ROLL ON DOWN KEELE

If you’re looking for a beautiful fall drive, head up, and down, the rolling hills of Keele Street. There you will enjoy many fall colours, both natural and man-made:
The corner of Keele and the 15th Sideroad is your first stop. Here, on the northwest corner you will find the Monastery at Marylake originally owned by Sir Henry Pellatt and now run by Augustinian Fathers. You can admire the unique red brick barn, stare up at the vivid stained glass ceiling in the shrine, and have a picnic on the rolling grounds leading to the lake. The deciduous trees and flowering bushes will make a lovely autumn setting.

Go further north on Keele, turn west on the 16th Sideroad, and drive to Pine Farms Apple Orchard. This is a great spot for kids, who can help you begin to pick apples and then play on the swing set while you finish. Pine Farms grows over 20 different varieties of eating and cooking apples, ready for harvest from mid-August to early October.
There is also a gift store, a bakery, and a small country cafe with an outdoor patio, perfect for admiring the autumn colours.

Continue north to the Kettleby Road running west between Keele and Jane and you will find the picture-postcard village of Kettleby. Several of Kettleby’s homes and churches have heritage plaques, and some will be on the Doors Open King event to be held on Saturday, September 26th. You can see the former homes of the carpenter, the blacksmith, and even the postmaster who used to live across from the current mailboxes. Here also is another lovely
picnic area close to a creek which was once the Schomberg River. But, for the best time of all, visit the Kettleby Fair on Saturday, September 12th. This family event has games, food and crafts, and a lively community parade beginning at noon.

Travelling further north on Keele, you will get to the acreage of the Koffler Scientific Reserve on Jokers’ Hill. Turn right on the 19th Sideroad and take a picturesque drive along winding hills beside 350 hectares of deciduous forested area, then north to 17000 Dufferin St. The land was donated to U of T by the Koffler family in 1995 for the purposes of eco-research on bio-diversity. This land is not normally open to the public, but if you plan your visit for Saturday, October 18th you can take part in one of two nature walks entitled “Trees and Fungi: Friends or Foes?” at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Finally, for a closer look at our beautiful township, leave your car on the side of the road and go on one of the Oak Ridges Trail Association hikes starting off Keele St. Check the ORTA website or fall newsletter for details: www.oakridgestrail.org

what’s that bloomin thing

On uncut fields, small patches of waste ground, and roadsides, it is ASTER time. Appropriately half a year away from Easter time we find the Compositae (daisy family) asters in bloom. The showiest is the New England Aster, with its bright orange yellow discs in the bright mauve flower. It is also found purposely in gardens. Blooming from late summer into the fall, this aster survives the early frosts and provides a last snatch of pollen for bees and other insects.

The aster family includes many less showy species, and a recent search turned up at least eighteen different colour shades, from creamy white through pink in different plants – but the later
standouts are the tall, leafy, eye-catching mauve New England Asters.