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The first thing regular visitors to the Friends of Bon Echo Art Show and Sale probably noticed is that it’s in a new place. Instead of the gathering area where the show has been since Carla Miedema and a few others started it in 1996, this year it was moved to South Beach.

“There were a couple of reasons for the move, mostly logistics,” said FOBE President (and self-titled “chief cook and bottlewasher, jack of all trades, master of none”) Peter Alger. “With the boat tours, store and visitor centre, the old location was getting a little congested.

“So, in conjunction with Park staff, we thought we’d try it down here.

“Besides, there’s a nice breeze here coming off the lake.”

“Yes, the breeze is nice,” said FOBE executive director Chris Callan. “But we have a lot more room here, we have more parking and it’s close to real facilities.

“Also, it’s much more level ground and it gives us room for some kids activities like painting tree cookies.

“At 23 exhibitors, we’re down a little bit from previous years but I’m quite surprised at the turnout for a Friday,” said Alger. “Everybody seems happy and we hope this will be here for many years to come.

“And that looks good because we’re getting a lot more younger people volunteering.”

And the exhibitors seemed fine with the change, or at the very least were taking it in stride.

“I think I prefer the old location, there were more trees there for shade,” said long-time exhibitor Lisa Johnson. “But, there is a great view and every once in a while, there’s a nice breeze.

“But, I’ve made a few sales, so . . .”

“It’s pretty hot here and it’s a little out of the way but it’s the last day for the swim program so we’ve had lots of adults around with their kids,” said Miedema. “And, there’s a lot more room here.”

“I think it’s great,” said Debbie Reeve, who’s in her fourth year exhibiting at the show. “Sometimes, it’s kinda hard to teach old dogs new tricks.

“But here there’s lots of room, parking, a great view and a nice breeze.”

Toronto artist David Vasquez is returning to the show after a five or six year absence, so he barely remembers the old site.

“It’s a very nice place, I like it here,” he said. “I think it will be a great show, there’s lots of people looking.”

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 03 August 2016 22:47

BON ECHO ART EXHIBITION & SALE

The 21st Annual Art Exhibition & Sale, which took place July 22-24, generated over $30,000 in art sales. The Friends of Bon Echo Park receive 15% to assist with the funding of programs operated in the Park. Over the three day event, 2,251 people viewed the work of 44 artists.

Every year a group of about 10 people, who are Friends of Bon Echo Park, start in September to plan and prepare for the show. During the show there are about 90 volunteers helping over the three days, many doing double shifts. This includes long-time members, who often have to sit, and now grandkids who can run, who all come to help out.   

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
Wednesday, 20 July 2016 19:28

2016 Bon Echo Art Show & Sale

Mazinaw Lake and Bon Echo Provincial Park have drawn artists to its shores for hundreds of years. To maintain the example of the aboriginal peoples, the Group of Seven and the many artists who still come to appreciate and create, the Friends of Bon Echo Park is sponsoring the 21st annual Art Exhibition & Sale of original Canadian art on Friday, Saturday & Sunday, July 22, 23 & 24 from 10am – 4pm daily. Over 45 exhibitors will be displaying their work at the sale, and in addition, there will be presentations from Sciensational Sssnakes on Saturday & Sunday at 11am; kids’ activities; a barbeque; and live music from 1pm daily, Park admission applies. For information please call 613-336-0830 or visit www.bonechofriends.ca/artshow.html

The Friends of Bon Echo Park is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the natural and cultural heritage of Bon Echo Provincial Park. The Art Exhibition and Sale is one example of how we carry out this mission.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
Wednesday, 26 August 2015 22:09

Accomplished artists featured at Bon Echo

The Bon Echo art program will feature two outstanding artists as the final exhibitors in its 2015 season. The works of Lisa Johnson and Melissa Randle will be on display and offered for sale at the Colin Edwards Memorial Art Gallery in the park from August 27 to October 13. The featured artists are just one of many events organized each summer by the Friends of Bon Echo.

Lisa Johnson - Lisa graduated with honours from the Ontario College of Art and Design, where she won the prestigious Mrs. W.O. Forsythe Award for 4th year women painters in 1996. While Johnson was born in Toronto, her family’s roots are in the Mazinaw Lake area; her grandfather, Wallace Johnston managed the Sawyer Stoll Lumber mills from the 30s to the 50s and her family has had a cottage on the lake ever since.

Most of the work that Johnson plans to show at the Colin Edwards Gallery will be “en plein air” paintings - typically small oils on wood panels or canvas, done on location, either floating in her boat by Bon Echo, or hiking to different locations around the lake. Website: www.lisajohnsonart.ca.

