Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/631317
roofs green?" we inquired. "Yes," said Rob Wallace, Home Hardware Promotional Events Manager, "we generally identify 'green' with an eco-friendly environment. However, green is actually more symbolic of fertility and growth." For palatably pleasing pastry prepara- tions, we decided to seek out the Stone Crock Bakery down the street. Established in 1975, 50 employees, 80 per cent of whom are Mennonites, operate the bakery. They create 35 different specialty cakes and produce an estimated 67,000 pies and 100,000 tarts annually. The owner men- tioned the most popular pastries are Dutch apple pie and apple fritters. The latter are renowned in the village and we proceeded to devour a few of the warm sugar-coated apple delights to confirm this. Stone Crock Bakery also has a booth at the nearby St. Jacobs Farmers' and Flea Market where 600 vendors sell their produce and crafts. Further exploration of King Street brought us to the Hamel Brooms facility. Opened in Waterloo in 1908, it relocated to St. Jacobs in the early 1990s. The sturdy wooden door opened into a former black- smith shop. Built in 1864, it is now a successful corn broom-making operation. Entering the premises felt like stepping back in time. Their oldest piece of equip- ment still in use is a hand sewing vice, which dates from 1898. The most modern unit is a half-century-old sewing machine. Since Canada does not have a long enough growing season for the particular type of grass (Sorghum vulgare) used in broom- making, supplies are imported from Mexico. Producing more than 15,000 brooms annually, Hamel Brooms is among the last Canadian manufacturers to create this style of household broom. We were lit- erally swept away by the old-fashioned, yet effective, means by which such an item we often take for granted is made. THE "KISSING BRIDGE" We ventured out to see the only remaining wooden covered bridge in the province just 12 kilometres north of St. Jacobs. The West Montrose covered bridge near the town of Elmira is 62 metres long. Also known as the "Kissing Bridge," legend has it that this Waterloo Region landmark required the traditional smooch in order to cross. Constructed in the same year as the shoot-out at the OK Corral (1881), the cov- ered bridge spans the Grand River and can only accommodate a three-ton capacity. One can only imagine how the bridge would have been enhanced by an even more bucolic background years ago. Elmira received recognition in the Guin- ness Book of World Records for hosting the world's largest single-day maple syrup fes- tival in 2000. An estimated 66,500 people attended the festival, which included craft sales, sugar bush tours and a pancake-flip- ping contest. Mmmm, flapjacks sound good. Wonder what's on the Metzgers' menu today. DREAMSCAPES WINTER/SPRING 2016 18 FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: St. Jacobs is rated among the best locations in Ontario for antique markets. As many as 600 vendors sell their produce and crafts at the St. Jacobs Farmers' and Flea Market. Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation T R A V E L P L A N N E R For more information on St. Jacobs, visit stjacobs.com. THE MENNONITE STORY Interpretive Centre offers accurate information presented through various media. DS