History comes to life on the Rideau Canal

Catherine Reynolds | Aug 03, 2016

History is coming to life on the Rideau Canal and it will take your breath away.

Nestled in the elbow of Chaffey’s Lock is a majestic resort steeped in history and filled with charm.

“It’s nice to see the Opinicon Resort brought back to life,” says Scott Patterson, grounds and maintenance manager. “I love it more than ever.”

Patterson has worked at the resort faithfully for 35 straight seasons. The 47-year-old smiles when he thinks back to when he first received a job offer at the Opinicon. He was only 12 at the time and owner Al Cross asked him to start work immediately.

Known for his remarkable memory, excellent customer service and dedication to the resort, Cross and his family would be proud to see what the Opincon has become if they were alive today.

“They’re keeping the charm. It’s looking better than ever,” Patterson says.

The property was built in the 1800s. Newly purchased by Fiona McKean, the Grand Old Dame of the Rideau is getting a facelift. Past the courtyard where Patterson is sitting are signs of construction.

Fencing blocks entrance to the main building where major construction is under way to the dining hall. It is a regal building facing Chaffey's Locks, with a bay of windows in the corner. Set back from the road, the front lawn is manicured and holds antique wooden chairs ready to embrace the weary.

The dining hall is expected to be completed by late August/early September. Later, the building will include a pub, games lounge and meeting room. A swimming pool is to be constructed on the grounds next year.

Scattered around the building are 16 cottages that have been painted and renovated. The colours are striking against the landscape. Guests smile as they come and go.

Asked if she’s proud of what she’s accomplished, McKean replies, “I never get a minute to sit down and think about it. It’s a roller coaster of extreme emotions.”

The mother of three admits the scope and scale of the work has been keeping her busy since she received a call from her realtor telling her she had the winning bid in the real estate auction.

Her vision for the resort is unconventional and perfect. “It’s very much from the heart and I’m trying to marry that with logic and finances. It’s always revolved around a feeling. Now all I can do is pour my own feelings into it.”

It is a strategy that seems to be working. Since it re-opened in the spring of 2015 after sitting dormant for two years, people have been returning to the Opinicon to relive an era when people interacted with respect, integrity and honour; when a person’s word was their bond and good service was delivered promptly; where the beauty of the landscape and kindness of the people can’t be described, only savoured in the moment.

People are returning for a feeling that is still hanging in the air and whispering in the wind. “One man has been coming to the Opinicon for more than 50 years with his family. We have met his children and grandchildren. This is true for many of the families,” says Sherry Weeks, guest services manager.

A worker at the Opinicon most of her life, Weeks understands the allure of the resort, which burrows into your heart and fills your dreams. “You fall in love with it and end up staying here,” she says.

Weeks, 50, started working at the resort when she was 13. Before that, her great grandfather was a fishing guide at the resort by day and a barber at home by night.

“I’ve been here 35 years,” the Elgin woman says. “For two years [the resort was closed], I was orphaned…. I’ve been here so long, I thought I had met most of the people who came here, but I really haven’t. This place has touched so many lives; people I haven’t even met before.”

Weeks discovered this when people started to return as guests, and former staff/customers started to express an interest in attending a reunion this summer.

The reunion is now being organized and McKean calls it a celebration of the past and the future. “There’s going to be a lot of new faces, but hopefully it’s the old feeling,” she says.

Halina Skoryna, a member of a founding family in Elgin who is also a member of the Opinicon family of supporters, talks about the resort with a passion typically reserved for first love. She is organizing the reunion and is anxious to see people she worked with when she was a teenager.

Skoryna says the reunion is turning out bigger than she imagined. She attributes this to relationships by staff and guests who have forged lifetime bonds.

“People wantedw this reunion to happen for years. We can’t wait to see each other,” she says. “I love my friends from back then. It’s like wartime. We were in the trenches together. It was a long time ago," she reflects. "But those values have stuck with us for a lifetime and its fabric has been woven in all our successes and drive today."

The reunion starts at 4 pm on Sat. August 27 and includes live music, food, games, prizes and a silent auction. It is open to everyone. Tickets can be purchased at www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-opinicon-reunion-tickets-26012493067

“In my heart, I want to gather everyone together and celebrate the relationships and bonds this place fostered,” says Skoryna from her home in Toronto. “It was very special. It’s wonderful to see them renovating the Grand Old Dame of the Rideau to her original glory.”

The Opinicon is located at 1697 Chaffeys Lock Road, Elgin. For more information call 613-359-5233 or visit www.opinicon.com