CORNWALL, Ontario – The old stone mill in the heart of Martintown celebrated the opening of its summer season by hosting local charities at their annual Strawberry Social on Saturday, June 18.
Music was provided throughout the day by local musician David McPhee and his students. The event is part of Passport to Our Past.
All strawberries on sale at the Social were from Beauty Rock Berry Farm, just up the road from The Mill.
The Mill was recently awarded $61,700 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to upgrade the mill’s electrical systems outside of the building and give the leaking roof a much needed renovation.
The 170 year-old mill stopped production in the 1950s, but in recent years, efforts have been made to revitalize the mill as the heart of the Martintown community.
“The whole focus is to create a community space,” said John Smith, President of the Martintown Mill Preservation Society. “The first phase was to save this building for the community. In the next phase we will be adding in a stage in this area, which is a key part of making this a community space.”
Inside the Mill, members of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church were holding a bake sale, all proceeds of which were dedicated to helping those in Fort McMurray.
“Everyone in the church agreed that we wanted to help our brothers and sisters in Fort McMurray,” Reverend Ian MacMillan said.
The Martintown Mill Preservation Society also invited the Beyond 21 charity organization.
Beyond 21 is a Cornwall based organization dedicated to helping developmentally disabled adults.
The organization was started by local parents who wanted support for their children after they aged out of the school system.
Dana Bingley and Jane McLaren were on hand from Beyond 21 to hand out cotton candy and raise awareness.
“Beyond 21 was started by parents who wanted their kids to have the support they needed to learn, grow and be more independent,” Mclaren said. “It was so nice to be invited here today.”
