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Buckhorn Fine Art Festival |
Buckhorn Fine Art FestivalOne of Canada’s highest quality art shows for thirty years, this show was named one of the top 50 events in Ontario (out of several thousand) by ‘Festivals and Events Ontario’. Held in a woodsy setting, 80 or so fine artists of international calibre are selected each year to exhibit in the specially designed wood cabins, or the well appointed Community Centre. There are other activities including artist’s talks and demos, children’s activities, and live music. This year there will be a ‘Canadian Masters exhibit’ featuring original works by Bateman, Casson, Loates, Dumas,Danby, and many more, which sounds exciting. Proceeds from the show benefit the non-profit Buckhorn Community Centre; this show, too, is entirely, and amazingly, volunteer-run. There is a small fee for admission; each visitor receives a very nice, free colour book which show a sample of the artists’ work (the book is also an award-winner in its genre). There are debit & credit facilities on site. There is a bank machine in the village, approximately 1/4 mile away. Directions: 401 to Peterborough turnoff (170 km east of Toronto, west of Kingston) and carry on through Peterborough and north 32 km on Cty. Rd 23; left on Lakehurst Rd. & drive through Buckhorn, past ‘the buck’, turn left around the corner and up the hill, carry on to the Community Centre. If you are houseboating the Kawartha Lakes, you are looking for Lock 31, which is right in Buckhorn. |
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Judy’s tips: I love the relaxed holiday feeling at Buckhorn; we have lots of fun here. There is a preview night on Thursday evening which is well done and has its own special atmosphere (and great nibbleys). (The tickets for preview night should be purchased in advance.) You may find that there are fewer visitors in the late afternoons, thus the artists will have more time to chat with you if you so wish. There are plenty of well placed benches outdoors between cabins to relax upon, and a huge marquis tent, licensed, which serves lunches. There is often musical entertainment. Be forewarned; sometimes the debit/credit facilities at the show are extremely busy; wise to bring cash, or a chequebook, as many artists do not offer plastic transactions on their own (this includes Judy). (Even if credit transactions are offered by the artist, there may be a wait while the artist accesses a land phone for completion of it; cellular reception sometimes seems to be poor in God’s Country). |
Judy’s Home ShowJudy winds up her show season with an artist’s exhibit held in her own 19th century saltbox home, in her small town of Aylmer. While most of her business is now conducted outside of town, she enjoys being ‘at home’ for this tradition. There’s music, cider, and nibbles, and a fire going if the autumn day is chilly; it’s very casual and she enjoys it when browsers come as they are. Even though she keeps it very low key, there have been visitors from all over Ontario & the northern U.S. to this quiet tree-lined street. ( map) Directions from the 401; take the Hwy 73 South exit (#203, which is between the Putnam Road exit and the Dorchester exit); drive south through farmland for about twenty minutes to Aylmer. Continue south (straight) through the main stoplight and turn left at the third street down (South Street East). It’s the fourth house down, on the left. Directions from Hwy #3: Aylmer is at the crossroads of Hwy #73 and Hwy #3 (Hwy #3 begins in Windsor and ends near Fort Erie and is the ‘scenic route’—the historic Talbot Trail of the settlers to Elgin County). Turn south at the main stoplights (from #3 (Talbot Street) to #73 (John Street South)) then turn left at the third street down (South Street East); it’s the fourth house down, on the left. |
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Judy’s tips: If you are coming ‘from away’, you might also want to ramble this corner of the world on your visit: there is Pinecroft for lunch (a working pottery studio and much more) (see the ‘Jammin’ Cabin’ re the music program). Sparta is also worth a trip (an old Quaker village with many shops); there’s a rare and ancient virgin Carolinian forest at Springwater Conservation area, with walking trails; and we have award-winning fruit and grape wineries to visit. Clovermead Apiaries and Amish country is just to the north; Lake Erie is about ten minutes south. The Aylmer Museum can suggest walking tours of Aylmer’s many historic buildings, and has pamphlets of local attractions (see map) . |
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Piping-in the home show |
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Judy Minor Studio |
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All images and information copyright Judy Minor. |
