All you need to do to discover
why St. Marys is called Stonetown
is to drive down the main street,
Queen Street. The beautiful limestone
buildings are everywhere — homes,
businesses, churches, the library.
And this is just some of the
heritage celebrated at this year’s
Stonetown Heritage Festival,
July 9, 10 and 11. For the 15th
year,
St. Marys opens its hearts, streets
and businesses to visitors for
a weekend of family fun, much
of it free. Festival highlights
include Aerial Angels, an artisans'
way, classic car show at Stone
Willow Inn, Apple Land Train,
Drumanticks, town-wide yard sale,
family street dance and a fireworks
display!
Owing to the town’s “stony” background, one of the more popular features of the weekend are walking garden and architecture tours that will introduce newcomers to the incredible architecture—not all stone, but also incredible exterior millwork, wooden screen doors, fretwork, porches, gingerbread trim — and the superior gardening talents of St. Marys citizens.
Head to the river for the Kinsmen’s Rubber Duck Race, a nail-biter if ever there was one! You should also make a point of grabbing the shuttle that will take festivalgoers between the Stone Willow Inn, host of the Cruising Classic Car Show, where many of the area’s finest vehicles will be shined up and showing off, The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and McCully’s Hill Farm, where there’s always something fun to do and delicious to eat. If the heat is on, you can always go to the Quarry on Water Street, Canada’s largest outdoor swimming pool, with an open swim weekends from noon to 8 o’clock.
Queen Street comes alive with sidewalk sales galore, buskers of all kinds, including face painters and balloon artists. Educational aspects of the festival are aimed at kids, with museum displays and hands-on activities. Everyone can ride the horsedrawn wagon ride. Barbecues and food vendors of all kinds are on hand, as are local artists and artisans, with paintings, jewellery, carvings, soaps and many more handcrafted treasures. Live music takes place on Queen Street from 10 in the morning until 10 at night on Saturday, with local bands during the day and an all-ages family street dance in the evening to the music of “Decades,” hosted by the Rotary Club.
JULY
9 - 11