Melissa Randle - Originally from Kingston, Melissa spent a lot of her childhood at Bon Echo. She has been living in this area for nine years. Her love of nature and the outdoors provides the inspiration for her work. She strives to share this love, not only through her photography, but also by using other artistic mediums (including glass, pastels and paint). Her cameras are her constant companions as there is always a butterfly to follow, a loon rising from the lake, or the sun casting a glow through the trees or on the water. For samples of her stunning, varied work, please visit her website: http://www.freewebs.com/randleartstudio/.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
Thursday, 30 July 2015 00:00

New artist debuts at Bon Echo Art Show

One of the great things about the annual Bon Echo Art Exhibition & Sale is that there is always something for everyone. The show, which is now in its 20th year and took place at Bon Echo Provincial Park from July 24 to 26 last weekend, offered something for all the senses: great food, great live music and of course, great art. This year's show included several artists new to the show, which for its loyal following of art lovers and buyers is always a treat.

Larry Thompson of Greyweathers Press in Merrickville was one such artist who debuted his lino-cut and wood engraved prints under the towering pines at the three-day show, which celebrates the beauty of art and nature in an ideal setting.

Thompson, a self-taught artist, calls himself “an artist with a press” and is a former free-lance writer and editor with a degree in English literature. He has always been interested in printing and at 16 years of age, as a young student, he pulled his first proof from a letter press in a graphic arts class. Twenty-five years later, in 2005, he purchased a 2400-pound vintage printing press and installed it along with a considerable amount of lead type in his Merrickville studio.

He originally planned to print letter press books exclusively, but his need for illustrations quickly led him to explore relief print making in linoleum and wood. His display at the Bon Echo show included a number of framed and unframed prints in a range of sizes, with prices from $30-$90. His illustrations cover a wide range of subject matter and come from many places, including photographs, drawings, and doodles, with others inspired from the visions and minds of “dead poets and poets with a pulse”.

The works, because they are white and black, are highly graphic in nature and Thompson said the beauty he strives for comes from creating art within that limitation. His illustrations range from a series of graceful nudes to illustrations from the many books he has printed at Greyweathers Press, including excerpts from Coleridge's “Kubla Khan, A Vision in a Dream”, as well as prints from one of his own original stories that he printed and illustrated in a book titled “The Vampire and the Seventh Daughter”.

Thompson's work is precise, intricate and graceful and is well thought out. He says his art is “very labour intensive and requires an extreme amount of planning, attention and care”. His most recent book work is called “The Truth About Rabbits”, by a poet named Winona Linn, and it is a collaboration Thompson undertook with a printer named Hugh Barclay of The Hellbox Press in Kingston. Another recent book work also by Thompson is called “Tenebrismo: Ten Poems” by Merrickville poet Kera Willis, which is one of the more high concept book works Thompson has printed to date. An example of the dense detail that his art allows for can be seen in one illustration showing Thompson's cat Tennyson lying in an interior room stretched out on a computer keyboard.

For the Bon Echo show, Thompson felt the need to explore the theme of nature and wildlife and some of his most recent prints include landscapes – wind-swept pines in water-infused scenes typical of Bon Echo landscapes, as well as birds. Thompson is an exceptional artist breathing new life into the art of letter press printing and illustration and his display at the 20th installment of the Bon Echo art show is an example of what keeps art lovers and buyers visiting the show year after year. For more information and to see examples of Larry Thompson's work, visit greyweatherspress.com

 

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS

The road to becoming a provincial park actually began way back in 1910 when the Bon Echo Inn and surrounding land was sold to Flora MacDonald Denison. She had been coming to the area for many years with her family and in the early 1900s stayed at the Bon Echo Inn. She loved the surroundings so much that she bought the property including Mazinaw Rock from Dr. and Mrs. Weston Price. She and her son, Merrill, ran the Inn until her death in 1921 when Merrill assumed ownership.

Both Merrill and his mother had a passion for this Ontario landscape as well as a vision for its preservation. Merrill once said he had become a conservationist at age 8, ever since his first sight of the ‘Bald Mountains’ (Mazinaw Lake and area). To him, “Bon Echo was one of the most spectacular natural beauty spots in Ontario - a place to which people are drawn from near and far to feast their eyes in wonderment on its majestic mass and find spiritual refreshment in communion with nature”.

Merrill ran the Inn with his wife, Muriel Goggin Denison, until 1928. The depression set in and few people were going to the Inn for the summer. For several years, Bon Echo became a meeting place for professional foresters, conservationists and other nature lovers. Unfortunately the Inn burned down in 1936. Despite this setback the property was maintained as a private estate by Merrill and his wife.

Merrill thought a lot about what would happen to the Bon Echo property once he was gone. The area should be enjoyed by everyone. For him, “It would be nothing less than a national disgrace were Bon Echo to be divided into real estate parcels and sold piecemeal for summer building lots”.

Merrill announced in 1959 that he was giving 1200 acres as a gift to the Department of Lands and Forest to be protected and used by the people of Ontario. It was the desire of the Denison family that the Bon Echo area be preserved so all could enjoy its wilderness and beauty as they themselves had done for nearly sixty years. Merrill would retain life use of some buildings including Dollywood (now the Visitor Centre) and Greystones (now the Greystones Gift and Book Shop) and approximately 8.5 acres of land immediately surrounding them.

