​At the Railway City Tourism Office, we often give out a lot of information to visitors about Kettle Creek Conservation Area, and more specifically, the Dalewood Reservoir Hiking Trail, located just outside the city of St. Thomas. Being located so close to the city, Dalewood Conservation Area suggests that hiking the trail is easily incorporated into a day trip, or a weekly exercise routine, so we decided to test that theory out ourselves!

​My name is Chloe, and I will be your virtual tour guide today, taking you along the 10km Dalewood Reservoir hiking trail from the comfort of your own home!

​There are many access points along the Dalewood Reservoir Trail for you to choose from, making the length of your hike variable, but we decided to begin at the very start in order to get the full experience and check out the new bridge that was just finished! This new bridge brings a number of benefits including a sidewalk for safer pedestrian and cyclist access. After admiring the new bridge, we entered the trail and began our journey!

​There are numerous walking bridges throughout the trail that provide some ease to your hike as you continue along the Dalewood Reservoir. The trail is also very easy to navigate, as there are trail markers and the walking bridges are numbered to keep you going in the right direction.​

Once we hit the old bridge near Dalewood Road, it was definitely time for a snack break! This is a great rest stop as it provides some shade and great views. At this point, you’re over half way around the Dalewood Reservoir.

​Nearing the end of the trail, we were refreshed and ready to conquer some kayaking! Canoes and kayaks are available to rent hourly, or for a half or full day at the gatehouse in the campground. Using this watercraft is a great way to experience the reservoir you just admired from afar. We suggest bringing a camera (at your own risk) to capture this memorable experience, lots of water to keep yourself hydrated, and a kayaking partner who will do most of the paddling for you!

When kayaking the reservoir, it was very enjoyable and relaxing. Everything was so still and the nature surrounding the reservoir was so peaceful. It is a great way to clear your mind and become one with nature.

​We saw a lot of wildlife, including various species of birds, beavers, and fish jumping out of the water. Be sure to not only keep your eyes on the water, but also up in the trees because as we continued we spotted a beautiful bald eagle perched high up in a pine tree! We admired its beauty for about 5 minutes until it showed off it’s impressive wingspan and continued across the reservoir. For the bird enthusiasts out there, be sure to bring binoculars to get a better look at some of the cool species that call the Dalewood Reservoir home!

​Overall, I was impressed with this hike, and I got to experience firsthand everything the Dalewood Reservoir Trail has to offer. After today, I feel extremely accomplished and I will definitely incorporate this hiking trail into a weekly exercise routine, so I can take advantage of the nature that is so close to home!

​The route of what was the London and Port Stanley Railway is one of the oldest in the province. The northerly portion, now owned by CN, from St. Thomas to London has been in almost constant use since 1856. The southerly portion, from St. Thomas to Port Stanley, was put back into service by the Port Stanley Terminal Rail in 1988.
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The origins of the line lie in the extensive use of lake transportation for freight in the pre-rail era and the need to bring the freight up to London. In the 20th century it gained a new lease on life as the flagship for Ontario Hydro’s planned province-wide electric rail system.  Today, its two functions, as a freight hauler and as a tourist line, reflect the uses to which it was put from earliest times.

A large part of London’s growth came about as the result of being near a lake port. The lakes, as late as the 1850s, were still a key means of shipping goods. London was connected to Port Stanley by a plank road, one of the best in the province by the 1840s as the local MPP was chairman of the colony’s Board of Public Works.  But, like all roads at the time, it was a slow, cumbersome means of shipping with the potential for damage to man, beast and cargo.

The railways were an attractive alternative to ships and roads bringing about a boom in rail line construction at the beginning of the 1850s. The province’s largest railway, the Great Western (GWR), passed through London in 1853 linking it with Hamilton and Windsor. Its key function was the transfer of US goods from the mid west to the Atlantic seaports. With a link to the continental rail system in place London businessmen looked for an alternative way to bring goods to the city partially to provide competition to the GWR and keep freight rates low.

Their link to the lake was chartered as the London and Port Stanley Railway in 1853 and after nearly three years of construction the line opened for traffic on October 16, 1856. A majority of the stock was held by the City of London, the Counties of Elgin and Middlesex, and a lesser amount by St. Thomas then a small village of about 2000 persons.
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The man now at the controls was Adam Beck. Since denying the Walker Family an extension of the L&PS lease in 1903 he had become MPP for London and had also been chairman of Ontario Hydro since its founding in 1906. Beck had been waiting out the lease planning to rebuild the line into a model of what a radial railway should look like. The radials would link cities and towns across the province with efficient, quiet, inexpensive electric passenger trains. Beck’s gruff, acerbic personality didn’t do much to advance his cause and the railways were not inclined to give up the passenger traffic in populous southern Ontario. What finally did the ambitious project in however was the change in government in 1919 which saw the United Farmers of Ontario take over. The party actually asked Beck to be premier but he declined. The conservative minded E. C. Drury became premier and wouldn’t support the project.  While Beck’s province-wide plan was never built, electrification of the L&PS proceeded as soon as the lease expired.

