A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

BY KELLY WATERHOUSE

Photography by Gail Gordon Oliver

There is a place where urban sprawl and big-box retailers do not tread, where people know their shopkeepers by name, and a traffic jam is as likely to be caused by an antique car rally as a farm tractor. Nobody honks with impatience. Not because it would be considered rude, but because this is downtown Erin, and everyone knows the farmer driving that tractor, just as sure as they know he is off to help a neighbour.  Around here, they share the road like they share the community; as they have always done.

These are the values of this charming town, as set in stone as the heritage buildings that remain as a testament to its founders. Full of character, even the architecture bears the mark of Erin’s uniqueness. If you look carefully, you’ll see the fingerprints of the past over the windows of several heritage buildings, where the arched lintels display a central keystone resting on two corner blocks. The sandstone has been traced to the nearby Credit Forks quarry. Dating back to the late nineteenth century, this unique template can be found throughout Erin and the surrounding area – but only a stone’s throw from the village, then no more. It’s a signature for a town full of style.

Let go of any preconceived small-town notions, though. Erin may have an intimate downtown core – known as the Village of Erin – but this town is and always was a thriving community. Blessed with prime agricultural land and industrious village folk, self-sustainability is embedded in the soul of this place.

The first dam and sawmill were built in 1826, but three years later it was the entrepreneurial ambitions of Daniel McMillan, a young Scotsman, who recognized that the natural topography of this land along the banks of the West Credit River was ripe for industrial development. Together with his two brothers, Charles and Hugh, he set to work reconstructing the original sawmill and adding a proper grist mill. Later, they constructed two new mills and a dam farther upstream. Nearby, farmers worked the land and fed the community. People depended on one another.  And until around 1851, the town was known as MacMillan’s Mills.

The town name was changed to Erinsville and then simply to Erin (pronounced ear-in, by the locals, air-in by newcomers), but the McMillans’ legacy lives on, from the agricultural landscape, largely unblemished by development, to the picturesque streetscape of Main St. The urban and rural sections of the villages of Erin and Hillsburgh, along with the rural hamlets of Ballinafad, Brisbane, Cedar Valley, Crewson’s Corners, Orton and Ospringe, form the amalgamated Town of Erin, located within the County of Wellington. Erin is an authentic village with a unique community spirit. Quality of life means something here.  Its residents have found the sweet balance of moving ahead with the times without losing their grasp on the past.

Less than an hour northwest of Toronto, Erin is the ultimate daytrippers’ destination. It offers something to satisfy every adventurous appetite, from the hikers and bikers to the food-savvy and locavores, the art collectors, and even the most discriminating shoppers. From the moment you pass the Welcome to Erin sign, you know you are lucky to be here.  And you truly feel invited. In every store, restaurant, business and gallery, the people who live in this township want you to love it as much as they do. The charm of this community is the community itself.

I first knew this was my kind of town when I saw the sign for Erin Radio, 101.5 FM. Local culture flows through the airwaves with 50 watts of power transmitting 60 kilometres in every direction. Jay Mowat, retired CBC journalist and broadcaster, is its volunteer station manager and chair of the board of directors. Now an organic market gardener and maple syrup producer on his Willow Creek Farm in Erin, Mowat credits a supportive town council and public efforts with making this station a reality.

“We are entirely volunteer-run, with a weekly rotation of thirty-five on-air hosts and seventy-five volunteers to keep things moving,” Mowat explains. “Our programming is decidedly local, with local personalities, issues and interviews. Through us, the community gets to know what’s going on here and meet the personalities of this village.” From regional politics and history to arts and culture, with the occasional national content to round out the programming, Erin Radio speaks to the masses because they are actually listening. Tune in. You’ll be impressed.

Creativity is in the water around here. Artists have fallen in love with the rolling hills, picturesque views and back-to-nature appeal of Erin. Each September, artists of every medium open their studio doors to the public for the Hills of Erin Studio Tour. But you’ll find a warm welcome year-round in galleries and shops throughout the community.  It’s easy to get inspired in this place.

Take a walk along Main St. in the Village of Erin and you can plan your day from breakfast to dinner, with take-away dessert, too. You might begin with tea and scrumptious homemade scones at Tintagels Tea Room.  For lunch, grab a fresh sandwich and an americano at Carver’s Block, or dine in at Bistro Riviere for a full menu of contemporary offerings. Down the street is the Busholme Inn with its pub fare, and a short drive from Erin Village you’ll find Saucy Soup, a small diner, and David’s Restaurant, a local institution known for its Sunday roast beef dinners.

Do not pass Holtom’s Bakery, a third-generation establishment, without purchasing a home-baked apple crumble and a package of fresh hamburger rolls. You’re going to want these for the pulled pork that is ready and waiting at What’s Cookin’, a cookware shop, caterer and prepared foods emporium where us non-chef types can obtain healthy meals made from local produce and naturally raised meats without actually having to cook. When nobody is looking, dive into Debora’s Chocolate Shop and snap up a truffle. Or stop in at Steen’s Dairy Bar, another local institution, for an ice cream or milkshake. Consider it an energy boost. You’ll need the nourishment, because any serious shopper is going to get hungry meandering between food shops, home décor stores, clothing boutiques – and hardware and feed stores; a real adventure for the senses.

The first thing you’ll notice is that people are friendly in Erin. Shopkeepers care about their stores and their service. If you’re there early enough on a typical morning, you’ll see the shop owners out sweeping the sidewalks, chatting with each other before they flip the open signs over for another active day. Despite the small-town status, these stores are busy year-round because Erin locals shop at home. Not because they have to – shopping on a bigger scale is nearby in every direction (Georgetown, Guelph, Fergus and Orangeville are each about a twenty-minute drive) – but because they choose to. Village sustainability matters.

