​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

​WHAT: Live Music Experience set in a 19th Century Style Cocktail Lounge
FEATURING: The Pairs / Iam Chadney / Local food & drink
WHEN: July 25th 7pm
WHERE: Public Art Centre 301 Talbot Street
COST: $20 gets you entry + appetizers (drinks extra)

**limited tickets available**

With the conclusion of the 2019 NBA playoffs, which saw our country come together to cheer on our nation's championship-winning team, Canadians have a lot to celebrate this Canada Day! Take the family to this special event and enjoy the abundance of music, food, local vendors, and free activities to celebrate all things Canada! 

Schedule

• ​11:00am-1:00pm: Derrick Drover Band (Bandshell)
• 11:00am-10:00pm: Kinsmen Club Beer Garden & BBQ (West Dance Pavilion) 
• 1:00pm-3:00pm: Police, Fire, EMS Display (across from splash pad) 
• 1:30pm-2:30pm: 1290 (Bandshell)
• 2:00pm - 7:00pm: Free inflatables for kids of all ages
• 2:00pm-3:00pm: Dotsy’s Craft Table & Balloon Twisting Clown (Bandshell)
• 2:30pm-4:00pm: Meet the Avengers (Bandshell)
• 3:00pm-5:00pm: Shore Wild Bird Display (btwn splash pad and bandshell, in the trees/path) 
• 3:30pm-4:30pm: Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo Presentation (Bandshell)
• 4:30pm-5:30pm: The Amazing Corbin Magic Show (Bandshell)
• 5:00pm - 8:00pm: Petting Zoo & Pony Rides
• 5:30pm-7:00pm: Deni Gauthier (Bandshell)
• 7:00pm: Ceremony (O Canada, Stephanie Brown) - speeches, free Canada Day cookies (Bandshell)
• 7:30pm-9:00pm: The Smokin’ Bass Band (Bandshell)
• 10:00pm - Fireworks courtesy of the St. Thomas Kinsmen Club!

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• Variable landscape from woodland to pastoral scenery
• Sand dune views
• Lake Erie Salmon and Trout Club
• Union Station

At Railway City Tourism we often hear about the Elgin Hiking Trail. We also get asked lots of questions about the trail. Having never actually hiked it before, it's really hard to answer any questions, no matter how familiar we are with the map!
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Hi! We are Megan and Sarah and we usually work behind the scenes at Railway City Tourism. On June 12 2019, we decided that we needed to live the experience so we could better answer questions for people (and also get some amazing trail photos)! 

We are both amateur hikers, and it showed! Somehow we managed to pack some snacks and water, but it was more of an afterthought (please don't forget this if you do the trail). We knew that the entrance was at the Sunset Cafe (184 Sunset Drive), but that was all we knew. Thankfully, some trail club members happened to be there and showed us the way in. It's not that hard to find, it's at the southern point of the property heading into the woods, just next to the cemetery.

So we entered the trail and off we went! This point was very beautiful with phlox growing and peppering the forest floor with shades of purple and white. We eventually caught up with Kettle Creek and were blown away by the sand dunes and the views! If you can't do the entire trail, we highly recommend doing this leg between the Sunset Cafe and the dunes.

To make things even more picturesque, a mother deer and her fawn were at the base of the creek having a drink. 

We were feeling pretty good by the time we hit John Wise Line. The trail had a been incredibly interesting as we moved from forest to fields and back again, and we had been hiking about 2 hours at this point. You have to cross the highway here, but we were back in the woods once again. 

There are points on the trail where it's difficult to find the trail markers (blazes). We highly recommend loading the digital map up on your phone and following along. So far we weren't doing too bad.

We continued on, had a snack, skirted some more fields, and ended up on Mellor Road. Some points of the trail do travel along roads, but there are still markers to help you navigate. At this point we'd travelled very different terrain and observed that no matter where we were, we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. It was beautifully quiet and still, with little sign of civilization - even though we knew it wasn't far!

Things became confusing when we met up with the L&PS Rail Line. We lost some markers and had to follow the tracks until we could find the trail again. Some advice around this area is to note the trail does stay in the woods, even if there are points where it crosses the tracks. This is an operating tourist rail line so keep an eye out for trains!

You come out at Union Station, an adorable tiny train station along the L&PS. From here you join Sparta Line and continue on back roads until reentering at Union Road. These country roads have beautiful scenery, so even if you aren't back in the woods, it's still a worthwhile trek.

The forest on the final leg to Port Stanley was the most challenging. The trail hugs steep hills, and this is not for the faint of heart, or young children. However, the scenery continues to evolve and stun us. There is something magical about the Carolinian forests, and it was always changing even from St. Thomas to where we were now. 

We were absolutely delighted when we exited the forest at Port Stanley to find the Lake Erie Salmon and Trout Club. This space was amazing! We entered at feeding time when the fish food was released and the water looked like it was boiling there was so much activity. Anyone can feed the fish, and this place is open to the public with picnic tables, native trees, and some beautiful places to sit and relax. A great place to bring the family!

That's the end of the off-road section. We followed Carlow Road into Port and on to a celebratory dinner at GT's on the beach. It was well deserved 6 hours later for us two limping ladies. 

Overall we were incredibly impressed with this hike, and find that with certain sections exiting onto roads it would be easy to do a section of the trail and get a ride back. Doing the St. Thomas to Port Stanley portion was worth it, but you need to have some hiking skill and a day set aside. 

And thankfully, we had a ride back to St. Thomas.
​

We ran into members from the trail club at the access point at the Sunset Cafe. Even though we did a long trek from St. Thomas to Port Stanley, they wanted to highlight that there are many ways for people of all skill levels to enjoy the trail. More importantly, they host many different hikes and walks throughout the year! 

Keep an eye on their website for more.
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