Friends of mine were lamenting recently about the best location in Greater Sudbury to make a significant announcement; one that would encapsulate the ambience of a smaller community outside of the Sudbury metropolis and highlight a distinct flavour that we may often overlook.
We talked about the beauty of Onaping Falls, with its famous A.Y. Jackson Lookout and its pristine pathways that led to the thundering Onaping River. I remember visiting the area for the first time as a journalism student at Cambrian College when our photography group descended on the area to get the best fall photo. We had a marvelous time and I have revisited the falls many times over the past 30 years.
My eldest daughter was married at Bryston’s on the Park in Copper Cliff, and we absolutely loved the small park across from the landmark venue for photographs and for a bit of respite from the festivities. Besides the wedding, I held many staff retreats and strategic planning sessions there and when I was on the board of the Sudbury Community Foundation, we had epic Wine Festivals there, too – such great times.
I would love taking the kids when they were younger to Wagon Wheel Ranch for sleigh rides in the winter and wagon rides in the fall. Halloween was never the same after the first visit to the Terror Train in Capreol. That was an OMG experience for sure.
Anderson Farm Museum in Lively was a prime location to take the kids during the many events they host annually and the Italian Festival in Sudbury’s West End was a mandatory sensory experience as was the Greek Festival and the Canada Day festivities at the Sudbury Arena.
Fireworks at Science North on July 1 was a given and I never had an out-of-town visitor that left here without visiting the Big Nickel.
I don’t think there’s a community in the City of Greater Sudbury that I haven’t experienced a family memory in or a fun day out with the kids or friends. Not to be cheesy, but the diversity in our communities is the secret sauce that makes our city “great.”
What I love best about Greater Sudbury are the mosaic of cultures, communities, people and experiences that have added such pleasure and wonderful memories to my life.
It reminds me of my roots in Newfoundland where I grew up in a small town that made up a larger area called Conception Bay North (CBA). Each community that contributed to CBA’s landmass had its own distinct personality and flavour that retained its origins despite the “progress” of transportation, technology and shifting populations.
The end of our discussion on the “best” location in Greater Sudbury to make an announcement actually left us all feeling very proud of our city and a lot more aware of all those attributes that really do make us great.
Comments are closed.