10 minute read
Goderich
A Huron County staple
You’ll know you’ve arrived at Culbert’s Bakery not only by the smell of fresh pastries wafting through the air, but by the long lineup that snakes its way out of the West Street building and down the street towards Goderich’s historic main street. And that’s not just because of capacity limits caused by COVID-19.
Advertisement
Culbert’s Bakery, in business since 1942, is best known for its powdery round cream-stuffed donuts that draw the locals in, and also visitors from far and wide. While the bakery claims to be home to the tasty cream puff, as the sign on the building’s exterior proudly indicates, there’s more than just one kind of donut on offer.
Lemon, jelly, cherry and blueberrystuffed donuts sit on shelves beneath the famed cream puffs, but in significantly lower quantities. On either side, other options including the honey dip and orange twists hang out. At the end, the day-olds sit on the ‘reduced’ rack near the entrance.
The racks of cream puffs lining the back wall of the bakery are topped up as they are pulled fresh from the oven on site. There are days when it seems there just simply aren’t enough donuts to meet the demand and the bakery shelves are empty, particularly in summer months. In fact, you’ll rarely find the famed cream puffs for sale on the reduced rack.
This Huron County institution opened in the 1800s as Curry’s West Street Bakery, with Mel Culbert taking possession of the bakery in 1942 and changing the name to Culbert’s Bakery. Today, Darin Culbert, grandson of the original Culbert’s Bakery owner, owns the business and continues to bake fresh goodies on-site. Darin took over from his father, Barry Culbert.
The high glass cake counter is filled with shortbread cookies, including a variety with chocolate chips mixed in, gooey butter tarts, chocolates and treats that will tantalize the taste buds throughout the day. Need fresh bread or rolls? It wouldn’t be a bakery without grabbing a loaf of bread fresh from the oven or sticky cinnamon buns to go.
While the bakery is open until 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, it’s best to call ahead for cream puff orders or risk disappointment. It’s not uncommon to arrive mid-afternoon to empty donut racks. The glass cabinet of treats always seems to have some selection, just maybe not the one you thought you wanted. 49 West St., Goderich. www.culbertsbakery.com
Goderich
July 1 in Goderich
Goderich has a long tradition of amazing Canada Day celebrations that draw crowds from far and wide, including a giant fireworks display at the beach and a patriotic parade around The Square. Of course, a global pandemic has thrown a wrench into planning with crowds unable to gather.
Wanda Keith, Festivals and Special Events Co-ordinator for the Town of Goderich, has had to think outside the box to find a safe way to celebrate Canada Day. Instead of parades and fireworks, the town is inviting all residents to decorate their homes and be part of a “self-guided” tour of Goderich. As well as Canada-themed decorations and colours, everyone is encouraged to incorporate a teddy bear into their displays to be part of the “Canada Bear Hunt” so the public can see how many bears they can find throughout the town. “This activity will be like a ‘hug for Canada’ and a safe, enjoyable activity for everyone,” says Keith.
Tourism Goderich is creating a large mural featuring landmarks of Goderich as an interactive art project. The mural will consist of many smaller sections that residents have coloured and then it will be assembled in a prominent location, and included on the self-guided tour map. The town will then be leaving the Canada Day-themed decorations on display for the entire month of July in the hopes that the residents will follow suit.
For more information and to find the self-guided tour map, visit the Goderich Tourism Information Centre at 91 Hamilton St, Goderich or online at www.goderich.ca
The bounty of Huron County
On Highway 8 just east Goderich at the corner of Porter’s Hill Line sits a popular stop for many who are looking for a food shop with a little bit of everything and exciting items you can’t find everywhere.
Maitland Market and Supply opened the doors in 2016 and has continued to add to their shelves ever since. The compact little shop has an amazing variety of local produce grown both by the owners, as well as area producers. Everything you might need to pull off a truly local feast is displayed around the shop.
There is a wide variety of everything to fulfill your baking needs, including several types of flour as well as gluten-free options. They stock many types of frozen meat products from small farm producers, as well as soup mixes, cheeses, salad dressings and even artisanal sodas, all made right here in Ontario.
In the back of the shop they bake pies and tarts and other sweet treats; just try to resist grabbing a butter tart before you leave! The market carries bread from Red Cat Bakery and tasty baked goods from Blake Street Bakery as well. Recently owners added Hensall cocktail ice bagged in biodegradable packaging - great for camping and picnics.
Seasonally the market sells everything from seeds and plants in the spring to pumpkins and Christmas trees in the fall. Check out the market’s Facebook page to discover the next time Grassroots Wood Fired Pizza will be cooking up hot and fresh right in the parking lot. Maitland Market and Supply is open Wednesday to Saturday. 79988 Porters Hill Line, Goderich.
Lake Huron views
Whether the lake is glistening like glass or slightly wavy with the sun shining down, calm at sunrise along the tree- lined shoreline or magic as the sun sets over the horizon, paddle boarding on Lake Huron is quickly becoming a popular water sport in the area.
For those who are keen to try it out, whether for an hour or a half-day, 360 Bikes ’n Boards stakes out its spot down at the Cove Beach in Goderich daily (wind dependent) to provide board rentals, along with a safety debrief, some one-on-one training, and a life jacket with whistle before hitting the water. 360 Bikes ’n Boards owner Denata Stanbury likes the Cove Beach for its soft sandy beach devoid of too many rocks.
