megram - Index

megram - Guide To Spring Fun In Ottawa's East End - Index

Perth… continued from Ottawa page 12
selling handcrafted items, preserves,
and produce every Saturday from
May to October from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
There is sometimes live entertainment
on offer as well. This structure
— built with glass from the former
Rideau Street Mall in Ottawa — is surrounded
by flowers in a park-like setting
with three fountains commemorating
Perth in Scotland, Perth in
Ontario, and Asago-cho in Japan (its
twin city) cascading upwards in the
centre of the Tay Basin nearby.
There’s also a farmer’s market on
Saturdays in Perth at the Lanark
County Administration Building on
Sunset Boulevard off Wilson Street
West.
GETTING STARTED
A stop at the Chamber of
Commerce office on Herriott Street
is an excellent place to start your visit.
You’ll be able to pick up a street map
and a walking-tour guide of Perth’s
heritage buildings, as well as a guide
to the Tay River Trail. The latter is an
historic pathway and portage site that
dates back to Perth’s original settlement
days of 1816. The trail isn’t too
long and it will take you by the river
and Stewart Park all the way to the
site of the last duel in Canada.
If you decide to just have a look
around first, head on down Herriott
Street and cross Gore Street. In a matter
of minutes you will come to a
vision of green loveliness with sweeping
trees and a small arched bridge
over the river. This is Stewart Park,
willed to the town of Perth in perpetuity
as long as no commercial activity
ever takes place in it. That’s why the
three-day music festival, which happens
every July in the park, is free to
all comers.
As you’re walking down Herriott
Street toward the park, you will notice
a large sandstone mansion on your
left. This is “Kininvie,” built in 1907
for the textile manufacturer Thomas
A. Code. His mill, across the street,
has been turned into one of the most
interesting buildings in Perth. It
houses Fiddlehead’s Bar and Grill, a
restaurant with an outdoor patio facing
the river and a coffee house
PHOTO: BARBARA BOTTRIELL
A view of the Tay River and Stewart Park in downtown Perth.
called Coutts and Company, also overlooking
the river and the park. Both
have access to a wonderful atrium in
the centre of the building with a huge
skylight, which lets the light pour in,
and a fountain in the middle of the
courtyard with real moss and the
delightful sound of running water. In
this same building you’ll find a bookstore,
a fashionable clothing store, a
spa, and a colourful place called
Ground Waves, which is chock-full of
items for the home and garden. And
when you step outside of this beautiful
stone building, built in 1902, you will
see a huge bronze statue of Ian Millar
riding Big Ben, the horse that helped
Millar win so many prizes for Canada.
It’s a stunning setting for this piece of
art with the park behind it, and one
the people of Perth are obviously
proud of.
Three fountains commemorating Perth Scotland, Perth Ontario and its twin city,
Asago-cho Japan, grace the Tay Basin beside the Crystal Palace market place.
continues on Ottawa page 21
Due West/Due East Magazine • Spring 2008 Ottawa Page 14