Real Talk!

Inspired and motivated to lead more active healthy lives, cultured and educated empty nesters are flocking to cottage country. Responding to the demand, many developers are announcing plans for waterfront residential developments.

Fram Building Group and Slokker Real Estate president, Bruce Kerr, recently spoke about a 16-hectare residential development of a Muskoka lakefront property the group purchased in 2004.

“It’s a place for the zoomer crowd”, said Kerr, describing a market sector of near-retirees- folks who wish to live in an environment that matches their lifestyle.

“They can walk to get groceries or meet friends for coffee, but with the added benefit of always being connected to a beautiful waterfront, hiking trails and proximity to beaches and mountains,” he says.

& Deborah Lafave (vice-president of sales and marketing for Sotheby’s International Realty, Canada) agrees. “It’s the result of a combination of factors,” she said recently, “including low interest rates, terrific deals and a realization by consumers that this is a great time to buy.”

Buyers who want to beat the city hustle, traffic jams, dirt and noise are reaching into our rural communities. Drawn by a lower cost of living, wide open space, fresh air, natural resources, recreational opportunities and cultural amenities, Buyers have recognized that they can be comfortable in smaller centres and still close enough to visit the larger urban areas.

Cottage country offers a peaceful pace and community that places great value in family and tradition. The Bancroft area has taken steps toward redevelopment and revitalization that centre around the lazy, beautiful York River. Plans include a new Museum, riverside boardwalks, a new hotel, a new Town Hall, a community centre complex, condominiums, parking areas, green spaces, shops, enhanced trails and so much more!

There are too many attractions to list here… from scenic picnic areas to artist’s studios… concerts in the park to sailing...historic sites to berry picking farms… canoe making to white water rafting… hiking to hammock... sculpturing to horticulture... bird watching to theatrical events... fishing spots to day spas… there’s something for everyone.

Some of the special upcoming events in the Bancroft area, include:

Jul 15: Mineral Capital Concerts - Millennium Park
Jul 16: Summer Movie Mania - Millennium Park, 9:00pm
Jul 17-19: Bancroft & Area Lifestyle Expo - Bancroft Curling Club
Jul 21-25: Blackfly Summer Theatre - "See How They Run"
Jul 22: Mineral Capital Concerts - Millennium Park
Jul 23: Summer Movie Mania - Millennium Park, 9:00pm
Jul 23-26: Palmer Rapids Twin Music Festivals
Jul 24: Support Our Troops Luncheon - Bancroft Legion
Jul 25: Team Penning, Gaming, & Sorting - Rocky Hills Horse Club, Maynooth
Jul 26: Annual Bancroft Gem and Mineral Show - Bancroft Legion
Jul 26: Bancroft Bass Tournament Series, Elephant and Baptiste Lakes
Jul 28-Aug 01: Blackfly Summer Theatre - "See How They Run"
Jul 29: Mineral Capital Concerts - Millennium Park
Jul 30: Summer Movie Mania - Millennium Park, 9:00pm
Jul 30-Aug 02: 46th Annual Stone Carvers Show & Symposium - Bancroft Curling Club
Jul 30-Aug 02: 46th Annual Rock Hound Gemboree - North Hastings Community Centre
Jul 30-Aug 02: Gemboree Breakfast - St. John's Anglican Church, 7:00-10:00am
Jul 28-Aug 01: Laugh Lines Theatre - "See How They Run"
Jul 30-Aug 02: 46th Annual Stone Carvers Show & Symposium - Bancroft Curling Club
Jul 30-Aug 02: 46th Annual Rock Hound Gemboree - North Hastings Community Centre
Jul 30-Aug 02: Gemboree Breakfast - St. John's Anglican Church, 7:00-10:00am
Aug 01: Annual Book Sale - Art Gallery of Bancroft, 9:00am
Aug 01-Aug 02: Annual Bancroft Arts and Crafts Guild & Arts Festival - Millennium Park
Aug 01-03: Coe Hill Wild West Weekend - Coe Hill Fairgrounds
Aug 05: Mineral Capital Concerts - Millennium Park
Aug 06: Summer Movie Mania - Millennium Park, 9:00pm
Aug 11-15: Laugh Lines Theatre - "The Foursome"
Aug 12: Mineral Capital Concerts - Millennium Park
Aug 13: Summer Movie Mania - Millennium Park, 9:00pm
Aug 13-16: Havelock Jamboree
Aug 15: Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Public Works Yard, 10:00am-3:00pm
Aug 18-22: Laugh Lines Theatre - "The Foursome"
Aug 19: Mineral Capital Concerts - Millennium Park
Aug 20: Summer Movie Mania - Millennium Park, 9:00pm
Aug 24-29: 8th Annual KINSHIP Conference and Camp - Sutton Salvation Army Camp
Aug 21-22: Coe Hill Agricultural Fair
Aug 25-27: Blackfly Summer Theatre - "The Un-Scene Story"
Aug 26: Mineral Capital Concerts - Millennium Park
Aug 27: Summer Movie Mania - Millennium Park, 9:00pm
Aug 28: Support Our Troops Luncheon - Bancroft Legion
Aug 28-29: Coe Hill Agricultural Fair

Sep 05-06: Maynooth Madness & Loggers Games - Maynooth
Sep 05-06: Warriors Day at Coe Hill
Sep 08: Council Meeting - Dungannon Recreation Centre, 9:00am
Sep 12: Bancroft Bass Tournament Series, Paudash Lake
Sep 12: Hastings Highlands Hilly Hundred
Sep 13: Annual Terry Fox Run
Sep 13: Annual Roast Beef & Ham Dinnner - Our Lady of Mercy Parish
Sep 19: York River Festival "Where The Words Are" - Village Playhouse
Sep 19: Elephant Lake Lodge Bass Tournament
Sep 25: Support Our Troops Luncheon - Bancroft Legion
Sep 26: Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Public Works Yard, 10:00am-3:00pm
Sep 26-27: Bancroft & Area Fall Studio Tour
Sep 27: Bancroft Bass Tournament Series, Mystery Lake
Oct 03-04: Bancroft & Area Fall Studio Tour
Oct 21-24: "Random Acts" - Bancroft Theatre Guild, Village Playhouse
Oct 23: Support Our Troops Luncheon - Bancroft Legion
Nov 11: Remembrance Day Ceremony - Cenotaph, Bancroft
Nov 11: Remembrance Day Ceremony - A.N.A.F., Maynooth
Nov 19-21: Rally of the Tall Pines
Nov 27: Support Our Troops Luncheon - Bancroft Legion
Dec 05: Bancroft Santa Claus Parade, 1:45pm
Dec 06: National Day of Remembrance - Violence Against Women
Dec 12: Maynooth Christmas Parade, "Brighten The Night"
Dec 18: Support Our Troops Luncheon - Bancroft Legion
Dec 24: Annual Community Christmas Dinner - Bancroft Legion

In Barry’s Bay:

July 14: Paul J Yakabuski Community Centre- Movie Night - MONSTERS VS. ALIENS at 7 p.m.
Aug 2: CO Blitz at Combermere Community Centre & Fire Station 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Aug 21: Taste of the Valley Barry's Bay Railway Station 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Barry's Bay Farmers' Market is located at the old train station, downtown Barry's Bay, at Highway 60 and Stafford St and operates from June to October. Friday’s between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m.

The Combermere Farmers' Market is located at the corner of Mill Rd and Highway #62 in Combermere, Saturdays from 8am - 11 am Early June - Thanksgiving

What can I say? This is a great place to put down roots.