Ask Tom - IRONMAN 70.3 Muskoka

Once again the Muskoka Ironman 70.3 is set to take place at Deerhurst Resort on Sunday September 13th, 2009. The Ironman 70.3 race consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run, which adds up to 70.3 miles. (113.1 kms) of total racing. The event is also know as a "half Ironman" as it covers half of the total distance of a full Ironman. Men and women compete separately. each category has several qualifying spots for the 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater Florida. While most athletes who participate are Canadian, many travel from all around the world to compete. Check out www.huntsvilleadventures.com for more details.

Plein Air Auction

Ask Tom about "Plein Air Painting"

Yesterday the downtown streets of Huntsville and the River Mill Park looked like a snapshot of any European village in the south of France or Italy. Over 20 artists took to the downtown with paints, brushes, canvas, easels and lots of talent to create their own masterpiece. Interested tourists and locals gathered around to catch a glimpse of art in the making by professional artists as well as local celebrities Mayor Claude Doughty, Counsellor Fran Coleman and Counsellor Mary Jane Fletcher. An auction was held at 3:00pm on the steps of Town Hall and many were able to purchase great quality art at a fraction of the price. The event was created in partnership with Kelly Hollingshead of The Shutterbug Gallery and the Festival of the Arts. All proceeds going to a Student Arts Bursary.

For more information about Huntsville/Lake of Bays check out http://www.huntsvilleadventures.com/

Triathlon Comes to Huntsville

Swim, Bike and Run...

Athletes from all over the province came to Huntsville to participate in the Annual Tri Sport Triathlon. What a sight to see all of those toned bodies bearing the cool waters of the river, jumping on their bikes heading down the road and then later dumping the bike and racing off to complete the running portion of the course.

Inspirational!

Hello again - Ask Tom Here

It has been a while since my last blog. I happened to be riding my bike around one evening while visiting town and came across a fabulous skate board park hidden on the road to the soccer fields. The park was full of youth - diligently practicing tricks and jumps on skate boards and bikes. Other than the sounds of wheels rolling on the cement, the gathering of youth was relatively quiet - the occassional laugh or bit of mild profanity broke the silence. I thought to myself - what a stroke of brilliance for the Town and the Local Rotary Club to provide a place for youth to gather and practice what they love to do best. You can find more things to do in and around Huntsville at http://www.huntsvilleadventures.com/

Welcome back to Ask Tom,

I took a little drive through Algonquin Park on the weekend and here is a picture of a youngish moose I came upon by chance. I pulled my car over to the side of the road a safe distance away from the Moose, turned off my car and rolled down the window. I was struck by the volume of sound that came from the forest - it was overwhelming and in the middle of it all was the young moose munching contently on low hanging branches. I stayed and watched him for quite awhile, no other cars came along to break the moment. It made me realize how lucky folks are in Huntsville and Lake of Bays to be so close to this kind of natural beauty. Get out there and enjoy it! Visit www.huntsvilleadventures.com to learn more great things about these fabulous communities.

Hi and Welcome to Ask Tom,

My name is Tom. I am a painter living in downtown Toronto, I love to get away from the city and visit this beautiful community of Huntsville & Lake of Bays. I have a canoe, and during the summer months I head out to Algonquin Park with my sketch book and lose myself in the beauty of the wilderness.

After checking out http://www.huntsvilleadventures.com/ I found the perfect place to stay and I've made plans to go out for dinner later this evening. The town is really looking good. I was really impressed with what has been accomplished over the past few months. You really should take a walk down to River Mill Park just off the main street of Downtown Huntsville. They have built a really cool looking area for people to gather and have a cup of coffee or just to sit and enjoy the scenery.

I decided to come up to Huntsville a little early this weekend and enjoy some fresh air, and- great thing - no bugs!
Stay tuned and I'll fill you in on events and happening around town. If you have any questions, post a comment or question and I would be happy to answer it for you.

Ask Tom

Hello and Welcome to Ask Tom,

That's me in the picture to the left. I love this area and in particular the people. Everytime I come up to visit I meet someone new. I heard recently that the G8 Summit will be coming through this way. This should be a very interesting time for the residents and visitors of Huntsville Lake of Bays. You have found an amazing web site called www.huntsvilleadventures.com click on this link to find tons of information about this quiet northern Town of Huntsville, Ontario. Lots of on What to Do, Where to Stay and Where to Dine.

Yes, they have pigeons here - but not those large city variety. So don't worry.