photo credit: fadedgenes/via Flickr
TORONTO, April 3, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - The 2012 Doors Open Ontario season kicks off in Guelph on April 28. Fifty-seven events across the province comprise this year's program. From April until October, heritage buildings, cultural sites and other interesting venues will be open - free of charge - for public viewing.
The theme for Doors Open 2012, "Defending a nation," commemorates the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the locations, events and persons connected to the defence of our province and country. Doors Open participants will uncover the stories of early inhabitants who faced invasion during the War of 1812 and learn about other heroic war efforts from the past 200 years. A diverse range of defence-related sites will be open to visitors, such as battlefields, military fortifications, armouries, armament manufacturing facilities, legion halls, commemorative monuments and peace gardens.
Five new communities have joined Doors Open this year. Georgian Bay, Quinte West, Algonquin Highlands, Halton Hills and Lambton County are hosting events to tell the stories of their local heritage.
The new Doors Open Ontario website, www.doorsopenontario.on.ca, allows visitors to pinpoint specific site locations and to plan their event itinerary. The site's interactive calendars, "my favourites" folder and social media tools allow visitors to enhance their Doors Open experience.
Doors Open Ontario is the province's most exciting heritage tourism program. Since its launch in 2002, it has grown from 17 events to a record 57, representing hundreds of communities and thousands of individual heritage sites. When the 2012 events conclude in October, the program will have generated more than 4.5 million visits to 5,000 sites across the province. Out-of-town visitors will have spent an estimated $23 million in Ontario's communities.
Trails Open Ontario, part of the Doors Open program, encourages visitors to explore Ontario's 88,000 kilometres of walking, hiking and cycling trails. Participating trails can be discovered in the Doors Open Guide and on the Doors Open website. Call 1-800-ONTARIO (1-800-668-2746) for a free copy of the guide.
Doors Open Ontario 2012 sponsors include: the Globe and Mail, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation, the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund and the participating communities.
The Ontario Heritage Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage for present and future generations.
Below is the Doors Open Ontario 2012 calendar of events. Visit www.doorsopenontario.on.ca for more information about each community
Doors Open Ontario 2012 Calendar of Events
April
Guelph April 28
May
Whitby May 5
Hamilton May 5-6
Richmond Hill May 12
Brockville-Thousand Islands May 26-27
Kincardine May 26-27
Toronto May 26-27
June
Stratford June 2
Whitchurch-Stouffville June 2
Huronia June 2-3
Ottawa June 2-3
Owen Sound June 2-3
Smiths Falls June 3
Clarington June 9
Burlington June 9-10
Niagara (Ontario and New York) June 15-17
Georgian Bay New! June 16
Fergus and Elora June 23
Kingston June 23
Muskoka June 23-24
July
Aurora July 14
Orillia-Mariposa July 28
August
Timmins August 11
Georgina August 25
September
Mississippi Mills-Carleton Place September 8
Thunder Bay September 8
Cornwall-Seaway Valley September 8-9
Kawartha Lakes September 9
Haldimand County September 15
King Township September 15
Quinte West New! September 15
Waterloo Region September 15
Algonquin Highlands New! September 15-16
South Bruce Peninsula September 15-16
Brant September 22
Markham September 22
East Elgin September 22
Oshawa September 22
Oxford September 22
Walkerton and Area September 22
Grimsby September 22
Kenora September 28-29
Ajax September 29
Mississauga September 29
Oakville September 29
Parry Sound September 29
Port Stanley-Sparta September 29
Chatham-Kent September 29-30
Gananoque September 29-30
Halton Hills New! September 29-30
Lambton County New! September 29-30
London September 29-30
Middlesex September 29-30
St. Thomas September 29-30
Vaughan September 29-30
Windsor September 29-30
October
Huron County October 13-14
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