Jun 18 - Healthy Living Festival
& Rideau Canal Museum, Smiths Falls, ON
This morning we walked back into town to have a look at the Healthy Living Festival. A few blocks of the main street, Beckwith, were closed off so visitors could walk freely around the displays. The sun was shining and the temperature was comfortable. There was lots to see and do, especially for the kids.
After strolling up the middle of the street, we stopped in the shade and watched some of the performers on the stage that was right in front of us - dancers, a karate demonstration.
Walking back down the street towards the Rideau Canal visitor centre, I spotted the C'est tout bakery Mary had mentioned, so in we went.
While I got refreshments, Jen began talking with a SF police sargent who was taking a break away from the festival. Turns out, Paul, was raised just east of Dartmouth, NS. In fact, he was heading back there in a few days on his Harley. We chatted at length about Smiths Falls, Ottawa (Paul rides his Harley with his Ottawa police buddies), and Musquodoboit Harbour, NS. A very pleasant gentleman and a very enjoyable coffee break.
We left the bakery and headed to the Rideau Canal Visitor Centre.
We watched a 7-minute video on the building of the canal, then we headed for the 4th floor. There we started our tour of the museum.
I walked up 36 steps to the observation area and took a slightly higher picture back towards the RV park.
Working our way down from the 4th floor we saw many displays and pictures.
I found this diorama, showing the construction of one of the locks, very interesting although, Molly, one of the Parks Canada staff who we chatted with at the end of our visit, said "Oh that diorama. Did you see the man lying on his back in the canal with his wheelbarrow on top of him? It's been like that for 4 years."
Molly, a university student, it turns out has the challenge to update many of the museum's displays to Parks Canada specifications. We made a couple of suggestions and wished her well in her studies and endeavours.
Anyway, back to the museum.
The explanation to the right describes the building the Rideau Canal in a short 6 years. The canal is 202 kms long, from Ottawa in the north to Kingston in the south.
When you consider there were no power tools, no chainsaws, no excavators, no dump trucks - it was truly an amazing feat of engineering!
