bails works for Paige Elizabeth Interiors in Huntsville, which allows her to work from home. Spruce and Sand Ceramics began with very simple and minimal equipment. “I started with my own really cheap wheel,” says Bails. “And I worked with it for a couple years as I just kind of was getting back into the groove of things. It made me realize just how much I love it and that I really wanted to keep doing it. I bought an old kiln on Facebook marketplace from a potter who was updating to a new one. en this past Christmas my husband updated my wheel for me. I’ve been pretty much fully set up for a year now.” e tricky part is sourcing materials. Since there are no suppliers in Muskoka, Bails drives down to Pottery Supply House in Oakville for her clay. “It’s quite the trek, so I load up,” she shares. “I buy 10 boxes of clay, which is enough to last a couple months.” Bails explains there is a very subtle diﬀerence between potters and ceramics artists. “It’s the same process, so it really comes down to design,” she explains. “In large studios, there are potters who work for ceramic artists to make their designs. But if you’re making your own designs, then you’re both.” All the pieces Bails makes are her own design. She cites her other career as the main inspiration for her creations. “When I’m picking things for people's houses, I’m looking at vases, sculptures and dinnerware,” she explains. “Since I see so much of that already in my work, it’s always on my mind while I’m at the wheel. I really love how much overlap there is between the hands-on creation of the pieces and the ﬁnal result of seeing them incorporated into my designs.” Bails is also inspired by the natural beauty of Muskoka. “I named the studio Spruce and Sand because of its surroundings,” she says. “With the beach nearby and being surrounded by trees, I think it represents my work quite well.” e process of making functional ceramics requires knowledge, skill and patience. e biggest challenge potters face when learning is the struggle to be in control of what happens when the clay is spinning on the wheel. “When you’re learning, you try to make something in particular and it always turns into something else,” says Bails. “I think the A personal belief of Kristi Bails is that handmade dishware makes meals taste better. It ts then that Bails made all of the plates for her own wedding this past year, making the occasion even more memorable. Photograph: Kristi Bails

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 27potter’s wheel. As with every other artistic medium, sometimes the most innovative results emerge from those mishaps. “Sometimes a piece turns out completely different than what I intended but it’s even better than what I was trying to do,” Bails shares. “Sometimes the best thing is to just keep an open mind and let the pieces create themselves.” ese are often the pieces that become diamonds in the rough. Spotted in markets and craft shows for their striking originality, they’re more valuable than anything mass-produced. “I’ve had discounted pieces that are imperfect and I didn’t think anyone would want them,” recalls Bails. “But those often end up being pieces that people like the most.”Bails can process about 50 items at a time, depending on what she’s making. Plates can be made in higher quantities because they can be stacked with spacers in between in the kiln, whereas only about ten ﬂower vases can be made at a time. “Personally, I want everything in my home to evoke a little bit of originality,” she continues. “I think it’s important to have quality items over quantity. I know it can be a lot more expensive, but it’s worth it to be able to have something that no one else has. I also think it’s important to have pieces that you hand-picked because they have something that you were drawn to. It personalizes your space and makes the difference between a house and a home. Also, for some reason, I find handmade dishware makes everything taste better.” Considering this, it’s no surprise that Bails made all the plates for her own wedding this past year. Not only did it make the occasion more memorable but it also gave her a lot more plates to sell. After pieces are shaped, they need to dry for about a week, until they’re what’s called “leather hard,” because they have the texture of leather. Then they can be trimmed, by putting them back on the wheel and taking oﬀ all the rough parts. BATH & KITCHEN SHOWROOMDESIGN. INSTALLATION. REPAIRSERVING ALL OF MUSKOKA279 MANITOBA ST, BRACEBRIDGE705.645.2671KNOWLESPLUMBING.COM @MUSKOKABATHTHE RIOBEL MOMENTI™ COLLECTION AVAILABLE AT KNOWLES PLUMBING!279 Manitoba Street, Bracebridge 705.645.2671 @knowlesplumbing @knowlesplumbing @knowlesplumbingBATH & KITCHEN SHOWROOMSALES•INSTALLATION•REPAIRSERVING ALL OF MUSKOKAknowlesplumbing.comMuskoka’s Bath & Plumbing CentreGlazing is a later step in the process, aer items are kiln-red and strong enough to take the glaze. Bails buys her glaze pre-mixed and applies it with a paintbrush. Photograph: Kristi Bails

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28 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024“at’s when I can really clean them up and make them look more professional,” Bails explains. “at’s when I can really start shaping a piece and seeing what’s it going to look like. And if I’m making something with a handle or any other attached piece, that’s when I attach them. For instance, if I’m making a mug, once I trim any imperfections oﬀ, I can really see the exact form of what it’s going to look like, so I can decide what type of handle would look best.” To attach the handles, Bails uses a process she remembers from grade nine art class called “score, wet and wiggle.” “Basically, you score both the piece of pottery and the handle by putting little grooves in it with a scoring tool, which has little metal prongs on the end,” Bails explains. “So, you score both of the pieces that you’re attaching and then you wet both of the pieces with a mixture of clay and water. And then once you have both of the pieces scored and wet, then you push and wiggle them together and kind of blend it all out from there.”Once that’s done, the piece must dry slowly, wrapped in plastic to keep a steady moisture level to prevent cracking. “It’s the most vulnerable 705-764-0765 | muskokabarging.com | 1163 Milford Bay Rd, Milford Bay ONBARGING STEEL & CRIB DOCKS SEPTIC SYSTEMS LANDSCAPING ● ●Muskoka Barging●Family run construction company with over 35 years experience operating in the Muskoka Lakes area. No job is too small or too big.Kristi Bails rediscovered her love of ceramics aer graduating from university. With limited pottery studios available when she moved to Muskoka in 2019, she decided to build her own.Photograph: Jordan Bails

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 29MODERN HOME CARPET ONE350 Ecclestone Drive • Bracebridgemodernhomecarpetonebracebridge.comTAYLOR CARPET ONE30 Cairns Crescent • Huntsvilletaylorcarpetonehuntsville.com705.645.2443705.789.9259HARDWOOD • LAMINATE • VINYL PLANK & TILE • VINYL ROLLS CARPET • CERAMIC • NATURAL STONE & MOREFloors for Home & Cottagepart of your pottery, attaching two pieces,” says Bails. “To make it as strong as possible, you really have to protect it to make sure it dries slowly enough.” Glazing is the next process. e ﬁrst kiln ﬁring for glazing is called the “bisque ﬁre,” which heats the clay until it turns pink, which means it’s strong enough to apply the glaze. is takes about twelve hours. Bails buys her glaze pre-mixed and applies it with a paintbrush. ere are many diﬀerent colours and natural textured or speckled glazes to choose from. “ere are tons of diﬀerent ways that you can glaze,” Bails says. “If you were to just do one layer, it would be a bit transparent after you’ve put in the kiln and ﬁred it. But if you do two or three layers, it can look like a solid colour.”After the pieces are glazed, they go back into the kiln and are fired at an even higher temperature for ﬁfteen hours. Each kiln is a little diﬀerent but Bails’ kiln reaches just over 2,000 degrees. During this phase, it’s important to put “kiln furniture” in between the stacked pieces, otherwise they’ll stick together. e bottoms Imperfect pieces are oen diamonds in the rough that people end up liking most for their one-of-a-kind originality. With just a small studio, Bails can process about 50 items at a time, depending on what she’s making. Plates can be made in higher quantities because they can be stacked with spacers while only about ten ower vases can be made at a time.Photograph: Kristi Bails

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30 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024of the pieces are left unglazed so they don’t stick to the shelves in the kiln. ere is a large variety of hand tools used by potters when shaping and carving their pieces but Bails keeps her collection pretty minimal. “My most important tools are deﬁnitely a good sponge to keep things clean and soak up extra water,” she shares. “Also, I use a plastic straight surface tool when I want to make an angled piece or a sharp edge and a wire cutter to cut the bottom of the clay so that it comes off the wheel easily. Then there are a few trimming tools that I use to add different textures, patterns and grooves at the leather hard stage.”Currently, Spruce and Sand is too small to be open to the public but Bails hopes to be able to build a new studio on her property that would allow her to oﬀer small classes. What Bails loves most about her craft is the escape it oﬀers from day-to-day pressures. “It’s a really good way to get out of my head,” she shares. “I’ve always been someone who stresses a lot about things that really aren’t that important. Pottery takes a lot of focus, so I get into a zone and that takes my mind oﬀ everything else. When I’m on the wheel, I can’t get up and my hands are covered in clay. I can’t get side-tracked into anything else, so it’s pretty good therapy.” Creating ceramics can be frustrating, as designs don’t always go as planned and the biggest struggle can be controlling what happens when the clay is spinning on the wheel. Practice and patience are key ingredients to a potter’s intention matching the nal piece. Photograph: Jordan Bails

