Welcome from the Editor,
Welcome to the debut edition of Ontariomuse. Ontariomuse is about recreation in Southern Ontario. It's about the places you'll most enjoy and the people taking part. Cycling, walking, bird watching, photography, skiing, skating, swimming. As the lines between recreation and entertainment become increasingly blurry, we'll also be covering music and entertainment.
Lakes and rocky shorelines, the stomping grounds of the Group of Seven, are a huge part of the Ontario allure, and we will be getting there too but in this magazine we'll be visiting trails, parks and beaches in urban areas just as often.
The past two decades have brought tremendous growth to Southern Ontario. Outdoor activities have fluorished in spite of all the construction. The toys and tools of recreation have been evolving steadily with the aid of technology. Radios, cell phones and GPS systems provide communications, security and music to outdoors persuits. Whoever would have guessed you could be sharing your experience in the Ganaraska. Forest with your partner at home cleaning the basement? Roller blades, mountain bikes, trail skates, each with a dazzling array of innovation are but a few of the items to be featured in this and subsequent issues of Ontariomuse. Southern Ontario has seen the development of a stunning array of bike trails, many built on old rail lines. New networks of trails will be featured along with activities from cycling to dogsledding. Just North of Peterborough, the largest park South of Algonquin, Kawartha Highlands, has recently been added to the many provincial parks available to Ontarians.
As I write this introduction, perched on a bar stool in the Rex jazz and blues club on Queen St., I'm listening to the captivating sounds of the Deborahs, three young fellows playing keyboards, drums and bass. We'll be reviewing folk and jazz events and talking to the players as part of the overall picture of recreation for the Active Ontarian. So welcome, once again and please don't be shy. Our email address is activeontarian@nexicom. Whether you'd like to submit a story or just drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you.
Brian Slack.