Daytripping Spring 2023

Lake Huron
The
Daytripper
On to ABERFOYLE, CAMBRIDGE, FREELTON & BURLINGTON
MI
SHOP
NY
LOCAL
ONTARIO
You may be pondering over what
interesting weekend daytrips you’d
enjoy planning and making in 2023.
If you enjoy antiquing, then here is a
daytrip for you!
The Aberfoyle Antique Market,
Canada’s largest outdoor antique
market, will be open for business
starting on Sunday, April 30th and on
every Sunday until October 29th. There
are also two Saturday Special Shows,
which will be held on May 13th and
September 23rd. It is located on seven
acres of land just south of Guelph and is
open rain or shine!
The market has been operating
for over 60 years. It was originally
established by Marion Owens who
bought the mill at Aberfoyle and created
a dining room and antique centre there
in 1960. It moved across the road to its
present site in 1970.
The Owens market was based on
the concept of the 200 year old flea
market in Paris, France. According to
an article done on
Marion Owens in
1964, she said that
200 years ago the
poor gathered to
sell their belongings
in order to get
money for food.
They sold things
like beds, clothing
and livestock. Those
gatherings created
the Paris Flea
Market. Marion’s
interest though was
in antiques. She
had a popular and
successful antique
shop in Toronto
before moving to the
Guelph area. So her
vision for the market
was not a flea market,
but an antique market,
although over time it
did continue to have
flea market aspects
to it. For the last 40
years it has been under
the ownership and
management of Doug
Lane. Doug’s goal was
to expand and develop
the market into one
of quality antiques and he has fully
succeeded in this endeavour.
Presently the Aberfoyle Antique
Market has about 70
fine antique dealers
in 118 mostly open
air booths displaying
their wares including
collectibles, vintage
jewellery, furniture,
garden furniture,
water fountains, art,
antiquarian books,
folk art, nostalgia
items such as posters,
and primitives such
as old tools and
hardware. People
also come looking for
architectural items
such as door hinges,
knobs or doorbells
By Ann Moynes, Waterdown
they desire to add when
renovating an older
home or building.
On regular Market
Sundays 2,000 to 3,000
people visit and on the
Special Saturday Show
Days, the numbers can
reach as high as 5,000.
On the Saturday Special
Show days an additional
90 or more special guest
vendors will be here,
along with the many
regular dealers.
The fact that the vendors are present
at this market—and some have been
there for years—makes it special.
They are friendly,
knowledgeable and
enjoy chatting with
customers. They can
often tell the story
or provenance of an
item that you may be
interested in which
provides a special
kind of ‘value added’
to an item. Prices are
reasonable and some
may be negotiable.
The atmosphere is
warm and friendly for
everyone. Antiquers
engage, chat and
exchange information
about their various
finds and where they got them.
The Market is really a generational
place where people have come for years,
first with their children, and eventually
with their grandchildren. They come
to enjoy the Market, chat with people
who many have similar interests and
to look for interesting objects. Browsing
through the market triggers walks down
Memory Lane for many visitors.
There is so much to see, and learn,
that you will want to pace yourself,
perhaps taking a photo of an item or
stall that you may want to return to later
in your visit or on another Sunday.
There is free on-site parking, a central
washroom, portable loos and the
Market is wheelchair friendly. There is
a restaurant, The Kitchen, serving fresh,
local ingredients (salads, fresh cut fries,
sandwiches, burgers) indoors or on the
patio, as well as an ice cream booth
featuring Kawartha Dairy products.
Also available are two unsupervised
playgrounds, with some particularly
enticing teeter-totters,
for children, as well as
lovely green acreage
behind the market
for pleasant, country
strolls. There is no
smoking anywhere at
the Market and wellbehaved
dogs on leash
are welcome.
Most of the Market’s
vendors prefer cash
payments; there is an
ATM on site. Deliveries
of some purchases can
be arranged with the
vendor.
For more information
see the ad on this page.
Page 66
Chuck Norris can squeeze orange juice out of a lemon.
Spring 2023