Summer Run 2006

The Ontario Jaguar-OnLine

OJOA Summer Event - Fergus

August 27, 2006

By Jeff Booth
The Ontario Jaguar

OJOA members enjoyed a very pleasant end-of-August run from a Brampton starting point, up through the backroads to the drop-dead-gorgeous town of Fergus, north of Guelph. (OK,OK, we had a bit of highway driving first......)

After battling triple-barrelled Detour surprises, the group pulled into the Fergus Community Centre on time to marshall for a drive-through parade of classic and special-interest cars which wound it's way from the east-end community centre, through the charming, limestone buildings of downtown Fergus, out to the west of town. Final destination was the Wellington County Musuem and Archives, a National Historic Site that's on the way from Fergus to Elora.

The magnificent museum features a dozen galleries which reflect the histories and lives of Wellington County. According to the musem, the magnificent structure was built from locally quarried limestone in 1877 as a "House of Industry and Refuge." This landmark structure provided shelter for the "deserving poor", the aged and the homeless for nearly a century. It is the oldest "house of refuge" in Canada, and this is one of the reasons why it is elevated to the status of National Historic Site.

At the top of the hill the museum sits on, organizers had arranged a food concession (complementary snacks for participants), the Fergus Brass Band and museum priviledges, which included activities for the young and young at heart.

Our visit to the museum's Classic Car Show was topped off by a visit to The Fergus Brewhouse, again another cut stone building. The Fergus Brewhouse dates back to mid 1800s. Back then the lovely building, on the north side of the Speed River was known as the home of Thomas Watson, proprietor of the Webster Tannery. Like many in the Fergus area, Watson has come from Scotland. The building was later to become a flour mill, then an electrical generating plant. Then, around 1910 the building became a chick hatchery for the next phase of its many-chaptered history.

This event was suggested as far back as last year by rock-solid OJOA members Cathy and Eric Carstensen. Cathy and Eric, you may recall, were involved in a nasty accident with their lovely early E-Type coupe last year -- while doing the preliminaries for an OJOA Summer Run. Their award-winning E-Type is still being carefully nursed back to health by multi-talented Eric. Despite the E-Type hospitalization, Eric and Cathy were at this event with one of those amazing rear-engined Corvairs.

If you've never had a chance to look into the engine bay of these amazing cars, you should. Eric and Cathy's car, for example is a 1965 Corsa with about 140 hp, from a 6-cylinder engine that's fed by four carburetors.

All in all, the OJOA Fergus outing was a very pleasant, very relaxing day that was so enjoyable some members are already talking about repeating the outing next year.

You can visit the Fergus Brewhouse by clicking: BrewHouse

You can visit the Wellington County Museum by clicking:

The Wellington County Museum: Built of local limestone in 1877 as a House of Industry and Refuge. It provided shelter to the "deserving poor", the aged and the homeless for nearly a century.
Getting ready. Some of the OJOA members gather before the parade of cars motors through downtown Fergus on its way to the Wellington County Museum.	Still getting ready ..... That's Eric and Cathy's Corvair getting touched up. OJOA members arrived up to an hour before the parade rolled off to begin a very pleasant afternoon.
Elegance everywhere. In the background, high atop it's magnificent hill, is the Wellington County Museum, a National Historic Site. In the foreground is the radiator cap mastcot from a 1934 Lincoln V12. This particular car was once owned by the 1930's movie star Ned Sparks. The star was an Ontario boy and knew the then-Ontario premier Mitchell Hepburn. On a visit to Toronto, in the 1940s, the movie-star owner, ended up leaving the car in T.O. due to the wartime gasoline shortage. The Lincoln has a 6.7-litre engine.	Getting ready to roll: Some cars start to move off from the marshalling grounds, east of downtown Fergus. That yellow car is reportedly a Lotus.
ROLLIN' .. . on our way to downtown Fergus and the National Historic Site museum.	Classic cars were lined up on either side of a prommenade. This photo doesn't show it well, but the walkway is actually up a very steep, very long hill, with the breathtaking museum at the top.
The Jaguars were always popular with spectators.	A little bit of motoring history. A De Lorean, complete with its stainless steel bodywork and eye-catching gullwing doors. About 8,000 De Loreans were produced in the short time that John Zachary De Lorean, an American engineer and executive in the U.S. auto industry, was producing his cars. It was a De Lorean, by the way, that was featured in the Back To The Future movies, which starred Canadian Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.
The museum hosted a number of activities for the young and the young-at heart. One of the events offered participants a chance to participate in an Auto Designers Workshop. Here, Amy shows off her volcano-powered sled -- which is bound to become a modern classic!	Comfy chairs, good friends, pleasant weather, Jaguars ... and free food. What more can you ask for? Some members are already talking of participating in this event again next year.
WARNING: THIS IS HOW IT ALL STARTS . . . Little boys checking out the cool cars. Who needs the latest HotWheels product when you have real Jaguars to check out. As one young feller said..... "Coooooooool."	RESULT: THIS IS WHERE IT LEADS . . .: Classic Ford. Classic owner. Just think, in an earlier time, this gentleman might have been just like one of those little boys in the photo at left....
MORE CLASSICS: In the front, a 1968 BMW R50/2. In the rear, a 1939 Harley-Davidson 45-cu.-in. WL.	A ROSE BETWEEN TWO THORNS: Isaura, with hubby Dan, left, and friend Michael.
A GREAT WAY TO CLOSE THE DAY: Fine fire, a flagon of Fergus ale and thou, baby! This is only one room in the lovely Fergus Brewhouse.	Another corner of the Fergus Brewhouse ... and more OJOA folks enjoying a well-earned meal. Note the stonework in the two-foot-thick walls in the former mill.
One of the OJOA cars that participated. This lovely XJS is the current regional champion in JCNA -- and it gathered more admiring glances that that, ahem, other car beside it. Thanks to Dan and Isaura for bringing their Jaguar.	Hmmmm, perhaps these "other" cars aren't so bad after all. Actually, the Rolls-Royce was gorgeous, and it was a pleasure and priviledge to admire it up close. By the way, at least two OJOA members also enjoy driving a Rolls. One member's Rolls is an RR concours award winner!