Historical guided walking tour begins at First United Church during Doors Open.

First United Church will provide guided Wiidosendiwag /Walking Together tours on Saturday 10-4pm with French language tours at 11am and 2pm and English Tours Sunday 12:30-3:30pm.

This is a historical walking tour providing stories of our local settler and Indigenous communities. Tours will be guided at a gentle pace through Kelso Beach and city streets beginning at First United Church at 435- 21st Street West. A looped virtual tour will also be screening in the Sanctuary for the weekend.

The three-kilometer walk takes us to five locations marked by sculptures created by local installation artist Virginia Gail Smith. The act of walking is meant to connect our body and spirit to the land, setting the stage for understanding and listening. Two of the locations were Indigenous ancestral burial grounds, one lost and then rediscovered after homes had been erected; one marks the anticipated reconciliation garden to be developed at Kelso Beach; another the ceremonial stones from the Return of the Drums Pow Wow; and, another the original reservation settlement known as Nawash Village in 1842. The village was named after Chief Nawash, and had 14 log buildings, originally on 11,000 acres. In Indigenous communities, history, culture and teachings are taught through storytelling and songs. We have included 25, in English, French and Anishinaabemowin, to listen while you walk, told by Elders Shirley John and the late Wilmer Nadjiwon, Trish Meekins, and Susan Staves, of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, knowledge keepers of these traditional territories and Virginia Gail Smith. The tour and stories are a local narrative of culture, grief, discontent, and hope.

"We are honoured to share the walking tour with our community," comments Rev. Kristal McGee, Minister at the First United Church." It is an important community project, an initiative of the Truth and Reconciliation Circle, meant to open space for conversations and understanding, fitting for this year's Doors Open theme of equality."

The stories are available anytime online at owensound.ca/walkingtour and you are welcome to listen before joining us for a group tour over the June 2 and 3rd weekend. Guided group tours will also be available July and August on Wednesday evenings 7pm, meeting at the entrance to Kelso Beach.

source: media release