Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Doors Open Ontario celebrates 10th anniversary with exciting season of events!




2011 Doors Open Guelph - Norfolk Street United Church

TORONTO, April 11, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Now entering its 10th year, Doors Open Ontario 2011 kicks off April 30 in Guelph. This season, participants will have the opportunity to explore iconic landmarks, natural wonders, architectural gems and hidden heritage treasures at 56 community events across the province.

Seven of the events in 2011 are new. Deseronto-Napanee, Grimsby, Highlands East, Kapuskasing, Middlesex, Merrickville and Pickering have all joined the program.

Attached is a Doors Open Ontario 2011 calendar, listing the participating communities and event dates. Visit www.doorsopenontario.on.ca for more information and to participate in the Doors Open Ontario 2011 Digital Photo Contest or the new "All-time favourite sites" visitor survey.

Doors Open Ontario provides a glimpse into the past . . . to a different time, another world or a distant place. Each year, hundreds of historic buildings, places of worship, private homes, industrial areas and heritage gardens - some of which are rarely accessible to the public - open free of charge.

Since 2002, Doors Open Ontario has grown from 17 events to 56, representing hundreds of communities. As the 10th anniversary season draws to a close this October, the program will have generated more than four million visits to 4,500 sites across the province. From an economic standpoint, spending by out-of-town visitors in Ontario's communities will surpass the $20 million mark.

Sponsors of Doors Open Ontario 2011 include: The Globe and Mail, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation and the participating communities.

Doors Open Ontario is a program of the Ontario Heritage Trust. The Trust also coordinates Trails Open Ontario. Information on this year's Trails Open Ontario events will be available soon at www.heritagetrust.on.ca.

The Ontario Heritage Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage for present and future generations.

APRIL
Guelph April 30

MAY
Chatham-Kent May 7
Whitby May 7
Hamilton May 7-8
Temiskaming Shores and Area May 14
Deseronto-Napanee (NEW) May 28
Milton May 28
Brockville-Thousand Islands May 28-29
Toronto May 28-29

JUNE
Whitchurch-Stouffville June 4
Huronia June 4-5
Ottawa June 4-5
Owen Sound June 4-5
Smiths Falls June 5
Clarington June 11
Richmond Hill June 11
Burlington June 11-12
Highlands East (NEW) June 11-12
Kingston June 18
Perth June 18
Fergus-Elora June 25
Muskoka June 25-26

JULY
Aurora July 9
Kapuskasing (NEW) July 23

AUGUST
Norfolk August 13
Georgina August 27
Markham August 27

SEPTEMBER
Belleville September 10
Cornwall-Seaway Valley September 10-11
Kawartha Lakes September 11
Amherstburg September 17
Haldimand County September 17
Newmarket September 17
Rideau Lakes-Westport September 17
St. Marys September 17
Waterloo Region September 17
London September 17-18
Middlesex (NEW) September 17-18
South Bruce Peninsula September 17-18
Merrickville (NEW) September 18
Brant September 24
East Elgin September 24
Oxford County September 24
Pembroke September 24
Grimsby (NEW) September 24-25
Oakville September 24-25
Oshawa September 24-25
Peterborough September 24-25

OCTOBER
Barrie October 1
Misssissauga October 1
Pickering (NEW) October 1
Port Stanley-Sparta October 1
Gananoque October 1-2
St. Thomas October 1-2
Vaughan October 1-2
Kincardine October 15-16