AO’s summer events and contests celebrate Tom Thomson and Canada 150

In 2017, Canada’s sesquicentennial and the 100th anniversary of Tom Thomson’s death converge, and that means it’s time to celebrate! There are events and activities happening all over Huntsville, Muskoka and Algonquin Park to mark the occasion. Here are just a few, presented or sponsored by Algonquin Outfitters (AO).

Tom Thomson Paddle Art Contest, closes August 31, 2017

Algonquin Outfitters’ Paddle Art Contest connects a couple of things in local culture that we love: paddling and art. AO is hoping to have at least 100 paddles created in honour of the 100th anniversary of Tom Thomson’s death in 1917 and to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada.

To enter the contest, visit an Algonquin Outfitters store, pay the contest entry fee of $25 which includes your canvas for your masterpiece – either an unfinished paddle blank or a rough paddle blank (for carving) – and then create something unique. Paint it, carve it, or cut or burn a design onto it. Read contest details here.

The contest culminates in an online auction throughout September 2017 and a live event at the Algonquin Theatre on September 29, 2017. Prizes will be awarded to the artists of the paddles that raise the most at auction. Proceeds support Oxtongue Lake for Arts and Culture (OLAC) and the Town of Huntsville Fund for Future Acquisition of Public Art.

Great Outdoors, Inspired by Tom Thomson photo contest, closes September 10

Tom Thomson had a passion for the Canadian landscape, spending countless hours, sometimes in harsh weather, to try to capture it on his canvas or in his sketchbook.

Explore nature through art this summer and let Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven and the great outdoors inspire your inner photographer. Pack your camera wherever you go to capture your experience out in the wild, and then share those moments in the “Great Outdoors, Inspired by Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven” photo contest, brought to you by Lake of Bays Brewing Co., Cavalcade Color Lab and Algonquin Outfitters.

Read the contest guideline and see some of the submitted photos here and then get snapping! There are some fantastic prizes to be won.

150 for 150 on Canoe Lake, June 24-25

Algonquin Outfitters is proud to sponsor this celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary.

The canoe is a Canadian icon – it is the vessel for a beloved pastime, and it has both historical significance and ties to First Nations peoples. This event will gather 150 canoes on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park to “acknowledge the grassroots ingenuity and craftsmanship of the First Nations gift to this country and people; inform the public as to the pivotal role the canoe played in the creation of this country; and share in the passion for the sport and how it intimately connects us to this land and country.”

Be part of history – sign up to join Algonquin Outfitters and others on Canoe Lake on June 25. There will be canoe Olympics, swag, and prizes throughout the weekend, too!

Painting the Wilderness of the Oxtongue film screening at the Algonquin Theatre, July 1

What was it like for Tom Thomson and the future Group of Seven painters when they first set out to paint the Canadian wilderness? Award-winning film producer Bob Hilscher takes viewers along the Oxtongue waterway in his documentary Painting the Wilderness of the Oxtongue to visit some of the sites where Group of Seven painters were inspired.

Proceeds from this show help further the nonprofit efforts of Oxtongue Lake for Arts and Culture (OLAC) to create a better understanding of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven.

Join Algonquin Outfitters as this intriguing film returns to the Algonquin Theatre where it premiered back in 2015. Showtime is July 1 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are available online here.

​Free canoe deliveries to Canoe Lake, all summer long

This is a sponsored story paid for by the featured advertiser