There’s a new look in Bond Head.
Once again, the ‘elves’ of the Bond Head-Bradford Garden Club have stepped up, replacing the summer flowers at the Audrey Wychopen Memorial Parkette, located at the corner of County Roads 88 and 27, with Holiday décor.
Using greenery – pine boughs, cedar and spruce – culled from their own gardens, red osier dogwood stems, paper birch logs, and an array of decorative ‘picks’, from pine cones to artificial berries to shiny Christmas balls, the volunteers transformed all of the barren planters into festive holiday urns, in a single afternoon.
It’s a labour of love for the group. They maintain the parkette, named for a founding member and passionate gardener, planting flowers in the spring, weeding and watering in summer, and ensuring the property is maintained by both the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury and the County of Simcoe, which owns the land.
And on Thursday, they braved falling temperatures and a bitter wind to ensure the parkette was ‘dressed’ for the holidays.
It wasn’t the only new look in the historic village.
The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury has undertaken a program of sidewalk installation and repairs this month. For the first time in decades, new sidewalks have been constructed along both 27 and 88, providing a safe and even walking surface for pedestrians.
Crumbling walkways have been replaced with cement, a handicapped-accessible curb has been installed at the main intersection, and connectivity in the village has been improved, even as the Town moves forward with plans to create a Heritage Conservation District in Bond Head.
"It's amazing," said club member Linda Stewart. The only negative, in the eyes of the Bond Head-Bradford Garden Club, was that the walkway through the Parkette has not been part of the improvements.
