by Kelly Babcock

Come, celebrate, and say Goodbye to the Old Courthouse. On Sunday, June 21st, from 11AM to 4PM, some of the studios will be open with art, books, and art supplies for sale. Take a look inside this grand old building, perhaps for the last time! Patti Waterfield and Heather Murray are organizing this event and at present the plan also includes having a few musicians on hand to offer some ambiance and entertainment.

The old Owen Sound court house has had a storied past. The one time Grey County building, has housed police headquarters, and been home to both the local Arts Council and the Georgian Bay Folk Society. It has also been studios for various artists.

But all that is coming to an end. The city has sold the building along with the jail behind and the accompanying grounds, to Southbridge Healthcare. The company's plans are for a new long-term care facility, seniors services and administrative offices.

Many residents had prided themselves on managing to conduct their affairs above the law and thereby keep themselves out of the old Court and former city jail. Now it seems there is a chance they may only have postponed a stay at the site.

It had been hoped by some that this site might have found its way into the hands of the local Tom Thompson Art Gallery and thereby continued its tenure as a support and mainstay of our culture, but circumstances placed that plan out of the gallery's reach.

The farewell is being hosted by some of the artists and musicians who have been creating in the courthouse since its transformation to studio spaces. Come on out and get a sense of the place before it changes once again.