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34 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024the time and had a yellow Beaver aircraft with his initials on it for his use. In the 1950s, aircraft were rare and Garratt Dunlop remembers the sight of the plane ﬂying overhead bringing waves from boaters and skiers. Her grandfather’s Beaver aircraft is still in use, nearly 70 years later, on the west coast. “Papa would leave the oﬃce for Muskoka in the plane dressed in his suit and tie and change into cottage work clothes when he would arrive,” Garratt Dunlop recalls. As a result of his inﬂuence, she is surrounded by pilots in the family. Garratt Dunlop feels summering or living in Muskoka is special but having a plane is amazing.e concept of ﬂying passengers to Muskoka continues with several firms offering such services. Many Toronto-based private pilots avoid the snarls of the north bound highway by ﬂying a ﬂoat plane to Muskoka. Private helicopters are becoming more commonplace with those who wish to pass on the traﬃc. Private ﬂights to and from Muskoka to urban areas in Ontario as well as sightseeing tours were provided by Cloud Air Services, out of Mortimer’s Point, for decades. An extensive display at the Muskoka Airport recognizes “Little Norway,” a training hub that provided skill development and supports to Norwegian airmen who were preparing to reclaim their occupied country. Crown Prince Olav oﬃcially opened the facility in May 1942. Rumours ﬂoated that the base had to be moved to a relatively remote area due to the spirited nature of the servicemen. Many a Muskoka wartime wife told of dancing with the Norwegian servicemen during the summer.The servicemen now living in history books are not the only memorable feature of Muskoka’s airport. Muskoka continues to maintain a fascination and devotion to aeronautic endeavours. An early demonstration of this interest was at the Muskoka Lakes Association Antique Boat Show of 1978. Bob Purves, who founded the concept of the bi-annual boat show set a very high standard at the boat, automobile and air show of 1978, held at the Muskoka Lakes Golf and Country Club. He ﬂew his own ﬂoat plane to the cottage in Brackenrig Bay, Lake Rosseau. His son, Robert Purves, remembers it was quite an achievement to co-ordinate all the military and vintage aircraft. e 1978 show was likely the ﬁrst visit of a CANSO aircraft to Muskoka. e plane was also joined by several historic aircraft, one of the most dramatic being a Hercules with jet assist that swooped down nearly to the water’s surface and pointed itself to the sky and ﬁred the rockets. e whole scene blew people off the gunwales of their boats.On Canada Day this summer, one model of the CANSO, the PBY-Sitting in the cockpit of the CANSO is like going back to the 1940s when the plane was originally craed. Gary Wieben shows aunt Kate Oldham the restored aircra during the Canada Day 2024 stop at Muskoka Airport. Lynn Ellis, sister of Ken Penney, fondly remembers her brother’s Piper Cub oat plane and their adventures of ying and picking wild blueberries.

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 355A was celebrated at the Muskoka Airport with marching pipe bands, speeches and a tour from a Second World War veteran. e day before the celebrations, the CANSO ﬂew in with far less drama than the Hercules but with no less anticipation and excitement. e CANSO is a late Second World War aircraft that served with eleven RCAF squadrons. They operated from both coasts and were employed in coastal patrols, convoy protection and submarine hunting. RCAF No. 162 Squadron, when stationed in Iceland and Scotland in 1944, accounted for the six German U-boat sinkings made by RCAF CANSO. When in service with the RCAF, she was identiﬁed as RCAF 1190, now in civilian life she is identiﬁed as C-FNJE. Despite what may seem like large numbers of production, military aircraft have a short lifespan and few survived in operational condition. e plane that landed in Muskoka survived many lifetimes from active service in the Second World War, forest ﬁre ﬁghting and shipments to remote northern areas. C-FNJE was used in the construction of the Mid-Canada Line, a line of radar stations across mid-Canada to provide early warning of a Soviet bomber attack.e particular CANSO that ﬂew into the Muskoka airport was on a cross-Canada tour celebrating her restoration. In 2001, while taking on water for ﬁghting ﬁres in the Inuvik area, C-FNJE sank in about 100 feet of water. Seven years since she sat on the lake bottom, Don Wieben spear-headed the restoration and the “Save the CANSO” project was born. From deep in a remote bush, which took three weeks to get her out, to ﬂying again, represented a huge restoration accomplishment that was made possible with public support.PBY-5A would not exist today had it not been for the committed eﬀorts of the team at Fairview Aircraft Restoration Society (FARS) in Alberta. FARS grew from the six original crew members to a not-for-proﬁt organization with over 100 staﬀ. e CANSO has strong connections to Muskoka with two members of the Wieben family looking forward to meeting with family member Kate Oldham, who lives in Bracebridge. e Canada Day celebration of the special CANSO aircraft attracted the participation of every level of government, the cadets, the Muskoka pipe band and Bracebridge Town Crier, Bruce Kruger who was emcee for the celebrations. Special guest, Ted Price, a Second World War veteran, was honoured for his service. Bud Purves, former Muskoka Airport Director and Len O’Connor, CEO of the airport attended the celebration as well. Bud Purves, also the son of Bob Purves who ﬁrst brought a CANSO to Muskoka during the bi-annual boat show and who was appointed the inaugural board chair of the airport board, has been a ﬂoat plane pilot for The ight crew of the PBY-5A CANSO that arrived at Muskoka Airport on Canada Day during their cross-country tour included Gary Wieben, nephew, and Don Wieben, older brother, of Bracebridge resident Kate Oldham who was ecstatic to see her family members from Alberta.Found Aircra was a bush plane manufacturer based out of Parry Sound. Originally formed in 1944, the company was responsible for several models of small bush aircra, such as the Bush Hawk, before the company closed in 2014.

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36 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024Assisted Living ServicesPersonalized Care PlansOur Enhanced Care option provides full support for residents who require dedicated assistance for daily living. Includes assistance with daily activities, bathing, advanced emergency response system and access to health care professionals 24/7.Contact Aussa today at leasing@castlepeakmuskoka.comto book a tour and enjoy a complimentary lunch!705.646.0808 castlepeakmuskoka.com56 Douglas Drive, Bracebridge P1L 0B9about 50 years. “I ﬂew ﬂoat planes out of Red Lake Ontario as a bush pilot when I was in my early 20’s,” explains Bud Purves. “at was 1971 and 1972. By 1983 I had saved enough money to buy my own airplane. Later I owned a Cessna 180, 185 and a twin-engine Cessna 310.”e ﬂoat plane gave Purves quick access to Muskoka from his home in Toronto. “Every Friday I ﬂew to the cottage,” he shares. “I also ﬂew from the cottage to places like Montreal and Kingston to take the kids to university. Every time I landed in my bay on Lake Rosseau, I thanked my lucky stars for having that wonderful opportunity to drop a plane into my bay. I never lost that feeling of magic nor that feeling that when ﬂying nothing can be taken for granted when one enters a cockpit.” e landing and take-oﬀ of a ﬂoat plane or amphibious plane from the water is always a dramatic moment and a signature experience in a Muskoka bay. “While ﬂying from Muskoka I always tried to respect other cottages from where I took oﬀ,” says Purves. “It was quite interesting to me when after I gave up ﬂying to Muskoka, several people contacted me and expressed disappointment that they would not be able to sit on their dock at 5:30 Friday afternoon and see my plane circle the bay before landing or watch the plane side slip over the trees to drop down in to my short bay.”e ﬂoat plane is symbolic of a freedom to explore the distant regions of Canada. “Flying up north in the bush and understanding the fascination that people have to see a ﬂoat plane slide onto a northern lake makes me think that going north, navigating the weather and landing on pure water is a sacred thing and is somehow in the DNA of Canadians,” explains Purves. e small bay on Lake Rosseau where Bud landed was also home to another ﬂoat plane. Ken Penney owned a Piper Cub, which he purchased in 1968. The Airplane enthusiast Alan Clark is working on the restoration of a few small vintage aircra, bush planes and an amphibious one, in a hanger at the Muskoka Airport. He’s also sponsoring the experimentation of a form of personal ight cra. Ted Price, a Second World War veteran, attended the visit of the CANSO and was honoured for his own military service. The 2024 cross-country tour of the restored CANSO coincides with 2024 being the 100th anniversary of the RCAF.

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 37EXPERIENCE THE WARMTH OF ONE OF THE LARGEST SHOWROOMS IN PARRY SOUND AND MUSKOKA AREAQuality Barbecue GrillsOutdoor Kitchens Fire Pits, Rings & TablesFireplace & Leisure CentreFireplaces & WoodstovesFireplace AccessoriesBeachcomber Hot TubsServing Parry Sound & Muskoka for 33 YearsWETT Certified Staff1.888.334.8693 705.746.6800 www.fplc.ca 90 Oastler Park Drive, Seguin, ONFor the cross-country tour the CANSO C-FNJE embarked on, she required two co-pilots, two ight engineers and four support members. The group raised money to cover fuel, parking, landing fees, oil and supplies for the plane. The aircrew accommodations were covered, however, the time spent on the tour was unpaid. The ground crew fully paid their own signicant expenses to join the air tour and bring the CANSO out to the communities visited.Penney family has deep roots to Muskoka, extending well over a century and spanning many generations in the Brackenrig Bay area and locals well remember the Penney sawmill that operated in the bay. Lynn Ellis, the sister of Ken Penney remembers his joy of tying the canoe on to the pontoons and ﬂying into a little lake well oﬀ the beaten path. Ellis explains she would join Penney occasionally. On one trip, she remembers the plane landing in a patch of wild blueberries. “It took several tries to get her back in the air, possibly from the load of blueberries they were carrying.”When a boat needs service or gas there are marinas to drive to. But is there an equivalent for ﬂoat planes? Gord Bain, who has piloted a wide variety of aircraft, including serving

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38 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024Members of Fairview Aircra Restoration Society (FARS) in Alberta, the group responsible for the restoration of the CANSO, posed with Muskoka dignitaries atop the CANSO aircra during its Canada Day visit to Muskoka Airport. with the Ministry of Natural Resources as a helicopter pilot, notes Smoke Lake, Algonquin Park, is the only water base for ﬂoat planes in the area. Helicopters can be ten times the cost to own and operate, explains Bain, hence the need for bush and ﬂoat planes as well. He believes Muskoka likely represents the largest collection of privately owned helicopters, with as many as 15 on the lakes.Bain, who spent a good part of his career involved in resource management at the MNR, cautions that while surrounded by the luxury of summer life, it is easy to forget the signiﬁcant role small aircraft and helicopters have in protecting cottages from forest ﬁres as well as serving the wildlife.e Canada Day celebrations at Muskoka Airport were an opportunity to recognize Muskoka’s connection with aeronautic history, which spans two world wars, bush planes such as the Beaver and this special CANSO. For the cross-country tour C-FNJE embarked on, she needs two co-pilots, two ﬂight engineers and four support members. e team of eight made three stops in Ontario, including Trenton for the air show and Muskoka for Canada Day. Saving C-FNJE was truly a family aﬀair for the Wiebens, with nearly every adult member of the immediate and extended family involved in ﬂying. Big smiles prevailed when the CANSO landed and Bracebridge resident Kate Oldham was hoisted in celebration by Don Wieben, her older brother, and co-pilot Gary Wieben, her nephew. Bev Wieben, Oldham’s daughter-in-law, holds the role of tour and event co-ordinator. Don Wieben is responsible for much of the inspiration behind the rescue, including ﬁnding and the restoration of the CANSO C-FNJE. Don as engineer, feels conﬁdent that the team’s restoration work has left the CANSO and its historic importance to the next generation. Bev Wieben emphasizes the deep commitment the crew and supporting members of the team have toward the CANSO project and the history of the airplane. e group raised money to cover fuel, parking, landing fees, oil and supplies for the plane. e aircrew accommodations were covered, however, the time spent on the tour was unpaid. e ground crew fully paid their own signiﬁcant expenses to join the air tour and bring the CANSO out to the communities visited.In a testament to the interest in the history of this vintage aircraft, hundreds of people lined up and waited their turn to see inside and speak to the crew. Vintage aircraft, such as CANSO C-FNJE, are living history, reminding those who have the opportunity to see and even ﬂy in them, of the adventurous spirits of those who ﬂew before them.The Muskoka Sun from 1978 shows the attendance of a CANSO aircra at the bi-annual Muskoka Lakes Association Antique Boat Show in Port Carling. Bob Purves, a founder of the boat show and a pilot himself, co-ordinated the presence of military and vintage aircra at the 1978 show.

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 39800.732.0158 • 705.645.8404 • www.norstarexteriors.comSiding • Roong • Soft • Fascia • Decking • Eavestrough • Gutter ProtectionSERVING MUSKOKA, PARRY SOUND & HALIBURTON REGIONS SINCE 1976Embrace Your Exterior! Supply • Install • Cash & CarryAVAILABLE IN: SIDING | SOFFIT & FASCIA | ROOFING | E AVESTROUGH | FLAT STOCKBring your exterior to life withthese nature-inspired colours:Whether you’re considering a complete remodel or a simple refresher, the Simcoe Serieseye catching colours are perfect for your home.The Simcoe Series oers a variety of modern and rusc colour schemes that will elevate the exteriorof any house. Whether it’s an eavestrough or sot replacement, a new roof, or new siding thesenature inspired paerns will make your house stand out while protecng it for years to come.Give your home that added curb appeal it deserves with the Simcoe Series line of aluminum colours.You can’t go wrong with these low-maintenance colours, backed with a 40-year limited warranty.ELEVATE YOUR HOME TOA WHOLE NEW LEVEL!Features & Benets:• Perfect as an accent or pop of colour• Durable uropan paint nish, guaranteed not torust, rot, chip, peel, ake or blister• Sot available in a smooth nish orwoodgrain embossed texture• Real wood look, withoutthe maintenance• Highest-quality soton the market• Add style whileproviding venlaonMidnight Carbide505Honeycomb402Barn Board504MustangBrown 403Solstice Grey512Onyx502is pleased to introduce…

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Photograph: Courtesy of Doug CunningtonJust as Muskoka’s early settlement era saw individuals and families launch Bala, Windermere, Port Sydney and Minett, Boyce Henry Cunnington founded a community on Lake of Bays. Yet while those other locales drew enough settlers to become villages, Port Cunnington remained more a Franklin Township place.Franklin is at the edge of Muskoka, its eastern boundary abutting Haliburton County. Not opened to homesteaders until 1877, settlement of the area was slow. Development was further delayed by limited access along the rugged north-south Bobcaygeon colonization road, until east-west roads from Huntsville made getting to Franklin easier, as did the 1886 canal between Fairy and Peninsula lakes. So 23-year-old pioneer B.H. Cunnington displayed a sense of adventure and powers of endurance by arriving in 1877 and overwintering in a sod hut he dug into the ground. His grandson Doug Cunnington has ensured B.H.’s place in Muskoka history by researching and writing the saga of Port Article by J. Patrick BoyerWith a wharf where steamers could call and small cra could easily dock, Port Cunnington Tourist Resort expanded in 1909 with this new boathouse, oering seven large rooms over the slips for rental boats and canoes. B.H. Cunnington became a skilled boatsman on Lake of Bays and oen paddled out from his resort in a birchbark canoe.Photograph: Courtesy of Doug Cunnington 40 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024

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42 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024705.645.4294 TF: 866.645.4294STORE: 228 TAYLOR RD., BRACEBRIDGEOFFICE: 1646 WINHARA RD., GRAVENHURSTSales & Service of MajorPropane Appliances(refrigerators, ranges, fireplaces, furnaces & more)Safe & reliableNo electricity requiredBulk propane deliveryto your home or cottageAppliancesSERVING MUSKOKA &PARRY SOUND FOROVER 70 YEARSPhotograph: Courtesy of Doug CunningtonPhotograph: Courtesy of Doug CunningtonB.H. Cunnington, pictured with his second wife, Edith Hawn Taplin, enjoyed smoking and reading, was seldom without a cigar or pipe while a book was invariably close at hand. Boyhood reading of adventure stories made him restless to leave England for Canada where endless adventures awaited in Muskoka. He died at age 90 in 1910.Cunnington. Before describing how the community’s undisputed founder felled trees to make a homestead, he drew a family tree – as essential as a map of the township because “the history begins by following the Cunnington family through the generations associated with operation of Port Cunnington Lodge.” With no fewer than four contemporaries named Boyce Henry Cunnington, Doug distinguishes his grandfather by only using his initials B.H. e young man emerging from the ground in the spring of 1878 built a log cabin about a mile inland from the lake. Self-suﬃcient since infancy, B.H. had been six months old when his father, a London draper, died of tuberculosis. His mother Emily found bookkeeping work and paid a nurse to raise him to age seven when he entered his grandmother’s private school for “education and discipline,” advancing next to a working school training orphans, which By 1886, B.H. and Prudence were catering to vacationers. They acquired more lakefront property, eventually totaling 640 acres, for their home and lodge. Opening in 1890 with three guests, by the early 20th century the summer resort could accommodate 60, with plenty of family members to support the hotel operation.

