| Oct 08, 2009


The third biennial Land O’ Lakes Tourist Association’s (LOLTA) Vision Awards reflected some of the new ideas about tourism and agriculture, and the amount of work it takes to make a success out of a small business.

The range of businesses that won awards reflects the diverse nature of the Land O’ Lakes region, which encompasses Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Counties, and the Municipality of Tweed.

The winning business from Addington Highlands was the Pine Grove Motel in Northbrook. Motel owners Larry and Carole Pealow were singled out for having converted one of their units into a fully accessible motel room, complete with a new washroom, ramps and other accessories.

From North Frontenac, Lookout Home Hardware Building Centre took the honour. Gina and Rick Kellar accepted the award, which marked the continuous growth in their business over 25 years.

Photos: Top left: The Pealows with their award. Top Right: NF Deputy Mayor Jim Beam with the Kellars. Left: Mayor Janet Gutowski and Ron Kortekaas.Eco-Alternative Energy was the Central Frontenac honoree. Ron Kortekaas accepted the honour on behalf of himself and his wife Anne. Eco-Alternative Energy has been helping provide renewable energy systems for cottages and homes throughout the region, and with new provincial initiatives regarding renewable energy, the company is poised for growth.

In South Frontenac, Gibson Timber Frames, who for 10 years have been reviving the art of timber framing in Frontenac County, was the winner. Jason Gibson accepted the award.

There was a winner from each of the nine municipalities in the LOLTA family, and an overall winner as well. This year the overall winner was Bergeron Winery, which is located near the shores of Lake Ontario within the boundaries of the town of Napanee.

Those attending the dinner and ceremony, which was held at the Loyalist Golf and Country Club in Bath, had an opportunity to sample some of the Bergeron wines; a Bergeron 2007 Vidal – Riesling and a 2007 Gamay were served with dinner.

Winners from other districts included Wilton Pottery from Loyalist Township, the Waterfall Tea Room in Yarker from Stone Mills, the By the Way Café (which was selected over the local Tim Horton’s) from Tweed, and the Wolfe Island Corn Maze from Frontenac Islands.

Earlier in the evening, a short film was shown about the history of the Land O’ Lakes Tourist Association. Prepared by current LOLTA general manager Ken Hook, the film used archival material from the Tweed News and interviews with former staff and executive members of the association to mark almost 60 years of complementary marketing by a geographically disparate group of businesses.

The keynote speaker for the evening was Don Curtis, a retired marketing whiz, based in Kingston. He talked of how the Land O’ Lakes region, and Eastern Ontario as a whole, is a hidden gem, and he advocates a massive marketing campaign focusing on the fresh water lakes and rivers for fishing, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, and hiking opportunities.

Curtis’ remarks underscored how the perspective of a tourist on a region like the Land O’ Lakes might differ from the way permanent residents look at it. While there might seem to be little connection between a winery on Lake Ontario, and wilderness camping in North Frontenac, for a tourist they can be two parts of a vacation, each located within a 45-minute drive from a bed and breakfast or resort in Verona.

Former LOLTA General Manager Terry Shea, who is now working in rural Kingston, was on hand to mark the third installment of an event that came from his own vision. Shea was also instrumental in the Accessible Tourism Initiative, which LOLTA is now promoting for its members, and which has provided the necessary funding to maintain a two-person office in Kaladar.

 

Support local
independant journalism by becoming a patron of the Frontenac News.