Icelandic National Day Picnic at the Kinmount Memorial Site in Kinmount Ontario

Kinmount is a charming little village in the Kawartha Lakes just north of Fenelon Falls, east of Coboconk. One hundred and forty-eight years ago, a group of Icelandic settlers arrived by train and trekked through the night forest to lumber shanties in the woods where they would stay to work on the foundations of a trestle bridge over Crego Creek. That bridge still stands today. The shanties are gone and the graves of the deceased children and others who perished that winter lie somewhere along the banks of the rail corridor by the Burnt River.

For the millennium celebrations, the ICCT engaged the sculpture artist Guðrύn Sigursteinsdóttir Girgis to create a monument to honour and remember those who died. Don Gislason spent hours in the Ontario archives rediscovering the names of the settlers which are engraved on a plaque along with the story of that tragic winter. The ICCT has a booklet Don and Saga Connections presented on the story of the Kinmount failed settlement. We will meet by this monument for our National Day picnic at 12 p.m. on Saturday, June 18th to celebrate  our Icelandic heritage and our resiliency emerging from three years of pandemic.

Check the website soon for more information, including carpooling and potluck food coordination. Plan to bring your own disposable cups and lawn chairs and all you need for a day in the country. If you are musical, bring your instrument and your voices! If you plan to make it a weekend excursion, there are B&Bs in Kinmount and other local towns like Fenelon Falls and Bobcaygeon, and lake-side cottages to rent. Think sunshine!

Register to let us know you are coming including if you need a ride or can offer a ride, and what you will bring to the potluck!

National Day Picnic Highlights:

▪A special exhibition in the Kinmount Heritage Model Railroad & Museum by the local historical society on the Icelandic settlers

▪Guided walk to the Crego Creek Railway Trestle bridge

▪Local farmers market in the morning (if you arrive early) plus see the Artisans Marketplace

▪Picnic in the park by the historic Austin Sawmill

▪Games and fun activities for all