“We take great pride in our heritage. Our love for the village inspires us to keep things beautiful,” explains Stephanie Gairdner, vice chair of the Village of Erin BIA and proprietor of Renaissance, a shop on Main St. With the lure of big-box stores in neighbouring communities, the commitment of residents to shop local is founded in much more than convenience. “I have many customers who do 100 percent of their shopping in this town. We take care of one another here.”

Even the shop owners support their retail neighbours. “Every stop in each store is unique. Our merchants consciously choose not to carry the same products. Everyone is that noble here,” says Jo Fillery, owner of What’s Cookin’. “Customers know they’ll get the right value for what they’re buying and have an honest relationship with who they’re buying from.” Cooperation over competition is part of the village charm.

It’s also another reason you have to keep returning to Erin: treasures abound in every season. One of the ways to really get a feel for the town spirit is to take part in Erin’s annual Window Wonderland and Christmas Tree Lighting, taking place this year on November 12th. The whole town shows up as village shopkeepers unveil their creative Christmas-themed store windows as carollers traverse the main street in a horse-drawn carriage.

The riches aren’t just in the stores. Locavores can spend a day or more getting inspired by the farmers who are hard at work – independently and collectively – in what is a truly inspired network of community. Respect for the land and a renewed optimism for the future of agriculture form the backbone of farms like Everdale Organic Farm and Environmental Learning Centre in Hillsburgh, Jay Mowat’s Willow Creek, and Val Steinmann’s Heartwood Farm in Ospringe. Erin’s Home grown Harvest is a group comprised of these and other local farmers and independent food producers, most of whom have embraced organic farming practices.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs are finding success as community awareness grows. Cathy Hansen, a Canadian Red Seal chef and the owner of Bernway Farm, also a member of Erin’s Homegrown Harvest, says there is a conscious effort to build on cooperative farming. “We have a real dedication to sustainable farming practices in this area. We are small-time farmers who are really trying to make it by producing food as our living. We work together, support each other, [and] share best practices and resources so we can grow the best products and demand a fair price.”

Brendan Johnson, executive director of Everdale, remarks that local support makes this region a perfect location for the not-for-profit environmental learning centre’s vision: “We get great volunteer and outreach support, donations from local businesses and schools, all helping to support our farm education programs. Farmers support each other here, too, and we’re all successful because our community is behind us.  Farms are growing because the demand is here to support us.” You can meet the member producers of Erin’s Homegrown Harvest, along with numerous other farmers and food producers, at the Erin Fall Fair, which takes place annually over Thanksgiving weekend.  This agricultural fair is great fun for all, and will be celebrating its 160th anniversary this year. And numerous farms in Erin and the surrounding area have stores on site that sell everything from eggs gathered that morning to freshly picked vegetables and meats produced from their own pastured livestock.

Maybe you want to do some exploring out of town? Erin forms part of the Hills of Headwaters (the headwaters of both the Credit and Grand rivers are found in the town), where over 400 kilometres of walking trails can be explored. Nature walks or cycling trips offer a spectacular view of the environs, whether you simply follow the Erin walking trail from Stanley Park, over the West Credit River to the downtown core, or hike all or part of the Elora Cataract Trailway, a 47-kilometre trail that runs from Elora through Hillsburgh and Erin, and ends at Cataract in Caledon.

While in Hillsburgh, be sure to stop by the Pantry Shelf Bake Shop & Tea Room to enjoy a delightful lunch or snack that’s got to include one of their famous butter tarts. You can walk off the pastry calories on your way home. Or head east to the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park for a journey into nature with a view of the unspoiled landscape.

A visit to Erin is not just a destination; it is an escape, a breath of fresh air. Inhale. Authenticity is truly charming.

Town of Erin: www.erin.ca (be sure to click on the About Erin tab for some interesting information)
Village of Erin BIA: www.villageoferin.com (includes a listing of events in Erin Village)
Hills of Headwaters: www.thehillsofheadwaters.com (click on the tab for Erin to access information on businesses, accommodations, cultural activities, etc.)
Elora Cataract Trailway: www.trailway.org
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park: www.thehillsofheadwaters.com/earlrowe/mem-section.php?sid=355
Erin Fall Fair: www.erinfair.ca
Hills of Erin Studio Tour: www.hillsoferinstudiotour.com
Everdale Organic Farm & Environmental Learning Centre: www.everdale.org
Erin’s Homegrown Harvest: www.homegrownharvest.ca (includes a listing of member farms)
Erin Radio: www.erinradio.ca 
What’s Cookin’: 98 Main St., Erin, www.whatscookin.ca
Bistro Riviere: 82 Main St., www.bistroriviere.com
Holtom’s Bakery: 78 Main St.
Steen’s Dairy Bar: 76 Main St.
Tintagel’s Tea Room: 50 Main St.
The Busholme Inn: 156 Main St.
Saucy Soup: 282 Main St.
David’s Restaurant: 20 Shamrock Rd. (17th Sideroad) www.davidserin.com
Pantry Shelf Bake Shop & Tea Room: 90 Main St. (Trafalgar Rd), Hillsburgh

Kelly Waterhouse is a freelance writer living in the beautiful village of Elora, Ontario. Surrounded by farmland, she sees firsthand the importance of supporting local farmers and the chefs, restaurateurs and retail stores that bring these foods to her community. As a mother, she appreciates the health benefits and environmental concerns associated with this movement. Kelly’s weekly humour column in the Wellington Advertiser, “Write Out of Her Mind,” tackles big-world issues from a smalltown perspective.