Cottage country escapes fuelled by baby boomers

   One-Tank Trip for March 24/12

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Why wait for summer – do it now – since the weather can’t get much better.

   Across “cottage country,” owners are heading out to open up the place much earlier than usual with the arrival of summer-like weather.

   Would-be cottage buyers are scouring the countryside for that perfect dream place by the lake – largely fuelled by baby boomers looking for their retirement escape.

   Cisco watches for loons as the sun sets over another great day at the cottage on Bass Lake. (Jim Fox photo)

Snowbird sightings across Ontario as weather is for the birds

   One-Tank Trip for March 17/12

  

   (c) By Jim Fox

   This weather is for the birds.

   Just as the swallows are returning to San Juan Capistrano, the swans are headed back to the Avon River, waterfowl are frolicking in Presqu'ile Bay and tundra swans are making pit stops at Jack Miner’s place and North Lambton.

Swans take part in a musical march to the Avon River from their winter quarters. (Stratford Tourism Alliance)

  

Sappy time of year with maple syrup festivals

   One-Tank Trip for March 10/12

   (c) By Jim Fox

   It’s time to get sappy again.

   Maple syrup madness is in full swing across Southern Ontario, with the earliest tapping for sap in history thanks to Mother Nature.

   Enjoy a sweet treat down on the farm in the Woodstock area or take in maple syrup festivals in Elmira, London and other locales.

Eric Boyar (left), owner/chef at Six Thirty Nine, and Michael Davies, executive chef at the Elm Hurst Inn and Spa, with Mary Jakeman picking up maple syrup for their special March menus. (Oxford Tourism)

  

The Jacksons set to Rock Rama in June

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jackie, Jermaine, Randy, Marlon & Tito, The Jacksons To Rock Rama

Casino Rama announces new concerts for 2012 concert season

RAMA, ON (Tuesday, March 12, 2011) – Sometimes a performer only needs one name, but when you see these five together – Jackie, Jermaine, Randy, Marlon & Tito – there can be no mistaking the First Family of Music THE JACKSONS are in the house!  Don’t miss a chance to see these iconic Motown brothers perform their infectious brand of funky pop & soul live on June 20^th.

The Jacksons

Summer Tour 2012

Wednesday, June 20

SHOWTIME: 8 PM, DOORS OPEN: 7 PM

Tickets are $45/$55

Iconic Motown legends, The Jacksons (Jackie, Jermaine, Randy, Marlon & Tito), will be sharing the unforgettable songs of the Jackson 5 on their worldwide tour this summer.  Their hits include: “ABC”, I Want You Back”, “I’ll Be There” & “The Love You Save”.

Day-tripping to Ontario milestone events

   One-Tank Trip for March 3/12

   (c) By Jim Fox

   This is the year for milestone events including the 100th anniversary of Sunshine Sketches by Stephen Leacock, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s 60th and the 45-year-old Mennonite Quilt Auction.

   Make plans now to attend special activities to mark these significant events.

   Sunshine sketches

   It was a century ago that Leacock penned Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town that put Orillia – make that Mariposa – on the map.

Visitors can view the property where Stephen Leacock wrote Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town 100 years ago. (Photo by Jim Fox)

A blooming good time at upcoming garden shows in Stratford, Toronto

   One-Tank Trip for Feb. 25/12

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Even after a not-so-difficult winter weather-wise, it’s always nice to look forward to spring.

   Get a head start on spring sensations by tiptoeing through the tulips, daffodils, roses, daisies, pansies and petunias.

   They will be in abundance along with other gems of the earth at two highly anticipated garden shows in Stratford and Toronto.

Flower displays burst with the colours of spring at the Stratford Garden Festival.

   Blooming good time

   “Celebrating Our Roots,” conveying an intertwining of nature and music, is this year’s theme for the Stratford Garden Festival next Thursday through Sunday (March 1 to 4).

   The landscapers will “draw their inspiration from the vast resource of our musical roots” in creating their gardens, said Deedee Herman of the hosting Lung Association, Huron-Perth.

   In its 12th year, the event at the Stratford Rotary Complex (353 McCarthy Rd.) features “lots of new exhibitors as well as returning favourites,” she said.

Family Day Weekend in Ontario, a time for fun

   One-Tank Trip for Feb. 11/12

  

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Here are ways to keep everyone happy on the Family Day Weekend in Ontario.

   This includes outdoor adventures in parks, indoor Kids-Fests and Snowman Mania – in spite of the absence of winter.

Family Day weekend events include cruising along the 300-metre skate path at Arrowhead Provincial Park north of Huntsville. (Ontario Parks photo)

   Walk on the wild side

    - Ontario Parks suggests the following including Winter in the Wild at Algonquin Provincial Park.

