When: Thursday, May 2, 7-8 p.m.
Where: Begin at Idea Exchange Queen’s Square, end at Millrace Park
Walk Leader: Idea Exchange Volunteers
Learn the forbidden history of our town before it became part of The Republic of Gilead. Our handmaidens will escort you to the locations used in the hit Hulu show The Handmaid’s Tale, and share the history that we don’t speak about ‘Under his Eye’.
When: Saturday, May 5, 2-3:30 pm
Where: Begin at Queen and Schneider (adjacent to Joseph Schneider Haus), end at The Boathouse
Walk Leader: Mila Wiggins and Elyn Lin
We will walk through one of Kitchener’s most historic neighbourhoods appreciating its natural features, residential architecture, and history. After a brief tour, we will take a break so all participants can sketch a space they enjoy.
The purpose of this walk is to not only appreciate our local history, but to also have a recorded memory in the form of a sketch. We will meet up at the end of the walk to share our sketches.
Please bring your own drawing materials. A sketchpad or sketchbook is recommended.
Please note this walk is weather dependent.
Where: Begin and end at Laurier Northdale campus parking lot (66 Hickory Street West, Waterloo)
Walk Leaders: Kim Fellows, Tyler Plante, and Jennifer Marshman
Please join us as we learn about urban bees! Did you know that in addition to the honey bee we are all familair with, there are more than 850 species of native bees in Canada? Southern Ontario is considered a biodiversity hotspot with ~400 species right here where we live!
There will be a short presentation introducing you to some of the charismatic bees that live right in your backyards, and we will do a walk-a-bout on Wilfrid Laurier’s Northdale campus at the newly planted Laurier Food Forest to see what bees we can discover (weather will ‘bee’ a factor) – we’ll keep a special eye open for bumble bee queens! We will then hear from Tyler Plante, Laurier’s Sustainability Outreach and Program Coordinator about the University’s journey from honeybee keeping to native bee conservation.
Accessibility: there are a few stairs up to the Northdale plot and the ground is uneven grass and dirt.
When: Sunday, May 6, 1-2:30 pm
Where: Begin at the Frederick Street Mall (385 Frederick Street) and end at the Public Market (324 Frederick Street)
Walk Leaders: Jennifer Gordon and Laura Coakley
Join us for a walk through the area now known as Central Frederick Neighbourhood, in downtown Kitchener, as we explore the roots of the Waterloo County House of Industry and Refuge (a.k.a The Poor House), which stood on Frederick Street from 1869-1957 and housed those without other means to shelter, food or support.
You will have the opportunity to learn more about The Poor House and the ways our modern neighbourhood works to build inclusion/belonging and eliminate oppression. This walk will be woman focused, exploring the experience of women in the Poor House as well as the women in our current neighbourhood that are working to make a difference.
The walk length is approximately 1.5 km, primarily on sidewalks but also on grass and park land that can sometimes be uneven.
When: Saturday, May 5, 10-11:30 am
Where: Begin and end at Waterloo Park parking lot (near Lion’s Lagoon)
Walk Leader: Bruce Johnstone
This is the first year for a walk which will reference and explore the ideas of science fiction writer, Robert J Sawyer. Rob sets his award-winning trilogy, Wake/ Watch/ Wonder in Waterloo referencing the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Another award-winning trilogy, The Neanderthal Parallax, explores parallel universes and starts in an old mine in Sudbury, a good reason to explore two hidden treasures in Waterloo, the Earth Sciences Museum and Peter Russell Rock Garden at UW.
Our walking route will start in Waterloo Park at the parking lot where we can view the Perimeter Institute and then through the park to UW’s Earth Sciences Museum (about 20- 30 minutes). We’ll explore the indoor museum’s artifacts, then exit through a model of a Cobalt mine shaft and visit the outdoor Peter Russell Rock Garden where you can touch a four billion year old rock.
We’ll have readings from Rob’s books and his ideas will be presented for discussion or reflection as we walk. In addition, notes of Waterloo literary interest will pop up along the way.
The pathway through Waterloo Park is rough and dirty right now in some spots due to construction so please wear appropriate footwear. The Earth Sciences Museum has washrooms. The Student Life Centre at UW has a Tim Horton and is close to the Rock Garden.