Despite the endless horizon, paddling here is not about going far out, but to paddle along the coast and see the shoreline. Stanbury and her daughter like paddling from the Cove to the main beach and back, while others love to go along the coastline, admiring its beauty. And as for timing, morning gets top pick for Stanbury who asks, “How beautiful is it to paddle on Lake Huron in the morning?”
Ultimately, Stanbury says “it just
Goderich
Continued on page 10
417 Parsons Court, Goderich 519-612-1387
Open 12-4 Monday - Friday;10-4 Saturday
• Furniture • Appliances • New beds • Antiques • Collectibles • Electronics • Other household items
PAGE 10. STOPS ALONG THE WAY, SUMMER 2021
Out at the lake
Continued from page 9
Goderich depends on the wind. It’s the wind that tells you what you can do each day.” And that’s something Stanbury watches closely. “We keep track of the wind, checking the wind conditions each morning and throughout the day. We pull paddlers from the water if we need to.” If winds are over 25 kilometres per hour, the 360 Bikes ’n Boards team doesn’t set up. But as Stanbury explains, “sometimes it’s not just the wind, but the gusts that are more powerful. So we consider that as well.” After a calm day of paddling on the lake, Sunset SUP owner Clare Sutherland and her yogis take over the 360 Bikes ’n Boards paddle boards on Wednesday evenings for a sunset yoga class on Lake Huron. The evening starts with a beginner SUP lesson (Sutherland is a certified paddler, has her bronze cross and is a nurse) at 7 p.m. before paddling out and eventually dropping the anchor for class to begin. The return coincides with the sun setting. Sutherland explains that the yoga is paddleboard specific so the poses are all modified to the board rather than a mat. While some are relaxing, others are challenging, but they are designed so yogis don’t fall off the board midway through. For visitors keen to learn more about coastal conservation in the area, Sunset SUP offers coastal tours in collaboration with the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation. The three-hour outing includes a lesson and Lake Huron expert Erin Lawrie from the centre joins to explain the area’s history, the Maitland River that feeds into the lake, and the wildlife. This year, 360 Bikes ’n Boards will be renting kayaks as well at the Goderich Beach. Find the team at the end of the Rotary Cove Beach daily (weather dependent). www.360bikesnboards.com
Find Your Style
of the Season
Don’t miss our Lower Level featuring the area’s largest Selection of Swimwear, Lingerie and Sleepwear.
Like Us on Facebook!
162 The Square, Goderich ph: 519-524-7232 www.schaefersladieswear.ca
Something for everyone... in beautiful, downtown GODERICH
• 100s of Authors • 1,000s of Titles New & Previously Read • Everything from $1 Books to Signed/Collectible Editions. • Local History/Authors
34 West St. • GODERICH
(519) 524-5224
bkped@hurontel.on.ca Trade in the books you’ve read for some you haven’t!
PAGE 12. STOPS ALONG THE WAY, SUMMER 2021 Goderich
Vision of the future
Around Goderich and much of Huron County you will see the name Dr. William “Tiger” Dunlop associated with the early days of European settlement in the area. His larger-than-life personality and adventures in India earned him the nickname Tiger and that remains the way most remember him to this day.
In the 1820s, together with John Galt, he laid out the plans for many of the first roads and towns across southwestern Ontario. He is largely credited with the founding of Goderich and was Warden of the Forests for the Canada Company as well as MPP for Huron from 18411845. His humour and strong opinions made him a memorable figure. He loved the whole region of Huron County.
However, many do not know that he had planned another town, next to Goderich, north of the Maitland River. He and his brother Robert owned a tract of 845 acres and planned to call the new settlement Gairbraid, after a town in their native Scotland.
The site commands a marvelous view of the mouth of the Maitland River and even today you can see why they dreamed of a town at this site.
Sadly, Dunlop died in 1848 before he could build his town. Though he died in Montreal, his widowed sisterin-law honoured his request to be buried near his beloved home. Today there is a small enclosed cemetery with a terrific view. Both he and his brother are buried at the site along with others.
There are a few ways to access the site of the tomb. From North Harbour Road in Goderich, start on the aptlynamed Tiger Dunlop Trail and cross the Menesetung Bridge, following the signs to the location of the tomb. There are a number of steps to climb to reach the small park area where you will find several information plaques and the tomb itself. The views all along the way are spectacular.
You can also access it from north of the river by turning from Highway 21 onto Airport Road towards the lake and then turning left onto River Ridge Crescent. Park at the end of the road and follow the path east to the base of the stairs on the right.
The Tiger Dunlop Trail also connects the Maitland Trail and the Goderich to Auburn Rail Trail (GART), part of the Goderich-toGuelph (G2G) Rail Trail.
Working in communities since 1833 to help meet the needs of community members
Food Bank Soup Corner
Self-serve, home visits, food for special dietary needs Open six days a week to offer a hot meal to visitors
Healthcare Resources
We offer various health care resources at no charge. See our website.
Family Resources
See the website for our list of resources to assist your family.
