Tara Jeffrey
Residents are once again invited to go behind the scenes and check out some interesting Sarnia-Lambton sites.
Doors Open Lambton County, now in its third year, runs June 11 and 12 and features 30 sites, from private homes to public businesses, historic buildings, churches and more.
“It started as a focus on historic buildings but has since broadened to include any site with an interesting story behind its doors,” said event chair Luke Stempien, noting this year’s theme is Science and Innovation.
He points to the Skilbeck House on Maria Street in Sarnia, once home to the city’s first bank, where the bricked-in outlines of the cashier’s wicket is still visible, and to the ‘Silo House’ in Bright’s Grove, once part of Lambton’s first communal settlement and since converted to a four-level home.
Kiwanis Kineto Theatre in Forest, he added, is one of the world’s oldest continually running independent movie theatres.
Many sites offer guided tours, including the Refined Fool Brewery, Enbridge Sarnia Solar Farm, Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church, Fairbank Oil Properties in Oil Springs, and Alton Farms Estate Winery in Plympton-Wyoming.
“We try to cluster the sites so people can make a day of it,” said Stempien, adding that Lambton’s 2012 and 2014 events drew some 13,000 site visitors.
“It’s really a great chance for people to go behind the scenes, and meet their neighbours who are doing really neat and interesting things, which they may not otherwise get to see.”
The event is free, with most sites open between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Doors Open Lambton County
WHEN: June 11 and 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Various sites across Lambton County
DETAILS: See full list of sites and descriptions at www.doorsopenlambtoncounty.ca.