Mike Athey
PONTIAC Oct. 10 – 11, 2020
Several businesses in the Pontiac on Oct. 10 and 11, to offered visitors tours, samples and experiences to showcase their enterprises.
It was part of an initiative created by Tourism Outaouais called Fall Strolls designed to promote . . .
a variety of regional industries. The Pontiac was the third and final region featured.
Visitors were given gift bags containing maps, tourist information, and a coaster as well as a gift from the participating company.
Tourism Outaouais provided other resources to certain locations. At the Little Red Wagon Winery, several push bikes were made available for children to play on.
“We had 20 or so families show up,” said winery co-owner Jennifer Dale.
She said that Tourism Outaouais was also refunding the cost of free gifts from each business up to $500.
“Our customers will be happy today. They get a free bottle of wine,” said Dale.
It’s harvest time at the winery and people could explore the grounds and learn about the wine making process: from gathering grapes off the vines to their processing in giant vats, to enjoying the final product alongside an assortment of cheese.
In Bristol, the Willow Lane Alpacas farm invited its guests to try a sample of their alpaca meat and honey from their bee hives.
But the main attraction was the alpacas themselves. Children were delighted to be able to see and even pet the animals who calmly laid down and allowed them to stroke their necks.
“They would go over and touch them, hug them and kiss them,” said owner Laird Graham.
The tour included learning about the alpacas and the many uses of their fibre.
“When people come to our farm, we think about an education,” he said. “Then they can know what to spend their money on.”
At a boutique build alongside their house, his wife Gayle Graham was selling yarn, socks and hats that she’d knitted. She offered a lesson on the processing of alpaca fibre.
“You can wear alpaca socks for over two weeks without them getting stiff and smell,” she said.
Three other locations were part of the Falls Strolls event: one in Parc Leslie, Otter Lake; one at Brauwerk Hoffman, Campbell’s Bay; and one at the circuit patrimonial, Mansfield et Pontrefact.
