Village Squire, 1976-08, Page 11rest and relaxation. Slowly people began to
discover the little lakeshore village as a place
to spend long summer days. The age of
Bayfield as a resort town can be seen today in
the fact that so many of the cottages are from
a former period, unlike many resorts where
all the cottages have been built since the
Second World War and look rather junky. The
older cottages of Bayfield may have been
looked on as little more than shacks when
they were built but today, they seem to have a
flare and character in their shingled sides,
that the modern buildings can't match.
The villages population had slipped to 348
in 1927 when the village disincorporated as an
attempt to cut the cost of installing electricity
in the village. By 1965 when it was
incorporated again, the population was back
up to 474, and now stands at over 500. But the
land area of the village is down to a mere 727
acres compared to the 1767 when the village
was incorporated the first time.,
One of the attractions of Bayfield to many
summer residents is that it's an island of
stability in the sea of change they encounter
in the cities of southern Ontario and
Michigan. Yet though it seems like'something
of a Rip ,Vanwinkle-land, Bayfield has been
seeing significant changes of late; The
difference is that change must live with the
town, not vice -versa as so often happens in
the cities.
There has in the pist kw years, for instance,
been a dramatic increase in the number of
small shops along the strung -out avenue
known ps Bayfield's main street. They've
added a further touch of class through their
shopping variety (though some residents
aren't always so thrilled with the outward
appearance which can be a little too "summer
resorty". Now fine Canadian woolen goods,
hand crafted furniture, imported and
Canadian made knick-knacks and antiques
from our past can all be found in a leisurely
stroll along the tree -lined street.
The pace remains slow, even while a few
hundred feet away traffic roars by with
vacationers impatignt to get from one place to
another in a hurry. In Bayfield one can't
escape the feeling that there's all the time in
the world. People actually walk, here. Yes,
that's right, not drive, but walk. Just about
any time of the day you'll see cnuples, even
whole families, out for a stroll and looking like
they're not even in a hurry to get somewhere
They're joined by the cyclists who seem so
at home on the streets of the village it's like it
was designed just for them.
But down at the harbour Bayfield is
changing fast, too fast for some people's
tastes. A few short years ago you'd see a few
motor cruises tied up in the harbour but
sailing yachts were few and far between.
Today the harbour is a forest of masts along
both the old south shore and the north shore
where a development company has built a
new marina despite some legal jousting with
the local.authorities. A drive by the harbour
on any summer day is the quickest way to see
a million dollars there is...several million in
fact as the hundreds of yachts tie up along the
half -mile of harbourfront.
It all means money, of course and money
helps keep the village thriving, but unlike
other places, more business doesn't seem to
change things. in Bayfield. It just seems to
add to that touch of class that the village
wears like a rich society lady who even when
she spills coffee in her lap, somehow seems
above it all. How envied that touch is by so
many towns.
Never had
a Pap Test?
What are
you waiting
for?
0
CANADIAN
CANCER
SOCIETY
For over forty years
Welcome Wagon hostesses
have been making calls
on newcomers - whether they
be within our own nation or
in a foreign country.
If you are a newcomer,
know of one, or are a businessman
desiring representation
in the newcomer's home, call
your local representative listed below
for WELCOME WAGON LIMITED.
504F,
l'D
Call your Welcome
Wagon Hostess now.
WINGHAM 357-3275
EXETER 235-2870
MITCHELL 348-8925
GODERICH 524-6654
SEAFORTH 527-0923
STRATFORD. 271-5856
VILLAGE SQUIRE/AUGUST 1976, 9