Doors Open 2015

Doors Open on June 20th gave us a sneak peek into the Elora Mill, what a treat!  This four story behemoth is being brought back to life by Pearl Hospitality.  

"The first Elora Mill was built in 1833 and has had a colourful history of burning down, and being rebuilt. In the 1970s, the building was renovated into a hotel. 'It has historically failed as a hotel for a number of reasons,' project manager Brian Blackmere said. 'Obviously the Elora Mill never had adequate parking. It was one of its downfalls.'"(from a Wellington Advertiser article). 

 Plans to resurrect the hotel include parcels of the land on the other side of the Grand, and bringing back the Victoria Street Bridge as a pedestrian-only bridge!

What we really appreciated, though, was seeing the interior of this great old building with all the exposed beams and stone walls.  They plan to leave as much as possible bare so this is really going to be something to see when it's completed!
   

The added bonus was getting to see the Grand River as it flows outside the windows!  

Wow, what a roar from the waters!  Made us wonder how anyone could sleep here!

Further on, towards what will become the new spa, there were also great water views:



  Getting to see things in progress and wander the grounds was really helpful in envisioning what this great project will accomplish.  Watch for next year's Doors Open to see what opportunities for "behind the scenes" peeks will be made available!

Elora in the papers

There's a great article all about Elora in a number of local area papers; take a read here:  http://www.therecord.com/living-story/5702639-living-life-on-the-edge-in-elora/  Yes indeed, take a leap (a flying leap?) and enjoy Elora!

This is on the sidewalk outside the Neob Niagara Lavender Boutique and Soap Factory on Metcalfe Street.  You can't miss it, just follow your nose and relax into the sweet, gentle scents drifting out of this shop!

Canada Day in Style!

Happy Canada Day!  This was our first in Elora and, wow, does this village know how to throw a celebration!  The weather teased us all with heavy clouds and gorgeous sunshine but let us stay dry.

The Volunteer Firefighter Breakfast had a huge line, obviously a popular event... 

while the Soap Box Derby took place just outside our house, the carts speeding down Geddes Street!

The view from our balcony...

and just outside our house.

This is how the carts got back up the hill, and here are three future racers!

The Canada Day parade took place at 11:00 and it started at the Community Center to turn onto Geddes and travel right down our street!  What a view from our balcony!  

Here's a video of the Save our Water procession, and you can find out more about our very important water issues here: http://saveourwater.ca/

After lunch we went down to Bissell Park to watch Puppets Elora as they presented "Where's my Mommy?" to a huge crowd, some of the children getting to participate in this interactive puppet show!

So much talent, and I really have to applaud their ability to stay focused and remember their lines in all the noise and commotion!  "Where's my Mommy?" was just the right play for this outdoor performance.

Next we thoroughly enjoyed the agility demonstration put on by Diamonds in the Ruff!  The dedicated handlers and fun-loving canines put on a great show!

This little darling was a sweet "newbie" just learning the ropes.

And why run one dog when you can run two!  At the same time, of course!  

The frisbee demo was fun to watch.

Then they had a dog vs. human agility race! Diamonds in the Ruff canines raced against the children in a fun match... I think everyone won!

The Blue Bonnet Lassies danced in their lovely traditional costumes on the Bissell Park boardwalk...  

...and we walked home, proud to be a part of this incredible community!