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 43B.H. Cunnington’s grandson Doug, who taught school in Muskoka before retiring to British Columbia, compiled a 21-page Cunnington Family Tree for his book on the family and their namesake Lake of Bays tourist resort. This picture, capturing the original Muskoka family shows children Art, Boyce, Bill, Emily and Percy in the back, while parents Prudence and B.H. sit in the front with daughter Elsie and B.H.’s mother Emily.Photograph: Courtesy of Doug CunningtonPhotograph: Bruce MacLellan CollectionTurning to Muskoka’s vacation economy, the Cunningtons did not abandon their family farm on Port Cunnington Peninsula. Instead they featured it for their summer lodge in promotional material. This photo, from Lake of Bays resident Bruce MacLellan’s extensive postcard collection, shows, in his words, “the attractive architectural style of the lodge with gingerbread-house lines, gables, dormer windows and brick chimneys.”he left at 14. After a restless apprenticeship to a draper, he crossed an Atlantic Ocean so rough he vowed to never sail back. Working for an Ontario farmer at Mayﬁeld, he met Prudence Gray. Hearing about free land in Muskoka, he headed north to create a home where she might join him. On January 8, 1878 B.H. was granted 189 acres in Franklin, partly fronting on Lake of Bays. “He cleared and tilled the land using oxen,” recounts grandson Doug, the

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44 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024GENERATORSSMART HOME SYSTEMSNEW CONSTRUCTIONLIGHTINGECRA/ESA #7010474RESIDENTIAL / COMMERCIAL / INDUSTRIAL519.805.3200ARKLTD.CAinfo@arkltd.castoneway marble & granite inc.Les and Renata Partyka1295 Muskoka Rd. 118 West, Bracebridge | 705.645.3380 | stoneway.inc@gmail.comnumerous stone fences evincing “the hard work and disappointment that must have been his when clearing this land.” In navigation season, B.H. rowed 13 miles down the often rough lake to Baysville and back for mail and supplies. In 1882 he travelled further south, married Prudence and brought her to their Muskoka homestead. Joining the newlyweds that same year, his mother Emily journeyed from England to Toronto, up to Bracebridge, out to Baysville, boarding the Dean for the steamer’s ﬁrst operating season, reaching the peninsula and walking a mile through bush to the homestead. Londoner “Granny” would help raise many grandchildren, “thriving on pioneer life” amidst bears and “quickly adapting to the customs of settlers’ life.”By 1886, those customs included catering to vacationers so B.H. and Prudence acquired more lakefront property (eventually totaling 640 acres) for their home where visitors paid them for accommodation and meals. Opening in 1890 with three guests, by the early 20th century the summer resort could accommodate 60, with plenty of Cunningtons to perform the countless hotelier tasks. One guest, Italian opera singer Madame Maroni, dubbed the place “Port Cunnington” because of all the family members present, a happy jest that stuck.Port Cunnington contributed to Muskoka’s record of the most “summer post oﬃces” in all Canada when, on July 6, 1914, Winnifred Campbell became postmistress. ough never incorporated as a village, the locale calls out for recognition as a long-standing player in Muskoka’s summer life and its ability to raise a hockey team for intervillage winter play.“...disappointment that must have been his when clearing this land”

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Can a building designed for one purpose be used for another?Certainly, many are pressed into service for unrelated urgent needs. Pioneer school instruction and religious services began in Muskokans’ log homes. Early postmasters provided service from their cabin or place of business. General stores sold such variety of goods they were an entire street’s worth of shops in a single building. During the First World War Muskoka church halls became enlistment centres for soldiers. In the Second World War Muskoka’s airport was a Norwegian air force training centre while a Gravenhurst sanatorium held prisoners-of-war. Yet those examples diﬀer from Muskokans buying liquor in a former post oﬃce building or dining in a made-over gas station or revamped railway station. Beyond temporary improvisations, Muskokans have been endlessly busy seeking new roles for empty buildings of every shape, size, location and purpose. Revamping catches attention and Article by J. Patrick BoyerA century ago, the pride of Bracebridge was this new post oce, with customs oce, armories and distinctive clock-tower. When the building became available, the town did not buy it, leaving a private owner responsible for the clock’s operation.Photograph: Boyer Family Archives 46 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 47Gravenhurst has converted the town’s CNR train station to a variety of public benet purposes, maintaining the heritage structure (with Ontario Historic Site marker, inset) in excellent condition.Huntsville’s former Capitol Theatre on the main street, once a bustling cinema operated by the Giaschi family, is now a colourful Krishna Centre.Bracebridge’s town-owned 1905 Carnegie Public Library, with matching expansion at rear, was to remain on main street under the municipality’s ocial plan but is now vacant awaiting repurposing.stirs controversy, especially when it involves the fate of large public-use buildings. While it is fascinating how old buildings can ﬁnd new life and continue to serve the community in diﬀerent ways, many lessons have been learned in Muskoka along the way. There is no easy transition for most single-use structures when their mission is complete or the building itself has become obsolete. Railway stations, for instance, were central to Muskoka’s egalitarian life, open to all, providing primary travel service for people, shipping freight, moving mail and sending and receiving telegrams. When VIA Rail and Ontario Northland ended passenger service, the stations were no longer needed. Whether in villages or towns, dramatically diﬀerent fates awaited these once pivotal places. Gravenhurst and Huntsville assumed responsibility for theirs. As a result, the station central to ﬂatlands Gravenhurst between Gull Lake and Muskoka Bay receives high quality maintenance and repair and is leased to various enterprises using portions of it – an enduring attraction for the townscape. Hilly Huntsville’s train station sits well below Main Street passing above. Closer to Hunter’s Bay, the station’s location enabled thousands of summer vacationers and tons of freight arriving by train to conveniently reach the nearby wharf and waiting steamships. With its station neither visible nor central, Huntsville ﬁrst tried new uses for the heritage building by leasing sections to civic, cultural and educational entities but then sold it to a consortium currently leasing it to a ranch-style barbecue eatery. ough Gravenhurst and South River up the line both keep their stations in beautiful condition, the provincial government, recently announcing the reinstatement of Ontario Northland passenger service, intends to by-pass them and build bus-stop type waiting areas instead. Post oﬃces are also owned by a distant entity which designed and built them for a speciﬁc role in local communities across the country, then later made decisions rendering them functionless oddities. Prior to the First World War, the post office department bought land in Muskoka’s three towns but only in Bracebridge did the new federal building get completed at that time. e Bracebridge red-brick structure at a principal downtown intersection a block from the train station became an immediate town centrepiece. Photograph: Chamberlain Architect Services Photograph: J. Patrick BoyerPhotograph: J. Patrick Boyer

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48 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024Besides moving letters, parcels and the district’s weekly newspapers, the post oﬃce department oﬀered banking and money order service and Muskoka’s post oﬃces, reﬂecting the district’s vacation economy and Bracebridge’s action especially, generated more revenue than any other centre in Canada. As a federal building, the well-built structure also included armories and a Canada Customs oﬃce.However, just four decades later, it closed and was declared surplus by Ottawa because a new federal building had been built just a block north. Bracebridge, a red-brick town supported by four local brickyards, received a structure of grey stone slabs squatting bunker-like beside the town’s majestic red-brick Carnegie Library. Upstairs, it housed federal employees dealing with unemployment insurance, job placements and passports. e municipality, so proud of the “old post office,” took a pass on acquiring the community’s landmark asset. With ownership passing to the limited resources of an individual private owner, eventual financial support to maintain the place came from provincial authorities in exchange for the stellar post oﬃce gaining protected status as a heritage building.Four decades later, when Ottawa started removing postal operations from its buildings, it began declaring post oﬃce buildings surplus. That led Bracebridge council to envisage demolishing the building to ground level and erecting above its ﬁne basement a sister library structure to match the Carnegie library, enshrined in the town’s oﬃcial plan as permanently being on the main street. The architect’s drawings showed a matching building that doubled existing library space, the roadway between them an attractive pedestrian walkway. When Gravenhurst’s Carnegie Library beside the Opera House gave up its role to a new public library erected just metres away, it seamlessly became a convenient centre for the Chamber of Commerce and other community support organizations.Gravenhurst’s post oﬃce, built after the First World War at a principal intersection and later expanded with a second storey and clock tower, remains a well-run Canada Post operation beneﬁting from recent upgrades through extensive brickwork repair and installation of an atomic clock showing spot-on time in all four directions. Hospital buildings, whose form also follows BRACEBRIDGE GENERATION LTD.Water Power Generating a Cleaner EnvironmentInterested in more information or a free tour? www.bracebridgegeneration.comSee website for Fall hours 1073 Fox Point RoadDwight, 705.635.1602oxtonguecraftcabin.com Canadian Craft & Original ArtRepresenting 100+ Artists & ArtisansLynda FlanaganTropical Iceberg Barb SachsAnne-Marie Chagnon & many more!See website for Fall hours& Original Art 100+ Artists & ArtisansAnne-Marie Chagnon & many more! HUNTERS | JUMPERS LESSONS | SALES 4171 Line 11 N Coldwater, ON(705) 641-0754muskokahorseco.com

