Road Trips Elora   The Wayback Times wants to hear about your favourite road or train trips for visits to antique stores, markets and antique shows.   Share the experiences by writing us a letter, sending us an e-mail or use our Guestbook.   The first towns in our profiles are Belleville, Cookstown, Elora, Picton., Port Hope, Port Perry.

Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime     Antiquing Towns   Belleville - Cookstown - Elora - Picton - Port Hope - Port Perry     Elora     Belleville     Cookstown     Picton     Port Hope     Port Perry     Elora - Scenic historic destination   By John Cosway The love story in this village begins with the Elora Mill Country Inn, a 19th Century converted grist mill on the banks of the scenic Grand River.   It is the focal point for any visit, whether it be for an overnight stay in the five-story historic country inn, for dinner by the fireplace or a tour of the grounds.   The stone walls, period furniture and sense of local history certainly help put the buyer of antiques and collectibles in the right frame of mind.   The Mill St. W. inn, which has its own vegetable farm, a granary and cottage, has a five-star rating as does this quaint village, which offers a wide selection of shops and year-round activities.   Trout fishing is big here. And so is A.J. Casson. Artists know and love Elora for its scenery and quaintness - and for its links to Casson, one of Canada's Group of Seven artists.   The Toronto-born artist fell in love with Elora in the late 1920's while living in nearby Guelph and captured its beauty and charm in a portfolio of watercolors completed in 1929. Most of the buildings seen in his watercolors are still in use.   When Casson, the last surviving member of the Group of Seven, died in 1992, he left a legacy of more than three dozen watercolors of Elora. All of the originals are in a private collection, but prints can be viewed at the Wellington County Museum.   He was quoted as saying: "I fell in love with Elora at first sight. Elora was unlike any other Ontario town I knew."   In 1979, Casson told of returning to Elora half a century after he completed his watercolors. He said except for paved roads and traffic, it was like stepping back in time.   Of interest to stamp collectors: In 1996, Canada Post issued a set of 43-cent stamps commemorating the 75th anniversary of the assembly of the Group of Seven. Landscapes on the 10 stamps include Casson's Elora scenes.   Thousands of visitors to Elora each year come to understand Casson's "obsession" with the village in attending the fall In Love With Elora art and photography exhibit.   Or by sharing the banks of the trout-stocked Grand River for the annual spring Elora Trout Festival, with events for all ages; signing up for the annual spring Elora Festival House Tour; cycling the area with a Gorge Cycling Club map or attending the Elora Fireside Jazz Festival and other music and arts festivities.   If you plan on visiting Elora, the Elora Gorge and the sister community of Fergus during a cycling, hiking, fishing or canoeing trip, Ontario's lone covered bridge is in nearby West Montrose.   Fergus, host to the annual summer Fergus Scottish Festival, also has a century-old mill and is another of the many old limestone structures to be found in the area.   Elora is on Hwy. 6, about 90 minutes northwest from Toronto. If you are a first-time visitor, chances are Elora will become a magnet for life.   For more about Elora, visit the official village web site at http://www.elora.info/     Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2008 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster