Annual Wood Fair

The SD&G Certified Forest Owners and the Glengarry Pioneer Museum have come together for the first time to create a new and exciting Wood Fair and Wood Auction scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum in Dunvegan, Ontario. This one-of-a kind fair and auction will provide an opportunity for visitors to connect with artisans, suppliers, woodlot owners, environmental organizations and anyone interested in or actively working with wood. Those with special pieces of wood or small lots of wood will be encouraged to bring material for auction.

This unique partnership between the 5-year-old CFO and the 47-year-old Glengarry Pioneer Museum brings together an organization dedicated to promoting sustainable woodlot management with an organization with the mandate to preserve local heritage and the forest industry, among other things, in Eastern Ontario. “Promote and Preserve” have become the bywords for this event which hopes to become an annual affair.

The SD&G Certified Forest Owners is part of a larger network of woodlot owners concerned about the creation and maintenance of sustainable, private woodlot management through an internationally recognized system of forest certification developed by the Eastern Ontario Model Forest Association to meet the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Forest standards.

The Wood Fair will provide a variety of ways and opportunities to learn about wood, wood artisanship, the wood industry and its history in Eastern Ontario. In addition to its collection of antique woodworking tools, including saws, the Pioneer Museum will be mounting displays on the history of the wood industry in Glengarry County. There were more than 55 lumber and forestry-related businesses existing at the beginning of the 20th century in Glengarry County alone. “The idea for this Wood Fair and Wood Auction originated with the CFO,” says Jennifer Black, the Pioneer Museum’s curator. “The lumber industry was an important part of our past and continues to be a vital part of Glengarry’s present. Working together with the CFO gives us a wonderful opportunity to reach a new and diverse audience.”

As part of the Wood Fair, visitors can choose from a series of workshops and see exhibits by the Resource Stewardship SD&G Council, Raisin River and South Nation Conservation Authorities, among others. There will be as many as 25 wood artisans demonstrating their craft and displaying their work. Lee Valley Tools of Ottawa, in addition to providing materials, will provide gift certificates for those who are most successful at identifying different kinds of wood.

Those interested in selling wood during the auction, whether it be burls, stems of trees or larger lots, can contact Jim Hendry at 613-933-7671. There will be a portable saw mill on site. The wood auction will be held at 1 p.m

Location for the Wood Fair and Auction: The Glengarry Pioneer Museum is located in Dunvegan on County Rd 24. (Dunvegan Road) at the crossroads with County Road 30 (Greenfield Road).