Mayor Rick Maloney and members of Council joined the community to take the first stroll along the new storybook trail at Woodchester. The trail features the story, Penny and the Trail of Wonders, by author Courtney Murrell and illustrated by Kristin Wright, two local Bracebridge artists who created the story with their hometown in mind. As visitors walk the trail they are invited to follow the story of Penny and her dog Ralph as they embark on an adventure with eight pages along the route.
This new local attraction was made possible thanks to Ontario’s Rural Economic Development (RED) program that provides cost-share funding to support activities that create strong rural communities in Ontario and opens doors to rural economic development.
In October 2021, the Town of Bracebridge approved a Downtown Master Plan (DMP) that reimagines Downtown Bracebridge by aiming to optimize its core features with an enlivened main street and interconnected waterfront. The DMP identified eight key locations, including Woodchester, as an area of interest. The storybook trail integrates public art into the location, enhancing community engagement and highlighting Woodchester as an enchanted destination for residents and visitors.
“It’s so exciting to see the storybook trail come to life and create a playful feature to this beautiful location for residents and visitors alike. It’s wonderful to feature a story created by two Bracebridge artists inspired by this great town. Thank you to the province for helping us bring this project to Woodchester and enhancing the economic impact to downtown Bracebridge.”
– Rick Maloney, Mayor, Town of Bracebridge
Wrecked, firstly the grammatical errors on the boards is hilarious, Rome instead of roam, did a child write it? Secondly they would like it left as the original plan of the Bird family, no, not with extra lighting, horrible benches and these silly signs telling kids to TAKE A PINE CONE HOME, Come, see, dont take from a very small ecosystem.