Moving Right Along

 Dorset is a happening place. And none so happening as last Saturday.  It was the official Launch Summer Day in Dorset, with the S.S. Bigwin making her first cruises on the lake for 2014, and the opening of the Bigwin Galley store and ticket office.  Take note of that curved piece of railing -- that is from the legendary Bigwin Inn Rotunda.  Plenty of famous people during Bigwin's heyday put their sticky hands on that particular bit of railing...   It's wonderful to see it out on display!

Steve Leavens 'rocked the look' when he borrowed my hat... What a good sport!

 Here's samples of the old Inn's iconic plateware.  When people sat down in the circular dining rooms (now restored and part of the Bigwin Island Golf Course) they were all served simultaineously by over 300 waitresses.  The kitchen doors opened, and out came tray after tray of meals!   Imagine plating that in the kitchens!

If you are in the Lake of Bays this year -- and gracious, you SHOULD be -- there's nowhere better!  -- be sure to stop by Dorset.  A cruise on this ship is pure magic. Powered by electric engines, she slides through the water of Trading Bay in silence...









On Saturday, to celebrate the Launch Summer event, there was a free BBQ, and free rides on the S.S.Bigwin. Even salty sea-dogs got to ride in style!





What a lovely sight to see!









Telus was on hand with free ice cream, and free stuffed panda bears. We mentioned to them that Luna, the saw-whet owl, was a personal friend of ours, and the lovely lady took our card, and offered to send us a stuffed "Luna" toy for our collection.

 Mayor Bob Young, of Lake of Bays, has three grandchildren, so he had to collect three pandas. No problem there, Telus was more than happy to oblige!  Anything to keep peace with the grandkids!



M.P. The Rt. Honourable Tony Clement was on hand as well.  Not just for the BBQ, either, but to attend the official ground breaking of the Dorset Pavillion. He is a good sport, our MP, and no doubt you can read all about the day on his Twitter Feed.

 The Pavillion is another project of the very busy Dorset Community Group -- who could give lessons on how to work together to get stuff done.  They have already built a playground, a gazebo at the docks, re-built the docks and added planters, set up a website and an information kiosk, set up community gardens, secured the land for a community park and Pavillion -- and they are working hard on obtaining a Nurse Practioner Station in the village.


The Pavillion is on the site of the old school, now an open field.  For the occasion, several vendors were on hand, including the LOBREC, the Lake of Bays Renewable Energy Corporation. Melissa was demonstrating a solar oven, handing out tasty baked onions and yams all courtesy of the Sun.  She also had a solar powered water fountain on display.


There was a lot to look at, including fantastic garden sculptures and wind mobiles crafted in Dorset by Peter Kourtz.






What is a party without some face painting taking place?  The art work on the kids' faces was spectacular!







And not just restricted to faces!









 Ruth Ross, Councillor for Ridout, Lake of Bays, has worked tirelessly over the past many years to help Dorset bring these various projects to completion, and she had the honour of introducing the occasion.  The Township of Lake of Bays has worked closely with the Dorset Community Group.






Mayor Bob Young was able to speak to that very support, and to remind folk about the next 'big thing', which is that Nurse Practioner Station.






Special thanks must go to FedNor, for financial support of the project, and to MP Tony Clement for his assistance in securing that funding.   Projects like these aren't cheap.  Matching funds have been raised by the community -- for a certain dollar amount, you could 'buy' a roof beam, a wedge, or a wooden spike with your name on it to be included in the construction. Special thanks must also go to the volunteers and the workmen who donated 'work in kind' to get this thing done -- not to overlook the gentleman who donated not only his crane, but his time and labour to come up and lift the roof beams!





And, although he never seeks the limelight, we must thank Colin Reaney, who has been the catalyst for much of this. He is amazing. Enough Said.







M.P.P. Norman Miller was also on hand for the occasion.  He has represented Parry Sound/Muskoka well over the years, and we are glad to have him back as our M.P.P.



There was a large cast to help with the ribbon cutting ceremony -- and that is fitting because nothing like this happens without a lot of people, both on the front lines and in the background. I'm not trying to name them all, because I would no doubt leave out someone important -- they are ALL important, all critical to the success of any project and to the sense of community that is so strong in Dorset now.  But I do want to Thank them all...

And now, just one week later, check out the progress on this building! What an asset this will be to the community, as the site for the farmers' market, a place to picnic, for kids to play and people to gather. Right across from the Heritage Museum, the site will also include public washrooms.

So when can you see it?  Well, this Saturday is the traditional Canada Day Fireworks in Dorset, hosted by the Community Group. We recommend that you get there early to secure a valued viewing spot -- the bay will be full of boats as well, so you can always go that route (but then you won't get to see the Pavillion, so you'll just have to go back another day).  Admission is by donation (we recommend $5/person, $20 /family)