Some of St. Thomas’ trails are elevated, others follow routes of the aboriginals and explorers, and some are rail trails. Whether you like to enjoy these beautiful St. Thomas trails with your family, your furry friend, or become one with nature all on your own, be sure to check out this exciting event and rediscover your community by foot!

Save the date for an all-inclusive City-Wide Trails Open event to be held on Saturday September 14th in St. Thomas! This FREE open house style event will run from 10:00am - 8:00pm at Pinafore Park, Waterworks Park and the St. Thomas Elevated Park.

​Enjoy the new trails along with some local healthy snacks, outdoor yoga, guided walks -  including a ‘Superhero Walk’ around Lake Margaret, local musicians, nature walks, prizes and much more! This event is open to all ages and abilities. See the itinerary below.

​EVENT INFO: Facebook Event
AGES: All ages
LOCATIONS: Pinafore Park | Waterworks Park | St. Thomas Elevated Park

A partnership between the City of St. Thomas, Southwestern Public Health, and local developers including Hayhoe Homes and Doug Tarry Homes, has helped make St. Thomas more walkable.

Please bring a reusable water bottle as there will be drinking water available at the event.

Discover a trail near you at: http://www.activeelgin.ca/st-thomas-trail-system
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Relish Harvest is a Farm-to-Table dinner overlooking the vistas of the Kettle Creek Valley on 'Canada's Highline' at the St. Thomas Elevated Park.

Enjoy the bounty of the harvest prepared by area chefs while you watch the sunset over the fields and forests of Elgin County. Included with your tickect : Las Chicas Coffee, a Signature Cocktail, and a 4 Course Dinner.

Tickets will go fast for this exclusive once-in-a-lifetime dinner.
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​Signature Cocktail by Wildflowers Farm

• Orchard Mule: a local twist on the classic Mule with vodka, sage, ginger beer, apple cider and finished off with allspice bitters

Appetizers by Killdeer Food Co.

• Cornbread with Roy Calais Heirloom Cornmeal + Honey Butter
• German Potato Salad with Harvest Moon Mustard
• Sweet Corn + Cucumber Salad with Fresh Cheese

Locally sourced from Wildflowers Honey, Orchard Hill Farm, Harvest Moon Mustard, Our Fields, Common Ground Farm, Debakere Farm Market, Hope Eco Farms.

Main by the Windjammer Inn

• Slow roasted Celtic Ridge Beef served medium rare with herb Chimmichurri Sauce
• Vegetarian option of Tofu Ricotta Stuffing + Portobello Mushroom Caps

Locally sourced from Common Ground Farm, Orchard Hill Farm, Our Fields and Debackere Farm Market.
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Dessert by Elgin Harvest

• Fruit Hand Pies

Locally sourced Lac Chicas roasted coffee, Oak Manor Farms, butter and cream, farm fresh eggs, raspberries + season fruit.

Big things are happening in St. Thomas as the city prepares for the 2020 BC Eastern Qualifier, that will be held in the historic CASO Station. Maria Fiallos of Las Chicas Del Cafe and Streamliners Espresso Bar spearheaded the effort to bring this exciting event to St. Thomas. And it took a lot of effort – a Qualifying round has never taken place outside a major city like Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver, so Maria had to campaign for St. Thomas as an ideal location.

Hosted by Las Chicas Del Cafe and community partners, this will be a monumental event for the region and for the Canadian Chapter of the SCA. Maria has organized an entire weekend surrounding the event - with dinners, keynote speakers, throw-downs, transportation, accommodation and activities all taken into consideration. The competition - nicknamed ‘Steam’ - will be open to the public for viewing.

​We’ve pieced together everything you need to know about this exciting event coming to St. Thomas from September 8-10th.

What is a Barista Competition?

It’s an annual event that brings talented, both old and new, baristas together to showcase their skills, amazing coffee and innovative practices. It is a nerve-wracking experience for the baristas participating in the competition. They have to focus on producing amazing-tasting, well-extracted, perfectly balanced espresso-based drinks that hit all of the sensory marks, under intense scrutiny, while delivering a confident and engaging presentation, keeping their work space clean, and meeting industry standards of professionalism, all within a strict fifteen-minute time limit.

