Cottage Life: "Are we there yet?" Big fall show tells all

    One-Tank Trip for Oct. 14/17

 

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Cottage living isn’t just a warm-weather pursuit any longer.

   Those lakeside retreats known as cottages, cabins and vacation homes are increasingly becoming year-round abodes.

   Many have been outfitted with all the comforts of home, including central heating and air-conditioning, for all-year living and as retirement properties.

Cottage retreats are increasingly for all-season use. (Jim Fox photos)

   A survey of 1,100 owners by Cottage Life and the Ontario Real Estate Association found 64 per cent of cottages were used year-round with plans for many more to be converted.

   With that in mind, a popular show for cottage doers and dreamers is a hit not just in the spring but this month, too.

   Returning is the Fall Cottage Life Show from Oct. 20 to 22 at the International Centre (6900 Airport Road) in Mississauga.

   “The fall show is becoming more and more popular as a destination for southern Ontarians to embrace fall and glean practical and seasonal tips and ideas,” said show publicist Kate Calder.

   Visitors to the show can walk through Bonneville Homes’ Micro-Loft V two-bedroom model cottage with just 800 square feet (74.3 square metres) of living space.

Watersport toys are in abundance at the show. (Jim Fox photo)

   For kids, there’s a giant rock wall to climb, visiting the Haliburton Sled Dogs and having fun in the cottage games area.

  Main stage presentations include TV personalities Colin and Justin,a real estate question-and-answer session and demonstration of a portable solar-powered generator

   For cottagers planning a big project for next spring, the show is a great place to start their research and meet with a variety of best-in-class vendors and experts, said Rebecca De Silva, Cottage Life’s consumer show engagement manager.

   “The fall show also attracts a lot of people interested in buying a cottage property or renting a cottage next summer,” she added.

   It’s also the “best place” to start research and the editorial team at the Cottage Life booth will be available to give advice on cottage hunting, De Silva said.

   It’s the season to build it, fix it and get ’er done as it showcases the best do-it-yourself practises.

   The show brings together 225 exhibitors offering docks, building products, furniture, boats and outdoor equipment.

   Show-goers can meet with cottage-country realtors, building experts, eco-energy suppliers, view woodworking demonstrations and kick back at the popular Dock Party.

“Which way to the lake?” asks a visitor at the Cottage Life Show.

    Show highlights

   Appearing on the main stage are experts with advice and ideas while cottage real estate in the post-summer market is highlighted.

   Cottage Life magazine editor-in-chief, Michelle Kelly will moderate a panel discussion with realtor experts Chris Winney and Ross Halloran.

   Canadian inventor and Dragon’s Den contributor, Connie Stacey, will show her solar-powered generator, Grengine, with its accessible, affordable energy source and back-up.

   Colin and Justin of Cabin Pressure will “entertain, amuse and inspire” with design ideas and DIY projects and meet with fans on Oct. 22.

Bonneville Homes will be showing its tiny model cottage.

    Learn the logistics of building a cottage from afar with Dave Bond from Beaver Lumber and handling climate change with Melinda Zytaruk from Fourth Pig Green and Nature Construction.

   There will be information about foundations with builder Andrew Brown and ideas with Angela Jones from Lakeshore Designs.

   The cottage workshop’s Wayne Lennox will build a rack for canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards.

   The Dock Party features food and drink including premium beer from Muskoka Brewery and cocktails from Walters Caesar to benefit the Cottage Dreams Cancer Recovery Initiative.

A fall sunset is reflected in a cottage window. (Jim Fox photo)

   If you go

   Show dates/hours are Oct. 20, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Oct. 21, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Oct. 22, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

   Tickets are $15; $14, ages 14 to 17; free, 13 and younger; $22, weekend pass. Seniors are $10 on Oct. 20 and adult $4 discounts after 4 p.m. opening day. Free parking. cottagelife.com/shows

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Jim Fox can be reached at onetanktrips@hotmail.com

For more One-Tank Trips: http://1tanktrips.blogspot.ca