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 49function, appeared in Huntsville with the arrival of Dr. Howland in the 1870s and Dr. Hart in the 1880s. When their private hospitals with provincial funding closed, several widows of the town converted their residences to nursing homes and carried on. Town councillors refused to support a proposed new hospital, leaving residents without one until after the Second World War when the Canadian Red Cross intervened and the essential building was erected in the town centre overlooking the river. In the 1890s Gravenhurst’s council voted funds to support construction of Canada’s ﬁrst tuberculosis hospital locally, near which two more treatment structures were then erected, joined by a fourth that had been a Muskoka resort hotel before its conversion. ese vital hospitals were funded by private philanthropists, municipal dollars and tax concessions, Canadian tuberculosis organizations and paying patients. Bracebridge had no hospital during its ﬁrst half-century of settlement, with doctor’s clinics and nursing homes the mainstay for care. A Bracebridge widow with a large main street house converted it to such a purpose and doctors supplied it with medical equipment and operated there, where patients could recover. In 1929 another private residence in town was converted to a memorial hospital to honour the community’s war dead and serve its living. Decades later Muskoka’s MPP Frank Miller, doubling as Ontario’s health minister, arranged construction of a larger Huntsville hospital on the town’s north side, the previous facility becoming repurposed as Fairvern Nursing Home. In Gravenhurst by the mid-20th century, the sanatoriums sat empty on extensive premises until they cycled through a succession of make-use roles – federal prisoner-of-war camp, Ontario Fire College, facilities for provincial social services, treatment programs and police programs. As for Bracebridge, a substantial red-brick residence for nurses was added beside the 1929 hospital. In time, both structures were demolished and replaced by a new hospital with successive expansions whose current fate has descended into a cauldron of controversy over the prospect of a new round of hospital construction for Muskokans.Educational facilities share with train stations, post oﬃces and hospitals the characteristic of being hard to use for other purposes once their mission is complete. Early teaching migrated from pioneer farmers’ homes to one-room schoolhouses, then primary schools with separate rooms for each grade, next free-standing secondary schools for Muskoka’s thinning ranks of students continuing after coming of age. With school district consolidation, Muskoka’s scattered countryside schools stood empty as buses daily transported pupils to larger facilities at a distance. Families converted a number of these well-built schoolhouses into unique heritage homes. Bracebridge added a second public school on Muskoka Road for youngsters in the rapidly expanding Fourth Ward across the river from its cavernous primary school on McMurray Street. When the older school was demolished and replaced on the same site by a new build serving the entire town, the Fourth Ward School closed. In time it was converted to a new community use as headquarters for Canadian Legion Branch 161. For a Bracebridge high school, in 1924 the municipality bought and demolished the stately wood frame home of Thomas McMurray, a leading ﬁgure in his day, leaving only his name on the section of Church Street that would now The Huntsville Forester newspaper oce and printing plant at the Main Street and Brunel Road intersection is today’s Cedar Canoe Books. To “touch the past and embrace the future,” Huntsville marks its heritage buildings.All that remains of the demolished Bracebridge & Muskoka Lakes Secondary School on McMurray Street is the original 1924 structure and extensive land. Attempted conversion to condominiums has failed thus far and the structure sits empty. Photograph: J. Patrick BoyerPhotograph: J. Patrick BoyerPhotograph: J. Patrick Boyer

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have two schools as well as two churches. e high school opened that fall and expanded over the decades with successive additions and extended jurisdiction for Muskoka Lakes students. After a new secondary school was built in 2007 in conjunction with a developer’s large residential subdivision at the north end of town, the Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School – an incomparable structure with so many additions it had 37 diﬀerent levels with stairs – was demolished, except for the original 1924 section which a condominium developer intended to make into residential accommodation. Muskoka’s smorgasbord of built-heritage outcomes includes repurposing church buildings. A block from Gravenhurst’s St. James Anglican Church the repurposed Calvary Baptist Church is now a hair salon. In adjacent blocks at Bracebridge, Knox Presbyterian Church is now a private residence and First Baptist Church a bed-and-breakfast with a sideline counselling service. e Baptist congregation relocated to a building on the town periphery which in turn has been converted to a physical conditioning space. Huntsville’s St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and, across main street from it at the top of the hill, the Gospel Hall of the Christian Brethren Movement, were both repurposed for retail and commercial purposes with the former currently not in use. Around Muskoka’s countryside, many small church buildings have ceased operating, a number boarded up, while others such as Bala’s Presbyterian Church and United Church structures now house retail stores. e venerable Madill Church near Huntsville was to be demolished by the United Church of Canada. Rob Laverty, executive director of the Ontario Historical Society, suggested the $100,000 budgeted for demolition be donated instead to a local heritage organization he helped incorporate under Ontario law for such purposes, giving a structure embedded in Muskoka history a new lease on life. Currently, complete restorative work is underway to keep it in play for many more generations. e setup of movie houses suggests little else could operate in them. Yet when the Giaschi Family built its new Norwood eatre beside Bracebridge’s Memorial Park after the Second World War, the A&P Grocery Company converted the outgrown cinema on the east side of main street to a busy supermarket where a long procession of other retail operations have since operated. After the Giaschis closed their Muskoka eatre in Gravenhurst it became an antique store of the Currie Family, while this spring in Huntsville the northern theatre of the family’s three cinema chain, the Capitol, blossomed into a colourful cultural centre of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Muskoka’s 150 or so hotels, resorts and inns run the gamut of conditions but most are perpetually in some degree of make-over mode. A recent example is Bala Bay Inn, a century hotel fully renovated and newly reopened by owner Greg Knight. Among town hotels, the venerable Albion in Gravenhurst and Patterson in Bracebridge have been repurposed for residential accommodation with street-level stores and galleries. Muskoka’s plethora of heritage summer resorts are a story unto themselves, changing character and purpose over time; retaining tradition while expressing modernity. Of particular importance in conserving Muskoka heritage buildings for their visual pleasure and educational beneﬁt is the far-sighted initiative of Huntsville. Decades ago, the creation of Muskoka Heritage Place assembled in one place buildings of interest and importance as a pioneer village. e buildings mirrored district development but individually were in remote places on their own, until this preservation of built heritage took place. A variation is elevating the residence of someone famous to shrine-like tourism, most notable for Muskoka being Norman Bethune’s birthplace in Gravenhurst but also the octagonal home of Henry Bird in Bracebridge. e Bethune Memorial House and National Historic Site began as a geopolitical move by the Department of External Aﬀairs in Ottawa when rapprochement with Communist China became national policy. Today it is a prime destination for people who know of Bethune’s importance. Historic plaques of Canada and Ontario adorn the front lawn and the building itself is currently beneﬁting from restoration. e near-unique residence of Henry Bird, owner and operator of Muskoka’s major woollen mill, reﬂected his interest in science and applied Church buildings across Muskoka have been repurposed as private homes, bed & breakfasts, furniture stores, commercial oces, retail shops, heritage exhibits, premises for personal improvement in bodybuilding or, as above, hairstyling. This one, where Gravenhurst Baptists once sought the means of grace, is now the “Hairway to Heaven.”Aer Bracebridge’s Fire Hall burned down, the town built a modern new facility across the street. Aer it became surplus when the town built another re hall, the Dominion Street structure was converted to oce uses as a co-working space.Photograph: J. Patrick BoyerPhotograph: J. Patrick BoyerOCTOBER 25 & 26, 2024Oktoberfest Muskoka is a music, culinary and craft beer festival experience across Muskoka. It takes place in breweries, restaurants and unique community venues throughout Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Huntsville, Lake of Bays, Muskoka Lakes, and Georgian Bay. LEARN MORE AT:WWW.OKTOBERFESTMUSKOKA.CAJoin us for the tapping of the keg kick-o at CHRISTIE’S MILL ON OCTOBER 21O’zapft is!September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 51

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52 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024technology. Its status as the best remaining eight-sided residence in Ontario is signiﬁed by a provincial historic site marker. Bracebridge Rotarians bought and restored the building and deeded it to the town for a museum, on the condition it be run by a local historical society, something which no longer exists. Its fate has been that of a jewel without a crown to hold it. When it was restored under the Ontario Heritage Act at a cost exceeding $1 million, repurposing the tourist attraction faltered. At present the town intends to retrieve the building’s museum artifacts from storage and display them in the decommissioned Carnegie Library on main street. Muskoka’s mixed experience in salvaging the heritage value in once-prized buildings ﬂows from policies and organizations joined in the tug-of-war between traditional and modern forces. When such buildings outlast their purpose, the diversity of owners combined with the numerous community stakeholders can paralyze decision-making. e saga of Muskoka buildings portrays what happens when heritage structures face abandonment, demolition, repurposing or restoration. The uneven outcomes in this cultural and economic tug-of-war over structural makeovers mirror the district’s diversity of fates and opportunities as some building remakes sag into forlorn failures like ghastly Frankensteins but others rise to new fame like Cinderellas.LEAD SPONSORFRIENDS OF HOSPICE SPONSORSUPPORTING SPONSORSDIAMOND SPONSORMUSKOKA LAKES FARM & WINERYSEPTEMBER 8 12-4PMTo learn more and to registerNorman Bethune’s birthplace on John Street in Gravenhurst was converted by the Department of External Aairs from Presbyterian manse to secular shrine to improve Canada-China relations. Today the house sports front lawn historic site markers, scaolding for renovations, sculptures and an adjacent museum.Photograph: J. Patrick Boyer