Initial park development occurred in 1961 with the installation of 200 campsites. The park officially opened on Wednesday, July 21, 1965. Opening ceremonies were held at the amphitheatre with over 500 people in attendance. During the ceremonies, a historic plaque was unveiled commemorating Merrill and his family’s gift to the people of Ontario. It reads, “Acquired by the people of Ontario through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Merrill Denison. Bon Echo Provincial Park, dedicated to recreation, conservation and education, in memory of Flora MacDonald Denison and Muriel Goggin Denison.” (Muriel had passed away and Merrill had married Elizabeth (Lisa) Denison in 1957.)

When Merrill died in 1975, use of the remaining land and buildings was transferred to Lisa Denison. Upon her death in 1977, Greystones and Dollywood and the land surrounding around them were added to the park.

Visitors to the Park are encouraged to take time to read the plaque on the rock near the Narrows. It stands as a reminder to look around and be grateful for this special place thanks to Merrill Denison and his family.

Bon Echo Provincial Park will officially celebrate the 50th Anniversary on July 21st at 2:00PM at the Amphitheatre.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS

Art has always played a significant part of the heritage of Bon Echo. Hundreds of years ago the aboriginal artists left their unique drawings at water level on Mazinaw Rock. In the 1920-30s, Merrill Denison invited several members of the Group of Seven to discover and paint the beautiful Mazinaw countryside. In the ongoing years hundreds of artists have come to capture the scenery on canvas and film.

The annual Art Exhibition and Sale was the brainchild of the late Gary Sharman, Assistant Park Superintendent in 1995. It was orchestrated by then Friends of Bon Echo President Joan Lindey and Director Carla Miedema. Both have continued to be involved throughout the 20 years. Attendance, the quality of the artwork and total sales continue to increase. Many campers, cottagers and local residents plan their vacation dates to coincide with the Art Show.

An exciting variety of activities will mark the Friends Art Exhibition and Sale this year. On July 24, 25, 26 original art depicting Canadian nature, wildlife and countryside will be presented with over 40 new and returning artists participating. Highlights for all ages include mouth-watering barbecues and baked goods, Sciensational Sssnakes!! presentations, live musical groups and stone and paddle carving.

The entire summer season at the Park offers campers and day visitors a number of activities which arise from the Friends’ commitment to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of Bon Echo Provincial Park. Through the effort of over one hundred volunteers they are able to give major funding assistance to numerous educational activities, many of which are orchestrated by the trained Natural Heritage Education staff. The Greystones Gift and Book Shop, the tour boats, barbecues and enhanced trails give visitors the opportunity of an exceptional park experience. www.bonechofriends.ca

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
Wednesday, 18 February 2015 22:22

Friends of Bon Echo Bursaries

by Derek Maggs

The Friends of Bon Echo Park are pleased to announce the presentation of two $500 bursaries to Jared Salmond of Flinton and Abby Follett of Omemee, Ontario.

The Friends of Bon Echo Provincial Park have been providing bursaries to deserving students of the North Addington Education Centre and summer employment students at the Park. Eligible candidates must be engaged in a post- secondary program that resonates with the goals of the Friends. In recent years the bursaries have been donated by the McLaren family in memory of Doris and Keith McLaren, long time volunteers with the Friends.

Jared Salmond graduated recently from the North Addington Education Centre in Cloyne and is currently studying Engineering at Queen's University.  Jared's knowledge and commitment to Bon Echo Provincial Park began many years ago.  From the time he was a young child, Jared has spent many weeks every summer camping with his family. As soon as he was old enough, Jared was involved with the Mazinaw Lake Swim Program, first as a student, then as a volunteer, an instructor and as the Program Supervisor.  For the last three years, Jared has worked at Bon Echo--initially as the Wood Lot Attendant and most recently as a Gate Attendant.  For Jared, summer has meant Bon Echo.  He understands the importance of community and volunteerism and has spent countless hours working with community children in a variety of activities. Although pursuing further education has taken Jared out of his community, his hope is to return and continue this contribution in new ways.  Whatever the future brings for Jared, one thing is certain. The roots he has in Bon Echo have enriched and encouraged his genuine interest in people and the environment.   

Abby Follett is in the Environmental Science/Studies program at Trent University, currently completing her third year. Her courses are focused on environmental law and species-at-risk with the hope of going into one of these fields once she completes her degree. This past summer was her first at Bon Echo. She served as a Natural Heritage Educator and found the experience amazing and very fulfilling. She hopes to return this summer. Abby was fortunate enough to spend the majority of her childhood summers traveling across Canada with her family on camping trips. She loved being outside, taking part in programs and activities where she could help the environment. She was a junior member of the horticulture society, and helped plan Earth Day clean up programs in her neighbourhood. In high school, she was part of the Green Team and initiated recycling programs. Abby is committed to do her part to enhance awareness and to motivate others in efforts to serve the  

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
With the participation of the Government of Canada