Wesley Clover Parks Wraps Up Another Successful Winter Season

April 13, 2020

Winter programs and events at Wesley Clover Parks have now come to an end, and it was a very busy time once again. Here are a few of the highlights:

CAMP

The Campground was repurposed during the past months for winter events including the Magic of Lights Christmas display (see below) and cross-country skiing through a partnership with the Kanata Nordic Ski Club. With the season changing and snow now melting rapidly, the team is busy planning and starting the work to return the grounds to a beautiful outdoor base for residents and visitors to enjoy the city of Ottawa through a local camping experience. The current plans call for the Campground to open for the 2020 season on May 1st, but this date will be subject to update as the events of the coming weeks unfold.

FARM

The partners at Gees Bees Honey Company worked through the winter to take care of the bees that call the on-site apiary their home. The guess is there are now more than 500,000 honey bees in those hives, and they are just starting to stir with the warming temperatures. All indications are they fared well through the cold and wet weather, and we look forward to another bountiful honey harvest over the summer months.

GATHER

As noted, the Magic of Lights Christmas display returned to the Parks for the fourth time this winter, running from November 21st to January 4th and welcoming more guests than ever. Wesley Clover Parks welcomed the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Foundation as the charity partner for the event this season, and proudly committed to a donation of $100,000 from the event proceeds, spread over four years. The first installment, in the form of a $25,000 cheque, was presented to the executives of the Foundation earlier this Quarter.

PLAY

  • As also noted, members of the Kanata Nordic Ski Club embraced the snow that covered the National Capital Region this winter. Dedicated volunteers groomed more than 14 kilometers of trials, expanding the Parks routes into the surrounding community trails as well. The Club hosted a number of successful events through the season, including their annual Pretzel Race, ski and waxing clinics, evening ski socials and family days.
  • Orienteering Ottawa also hosted a popular “Ski and Snowshoe-O” event on site during the Quarter, introducing many participants to the sport of skilled navigation, and using the winter landscape as the environment and the added challenge.

RIDE

The Parks hosted a number of equestrian camps and training events over the Quarter, and continues to look forward to a full calendar of events this summer spanning all three Olympic disciplines — Dressage, Eventing and Show Jumping. Current plans call for the 2020 Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments to host for the first time, five weeks of National and International level competition. Like all events at this unprecedented time, details are subject to change. Visit the new Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments website to find the latest information: www.OttawaEquestrianTournaments.com