Kawartha Lakes
Connect to Arts, Culture and Heritage
Welcome!
Updates:
Welcome to Volume 4 of our Arts, Culture and Heritage Newsletter! The year is officially in full-swing and the Arts, Culture and Heritage team has been working hard to bring a variety of exhibits, workshops, and events to our community members.
Congratulations to the Saucy Willow Inn for winning the 2025 Osprey Heritage Award!
This winter has definitely been a doozy, so we’re just as happy as you are that nicer weather is just around the corner. With nicer weather, comes more opportunities to get out and explore the City of Kawartha Lakes. We have tons of helpful guides to get you up and moving this spring, from hiking trails to historic walking tours, there’s something for everybody! This year, Kawartha Lakes is celebrating 25 years as an amalgamated municipality. Stay tuned for events throughout the year to remember our past and celebrate our future!
Don’t forget to swing by Lindsay City Hall and the Kawartha Lakes Public Library (Lindsay branch) to check out the exhibits on display. Whether you’re into history, arts, or crafts, there’s something for everyone to enjoy! “County to Kawartha” “Kawartha Camera Club” “Millennium Time Capsule” See the back page for more information about upcoming workshops and ways to get involved!
Vol. 4 March 2026
Connect to Arts, Culture and Heritage
2026 Art in the Halls: Commemorating the 25year Anniversary of the City of Kawartha Lakes Art in the Halls is an exhibition program that celebrates local artistic and creative talents! Exhibits will rotate each year to showcase works from local craft guilds and clubs at City Hall. The City of Kawartha Lakes is excited to offer a space for display and sale of artwork in an accessible, public, and encouraging space. This year, city staff invited local arts groups and crafts guilds to submit an application for a 2-month long temporary exhibit at City Hall. The theme for 2026 is “25 Years in the Making”, to commemorate the 25-year anniversary of the City of Kawartha Lakes. Each exhibit demonstrates a deep sense of place and represents the creativity, innovation, and originality of our local artists!
Coming Up: March/April - Kawartha Camera Club
May/June - Bobcaygeon Brushstrokes
July/August - Lindsay District Rug Hookers Guild
September/October - Kawartha Art Network
November/December - Kawartha Weavers and Spinners Guild
Installing the January/February Exhibit 2
Vol. 4 March 2026
Connect to Arts, Culture and Heritage
The Millennium Time Capsule
On December 31, 2000, the Lindsay Millennium Committee dedicated a time capsule in honour of the new millennium. To mark this monumental time in history, the committee put together a time capsule with specific instructions for it to not be opened until December 2025. So, on December 16, 2025, the time capsule was finally opened by one of the residents who put the time capsule in the pillar 25 years ago. Reenie Brydon was just a kid when she helped seal the time capsule in the pillar, now, 25 years later she had the honour of opening it and unveiling what was sealed inside the capsule for so many years.
most, many things have drastically changed since the year 2000! Many audience members felt a sense of nostalgia upon seeing the recognizable, yet distinct, items in the time capsule. Whether you remember the days of the cassette - or even the price of gas from ‘back in the day’, the opening of the time capsule was a day of ‘remember whens’ and good memories for many of the longtime, and new, residents of Lindsay. If you’re interested in seeing the items that were sealed in the time capsule, they are currently on display at the Kawartha Lakes Public Library, Lindsay Branch.
The contents of the time capsule were diverse, and included cassettes, receipts, newspapers, photographs, and other items that hearkened back to Lindsay in December 2000. While 25 years ago might not seem like that long ago to
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Vol. 4 March 2026
Connect to Arts, Culture and Heritage
Scrapbooking: The Art of Collecting Scraps Scrapbooking was an important, and fun, activity for all ages in the 1800s. It was an important way for people to document life’s important events and preserve moments in time by drawing pictures and pasting letters, newspaper clippings, and eventually photographs in a dedicated book. Scrapbooks were sometimes themed around important milestones like births or weddings but often, they were just a miscellaneous collection of important family memories. Scrapbooks as a heritage resource are very important because they can tell us a lot about the people of the past!
This Day in History March 1, 1862 The annual Lindsay Cricket Club meeting was held at Pearson’s Saloon where members elected each other for various administrative roles.
May 7, 1877 By-law No. 270 was passed which granted the construction of a railway from Victoria Junction to the newly built Union Station on Victoria Avenue.
March 9, 1881 A Soirée was held at Ingram’s Hall to raise money in aid of the Fenelon Falls Presbyterian Church.
April 14, 1881 Quarterly examinations for public school students started! All students began testing at 9am and community members were invited to attend.
May 13, 1898 The Kodak Brownie camera was advertised in a local paper for $5 to $25 (in 1800s money).
April 24, 1959 The last steam engine operated out of Lindsay. Beall Family Scrapbook, Vol. 2: 3. c.1900s 4
Vol. 4 March 2026
Connect to Arts, Culture and Heritage
Osprey Heritage Awards
Jokes Everybody loves a good joke, even busy Victorians who were especially keen on puns and witty wordplay. Below is a selection of jokes printed in a 1907 edition of the Bobcaygeon Independent showcasing what the newspapers thought was the cream of the funny crop.
Q: Why is a thief called a jailbird? A: Because he’s been a robin. Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Osprey Heritage Award for Heritage Preservation and Adaptive Re-Use, Stephanie and David Jukes, who own and operate the Saucy Willow Inn. This award recognizes all the hard work that the owners have put into refurbishing and restoring the old inn. The Jukes have taken great care to source local artists, labourers, and materials, as well as use traditional methods to enhance the building’s historic charm and support heritage in Coboconk. Built in 1878, the Saucy Willow Inn is one of the most extravagant examples of a Victorian farmhouse in Coboconk. Originally built by Adam Carl as his primary residence, it became a lodge in 1919 and has operated as a tourist destination for over 100 years.
