Author: janeswalkwr

Time: Saturday May 3rd, 2025, 10:30 am & 11:30 am

Meeting Place: Old Post Office, 12 Water Street South.

Walk Leader: Fire Hall volunteer

Since the first European settlers arrived at the confluence of Mill Creek and the Grand River, fire has been a constant threat to a growing community. 

To mark Emergency Preparedness Week, the Fire Hall Museum & Education Centre highlights the major fires in the 1800s, 1900s and early 2000s in Galt that impacted the Cambridge downtown that we have today.

Visit the Cambridge Public Library Old Post Office to see a photo exhibit showing some of these fires. Take a Jane’s Walk guided tour along Main Street to Civic Square to see the sites of these fires and how the streetscapes have changed. The Cambridge Fire Department will be at Civic Square at Cambridge City Hall with equipment and displays to show how the city is prepared to deal with emergencies today.

Time: Sunday May 4th, 2025, 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Meeting Place: Kitchener Market – Just Outside Front Door

Walk Leader: Tess

This will be the 4th time KW Hungry Minds has hosted a walk through Kitchener downtown area. We talk about the changes that we see – new buildings and businesses as well as the ones that we see are now missing. We talk about how we feel about the change, how it has impacted our interaction with the city, and what we see on the horizon for the future. Everyone welcome to come and share their point of view and experience.

If you can’t make it on Saturday, we are repeating the walk on Sunday. The conversation is sure to be different on each day, so feel free to come to both.

When: Sunday May 4, 2025  2:00 pm – 3/3:30 pm

Where: Meet on the Laurel Trail on the west side of Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, 25 Caroline St N., Waterloo

Walk Leader: Anne Crowe

Explore Uptown Waterloo with its vibrant mix of historical and modern architecture. From a water driven grist mill, past a log schoolhouse with a connection to Black history, to a hiding place for alcohol during prohibition and a cutting edge institute for theoretical physics: learn about the history hidden within the walls of these buildings.

When: Saturday May 3rd, 2025 1:00 – 1:25 pm

Where: Entrance of Ferguson Cottage, 37 Grand Ave, Cambridge 

Walk Leader: Liz Stacey

Galt Horticultural Society (GHS) which operates out of the historic Ferguson Cottage came into being in the 1850’s. The current version was established in 1891 with 186 members. The property was purchased in 1836 by William Ferguson, a blacksmith and farmer at the time. The property remained under the Ferguson name for the next 80 years. The cottage is all that is left of the once Ferguson Farm and is credited as one of the earliest surviving Scottish stone cottages in the City of Cambridge.

Check out the Cambridge Sculpture Garden Tour from 1:30-1:55, followed by McDougall Cottage from 2-2:30 pm

When: Sunday May 5th, 11 am – 12:30 pm

Where: Soper Park, back parking lot, 43.367346, -80.303292

Walk Leader: Cambridge City Green

We will walk the path of Mill Creek from Soper Park to where it joins the Grand River. We will discuss the history and ecology as well as the human impacts on the creek. Did you know it was buried under downtown when they were doing some construction in the 1980’s? This walk is about 2km (one way).