Of fairs, of festivals...and of dreams.

Hopkins Park, East of Green Acres School

Two things have been niggling at me lately, with all the walks through town that I take, and all the editorializing I do. (Not to mention my continued work on this project.)

The first has to do with a downtown festival.

The second, a fair.

Maybe they're connected...maybe not.

But I'll tell ya; it's a really nice feeling imagining a people-based celebration in 'authentic' Stoney Creek.

I'm a great believer in events. (I might not attend too many, but that's another discussion entirely.) Especially community-based events. Jazz festivals. Buskerfests. Caribana. Parades.

Ancaster. Dundas. Hamilton. Burlington, Guelph, Oakville, Elora... Seems just about every community has at least one.

(You can find a nice resource about festivals here.)

Yes, Stoney Creek has its 'Battle of 1813 Re-enactment'. And yes, it has a Flag Day parade. But...but...

To me, it really doesn't have a 'festival'. Or a fair. A gathering of people having fun. It has what it has, because...that's what it has.

So back to my 'niggling thoughts'.

The first is the idea of a downtown festival. Running say, from New Mountain Road all the way to Lake Avenue. Of course, as I've said before, in order to really have a street festival work, you need a thriving backdrop. Which we don't have. Because a main street has to have certain associations attached to it. And Downtown Stoney Creek doesn't seem to have much attached to it. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

The second muse-point is admittedly a little more...flighty.

What I see is a fair. But not an autumn fair. Something typifying the tradition of 'glorious summers in Stoney Creek'.

Running from, essentially, Hopkins Park, through to Green Acres Pool, down to the Stoney Creek Tennis Club and Optimist Little League Park.

There are some wonderful open spaces there. The hidden section on the other side of Battlefield Creek from Green Acres School, south of Randall has always struck me as an ideal setting for...something. (I can't help but think that music would be involved.)

This stretch of Stoney Creek, from practically King to Queenston has to be one of our hidden treasures, one that might not be well known beyond those who frequent the area, but I love that it's there nonetheless.

(And I have to say that I have long wanted to host a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, going back to an event that I attempted to get off the ground back in the mid-to-late 80s, the 'Hamilton For Wildlife Weekend'. And the Optimist Park would be a great location...with some modifications.)