TORONTO, May 1, 2014 /CNW/ - The Doors Open Ontario 2014 season officially kicks off on May 3 with events in four communities – Guelph, Peterborough, Whitby and Hamilton. This year's program features hundreds of communities participating in 49 provincewide events.
Every year from May to October, communities across the province open the doors to hundreds of historical buildings, places of worship, museums, private homes, industrial areas, green buildings, heritage gardens and other interesting venues – some of which are rarely accessible to the public. Many of the participating sites offer special activities, such as tours, exhibitions and demonstrations – all free of charge!
The Doors Open Ontario 2014 theme – Remembering the First World War: Ontario in transition – recognizes that the people of Ontario saw change in meaningful and measurable ways. Doors Open 2014 events include sites like armouries, Legion halls and war memorials where the impact of the war is clear. Sites include concert and assembly halls, town halls where war rallies were held and railway stations where so many Ontarians left for war.
Two new events are joining the program this year. Wellington North and Trails Open London are hosting events to tell the stories of their local built and natural heritage.
Trails Open Ontario 2014 – supported by TD Bank Group – features special tours and activities to showcase Ontario's breathtaking natural heritage along thousands of kilometres of walking, hiking and cycling trails.
Since its launch in 2002, Doors Open Ontario has grown annually, representing hundreds of communities across the province. In total, nearly 5 million visits have been made to 5,150 sites. Visitors to Doors Open Ontario events have spent over $45 million in Ontario's communities.
Visit www.doorsopenontario.on.ca for detailed event information, highlights and site details. The website also offers interactive tools to help users plan their Doors Open Ontario experience – social networking tools to share information with friends and family, a "My Favourites" feature to help create a travel itinerary and keep track of favourite sites, and a quick links tool to help narrow site searches.
This year, the Ontario Heritage Trust will distribute 1.2 million Doors Open Ontario 2014 brochures to promote the program. Look for a copy of the brochure in newspapers across the province in mid-April.
Doors Open Ontario is a program of the Ontario Heritage Trust, with funding support from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation, and TD Bank Group. The Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.
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Doors Open Ontario 2014 calendar of events
| Community Name |
Date |
| Guelph |
May 3 |
| Peterborough |
May 3 |
| Whitby |
May 3 |
| Hamilton |
May 3-4 |
| Richmond Hill |
May 10 |
| Orillia |
May 24 |
| Brockville-Thousand Islands |
May 24-25 |
| Toronto |
May 24-25 |
| Owen Sound |
May 31-June 1 |
| Stratford |
June 7 |
| Whitchurch-Stouffville |
June 7 |
| Huronia |
June 7-8 |
| Northumberland |
June 7-8 |
| Ottawa |
June 7-8 |
| Smiths Falls |
June 8 |
| Clarington |
June 14 |
| NEW! Trails Open London |
June 14-15 |
| Fergus-Elora |
June 21 |
| Kingston |
June 21 |
| Lambton County |
June 21-22 |
| Aurora |
August 16 |
| Gravenhurst |
August 16-17 |
| Headwaters |
August 16-17 |
| Thunder Bay |
September 6 |
| Haliburton |
September 6-7 |
| Kawartha Lakes |
September 7 |
| Bay of Quinte |
September 13 |
| Huron County |
September 13-14 |
| Middlesex |
September 13-14 |
| Perth |
September 20 |
| Port Stanley-Sparta |
September 20 |
| Waterloo Region |
September 20 |
| Haldimand County |
September 21 |
| Ajax |
September 27 |
| Burlington |
September 27 |
| Grimsby |
September 27 |
| Markham |
September 27 |
| Mississauga |
September 27 |
| Muskoka Lakes |
September 27 |
| Parry Sound |
September 27 |
| Walkerton and Area |
September 27 |
| NEW! Wellington North |
September 27 |
| Gananoque |
September 27-28 |
| Halton Region |
September 27-28 |
| London |
September 27-28 |
| Oshawa |
September 27-28 |
| Windsor |
September 27-28 |
| Bradford-West Gwillimbury |
October 4 |
| St. Thomas |
October 18 |
SOURCE: Ontario Heritage Trust
Niya Bajaj, Senior Marketing and Communications Specialist, 416-325-5074, [email protected]; www.heritagetrust.on.ca, http://www.doorsopenontario.on.ca/, Twitter: @ONHeritage, www.facebook.com/OntarioHeritageTrust
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