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 55District launching 30-year solid waste plan e District of Muskoka is attempting to come to grips with the mounting issue of solid waste. During a recent meeting, District councillors heard staﬀ are oﬃcially launching the creation of the solid waste master plan. e goal of the plan is to help guide the district through solid waste management over the next three decades. e district has hired a consultant who will work with staﬀ and other stakeholders on the best way to deal with solid waste processing and disposal.e district is currently running out of real estate when it comes to solid waste disposal, as its only landﬁll, the Rosewarne site in Bracebridge, is expected to be ﬁlled by 2036 barring signiﬁcant eﬀorts toward waste diversion.District councillors heard that limited landﬁll space is a problem being encountered across the entire province and many municipalities are grappling with the same issue. Staﬀ said the district will consider all options when creating the master plan, including incineration. However, they warned that any incineration would likely require partnerships with adjacent municipalities as the creation of such a facility would be ﬁnancially prohibitive for an entity as small as the District of Muskoka. Huntsville Festival of Arts reveals stacked fall lineupe summer may be drawing to a close but the Huntsville Festival of the Arts remains in full swing. roughout the month of September the HFA studio at 58 Main Street presents Sacred Strength as part of the Hope Arises Project. Hope Arises Project founder and president Joyce Jonathan Crone, travelled to Huron Heights Secondary School to share her knowledge of Indigenous ribbon skirts and cultural practices with Grade 11 and 12 fashion students. e students spent a month sewing and crafting unique skirts, they wrote profound emotion-ﬁlled reﬂections on their connection and the humbling experience.Sandhill Nursery will play host to live musical entertainment throughout the autumn, as Elliott Brood visits on September 14, Danny Michel plays September 21, Madison Violet plays September the 28 and Angelique Francis will perform in person on October 5. Meanwhile at the Algonquin eatre on Main Street a full lineup of Canadian legends are ready to hit the stage. at includes Matthew Good and his band on September 19, Tom Cochrane with his Songs and Stories tour on October 6, Donovan Woods on his Living Well tour October 24, Matt Dusk performing Tony Bennett on November 2, country star George Canyon on November 8, Sue Foley with her One Guitar Woman show on November 21 and Glass Tiger on November 27.Three new waste drop-o locations planned for South MuskokaResidents living in south Muskoka will soon have three new locations to drop oﬀ solid waste but for the time being the situation will remain status quo in north Muskoka. During a recent District of Muskoka Engineering and Public Works committee meeting, councillors heard plans for new waste drop-oﬀ facilities in Gravenhurst, Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes. e new facilities are intended to complement the district’s bin site transition project, which is currently underway.e ﬁrst new site is set for a fall opening and will be located at 1990 Housey’s Rapids Road in Gravenhurst. e site is intended to service the communities of Riley Lake and East Kahshe Lake.e second location will be the Lake Muskoka Depot on Beaumont Drive in Bracebridge, which is set to open mid-year of 2025. e site is intended to service Strawberry Bay, Beaumont Farm Road and water access residents on Lake Muskoka East.Whats HappenedSta at the District of Muskoka are pursuing the creation of a solid waste master plan, as the only landll on Rosewarne Drive in Bracebridge is expected to be lled by 2036. Photograph: District of MuskokaTom Cochrane visits the Algonquin Theatre with his Songs and Stories tour on October 6 as part of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts fall lineup. Photograph: Huntsville Festival of the Arts

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56 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024e third location will be the Southwood Depot in Muskoka Lakes Township, which will service 9 Mile Lake and Bastedo Lake.All of the facilities will accept district-wide residential waste but commercial materials will not be accepted. ere was some concern from District councillors representing north Muskoka that no sites were planned for their region. District staﬀ said there will be consideration given to a Huntsville site during the preparation of the solid waste master plan, which is currently underway.Muskoka Lumber Community Centre to open in August e long wait is nearly over for one of the biggest capital projects in Bracebridge’s history.August marked the oﬃcial opening of the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre, the state-of-the-art social hub meant to consolidate community activities and services under one roof. e centre will be home to a new arena, library, multisport ﬁeldhouse, outdoor courtyard play space and include the option for future expansion. e new facility is located on Salmon Avenue, just oﬀ Wellington Avenue. e road is eventually expected to be expanded to reach Highway 118 West. e library, auditorium, concessions and other group meeting spaces are expected to be used by special interest clubs, service clubs, arts and cultural groups as well as local businesses. e entire project cost more than $75 million, with the province of Ontario chipping in $16.9 million and the Town of Bracebridge and community fundraising ﬁlling in the remainder. e decommission and demolition of the Bracebridge Memorial Arena is also taking place beginning in August and is expected to last until November. e future use of the site has yet to be determined although aﬀordable housing has been discussed.e future use of the former Bracebridge Library in the Carnegie building at 94 Manitoba Street is also under discussion. Town staﬀ have recommended that the 117-year-old building remain in municipal hands and potentially be used by Town staﬀ, as well as the Chamber of Commerce, the visitors information centre and other organizations. ere has also been some talk of storing the historic Woodchester collection of local artifacts inside the former library.District of Muskoka threatens to withhold hospital fundinge route Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare has planned to take towards two new hospitals in Muskoka has become more challenging. Following resolutions from the Town of Gravenhurst and the Town of Bracebridge councils threatening to withdraw funding for MAHC’s hospital proposal, District of Muskoka council recently said they won’t release their share of the funding to redevelop the Bracebridge and Huntsville hospitals unless they are allowed to approve the ﬁnal plan for redevelopment. In total Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare is seeking an estimated $225 million as the local share of the contribution towards the $1 billion plus project. Some $77.4 million dollars of that local share is expected to come from the District of Muskoka. e motion was put forward by Muskoka Lakes councillors Peter Kelley and Guy Bury, who said the motion was intended to act as guardrails rather than to suggest any speciﬁcs for the new model. e new model has met with considerable criticism from residents and politicians in south Muskoka, who feel the new hospital in Bracebridge will be losing many of its current services and capabilities. Fall fairs arrive across Muskoka With the cooler temperatures comes a ﬂurry of activities across the region in the form of the annual fall fairs.e season kicks oﬀ with the 149th annual Severn Bridge Fall Fair taking place on September 7. e fair takes place at the Severn Bridge Fairgrounds located at 1153 Southwood Road in Gravenhurst. e fair features musical acts performing on stage, vendors, a children’s maker market, a hall of displays for prize winning produce and homemade items and other events. September 13 to 15 the 2024 Bracebridge Fall Fair and Horse Show takes place at the JD Lang Activity Park. For more than 156 years the Bracebridge Fall Fair has been an opportunity for locals and visitors alike to gather and celebrate the farming season. e event features a midway, petting zoo, pony rides, tractor and horse pulls, spinning, weaving and wood carving demonstrations and much more. e Huntsville Fall Fair runs from September 20 to September 22 at the Huntsville Fairgrounds located at 407 Ravenscliﬀe Road in Huntsville. is will be the 142nd edition of the Huntsville Fall Fair and will feature all the traditional favourites including live entertainment and a midway. It will also include a wide variety of exhibitions including archery, air cadets, quilting, mixed martial arts demonstrations with UFC ﬁghter Kyle Nelson, sheepdog trials and even a demolition derby on Sunday afternoon.Feature by Matt DriscollPhotograph: Town of BracebridgePhotograph: Matt DriscollAnnual fall fairs return to Muskoka region with everything from midways to musical acts, exhibitions, horse shows, vendors and more. August marked the ocial opening of the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre, home to a new arena, library, multisport eldhouse and outdoor courtyard play space with the option for future expansion.

