Best Places to See the Fall Colours

Take a short drive to see great Fall colours. Usually from the third week in September until Thanksgiving.

Visit :Dorset Observation TowerPhone: (705) 766-2211E-mail: drc@algonquinhighlands.ca Website: www.dorset-tower.com

Algonquin Provincial Park Phone: 705-633-5572 E-mail: info@algonquinpark.on.ca Web Site: www.algonquinpark.on.ca

Ragged Falls Provincial Park

Lions Lookout in Huntsville

See the Ontario Tourism Fall Colours report.

Huntsville and Area Fall Events Sept - Nov 2008

SEPT 12-14 Bracebridge Fall Fair

There will be horse pulls, light and heavy horses, antique/garden, tractor pulls, culinary arts, fibre arts, horticulture, youth and junior fair, entertainment, midway, and more. There is free parking on site. For more information please contact the Bracebridge Fall Fair office at 705-645-8383, or email bracebridgefair@hotmail.com.

SEPT 19-21 Huntsville Fall Fair

There will be a midway and live bands, English horse show and heavy horse pull, livestock, poultry, rabbit competitions, baby contest, cake/pie auction, and more. Sunday is Family Day! There will be a free bus to and from the fairgrounds. See you at the Fair! For more information contact the Fair Office at 705-789-9540 or huntsvillefairsecretary@hotmail.com.

SEPT 20 Shades of Autumn Antique, Classic and Custom Car Show

The Downtown Huntsville BIA presents the Annual Shades of Autumn Antique, Classic and Custom Car ShowIf four wheels are your passion, the Annual Huntsville Antique, Classic and Custom Car Show is an adventure that will accelerate your hear rate. 250 exhibits up and down the main drag, trophies and door prizes - this is one automotive competition that you can take in on two feet. First come, first serve car registration on Main Street beginning at 7 a.m.. For more information call 705-789-1400, email huntsvillebia@bellnet.ca or visit www.huntsvilleadventures.ca

SEPT 27-28 Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour

This Tour runs on September 27th to 28th. Come and celebrate our 30th anniversary as we throw our doors open to you! Explore the studios of Muskoka's celebrated artists and craftspeople. This is a free self-guided tour. For more information call 705-687-6521 or visit www.muskoka.com/tour .

October 4 Turkey Dinner and Fireworks in Port Sydney

The 56th Annual Turkey Dinner will be held at The Port Sydney Community Hall. This will be a traditional dinner with all the trimmings. There will be continuous seating from 3:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. The cost is $14.00 for adults and $7.00 for children 12 and under. Stay and enjoy the exciting FIREWORKS DISPLAY at dusk on the beach at 8:15 p.m. All donations are welcome. For more information and to volunteer please call Cindy at 705-385-0170 or email Jody: jodybenjamintomas@hotmail.com. All proceeds raised are for the Hall Renovation Projects.

OCT 17-19 Bala Cranberry Festival

To be held at locations throughout Bala. For more information call 705-762-1564.

OCT 31 Great Pumpkin Trail

The Muskoka Heritage Place - Museum, Village, Train is having the Great Pumpkin Trail. Come to a candle-lit village for tricky treats. For more information call 705-789-7576, or visit www.muskokaheritageplace.org

November 28 Huntsville Santa Claus Parade 7:00 PM

Baysville Antique Boat Show with some Wildlife!

The Annual Baysville Antique Boat Show was held on a sunny day. Food, entertainment, boats, cars and the Muskoka Wildlife came with 5 creatures for the children to see. An owl, raccoon, arctic wolf, fox snake and a skunk (descented).

Everyone that comes to the show can pet the skunk!

Here's a video clip about Aroma the Skunk from the Muskoka Wildlife Centre presentation.

Train the Terrain for the Ironman 70.3

The Muskoka Ironman 70.3 rolls into town this September. And next September. And probably the one after that. Huntsville has hosted the World Triathlon Championship, and every year hosts the Muskoka Triathlon, so they've got a lot of experience at running these events.

