Storyteller Stars and Guests who arrived at The Arts & Cookery Bank on the evening of Friday Sept 30th may well have felt like they were arriving at a gala film festival awards event. Glitz, glamour, red carpet, and a buzz of energy combined to lend a sense of occasion to the "Story Teller Legacy" Première Night. 

The Bank’s summer students put significant effort over the past few months into using the bank’s high-tech resources (video equipment and inter-active touch-screens throughout the building) to create very down-to earth documentation of the stories of community residents. Just one of several events planned at the bank over the national Culture Days weekend, the premiere gave community and family opportunity to be part of the premiere showing of the Story Teller Legacy Videos.    

Slideshow above: scenes from the evening including Nancy & Harley Lashbrook (storytellers) with daughter Dawn Lashbrook & son Ward Lashbrook (slide 7); Storyteller Betty Simpson (slide 8, bottom left) with Ross Snider, Mary Simpson (daughter), Peter Simpson (son), Vicky Simpson and Ina Nelms.     

Photo feature by Mark Girdauskas

Still going strong at 151 years, the Wallacetown Fair  packed into this past weekend many of the favourite sights, sounds and aromas of autumn in the country. Check out Mark Girdauskas photo feature from his visit to the fair Saturday October 1st.

Slideshow above: scenes from the Wallacetown Fair Saturday.

Find out more about Mark Girdauskas wedding, family and corporate photos at photosbymg.com.

Photos by Mark Girdauskas & Relish Elgin

St. Thomas marked its 130th year as a city with its 3rd Annual Doors Open Sat Oct 1 & Sun Oct 2. Sixteen sites showed off their unique contributions to life in the province and the city. See photos and slides below from just some of the participants. 

The art deco style building which now houses Elgin County administration offices and Elgin County Museum was completed in 1939 as the nurse's residence for the provincial psychiatric hospital located directly across the road.

Slideshow Above:Donna Lyle was on hand to greet visitors to the building on Saturday (slide one); scenes from exterior, Elgin County Council chambers and Museum. 

Canadian Woodenware, founded about 1916, still manufactures washboards, along with wood trellises, planters, bird feeders and other garden accessories. 

Slideshow Above: Doors Open Volunteer, Serge Lavoie welcomed visitors to Canadian Woodenware (slide 1).


St. Thomas City Hall was constructed in 1898-99 according to plans prepared by Neil Darrach, a noted Canadian architect.

Slideshow Above: Shelley Smith was on hand to talk about the history of the former PUC building. 

The St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre has amassed a collection of 900 works of art by local, regional, national and international artists. During Doors Open, visitors could view the current exhibits, an Eric Atkinson retrospective in the Main Gallery and Stanley Lewis prints in the Timken Foundation Gallery, see the behind the scenes storage, and hear an Artist Talk with Eric Atkinson on Sunday.