On June 18, Centre Wellington hosted its 9th annual Doors Open event as part of a province wide celebration of community heritage. Designed to create access, awareness and excitement about local heritage, Doors Open provided residents and visitors with a unique opportunity to explore and enjoy sometimes hidden and always interesting places and spaces.
This year’s theme was Medical Science and Innovation and our local event certainly provided participants with their daily dose of heritage. Hundreds of visitors from near and far made their way through the doors of 10 intriguing sites and several special Doors Open events.
Each site was unique in what they offered and went above and beyond to provide an experience that visitors will not forget. The 10 sites included; Wellington County Museum and Archives, Fergus Paramedic Station, St. James Anglican Church & Butterfly Garden, Belsyde Cemetery, The Old Livery, Breadalbane Inn, Savage House, Graham A. Giddy Funeral Home Elora, Elora Gorge Karate Dojo, and the Elora Waste Water Treatment Plant.
Additional activities that day included Heritage Centre Wellington, Older Voices Walking Tours, and the Fergus BIA who hosted a medical themed Teddy Bear Caper as well as unveiling the Fergus Sculpture Project.
As in previous years, a passport outlining site details, special events, as well as other medical locations of interest guided visitors through their day. Visitors collected passport stamps at each site for a chance to win a Breadalbane Inn gift certificate.
“The response to this year’s event has been overwhelmingly positive” said Elizabeth Bender, Community Development Coordinator.
“Many visitors were inspired, engaged and astonished by the number of amazing locations showcased that they were not even aware existed. Thank you to all of the amazing visitors, participants and volunteers who contributed in any capacity to help make this year’s event a huge success. We had visitors from Niagara Falls who quoted that this was a great journey through history, to those visiting from Toronto who were extremely impressed by our community to our very own residents who toured the locations wishing they had one more day to spend more time at each unique spot. What a fabulous day!”
