It’s Muskoka Heritage Place like you’ve never seen it before.
The historical pioneer village has been adorned with 18,000 lights for a new event, Eclipse: Walk with Light.
Visitors to the event will embark on a night-time forest walk and encounter five interactive light displays inspired by time, nature, and the seasons.
The event is a partnership between the Huntsville Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce, Huntsville Festival of the Arts, the Huntsville Municipal Accommodation Tax Association, the Town of Huntsville, the Downtown Huntsville BIA, and the Ontario government.
Organizers introduced the event at a special preview on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
“Our funders and supporters are seeing how important this is obviously for COVID recovery and in particular to focus on shoulder-season tourism, which is what we are so passionate about all the time anyway,” said Kelly Haywood, executive director of the Huntsville Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce.
The $870,000 project was funded in large part by the Huntsville Municipal Accommodation Tax Association, which contributed about $300,000 to the initiative, and grants from the provincial government, along with support from the Town of Huntsville and other partners, noted Haywood. “It’s a huge endeavour,” she added.
Mayor Karin Terziano called it an “amazing event for Huntsville… it’s going to bring visitors into our community in our slow season when a lot of people don’t necessarily come. It’s going to be such a great attraction for them. It’s going to be an amazing attraction for our local residents, many of whom have never come to Muskoka Heritage Place in the summer to see what’s here, and now we’ve got something that’s so affordable to bring them out this winter and find out that we’ve got a treasure right here.”
Jesse Hamilton, chair of the Huntsville Municipal Accommodation Tax Association board, said that the event began with a discussion about “how can we create something that brings some joy and gets us thinking about things the way we used to [pre-COVID], focused on the local residents first here in Huntsville and then those in other areas of the province who will come to enjoy it with us.”
Eclipse: Walk with Light was more than a year in the making.
Limbic Media installed the display, using a sound-responsive light system to make the show interactive, along with signage to encourage participation, and audio to enhance the visitor experience.
“Eclipse is about time and human’s relationship with time,” said Gabby Odowichuk with Limbic Media. “A lot of our art pieces we want to make people think about what it means to be human and the human experience and to try to connect people through that.”
Eclipse: Walk with Light is at the intersection of art, history, and the environment, noted Huntsville Festival of the Arts executive director Dan Watson. “We’re known as an outdoor recreation destination. This really positions the arts and history as also an attraction of our town… it’s such a fantastic experience and I know it will spark the imagination of not only the artists and community members here, but everybody who comes and visits.”
Ron Gostlin, manager at Muskoka Heritage Place, joked that people will see Muskoka Heritage Place “in a whole new light”, a line he said he’d been waiting a year to be able to use. He applauded the Limbic Media team for their care in working on the site, which comprises buildings that are historical artifacts. “I know that there’s a growing number of lighting installations, festivals and events in Ontario right now, but I’m not sure how many can compete with this backdrop,” he said.
The event opens on Friday, November 5 and runs every evening until May 7, 2022.
The forest walk begins and ends at the Rotary Village Station (100 Forbes Hill Drive). It is wholly outdoors, so dress for the weather.
In the winter, snowshoes will be available to borrow. Special events are planned throughout the season, including a visit with Santa as well as a New Year’s Eve celebration. Stay tuned for details.
On weekends, Canvas Brewing Co. and BeaverTails will be serving drinks and snacks.
Admission is $5 for ages 13 and older; children 12 and under can view the display for free. Hours, tickets, and other details are available at eclipselightwalk.com.
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I was fortunate to be able to attend the opening night.
All I can say is ….Awesome….????
Take yourselves and your guests to be apart of this amazing display.
You will become one with nature, our wonderful Pioneer Village and the excitement that surrounds you.
I highly recommend the hot chocolate and Baileys.
Have fun.
WOW!!! This looks very impressive…can hardly wait until it is open!