Doors Open Ontario 2010 kicks off April 24
TORONTO, April 13 /CNW/ - Now in its ninth season, Doors Open Ontario 2010 kicks off April 24 with an event in Guelph. This year, visitors will have the chance to explore heritage buildings, natural spaces, architectural showpieces and community landmarks at 55 community events across the province.
Seven of the events in 2010 are new. Ajax, Burlington, Clarington, Georgina, Haliburton, Pembroke and South Bruce Peninsula have all joined the program. Another highlight to watch for again this season is the binational event in Niagara, featuring sites in both Ontario and Western New York.
"Doors Open Ontario has grown significantly since its inception in 2002, with over three million visits made to heritage sites in every corner of the province," said Dr. Thomas H.B. Symons, Chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust. "This year's theme - Our changing landscape - will enable participating communities to demonstrate how their built and natural environments have evolved over time."
Each year, hundreds of historic buildings, places of worship, museums and heritage gardens - some of which are rarely accessible to the public - open free of charge as part of Doors Open Ontario. Many of the participating sites offer special activities, such as tours, exhibitions and demonstrations. For more information, pick up a free Doors Open Ontario 2010 Guide - listing each event along with a selection of participating community sites. The Guide will be distributed in the Ontario edition of The Globe and Mail April 16; it is also available by calling 1-800-ONTARIO (668-2746). For a complete list of participating sites, visit www.doorsopenontario.on.ca.
"Doors Open Ontario provides a unique opportunity to discover some of the province's most fascinating heritage sites," said Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture. "This is a great initiative that supports our local economies and jobs by attracting new visitors to our communities."
Doors Open Ontario offers a variety of historic sites across the province to suit all interests. Some of the sites to explore this year include: the Hammond Radio Museum, founded in 1982, the museum showcases 2,000-plus items that capture the development of radio over the past 100 years (Guelph); the Cardno Music Hall, spanning the upper level of the 1877 Cardno Block, the hall has remained closed since the last performance was held there in 1952 (Seaforth and District); Prisoner of War Camp 30, built in 1925 as a training school for boys, this site is the last remaining intact Second World War prisoner of war camp in Canada (Clarington); the James Whalen Tug, built in 1906 to tow heavy steamers and to break ice 40 inches (102 centimetres) thick, the tug is a permanently moored feature of the Kaministiquia Riverfront Heritage Park (Thunder Bay); and, the Diefenbunker, built from 1959 to 1961 and once a secret bunker meant to house the government in the event of nuclear war, it is now Canada's Cold War Museum and a National Historic Site (Ottawa).
Doors Open Ontario is a program of the Ontario Heritage Trust. The Trust also coordinates Trails Open Ontario, with support from the Government of Ontario. Information on this year's Trails Open Ontario program will be available soon at www.heritagetrust.on.ca and in the Doors Open Ontario 2010 Guide.
Sponsors of Doors Open Ontario 2010 include: The Globe and Mail, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation and all the participating communities. This event has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.
The Ontario Heritage Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage for present and future generations.
Quick Facts:
- From April to October, Doors Open Ontario invites residents and
visitors to discover Ontario's hidden heritage treasures free of
charge, some of which have never been open to the public.
- Doors Open Ontario 2010 will feature hundreds of communities
participating in 55 events across the province.
- Approximately 78 per cent of Ontarians live in a community that will
be hosting a Doors Open Ontario event in 2010.
- Visit www.heritagetrust.on.ca for updated Trails Open Ontario 2010
event listings. Additional events will be added throughout the
season.
A list of Doors Open Ontario 2010 community events is attached.
Aussi disponible en français
Doors Open Ontario 2010 Community Events
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Doors Open Ajax (NEW) September 18
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Doors Open Aurora August 21
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Doors Open Barrie September 19
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Doors Open Brant September 25
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Doors Open Brockville-Thousand Islands May 29
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Doors Open Burlington (NEW) June 12-13
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Doors Open Chatham-Kent May 8
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Doors Open Clarington (NEW) June 6
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Doors Open Cornwall-Seaway Valley September 11-12
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Doors Open Fergus-Elora June 26
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Doors Open Gananoque October 2-3
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Doors Open Georgina (NEW) September 11
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Doors Open Greater Sudbury September 18
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Doors Open Guelph April 24
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Doors Open Haldimand County September 18
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Doors Open Haliburton (NEW) June 19-20
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Doors Open Hamilton May 1-2
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Doors Open Hills of Headwaters July 10
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Doors Open Huron County October 23-24
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Doors Open Huronia June 5-6
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Doors Open Kawartha Lakes September 12
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Doors Open Kincardine October 16-17
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Doors Open Kingston June 19
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Doors Open London September 18-19
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Doors Open Markham August 28
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Doors Open Meaford September 11-12
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Doors Open Milton May 29
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Doors Open Mississauga September 18
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Doors Open Mississippi Mills September 11
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Doors Open Muskoka June 25-27
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Doors Open Newmarket September 18
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Doors Open Niagara (Ontario and Western New York) October 16-17
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Doors Open Oakville September 25-26
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Doors Open Orillia May 29-30
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Doors Open Oshawa September 25-26
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Doors Open Ottawa June 5-6
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Doors Open Owen Sound June 5-6
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Doors Open Oxford June 26
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Doors Open Pembroke (NEW) September 18
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Doors Open Peterborough September 25
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Doors Open Port Stanley-Sparta October 2
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Doors Open Richmond Hill June 12
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Doors Open St. Thomas October 2-3
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Doors Open Seaforth and District September 25-26
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Doors Open Smiths Falls June 6
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Doors Open South Bruce Peninsula (NEW) September 18-19
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Doors Open Thunder Bay September 11
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Doors Open Timmins September 11
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Doors Open Toronto May 29-30
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Doors Open Vaughan October 2-3
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Doors Open Walkerton and District September 25
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Doors Open Waterloo Region September 18
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Doors Open Whitby May 1
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Doors Open Whitchurch-Stouffville June 5
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Doors Open Windsor September 26
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For further information: Gordon Pim, Senior Web Communications and Marketing Specialist, Ontario Heritage Trust, Telephone: (416) 325-1484, E-mail: [email protected]
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