Tourism Thursdays

Tourism Thursdays

What's happening around us.

“AERODROME OF DEMOCRACY” 

Exhibit opens at the Elgin County Heritage Centre, 460 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan lands at Heritage Centre.

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan which President Roosevelt called the “Aerodrome of Democracy” was established 80 years ago this year. Formed to trained airmen and ground crews in the free skies over Canada, the plan saw over 100 airfields built throughout Canada including three located in Elgin County. This exhibition looks at those three bases including #4 Bombing and Gunnery School in Fingal now a wildlife preserve; #14 Service Training Flying School near Aylmer, now the Police College, and its relief field built on the site of the present St. Thomas Airport. 

The exhibition also features several individual fliers including a navigator, three pilots, a ground crewman and an air gunner, Tom Campbell, a 20-year-old air gunner from St. Thomas lost over Germany in February of 1945. 

The exhibit includes a total of 12 scale models of the various training aircraft used in the Plan many of which would have been a daily sight for many residents of the county during the war. Uniforms, posters, equipment and even a practice bomb from Fingal Bombing and Gunnery School can be found in the show. 

ERIE FUN TOURS: GRAND RIVER CRUISE

The ever popular Grand River Cruise is back and this time, we take you on a 3 course lunch cruise! Join us to our day tour to the scenic Grand River where you'll be treated to coffee, tea, and baked goods, and a lively, foot stompin' concert by the Blazing Fiddles! Then board the riverboat for a relaxing cruise, 3 course meal, including salad and rolls, roast beef, mashed potatoes, veggies, and pie. Enjoy the tasty food while taking in the scenery and interesting commentary by the tour guide. Picking up in St. Thomas, Port Stanley, and Tillsonburg! Just $95 pp plus HST!  Saturday, May 25, 2019 (All day)

STRAWBERRY FIELDS KITE FESTIVAL

The next time someone tells you to “go fly a kite', take their advice to heart! On May 25th and 26th, vibrant colours will fill the skies at the corner of John Wise Line and Sunset Road, as the Strawberry Fields Kite Festival returns to Central Elgin for its 28th year. 

Each year, this event attracts hundreds of visitors each day to the south lawn of the former, Regional Mental Health Care Centre, just outside of St. Thomas. Visitors include locals as well as kite enthusiasts from across Ontario, upper New York, and Michigan. This colourful dance of kites can be seen from a considerable distance with as many as 100 kites in the air at a time. Passers by often pull over to the side of the road to witness this unique visual spectacle that is unlike any other in the region. This is a FREE event for the whole family! 

Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 12:00 to Sunday, May 26, 2019 - 5:00pm

John Wise Line & Sunset Rd, St. Thomas.

LANDING OF THE SETTLERS - LIVING HISTORY WEEKEND

200th anniversary of the Scottish arriving in Aldborough and 210th anniversary of the Irish arriving in Dunwich. Military drills, displays, vendors, food, and much more from many historical time periods with this year's focus being 1809 - 1819.

Saturday, June 22, 2019 - 10:00 to Sunday, June 23, 2019 - 4:00pm

 29424 Lakeview Line Wallacetown, ON