   The Saturday (Feb. 18) event starts with a guided morning bird walk, lunch at the visitor centre and a visit to the "Collection Room" with natural history items including bird and animal skins, pinned insect and plant specimens, some of which are 80-years old.

Love is in the air for Valentine's Day celebrations

   One-Tank Trip for Feb. 4/12

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Love is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches and here are a few suggestions that turned up in the One-Tank Trip E-mail in-box.

   Do not disturb

   “Why not take time out from our silly schedules for a little romance at a hideaway for two and fall ‘inn’ love again?” asks Laurel Armstrong, a tourism industry representative in Southwestern Ontario.

   On behalf of Ontario's Finest Hotels, Inn and Spas, she reports there are “25 Valentine’s Heartening Getaways” available.

Lovers can check into the Valentine’s package available at the Little Inn of Bayfield.

   “From a romantic and cozy lakeside inn to the luxury of a world-class spa housed in an historic mansion, Ontario’s Finest Hotels, Inns and Spas offer couples with romantic notions an unparalleled variety of memorable locations and those special-extras packages in special settings,” said Kathy Nichol, executive director.

Ontario updates its service centres along Highways 401 and 400

   One-Tank Trip for Jan. 28/12

 

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Heading out on the highway for a “one-tank trip” or even commuting is more pleasurable with the much-improved service centres across Ontario.

   The ONroute Highway Service Centres along Highways 401 and 400 are reminiscent of the modern refuelling, food and rest stops on U.S. interstates and throughways.

ONroute Highway Service Centres are opening along Highways 401 and 400 across Ontario to better serve motorists, including this one in Trenton. (Photo by Ben Rahn/A-Frame)

   The Ontario government’s redevelopment program is replacing 23 outdated centres, intending the new ones to be “a welcome beacon of genuine hospitality, innovation and safety during your travels.”

   More than 500,000 people travel these two highways daily, making them among the busiest roadways in North America.

   The three-year program includes staffed Ontario Tourism Information Centres at ONroute  Tilbury South and ONroute Bainsville, which are the gateways to the Highway 401 corridor from the east and west.

   All of the centres include self-serve stations stocked with news and tourist brochures about their respective local communities, along with free WiFi.

A travel "bucket list" for kids before they're 15

   One-Tank Trip for Jan. 21/12

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Should young kids have a so-called vacation “bucket list?”

   Ontario Parks thinks so and has come up with a “suggested list of 15 things to do with your kids before they turn 15.”

   “Parents interested in the outdoors and family camping have a short window of time before kids’ seasonal jobs and other interests can change family holiday time,” said publicist Lori Waldbrook.

   She offers the following as a starter list:

   Get camping, swimming, fishing . . .

Things to do before they’re 15 at Ontario Parks includes teaching kids how to camp. (Photo – Ontario Parks)

Winter? Are we there yet as Wiarton Willie slumbers and Winterlude has contingency plans

   One-Tank Trip for Jan. 14/12

    (c) By Jim Fox

   Oh, the weather outside might be frightful – that is if you are a diehard frigid-winter sports enthusiast.

   Milder temperatures and less snow on the ground are making it difficult for organizers of winter festivals.

   Wiarton Willie, the weather prognosticating groundhog, will have some explaining to do about what happened to the winter and whether what we’ve had is all we’ll get.

There’s lots of pomp and ceremony when Wiarton Willie emerges to give his prediction on when winter will end. This photo from 2005 shows Willie, Jim Mitchell, his handler (in the white tuxedo), and then-Mayor Carl Noble, Town of South Bruce Peninsula.

   In the meantime, the National Capital Commission (NCC) has contingency plans in place if things don’t cool down in time for the 34th year of the big spectacle, Winterlude in Ottawa-Gatineau.

Glitz in gear at the Charity Preview gala of the North American Auto Show in Detroit

   One-Tank Trip published on Jan. 7/8, 2012

  

   (c) By Jim Fox

   DETROIT – It’s glitz in gear as the “new car smell” will permeate Cobo Center packed for a soiree to admire and even fondle the latest models.

   Yes, it's like prom night for big kids at the Charity Preview of the North American International Auto Show next Friday (Jan. 13).

Models displaying the latest models add to the glitz at the Charity Preview of the North American International Auto Show. (Jim Fox photo)

   The “Motor City” is on a roll again and gaining momentum after stalling out for a few years with the auto industry in disarray, so it’s time to party again.

   The high-society event is a prelude to the show’s public days that run from Jan. 14 to 22 and feature more than 500 new cars and trucks.

   “We are seeing a decidedly upbeat industry,” with gala ticket sales up 20 per cent, said chairman Bill Perkins.

   More than 12,000 people will pay $250 US each to attend the black-tie affair as the festive merrymakers make an evening of it -- many arriving in limousines and heading out for a night of partying afterwards.

Writer Jim Fox tries out a new Jaguar convertible at the North American International Auto Show. (Barbara Fox photo)