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Hello Friends. PURE COMFORT,SUSTAINABLY-BUILT28 MANITOBA STREET, BRACEBRIDGENEW ARRIVALSPACKS BAGSCLOTHINGEND OF SEASON SALE: UP TO 40% OFFSTORE CLOSING - 40% OFF MOST STOCKIt’s been a little over 11 years since we started “our experiment” as retailers in downtown Bracebridge with the opening of Momma Bear’s Ice Cream and Sweets. It was to be a transition between a long-time career in publishing and retirement. And… quite a bit has happened in the interim. With the announcement of our pending retirement from retailing, we have lots of reﬂ ections – making many friends and acquaintances, getting out of publishing and then getting back into it with Unique Muskoka magazine, a foray into local politics, the sale of Momma Bear’s, the opening of the Unique Muskoka store, the arrival of our grandson, saying a ﬁ nal good-bye to both of our mothers and so much more. In addition to saying thanks to the many customers who have been part of our lives and made great memories with us, we’d like to particularly acknowledge co-worker Donna Ansley who has been a conﬁ dante and constant source of support. Donna’s creativity and personality have brought joy to each day. Our weekends were made special with the addition of Marilyn Corrigan to our team and previously Shelley Emond. As we wind things up with store-wide sales over the next few months, drop by to say “hello.” By the way, our daughter Meghan Taylor, who purchased Unique Muskoka magazine, will be continuing our tradition of publishing and we look forward to supporting her publishing efforts. Thanks to all of you for sharing in this part of our lives. While we don’t know what the future will bring, we’re looking forward to giving it a whirl!more. In addition to saying thanks to the many customers who have been part of our lives and made great memories with us, we’d like to Thank You, Muskoka!Susan & Don Smith

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58 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024Article by K.M. Wehrstein / Photography by Tomasz SzumskiMushrooms: The lowly toadstool is a avour powerhouseDepending on who you listen to, it is estimated there are 30,000 to 140,000 species of mushrooms in the world, of which only a small fraction are known. Lowly and insigniﬁcant though mushrooms and other fungi might seem, they actually knit nature together – forming networks of underground nutrient pathways, thousands of kilometres long, that help nourish the mightiest trees. Sections of mushrooms in the wild have even been known to kill themselves oﬀ to protect their fellow mushrooms from contracting disease.Of the known species, around 150 are edible, while others can kill if ingested (so forage carefully!). Mushrooms present an impressive range of ﬂavour to the explorative palate.Mushroom farmer Mike Eddy, owner-operator of Muskoka Mushroom and Plant Store in Severn Bridge, started foraging as a boy for ﬁddleheads, wild leeks and, in time, mushrooms. “I thought, you can only forage for half the season,” he says. “If I started growing them, I could have them all year round.”e owner of several other businesses, Eddy was at an ice-ﬁshing trade show in Toronto about three winters ago and happened to have his booth next to a mushroom farmer. “We ended up being really good buddies at the end of the three days and he gave me a blue oyster mushroom kit he had on his table,” says Eddy. “I ate it, loved it, grew another oﬀ that bag. It was the ﬁrst time I’d seen mushrooms growing out of the side of a bag.”A bag? Yes – this is how mushroom growing is done by many growers. Eddy went commercial last year, selling fresh mushrooms to ﬁne eateries and stores mostly south of Muskoka. He also sells mushroom growing kits with instructions and leads foraging tours, for the adventurous. For a reasonable price he supplies a kit, including the bag. “Take it home, cut a hole in the side of it, spray it three times a day and in two weeks you have mushrooms,” he says. ey can be any of the species he oﬀers including yellow, blue and king oysters and the currently trendy lion’s mane, the only mushroom that can be made into a steak.Eddy grows his fungal treasures indoors for a cleaner, controlled and bug-free environment, producing 300 pounds per month out of a 16 by eight foot room. He busts some myths: mushrooms do need light and don’t need so much heat. And he has big plans for the future. “I’d really like to expand the business and make possibly one of the largest mushroom facilities in Ontario,” shares Eddy. “at way I can price mushrooms so they are actually accessible to people.”Michelle MacIsaac, the owner-operator of Humble Pie Bakery & Pizzeria in Baysville, has the business in her blood as her father

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Humble Pie Bakery & Pizzeria Mushroom Swiss Quiche – Michelle MacIsaacis recipe yields three 9-inch quiches; when assembling, divide ingredients equally.IngredientsFilling:1½ tsp mustard powder1½ tsp onion powder30 g ﬁnely chopped leeks1 Tbsp butter300 g sliced button mushrooms3 cups shredded Swiss cheeseQuiche liquid:10 large eggs1 L 10% creamMethod • Use premade 9-inch deep dish pie shells (available at Humble Pie). Preheat oven to 350° F, place shells on baking sheets and blind bake for 10-15 minutes. Let cool. In the meantime, whisk 10 eggs well, add cream and whisk again. • Sauté mushrooms in butter over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until they become soft and start to release some of their moisture. Do not overcook; they will continue to cook in the oven. • Add ½ tsp of mustard and ½ tsp onion powder to each pre-baked pie shell. Add 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese to each shell, holding back a little; sprinkle with leeks, add mushrooms, sprinkle remaining Swiss cheese on top of mushrooms. Pour 1/3 of your quiche liquid into each shell. No need to stir.• Bake at 350° F for 25-30 minutes or until the quiche liquid becomes ﬁrm; it should no longer jiggle in the centre. Bakers Tips• What is blind baking? In short, it is the technique of baking a pie crust by itself, generally weighted down by something else, such as another pie plate, to keep its shape. It is used for pies whose ﬁllings require either no baking or less baking than the crust does.• After quiches are baked, they can be frozen. Do not, however, reheat them from frozen. Place them in room temperature beforehand to thaw and then reheat.Michelle MacIsaac of Humble Pie Bakery and Pizzeria loves mushrooms of every kind and happily substitutes mushrooms in place of meat in certain dishes. Her Mushroom Swiss Quiche recipe features button mushrooms.September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 59

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60 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024owned a Toronto pizzeria for 47 years. “I have memories of being in the back of the pizza shop playing, being covered in ﬂour and eating pepperoni,” she recalls.Once grown up, however, MacIsaac rocketed into the fast-paced Bay Street corporate world, holding various executive positions for 23 years. A desire for a change of pace led her to a house in the woods in Muskoka and a less skyscraper-oriented business, when opportunity knocked in the form of a bakery in Baysville. us, in April 2010, Humble Pie was born. Baker Jennifer Wood has been with MacIsaac from the start and she employs two more year-round part-time and three summer staﬀers. As well as traditional Italian-style pizza, the cheery, delicious-smelling eatery oﬀers scrumptious baked goods (sweet and savoury), artisan breads, seasonal stews, deli-style sandwiches and paninis, coﬀee, cold drinks and tea. From local businesses, which MacIsaac likes to support, come honey, maple syrup, fair-trade coﬀee, sourdough bread and an assortment of freeze-dried candy. Oh, and quiches: on a good weekend Humble Pie will sell as many as 40. “I love mushrooms, all kinds!” enthuses MacIsaac. “ey are versatile and add so much ﬂavour to any recipe.” Generally, she uses button mushrooms in her commercial fare, except in beef stroganoﬀ, which contains creminis. “I have no favourite, I love them all,” she shares. “I often make mushroom ragu for myself and use any and every type of mushroom I can get my hands on… button, cremini, oyster, enoki, portobello, you name it.” MacIsaac’s Mushroom Swiss Quiche was inspired by the fact that she was a vegetarian for a number of years. “Mushrooms became a staple for me,” she recalls. is leads to another take-home point about mushrooms: they have a meaty taste. “I love cross purposing ingredients at the bakery and I love the combination of the earthiness of mushrooms together with the tang of the Swiss cheese,” says MacIsaac.e dish delivers just as described, providing a consummate balance of mushroom earthiness and ﬂuﬀy, light-as-air cheese on the crunchy foundation of a perfect crust.And now we go to quite the extreme opposite of humble.Executive chef Aaron Clyne of Windermere House is once again sharing his incredible culinary theory with us. You might recall his expositions on the four ﬂavours, checkboxes, layers of ﬂavour and such from his turkey dinner tips last fall.“You come to a restaurant, as well as for the convenience, to try something new,” says Clyne. “Our job is giving people experiences, including taking them out of their comfort zone, getting them to do something they never did before. As human beings we pay for entertainment, and if sustenance is part of it, you try to ﬁgure out how to entertain them throughout the meal. It should be a little bit of a learning experience, without the pretence.”Clyne is a mushroom enthusiast not only for their culinary capacity but their medicinal properties as well. “Mushrooms will do miraculous things in the next years, prove the cure for a lot of things,” he predicts. In cuisine, he says, “You have to build ﬂavours around other ingredients – but mushrooms have it all. It can take just salt and pepper. Mushrooms are a very good vegetarian option because they eat meaty, speciﬁcally red meaty. at’s why they go with pork and beef.” He singles out shiitakes: “ey have a particular mouth feel, texture.”“Use whatever you have, whatever you can ﬁnd, whatever’s available,” Clyne advises and it should be noted the dish he shares contains no less than seven types of mushrooms: enoki, maitake, blue oyster, yellow oyster, lion’s mane, beech/honey and chestnut mushrooms.While mushroom foragers feel about as willing to share their places of best pickings as do ﬁshermen, Clyne notes this year, “some of the northern sides of Muskoka islands are seeing growths of chanterelles and white chanterelles.”e recipe Clyne has for us now is Mushroom Brioche with Tarragon, Mushroom Garum, Quail Egg, Goat Cheese Crema and Acadian Sturgeon Caviar.“My wife and I went to the farmer’s market – we have a tendency to buy a lot of things – and we got lots of mushrooms, more than I was intending to buy,” Clyne recalls. “is was during my wife’s transition from disliking to liking mushrooms. You could say that it was inspired by a couple of glasses of Pinot Noir. Sometimes as a chef you come up with crazy, out-there ideas.” Culinary theory concept: “You Mike Eddy, owner-operator of Muskoka Mushroom and Plant Store, began foraging as a boy and quickly realized he could only forage for part of the year. Since a chance meeting at an ice-shing show in Toronto, Eddy has been growing and selling mushrooms and take-home kits.