Between January 1, 1914 and July 22, 1915 when it reopened the line was completely transformed. A commission was established to oversee the rebuilding and operation of the line. Beck, knighted in 1914, forecast a total of 450,000 riders following electrification. Stations were either rebuilt or replaced. The St. Thomas station was replaced with a new one opening April 23, 1920. The most extensive redevelopment occurred in Port Stanley where the railway built a huge bathhouse where one could even rent a bathing suit. The baseball fields between the tracks and the hill were improved, walks and lights were provided on picnic hill.
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The ridership increased even beyond Beck’s estimate with over a million rider-trips a year by 1921. Much of the traffic was from cottagers and from large picnics organized by schools, clubs and businesses. Among the largest were the Irish Benevolent Society’s and the Commercial Travellers’. Both would see 10,000 to 12,000 people flood the picnic areas on the bluffs and the flats near the incline. Races, baby contests and band concerts entertained the picnickers. In 1926 the L&PS built a huge dance pavilion right on the lake front. Later known as the Stork Club, the dance floor could accommodate 5,000 dancers. Dozens of well-known bands and orchestras played the Stork Club into the 1960s.
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From a young age, I knew I wanted to be a performer. It was the most instinctual part of my childhood. At the age of 10, I was practicing my Oscar speech in my basement. Yet it was not until my first year of theatre school did I realize that my true passion was beyond performing — it was creating. A wise professor once told me, “anyone can be an actor, but can you be a creator?” From my time in theatre school, it became apparent that what truly inspires me is storytelling. As an artist, I believe it’s my obligation to bring light to stories that need to be told.

The Face It! Performance Art Installation began as just an idea to collaborate with Laura Woermke and tell the story of her work. This February I contacted Laura to ask if there was any way we could collaborate and bring something brand new to St. Thomas. As the idea grew into something much more, I began to reflect when I was a teenager in this city and the resentment I felt towards St. Thomas. As a young artist, I felt like there were no opportunities for me here. So that’s why I decided that my fellow company members for Face It would be young students from the area. I wanted to give an opportunity to adolescents to share their story and to claim their own sense of artistry in this community. As well as teaching them, you can get paid for your art, that shouldn’t be far fetched idea. Sometimes in a smaller community, we forget the concept that this is a profession and as an artist, we have the right to be paid for our work. I hope that my students leave this project feeling like creators and capable to do pursue their own art career.
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There are many places I like to take photos in St. Thomas. Reasons being that there is some great architecture and nature spots in the area.
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Chris is a multimedia artist practicing in various forms of discipline and mediums, from canvas to murals. As an artist Chris aims to reshape the integral roles of artists in the community and society, exploring opportunities and sharing colour. 

Tour around St. Thomas and look for Chris' signature graffiti style as murals inside places such as the Back Alley & Mitchell's Soup, or outside places such as the Elgin County Railway Museum (boxcar mural painted with fellow artist Ben Vandevooren). 

Chris says about his art "I love to explore the relationship between linear and colour abstraction. Using different mediums like spraypaint and acrylics and different subjects like portraits and landscapes lets me explore those themes."

Check out Chris' Instagram account and see what he's up to!

​As an observer and one of the volunteers of this event I am amazed to watch how it all comes together.

On Saturday July 8th 2017 on a picture perfect night, St Thomas found it's main street jammed with an estimated 1200 special interest vehicles.

On the newly refurbished front steps of St Thomas city hall an incredible live band could be found belting out songs from the 50's and 60's from speakers mounted on Moonlight Painters genie boom high above the street. The band, DJ tunes and announcements are orchestrated by the one and only conductor Ken Chaplin.

A few blocks west of city hall you can find the ragtime piano tunes of Dave Hoy bringing the streets alive. Behind Dave you found the St Thomas Art Gallery with kids activities , a balloon magician along with a face painter for the kids also.

Two blocks to the east of city hall at the L&PS replica Railway station St Thomas tourism office one could ride the train for a half hour ride. There were six trains that went out with approx 150 people per trip. While waiting for the train ride one could listen to the buskers at the station or browse through car art and/or info displays.

​When this event was started, there was only one requirement that had to continue from year to year. That everything was FREE. You could bring your family for a full night of entertainment and leave your wallet or purse at home. This is only possible due to the efforts of the St Thomas Downtown Development Board and the many businesses that jumped in to cover costs.

This year there was a special tribute for a fellow gearhead that is no longer with us. At approximately 7 o'clock we found many cars from the Ontario Nostalgia Drag Racing Association and the East London Timing Association along with John Chandlers incredible AA Fuel dragster fire up for a "Cackle of Respect".

That is when it makes you stop and reflect.

Are these shows about the cars or the people behind the cars and the people in the crowds?

We all know that these machines are expensive to operate, some more than others, however all those involved never blinked an eye when it came time to fire up for a fellow car enthusiast.

When it came time to park all these cars up stepped the St Thomas Optimist Club, but with this number of cars many other friends and car owners were called upon to assist as they have in the past. I know at times when they see me coming it is a "Here he comes again". But because of the character of the volunteers they do it again and again for only the smiles it puts on others faces.

Even with all the volunteers we found that an extra pair of hands or feet would suddenly be required, a request to the closest person, be it another friend or complete stranger I was never ignored or turned down.

​That is why I question if an event like this should be called a car show or maybe a show of people and their cars. Here in St Thomas we have a promotional logo" #stthomasproud", I wonder if we need to revise it to #stthomas"people"proud.