Tiny Ontario - Perth

This weekend my youngest kiddo and I went on road trip to Perth, Ontario about an hour from home. The town of Perth, which is split by the Tay River, was founded in 1816, and has a population of about 7000 people. Like much of tiny Ontario it has a bustling Main Street, an impressive Town Hall, and a thoughtfully planned out park.

Walking up the main street we noticed the entrance to Stewart Park, which happened to be hosting the Stewart Park Festival, and wandered in. The park was beautifully laid out with the river running through it. Vendors were selling foods and crafts. And from the stage, a band played. On the foot bridge over the river they were preparing to drop in rubber ducks to race. Local people lined the river banks to cheer them on. An announcer gave a play by play, stating there was big money on the line. Who would win?

We ate lunch on a patio overlooking the river and then set out to find the a piece of local trivia - the Mammoth Cheese. My youngest kiddo has a knack of scouting out the obscure. Within a few minutes we found it. Contained in a shed, the Mammoth Cheese was made in 1893. It was a 22000 pound cheese made for the World Exposition Chicago. The cheese was transported from Perth to Chicago by a multi horse drawn cart. It was so heavy that it crashed through the floor of the exposition while it was being moved causing it to go viral, in the press. It took bronze in the show. The cheese was sold and transported to England. Some of the cheese was eventually sold and returned to Ontario. Transporting dairy long distances in the heat ... what can go wrong.

From there we toured the Perth Museum. This is the house of the Matheson family and shows what life would have been like between 1840-1890. The architecture and the furnishings still hold up today.

The last place I wanted to go was a shop called the Queen Bee Millinery, a shop I visited on a previous trip. The owner crafts unbelievable one of kind hats and head pieces. She designs for epic events including for royal events, the Kentucky Derby, military functions and private events. Unfortunately she was closed on Sundays but I peeked in the window and it still looks fabulous. If you find yourself in Perth, pop in. https://www.queenbeemillinery.ca/

the park

the rubber duck race

the Perth Museum

Town Hall