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September 2024 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 61Mushroom Brioche with Tarragon, Mushroom Garum, Quail Egg, Goat Cheese Crema and Acadian Sturgeon Caviar - Aaron Clyne & Allana KlaassenIngredients 1 pound mixed mushrooms, stemmed and cleaned (use your favourite mushrooms and try a variety)10 g fresh black summer truﬄe, shaved, in oil (optional)2 medium shallots, ﬁnely diced1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped1 tsp chives, chopped (optional)3 Tbsp Madeira wine2+1 Tbsp neutral oil (e.g., canola, vegetable or avocado)4 Tbsp mushroom garum2+1 Tbsp butter5 Tbsp veal jus4 slices brioche, about 1” thick4 quail eggs1 tin Acadian Wild Sturgeon CaviarSalt and pepper to taste100 g goat cheese50 mL heavy creamAromatic herbs and ﬂowers for garnish (optional)Method• Prepare the mushrooms: In a saucepan over medium heat, add oil and sauté shallots until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and truﬄes and cook until soft; timing may vary pending mushroom varieties. You also may need to adjust the oil quantity. Add tarragon, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant. Deglaze with Madeira wine and mushroom garum, cook for 1 minute. Add veal jus and butter and heat until well incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Set mix aside. (If using creminis at home, add a bit of salt)• Toast brioche: In a new pan, melt butter and toast the sliced brioche until it is golden brown on both sides ensuring an even cook on both sides of the bread, about 1 minute per side.• Goat cheese crema: In a bowl, using a fork, work together the goat cheese, cream and a pinch of salt until smooth and well combined (add more cream if mix is too tight and more goat cheese if too loose; it should resemble thick sour cream), transfer to a squeeze bottle.• Quail egg: In a non-stick pan over medium heat, add remaining tablespoon of oil and fry the quail egg sunny side up, about 1-2 minutes. Try to keep the yolk runny as it adds a beautiful richness to the dish.• Assembly: Place toasted brioche on a plate and spread on the goat cheese crema. Top with the mushroom mix, spooning out the mushrooms so as to leave the sauce in the pan. Top with the quail egg. Dot in more goat cheese crema and add a quenelle of caviar. Add a few tablespoons of pan sauce around the brioche or in a small pool next to the toast. Garnish with your favourite aromatic herbs and ﬂowers and serve!Wine PairingWell, the obvious choice here is Pinot Noir but says Clyne, “It can lend itself to heavier reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Italian reds like Tuscan or Bernod.” A wimpy wine is out of the question. “is dish will overshadow any white you put next to it.” Recall him saying mushrooms eat like red meat.Chef's Tips• e mushroom garum Clyne uses is made in-house at Windermere but it is also available at gourmet groceries.• Veal jus can be substituted for mushroom stock.• Homemade brioche is best. However, storebought will suﬃce. Just make sure its quality storebought brioche. BONUS RECIPEHow to make a steak out of a lion’s mane mushroom• ‘‘Marinate it in your favourite marinade – oil, garlic, wine, lemon, a middle-eastern ﬂavour, smoked paprika, whatever – as you would chicken,’’ instructs Clyne.• In a ripping hot pan with a neutral oil, put in the mushroom and press down on it with another pan – hard – until it crisps up. • Flip and repeat.Windermere House executive chef Aaron Clyne is a mushroom enthusiast for both their culinary and medicinal properties.

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62 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024YOUR GUIDE TO SERVICES AND RESOURCESDIRECTORYcan’t draw a straight line between two ingredients. Does caviar go with mushrooms? Not necessarily but it goes with seafood which goes with tarragon which goes with mushrooms,” Clyne explains. “e mushrooms all have their diﬀerent shades, bound together by the sauce which is a combination of them all. e caviar brings in that kind of ocean brininess; the herbaciousness of the tarragon transcends the seafood and meat ﬂavour proﬁles. You break the quail egg yolk and put in some caviar for another layer of richness. Goat cheese cuts that richness just a hair, giving the salivary glands a tingle. e brioche gives a textural level with its crunch.”Final touches: garnishes of sorel from the Windermere House property and johnny jump-up ﬂowers from Four Season Greens.In the recipe, the truﬄe can overpower the mushrooms if they are not strong ones, Clyne says. “But if you’re at home making it with just creminis, feel free to throw in more.”e lowly toadstool rules.WE BUILD QUALITY - Roads, Septic Systems, Driveways and Landscaping - On Budget and On Time!Our Business Depends on Your Satisfactiongreenleafexcavation.ca 705-229-9985 greenleafexc@gmail.comJOHNSON LOG HOMERESTORATIONS705-738-7831 jcd.johnson@hotmail.com Staining Chinking Log Repairs Sandblasting Timber Frames Renovation Log Wash Custom BuildsLogHomeRestore.caYOUR FURNITURE & CUSTOM UPHOLSTERY SPECIALISTS Cal Cur an Paul Toda!705.784.0906muskokauph@gmail.com • MuskokaUpholstery.com A wide variety of mushrooms are edible and, as Mike Eddy shares, grown in a plastic bag, watered three times a day. Eddy grows his commercial mushrooms indoors for a cleaner, controlled and bug-free environment.

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64 UNIQUE MUSKOKA September 2024I’ve always been fascinated by stories of those celebrating the century mark at their family cottage. Last year, when we reached 25 years at our Bala cottage, I realized we had developed Muskoka roots. We purchased our small Long Lake escape when the kids were aged three, ﬁve and eight. As my daughter explored the cottage on that ﬁrst day, I remember her saying with excitement, “I’ve never had my very own cottage before.” After spending countless nights at my parent’s cottage, she recognized this was indeed special. She’s also the one who talks most about keeping it for her family one day.For about a decade, we spent the entire summer at this special place. It was about time outside, on the dock and in the water. First thing in the morning, they’d be out in PJs and life jackets. It was a screen-free zone so we played games, puzzles and did crafts on rainy days. We read Archie comics, had campﬁres and took in all summer had to oﬀer. Working in a bait shop and babysitting were their ﬁrst summer jobs. It was a magical time for us all.Now, sometimes we stay home so they can invite their friends or have their own family experiences. Our daughters-in-law and then our daughter held their bachelorette parties at the cottage. Skiing with a bridal veil became a new tradition. We love watching the family grow with spouses and grandchildren at our special place on the lake. Our oldest son, his wife and two grandchildren even have their own Long Lake cottage across the bay.is summer my ﬁve-year-old grandson was playing with the same Battleship game his dad, aunt and uncle played in the same cottage decades ago. His sister was jumping oﬀ the same raft that has been here for almost two decades. e youngest grandchild is not even two and cries when the ski boat driver doesn’t go fast enough. It wasn’t that long ago I was excited the kids were ﬁnally old enough to drive that same boat and take me skiing. ere is something magical about watching grandchildren “reliving” some of their parents’ childhood. And it’s not just grandkids. Sometimes our siblings and extended family come too. When my parents sold the cottage on the north end of Lake Rosseau, we welcomed family here so they could continue the cottage experience. Last week, my nephew from England came by. He slalom skied for the ﬁrst time in six years and his son had his ﬁrst experience being towed behind the boat. It’s a full circle, as Bala was my parent’s introduction to Muskoka. ey lived in Toronto and spent their May 1949 honeymoon at Clovelly Inn on Bala Park Island. Despite the blackﬂies, they returned many times and purchased a cottage in the mid 1970s. During the 25 years we’ve had our summer place in Bala, we have lived in Gravenhurst but moved houses several times. Our adult kids were drawn back from Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec by the lure of the cottage. Today our spot on Long Lake is more than a place to swim, ski and watch amazing sunsets. It’s a safe and welcoming retreat in an ever-changing world. We look forward to the next 25 years with our roots growing deeper into the soil and rocky landscape of Muskoka. Sandy Lockhart’s cottage is just 20 minutes from her home in Gravenhurst. It’s conveniently close but once she’s on the dock, it feels very far away. She’s divided her career between journalism and non-proﬁts. She is the communications director for Friends of the Muskoka Watershed, a charity focused on protecting Muskoka watersheds forever.Muskoka MomentsArticle by Sandy LockhartDeveloping Muskoka Roots Photograph: Linda KralizPhotograph: Paul Kupferschmidt

Unique Muskoka Issue 47 - September 2024

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