Connect to Arts, Culture and Heritage
Art in the Halls 2026
Art in the Halls continues through summer 2026! To help celebrate the City’s 25anniversary, we’ve invited local arts groups and crafts guilds to create two-month long displays in the downstairs corridors of City Hall. Our theme for this year is “25 Years in the Making” to help recognize this important anniversary. Each exhibit demonstrates a deep sense of place and represents the creativity, innovation, and originality of our local artists. Bobcaygeon Brushtrokes are the featured group for May and June.
If you’re in Lindsay for the day or coming to City Hall to visit our Lindsay Service Centre, take some time to come by and view these talented local artists’ work. The City of Kawartha Lakes is excited to offer a space for display and sale of artwork in an accessible, public, and encouraging space. Purchase of artworks can be made by contacting artists directly.
July/August - Lindsay District Rug Hookers Guild
September/October - Kawartha Art Network
November/December - Kawartha Weavers and Spinners Guild
2026 Colborne Street Downtown Sculpture Exhibition
In 2021, while the main street of downtown Fenelon Falls was under construction, the city installed 6 new planter boxes along Colborne Street sidewalk. Limestone bases were placed within the planter boxes, to act as foundations for new temporary art program initiated by the Fenelon Arts Committee (FAC).
Starting in 2024, FAC and the City of Kawartha Lakes’ Economic Development Division issued a call for sculpture to be installed for that year. So successful, it has become a yearly program with 6 new sculptures installed for 2026 that will be on display until late October.
Established in 2018, the Fenelon Arts Committee (FAC) identifies opportunities for artists, strategizes on arts initiatives, and works to increase public access and engagement with art in Fenelon Falls. The committee is made up of dedicated residents who share a common vision and passion for art and their community.
The FAC recognizes that its work and the work of our community partners takes place on the traditional lands of the Michi Saagiig Anishnaabeg. Fenelon Falls is covered by the Williams Treaty and Rice Lake Treaty #20.
For more information on the 2026 exhibit, please see:www.fenelonarts.com
Sculpture Spotlight
Darner
James Cameron Smith
Hans Rosalinde
Baumgartner
The Dawning Recognition of Fundamental Aloneness
Carole Chaloupa
Burton Mountain No. 1
Chance Shermet
Untitled 23 // Janus
Jeff van Leeuwen
Angler’s Dream
Mary Sullivan
1926 Balsam Lake Canoe Tragedy
By Guest Contributor Doug Paterson
On Tuesday, July 201926, thirteen boys and two counsellors pushed a 30-foot war canoe off Long Point on Balsam Lake, bound for Coboconk. By dawn, only four remained. This is one of Canada’s most heartbreaking youth tragedies, born at the intersection of faith, optimism, and fatal misjudgment.
Early that evening camp director, Robert Shea-Butcher announced a supply trip and called for volunteers. There was no vetting for swimming or paddling skills and they carried no life preservers. After roughly thirty minutes, the boys were in the narrows off Grand Island.
There, amid higher swells and confused paddling, the canoe tipped over. They tried to cling to the overturned canoe, but only a few could hold on. Shea-Butcher, watching too many struggling for purchase, pushed off and drowned to make room for others. As the night wore on, ten more slipped under the waves.
The following day they made the trip back to camp with the terrible news and the search began, assisted by a rescue seaplane and the tug, Harwood. Saturday brought the first recoveries: Walter Burgess and Gordon Heal. Harry Mills, was identified by a Trinity Young Men’s Club ring, a stopped wristwatch fixed at eight o’clock, and a letter to his mother he intended to mail in Coboconk.
Today, one surviving piece of the canoe is held at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough. Six boys and Shea Butcher were interred in a communal plot at St. James Cemetery. The monument that rises there today tells a story of comradery, devotion and loss.
2026 marks the 100anniversary of this tragic event. Join us on July 18 at 11am at the Coboconk Wharf for a commemoration of the event. For more information, email: balsamlake1926@gmail.com.
Our Local Heritage:
J.G. Edwards Hardware
2026 marked an exciting anniversary for a business in downtown Lindsay: Tradewind Toys turned 30! This long-standing local business was founded by owner Angela Field in 1996 and is currently located at 110 Kent Street West. But long before this building became a toy store, it was home to other local businesses and, when you step inside, you can see the history in its walls and its long history, not as a toy store, but as a hardware store!
The building that is now Tradewind Toys was constructed in 1874 by a local businessman named James Hamilton. Hamilton was a successful carriage maker and decided to build a large building in this location to house both his own carriage factory and for some units to rent out to other businesses. The Hamilton Block, as it was known, included the building that now houses Tradewind Toys and Unwrapped at 110 and 112 Kent Street West, as well as a large section to the west where Burns Bulk Foods is now. This part of the building burned down in a fire in 1970 and was replaced by the current Burns Bulk Foods Building.
Hamilton rented out the two units at 110 and 112 Kent Street West to various different businesses. The eastern store was rented to George Bertram at some point in the 1870s and he established a hardware store there. In 1881, Bertram decided to retire from the hardware business and transferred his lease to James George Edwards.
Edwards was born in Peterborough in 1845
and opened a hardware store in Bobcaygeon in the 1870s. He had began his career as a clerk in North Monaghan Township and after he relocated to Bobcaygeon, he served as the first clerk and treasurer for the village from 1877 to 1881.
