The Rural Voice, 1998-10, Page 204\‘i
Huron
HARVEST
TRAIL
J
SLarting this fall there's a new tourist attraction in
Huron County, away from the beaches of the
lakeshore or the theatres and down the concessions
and back roads. It's the Huron Harvest Trail and organizers
are hoping it will at long last marry the tourism and
agriculture industries for the benefit of both.
The new project, kicked off with a celebration
September 26 near Hensall, is modeled after the Niagara
winery tours, says Cass Bailey who was in charge of
pulling the concept together. Tourists will be able to take a
self -guided tour through various parts of the county and
visit farms and other food -oriented businesses and learn
about the production, processing and retailing of food in a
county so large and productive that it has a higher income
from food production than any of the four Atlantic
provinces.
The idea came to reality through a Canadapt grant
sought, and won, by the Huron Tourism Association. To
apply for the grant, Bayley says, there had to be a clear
vision developed of what was the objective. The
association wanted to link food and agritourism in a
package that offered a whole new alternative for visitors to
the county.
Once the grant was secured, a brochure was designed
and sent out to potential attractions on the trail: operators
of farm gate markets, farms that offered tours, restaurants
or inns that used local products, farm vacation or bed and
breakfast establishments and retail stores that sell local
food products.
"We were hoping to have 30-40 stops," recalls Bayley.
"There was a far greater response than we anticipated." In
the end 75 county farms and businesses paid the
membership to become part of the Huron Harvest Trail.
"Seventy-five really interesting stops," Bayley says.
"There's a wide variety, places I've never hear of in 20
years of living here."
Bayley said she knew there were many artists living in
the area (that's another project she'll be working on under
the grant, a cultural tour of the county) but she didn't
realize there were so many small food processing
businesses in the county.
In the end there will be not one, but three Huron Harvest
Trails: one in the north, one in the centre and one in the
south of the county.
16 THE RURAL VOICE
Marrying agriculture
and tourism
The new Huron Harvest Trail is designed to
give visitors to Huron County a new reason to
stay longer. If it works, it will also provide
farm families with an alternative crop:
agritourism
By Keith Roulston
Things farmers take for granted hold a great fascination
for people who seldom visit a farm.
Unlike many attractions, the Huron Harvest Trail will be
available to visitors all year round. They can stop in at a
tourist information depot and pick up the 32 -page guide
that contains a description of each of the stops on the trail
and maps, an overall map of the county showing all three
trails and three smaller maps for each regional trail. They'll
have access to businesses offering food, accommodation or
new adventures like farm tours and they can pick and
choose which they want to visit. Those businesses will be
marked by distinctive signs for easy identification.
Amy and Bill Fotheringham signed up for the Huron