Q: When are we all artists? A: When we draw a long face. Q: What is the most dangerous time of the year? A: When the buds are shooting. Q: What is the difference between a sailor at the masthead and his ship? A: The ship sails over the seas; the sailor sees over the sails. Q: When do skates resemble the forbidden fruit? A: When they bring about the fall of man. Q: Why are all teeth like verbs? A: Because they are regular, irregular, and defective.
The next Osprey Heritage Awards recognizing local heritage champions will take place in 2027. 5
Vol. 4 March 2026
Connect to Arts, Culture and Heritage
Don’t Try this at Home: Remedies and Medicines Have you ever been told to drink whiskey to warm you up in the winter? Or to not go outside when your hair was wet? Or to put a garlic clove up your nose to clear your sinuses? These types of home remedies have been around for centuries! Before the invention of Buckley’s - or even the discovery of germs in the late 1800s people relied on remedies like these to help alleviate their symptoms, or, at least, to feel like their symptoms were being alleviated. Home remedies were an affordable way for the average family to take care of themselves in the 1800s. This was especially true for new settlers since storebought medicine was often expensive. Some settlers were even scared of Western medicine and treatments because they believed it could cause more harm than good, and many sought out Indigenous remedies instead because they believed it was less invasive.
Edmund Gregory’s drugstore (corner), demolished c. 1979, Lindsay (2023.004.1428)
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Medicine bottle. Courtesy: Peterborough Chapter of the Ontario Archeological Society.
However, people still bought medicine because of its ability to fight off illness and discomfort better than some home remedies. Not only do we have many old medicine bottles stored in museums and artifact collections, but there are also many medical advertisements printed in archived newspapers showing that people actively sought professional help. In an 1881 edition of the Fenelon Falls Gazette, “Burdock Blood Bitters” were advertised as a cure-all remedy for common colds, nausea, jaundice, fever, and headache (to name only a few). Other remedies were a bit more specific in what they could cure, like the “Nervi-Line” which was advertised in a 1914 edition of the same newspaper and claimed to loosen up stiff muscles. Medicine usually claimed to cure all sorts of pains and illness but we don’t always know what was in them. Keep an eye out for old medicine bottles, but definitely don’t try any for yourself! Vol. 4 March 2026
Connect to Arts, Culture and Heritage
Recipe Revival Kawartha Lakes has a rich history influenced by the region’s Indigenous heritage, immigration patterns, agricultural and industrial heritage. Around these themes, there are many unique and memorable food stories worth sharing. Using recipes from the City of Kawartha Lakes archives, as well as recipes submitted by the community, this program celebrates the exceptional heritage behind food and offers new tasty treats to try!
Do you have a recipe with a unique story to share? Kawartha Lakes invites all residents to participate in this delicious project! Share your recipe with us to be included in the Recipe Revival collection. We’d love to hear about your cherished recipes and the memories behind them! Submit your recipe, photograph and story connected to the recipe to: history@kawarthalakes.ca
Mustard Sauce Submitted by Joan Abernethy
Ingredients: ½ cup white sugar 3 tablespoons of dry mustard (Keen’s) ⅛ cup of white wine vinegar 1 egg, beaten Method: Combine ingredients in a double boiler or in a pot over medium heat. Stir constantly until thickened and fully combined.
This sweet and tangy sauce is delicious served hot with festive ham or served cold on leftover ham sandwiches!
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Myrtle Dodds Bailey, 1881-1948
“My grandmother, Myrtle Dodds Bailey of Clendenan Avenue, Toronto, made this delicious mustard sauce every Easter for her extended family and friends and, during the depression of the dirty thirties, for hungry, job-seeking migrants. It was common in those days, she said, for people fortunate enough to have food to share it with strangers who knocked on their back doors.” -Joan Abernethy
Vol. 4 March 2026
Connect to Arts, Culture and Heritage
www.kawarthalakes.ca
Workshops and Events Heritage Designation Strategy - Draft Review Public Meeting The City is developing a new heritage designation strategy and we want your input! The strategy will guide our approach to identifying and prioritizing properties for designation. A Heritage Designation Strategy has been drafted using results from the Jump In survey and other forms of public engagement. This public meeting is designed to allow residents to comment on the proposed strategy and offer suggestions on how the city can best support its heritage properties and residents. Date: March 18, 2026 | 6pm to 8pm Location: Lindsay City Hall, The Victoria Room (26 Francis St.) No registration required.
Nineteenth-Century Fashion and Fabric Join us for an in-depth look at fashion trends, sewing patterns, and use of fabric in nineteenth century Canada. We are pleased to welcome Julie Oakes, a longtime heritage steward and seamstress who will take audiences on an interactive and engaging journey to the nineteenth century. This event features a lecture component and an interactive seminar where audiences will have a chance to try their hand at English Paper Piecing. Materials will be provided for those who do not have their own sewing materials and would like to participate in the seminar. All ages welcome! Date: March 24, 2026 | 6pm to 8pm Location: Lindsay City Hall, The Victoria Room (26 Francis St.) Scan Here to Register!
Contact Us City of Kawartha Lakes Arts, Culture and Heritage Team history@kawarthalakes.ca 705-324-9411