Edwards’ new hardware store was successful local business. In 1894, Canadian Post’s special Illustrated Trade Edition reported:
“The firm of J.G. Edwards and Co. are wholesale and retail dealers in Shelf and Heavy Hardware, Coal Oil, Glass, Paints and Oils, Carriage Hardware, and Woodwork, and also Sporting Good of all kinds. They occupy the whole of a fine large three storey building, 140 feet deep, and give employment to six hands… This is the leading hardware store in Lindsay.”
At the same time as Edwards bought the business and building from Bertram, Lindsay’s first telephone exchange was established in the upper story of the building. Telephones had quickly caught on throughout Ontario since their invention in 1874 and Lindsay’s first telephones were rented by the railways to communicate internally in 1877. By 1880, local businesses were agitating for service and so, as Edwards took over the hardware store, he also installed the first local exchange upstairs. Initially, subscribers could only place local calls but Lindsay was joined to the long-distance circuit in southern Ontario via a line to Port Hope in 1881. In 1883, Bell’s telephone directory listed 27 subscribers in Lindsay.
Edwards was also a well-known community member. He was one of the charter members of the Lindsay Curling Club and of the Lindsay Golf and Country Club. As an avid sportsman, he also sold sports equipment, including bicycles, in his store. Both he and his wife Winnifred Dunsford were active members of St. Paul’s Anglican Church. Edwards died in 1932 but the business continued under R.E. Stinson and his son Norman Stinson, with the day-to-day operations of the store run by Ted Oke. The store eventually became a Home Hardware.
Step into this historic building today and be greeted by a warm and friendly toy store, a contrast to its time selling hardware! Even though its occupants have changed over the years, this building stands as a testament to local business in downtown Lindsay.
Museum Month
May was Museum Month in Ontario!
Through the Ontario Museum Association, this initiative serves as a wonderful way to kick off a new museum season and offers a meaningful opportunity to celebrate the places where local stories come to life.
Paired with the Kawartha Lakes Museums
Are My Vibe campaign, residents and visitors across Kawartha Lakes were reminded that museums are far more than quiet buildings—they are vibrant spaces where history, culture, and creativity come together year-round.
As the month drew to a close, there was a renewed and shared appreciation for the important role museums play in strengthening community. In Kawartha Lakes, museums aren’t just places to look back, they are spaces that bring people together, inspire learning, and celebrate the stories that define the region. Connect to Arts, Culture and Heritage
Throughout the month, museums across Kawartha Lakes opened their doors and welcomed visitors of all ages to explore the region’s unique heritage. From agricultural roots and small-town beginnings to Indigenous history and lakeside traditions, each site helps paint a rich picture of the area’s past and present. Whether it’s a family stopping in for an afternoon visit or a lifelong resident rediscovering familiar stories, these spaces foster connection and curiosity in equal measure.
Museum Month also shone a spotlight on the dedicated individuals working behind the scenes. Staff and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure exhibits and spring and summer events are thoughtfully prepared, creating engaging and memorable experiences for every visitor.
Connect to Arts, Culture and Heritage
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
Silverwoods Pancakes, 1956
Courtesy of of the Municipal Archives of the City of Kawartha Lakes
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
2 cups buttermilk
2 ½ cups flour (pastry)
Method:
1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
Melt butter, add sugar and egg and beat. Add buttermilk.
Mix well. Sift dry ingredients and add to buttermilk, etc. and beat thoroughly.
Either pour batter from a jug or allow one tablespoon of batter to form each pancake. Cook on a hot frying pan or griddle.
From beginning to eating 40 minutes or less!
Workshops and Events
Indigenous Reconciliation Strategy Public InformationSession
The City is developing a new Indigenous Reconciliation Strategy to help guide respectful relationships between the City and local Indigenous communities. You are invited to join us at a public information session to learn more about this project and provide your input.
Date: June 17, 2026 | 6pm to 8pm
Location: Victoria Park Armoury (210 Kent Street West, Lindsay) jumpinkawarthalakes.ca/indigenousreconciliation
Colouring Pages Available at Service Centres and Libraries Across the City! Calling all Artists in Kawartha Lakes! Are you an inspiring artist? We know that we have some of the most talented artists around and we are not shy about saying it! To celebrate the 25Anniversary we are inviting all artists to show off their skills! You can pick one up at a Service Centre or Library and drop off your finished piece OR you can download your colouring pages and email a scanned copy to history@kawarthalakes.ca! th
Stay Tuned for Fall!
While it might seem too early to start thinking about fall, we have some exciting events coming up in fall 2026. Doors Open will take place this year on Sunday September 13 from 10pm to 4pm to showcase spaces of civic engagement.We are also launching our first ever Heritage Scavenger Hunt which will run from Labour Day to Thanksgiving. Use our clues to identify heritage buildings across Kawartha Lakes to win some great local prizes. Mark your calendars for this fall to get outside and explore our local heritage!
Informationonthesefuneventscanbefoundonourwebsite: kawarthalakes.ca/doorsopen
Contact Us
City of Kawartha Lakes Arts, Culture and Heritage Team history@kawarthalakes.ca 705-324-9411