The Ironman 70.3 is a bit different. It is a qualifying race for the full Ironman -- a feat that some would consider cruel and unusual punishment, but those participating might disagree. Several of our guests at BONDI VILLAG RESORT over the years have completed successfully at the IRONMAN -- Jeff completed without the use of one arm. Paul spent his vacation here training, and he would join us (briefly) on the Island swim. We swam BACK from the Island, 1.6 miles away. Paul swam out to and around it. He still beat us home.

If you're participating in these events, it can help to train on the terrain. Muskoka is not flat land. Thanks to the Canadian Shield, we offer great hills along with great vistas.

There are several training camps for the Muskoka Ironman 70.3 in the area this summer, and it is getting very common to spot these cyclists pedaling the roads. The route will take the cyclists all the way around the Lake of Bays.

The smaller resorts in the area, including Bondi, offer great facilities for these training venues, particularly in the last few weeks leading up to the competition.
Once the competition starts, athletes naturally want to be as close to the main venue as possible so they're not wasting energy getting to and fro, but if you're looking to put the last bit of polish on your training program, housekeeping resorts offer a quiet, relaxed base, where you are in complete control of your diet and your training, and you can step out the door and be on the cycling route, hop in the lake to log some miles, and run along roads that are not heavily trafficked.

If you want to train the terrain and drop your stress levels all at the same time, we recommend considering the smaller resorts around Lake of Bays. Like us...
Visit us at www.bondi-cottage-resort.com and find our neighbouring resorts at www.northmuskoka.com

And for the rest of us, those who have no ambition to participate in such an athletic endeavor, just a reminder to share the road. As the event draws closer, we're going to be seeing a lot of athletes out there training. Cyclists, especially those training hard, may be 'zoned' a little bit... and their road bikes don't do well on the gravel of the shoulders, so pull over a little, slow down a little... there's room enough and time enough for all of us out there!

A Brush with the Group of Seven

In 1912, Canadian artist Tom Thompson went into Algonquin Park. On his return, his friends were so inspired by his paintings they started to join his summer sketching trips, and the Group of Seven was begun.
In 1917, Thompson drowned in Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park, under mysterious circumstances. There is a statue of Tom, sketching beside his canoe, at the Algonquin Theatre in Huntsville. This was created by local artist Brenda Wainman Goulet.

Here at BONDI VILLAGE RESORT, we have an original work by Brenda as well -- a full scale replica of a Red Tail Hawk in flight, soaring over our lawn, as a memorial to our dad, Paul Tapley, who loved to fly.

Huntsville has taken up the theme of the Group of Seven with a will, and there are now 22 murals replicating the most famous works of the Group of Seven scattered through Huntsville. You can spend a day easily roaming about looking at them, breaking up the sightseeing with a coffee, or a small shopping excursion into the great downtown boutiques and cafes on Huntsville's Main Street.

And, every summer, you can go one better than just looking. During the Mural Festival, when new murals are being created, you can join artist Gerry Lantaigne and add your own brush strokes to the work. One of our guests, Mary Anne, did just that last week. The mural is set up at the town hall, right next to the statue of Tom himself. In 2007, 1300 people added their 'signature' brush strokes to the mural you can see in the background of the picture of Tom's statue -- Autumn Garland.

The Group of Seven Mural Gallery is expanding this year, with the addition of two murals being created at the Dorset Heritage Museum. Frank Johnston had strong connections to Dorset, so the Museum has chosen him as their featured artist. The first mural Gerry will be creating is Johnston's Northern Evening. The Museum at Dorset is well worth dropping by for a visit, with or without a mural.

The best thing about murals is that they get people out of their cars, because the best way to experience them is slowly, walking, standing, sitting, admiring. They are beautiful things.

Visit us at www.bondi-cottage-resort.com to see what else is happening at our resort!