Barista competitions have played an important role in the coffee community for several reasons. Firstly, they serve as a place where like-minded specialty coffee enthusiasts can come together to share knowledge about specialty coffee, ask questions, meet new people, and make connections in the coffee industry.

Secondly, competitions encourage innovation and promote new developments in specialty coffee. Coffees are sourced from the very best producers around the world and are chosen for the competition with quality in mind. Participants are often sponsored by coffee roasters who meticulously develop roast profiles to highlight the unique characteristics of the coffees. Baristas use cutting-edge brew methods and often develop new and exciting drinks while pushing their technical skills to new levels of perfection.
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Specialty Coffee Association

The Specialty Coffee Association is built on foundations of openness, inclusivity and the power of shared knowledge, we act as a unifying force within the Specialty Coffee industry – invested in creating a worldwide circle of like-minded professionals.

Unified but not uniform, we celebrate and nurture diversity. We understand the importance of local knowledge and strive to connect every individual with the resources to improve their opportunities and make their voices heard on a global stage.

Representing a global pool of experience and talent, we are our members and together we work towards a better, more sustainable future for each and every one of us – wherever in the world we are.

Canadian Chapter of the SCA

The Canadian Chapter of the Specialty Coffee Association is a National Chapter of the SCA. We are registered as a non-profit organization in Alberta. The National Coordinators are considered to be ‘board members’ of the organization and are elected by the membership every two years in May. There is limited oversight from the SCA in terms of governing the way each country’s chapter is run. This allows the Canadian Chapter to represent Canadian members in the most flexible and nimble way possible. We are here to #makecoffeebetter.

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​The Iron Horse live entertainment line-up features a variety of local and notable entertainers, and the performances will be held at the festival’s main stage throughout the weekend. See performances from Aaron Allen and Chris Casserly to Thunderstruck and Connor Wilson. Entertainers will be performing every day - for a look at the complete entertainment line-up, visit the link here.

In addition to live music, there will be thrilling rides for all ages, St Thomas Got Talent, a petting zoo, pony rides, and carnival food. Better yet, notable brewers, distilleries and wineries will be on site at the Iron Horse Saloon! 

​And for those who enjoy music trivia, the festival will include music bingo to see who can name songs fastest!

​Be sure to take this opportunity and enjoy in St. Thomas’s signature Summer celebration at this year’s Iron Horse Festival. For tickets, visit the Iron Horse Festival website here.

​Some of the best summer memories are made at your favourite summer spots that are in our great city. Whether it is a photo hiking the Dalewood Trail, picnicking at the Elevated Park, or hanging out at the Horton Farmers’ Market, we want to see your best photos of summer in St. Thomas!

How can I win?

1. UPLOAD your fave St. Thomas summer photo by August 15 2019.
2. VOTE on your favourite photo from August 16 to August 23 on our Facebook Page.
3. WINNER selected from the MOST VOTES on August 23 at 4:00pm. Winner will be notified on August 24 through our Facebook contest post, Facebook messaging, or email.  

OTHER UPLOAD OPTIONS
Email photo to tourism@stthomas.ca.

​BIO
Grayden Laing specializes in film production, photography, commercial art, animation, and fine art. He works in many mediums and jumps from idea to idea. Everything he does is a work in progress. ​Grayden puts his talents to work when capturing the city of St. Thomas, local businesses and local artists. 

​He says, “I enjoy creating work that sparks a dialogue, but what I’ve found over the years is that my more commercially successful works are ones that use my painting or filming techniques to showcase the beauty of my subjects. That means I have learned to have a foot in both art worlds; the commercial art world and the fine art world. Choosing to do that has given me and the artwork I produce more perspective than I would have if I just stuck to one type of art. So how would I describe my artwork? All encompassing and all consuming - and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

​What I really want people to experience through my artwork is a dialogue about the subject matter of the work and an appreciation of the craft required to execute it. I think that also speaks to the ego of myself as an artist because even though I know the amount of time people have to spend on dialogue and artwork is finite – I believe that what I’m talking about and doing is worth their time.”

BOXCAR MURAL
Grayden's boxcar mural is based on the continuous line drawing style he incubated and then developed after moving back to St. Thomas from Toronto. The reference material he used for the artwork was from a photoshoot he did with dancers from Step Above Dance here in St. Thomas, as well as from a video filmed to be used for the next RotoJam. Two of the drawings proposed for the mural are from animation frames that will be featured in the next Rotojam film, which is being submitted to national and international film festivals.

​Website | Instagram

BIO
Evond Blake is a Canadian multidisciplinary visual artist who has worked under the pseudonym MEDIAH for 25 years. An Internationally renowned visual artist, MEDIAH is a trendsetter sparking new ideas and originality by blurring the lines between post-graffiti and dynamic abstraction. Blake’s work consists of weaving traditional street art forms with traditional painterly techniques and mixed media printmaking using many forms and approaches found in digital art and design. Heavily inspired by avionics, mechanical engineering and schematics, the artwork glorifies and captures the essence of speed, motion, dynamism and force to create movement on the image surface. Blake’s work provides the viewer with not only this glorification of speed relating to the thirst for a faster and more streamline world but also its unavoidable repercussions of collision, disaster and chaos.

In the past 25 years, MEDIAH has created a name for himself. With over 60,000 followers on Instagram, he has been described as ‘one of the most respected and revered graffiti artists in Canada’ by both vandals and street artists due to his extensive and prolific career painting large-scale murals, participating in solo and group art exhibitions, and creating immersive, cinematic video and animation productions. MEDIAH spent quite a bit of time painting and growing as an artist in St. Thomas and still has strong family ties to the city.

​BOXCAR MURAL
MEDIAH’s bold and intricate linework represent two of St.Thomas’ landmarks. First, the lines represent the intersection of two historical roads which created St.Thomas’ location. Second, they represent the railway junctions and railway tracks that were built in the late 19th and early 20th century that ‘The Railway City’ is renowned for. The modern urban aesthetic of the artwork represents a progressive future as St. Thomas rebrands itself with a new identity that represents the City’s commitment to a progressive future for citizens and businesses alike.

MEDIAH will use bold colours, lines, and shapes to represent the strength and resilience of a determined community focused on growth. The unique geometrical shapes represent the unique individuals working together as a community to build a prosperous, united future. Overall, MEDIAH’s artwork illustrates an abstract art depiction of St. Thomas’ bold and vibrant future, while paying tribute to the City’s rich historical railway routes. 

​Website | Instagram

BIO
Jaclyn White is a modern artist who relies on her instinct. Inspired by emotions, experience and social nature, Jaclyn experiments with different mediums to explore her creativity. After graduating from Western University with a Major in Visual Arts, she has worked in the fashion industry as a stylist and videographer and now owns  Jac's House, a venue in St. Thomas that acts as a blank canvas to host an array of events.

BOXCAR MURAL
Murals tend to show a town’s flare for the arts and culture in the area. It is a great opportunity to put forth street side imagery that the community can enjoy but also reflect upon as to what it says about not only the artists living within the community but also their experience. Jac wanted to bring the idea of “Many Faces” to showcase an intricate expression of the area. She believes St. Thomas to be a multifaceted town that caters to small business, community, arts and culture. This is a town that has many faces, both literally and metaphorically. St. Thomas is diverse in many aspects as well as inclusive to all members of the community. When she thinks of this town she thinks of the “Many Faces” that intricately come together to make it a supportive and charming place to live.

​Website | Instagram

BIO
As an artist, Laura aims to keep the mystery alive in her work as much as possible. This is reflected not only in the questions she asks, but also by keeping an open mind about how art can engage the world. This honesty leads to new discoveries, new accidents, and further engagement with the questions. Laura’s work, like the world and people that inhabit it, is multifaceted. Raw, uncomfortable narratives not talked about or socially acceptable.

​She says, “Social, political, and psychological dramas play out on the canvas or paper, and in the process I learn more about myself and search for insight into what motivates those around me. There is the facet that is voyeuristic. I intrude and invite the viewer to intrude as well. I peek behind closed doors, into hidden secrets, and private moments of my subjects, delving into the psyche and physical appearance of the subject being represented. I observe them up close, then expose them for everyone to see. The figure is accessible and facilitates communication. It’s an understandable language, a narrative without words.”

BOXCAR MURAL
"If elephants can float on bubbles, anything is possible."
Laura intends to use the naturalization of the existing box car as the background contrasted with the whimsical figures we see throughout her current style. Laura has been placing figures throughout St. Thomas in some unknown, and known locations blurring the lines between fine-art and street-art. The boxcar mural is a natural extension of her work.

​Website | Instagram