Stirling-Rawdon

Stirling-Rawdon
Township (lower-tier)
Township of Stirling-Rawdon
Stirling-Rawdon
Coordinates: 44°22′N 77°35.5′W / 44.367°N 77.5917°WCoordinates: 44°22′N 77°35.5′W / 44.367°N 77.5917°W
Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
County Hastings
Formed January 1, 1998
Government
 • Type Municipality (Township)
 • Mayor (CEO) Rodney Cooney
 • Clerk (CAO) Charles Croll
 • Todd Smith MPP(PC) Prince Edward—Hastings
Area[1]
 • Land 282.31 km2 (109.00 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 4,978
 • Density 17.6/km2 (46/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code FSA K0K
Area code(s) 613 and 343
Website www.stirling-rawdon.com

Stirling-Rawdon is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Hastings County. It was formed on January 1, 1858, through the amalgamation of Rawdon Township with the Village of Stirling. Stirling was most recently named the 2012 Kraft Hockeyville winner gaining more than 3.9 million votes.

Communities

The township comprises the communities of Anson, Bonarlaw, Harold, Minto, Mount Pleasant, Sine, Springbrook, Stirling and Wellman.

Bonarlaw (44°25′50″N 77°37′40″W / 44.43056°N 77.62778°W) is located north of Springbrook on County Road 14. Bonarlaw is named for British Prime Minister Andrew Bonar Law. The community was formerly known as Big Springs and Bellview. Bonarlaw has an Anglican church, St. Marks, which is located at the intersection of highway 14 and St. Marks Road. It was built in 1933 and is the second church on the site.

The Canadian Pacific Havelock subdivision crossed the Canadian National Maynooth subdivision at grade just west of highway 14. The Maynooth railway line has been abandoned and has been converted to recreational/snowmobile trails. CP Ottawa-Toronto trains called at Bonarlaw station as late as 1964.

Stirling (44°18′00″N 77°33′00″W / 44.300°N 77.550°W) is a located northeast of Trenton and north of Belleville. The village accounts for a significant share of the township's entire population. The village of Stirling has a population of 2,139 (2006 census). Stirling-Rawdon also has the smallest recognized police force in Ontario, with eight police officers and one police chief. Settlements include Anson and Sine.

In 1983, The Heritage Years : A History of Stirling and District (compiled and edited by Rosella Clancy and Blanche Faulkner) was prepared for the 125th anniversary celebrations. This book provides a comprehensive look at the history of Stirling and the surrounding communities in Rawdon and Sidney townships.

In 2008, the village of Stirling celebrated its 150th anniversary

On March 31, 2012, Stirling-Rawdon was awarded the Kraft Hockeyville Championship.They received 3,986,769 votes. Second place was West Kelowna B.C. with 2,789,594 votes. They were awarded an NHL game played between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Columbus Blue Jackets; however, that game was canceled as a result of the 2012 NHL lockout.

Geography

The area around Stirling is made up of farmlands with some forests heavily in sporadic areas with some hills. Rawdon Creek flows near the village centre, the Marsh Creek is to the west and the Trent River with the Trent Canal in the southwest. Its main industry is agriculture with some other businesses. The attractions are River Valley and Stirling's nearby lake Oak Lake which lies south of the community.

Stirling has many events and attractions to draw in tourists. The Stirling Festival Theatre performs live professional plays. Also, the Hastings County Museum of Agricultural Heritage has 7 buildings boasting over 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2) of display area.

Demographics

Schools

The village of Stirling is home to one brand new elementary school belonging to the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board. This school includes grades k to 8. This school is now open and is running nice as of November 2013. The town of Stirling does not have a high school, so grade 9 students generally attend Bayside Secondary School (Quinte West) or St. Theresa Catholic Secondary School in Belleville, with a small amount also attending Centre Hastings Secondary School.

Notable people

People associated with Stirling include NHL players Rob Ray, Matt Cooke, Eric Manlow and Atlanta Thrashers scout Mark Dobson.[4]

Stirling is the hometown of the Canadian physicist Dr. Andrew Billyard, whose work in string theory helped reshape modern cosmology.[5][6]

Kraft Hockeyville

Kraft Hockeyville was awarded to Stirling in March 2012 with an incredible 3.9 million votes over participating communities across Canada.[7] The Kraft Hockeyville program looks for communities across Canada that exhibit great community spirit, and a passion for hockey with the ultimate Kraft Hockeyville prize of $100,000 and the opportunity to host an NHL game.

The theme of Stirling Hockeyville 2012 was “Play together….Stay Together.” Organized by chairperson Cindy Brandt, the community came together in a passionate show of support for the improvement of their village. After the death of the influential 25-year arena manager Barry Wilson [8] in the spring of 2011, the tiny community decided to fulfill his mission of improving the Stirling District Recreation Centre. The self-dubbed "little village with a big heart" succeeded in their intentions.

As a result of winning the competition, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets were scheduled to play an NHL pre-season game in Stirling in September 2012. Arrangements were being made to accommodate these teams in the Yardmen Arena in Belleville, Ontario, however the game was eventually cancelled due to the 2012 NHL lockout. The NHL announced on June 17, 2013 that Stirling will host a pre-season game between the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets at Yardmen Arena on September 14, 2013.

Tourism

Farmtown Park, previously known as the Hasting County Museum of Agricultural Heritage, was opened in 1997 and has 8 buildings that reflect upon the agricultural heritage of the area. Open between Victoria Day and Labour Day, some highlights include the dairy museum, steam engine display, tractor building, harvest building and Heritage Village streetscape.[9]

Stirling also boasts a popular hometown theatre which was opened in 1927, however it was hardy used until the formation of the Stirling Performing Arts Committee in 1982. The theatre is home to yearly pantomimes, musicals, comedy shows, and more.[9][10]

The Stirling Grand Trunk Railway Station was refurbished in 2008 for the town's 150th Anniversary celebrations. Situated along the old maynooth railway line, this architectural piece of history hosts museum tours and visitor information sessions seasonally between Victoria Day weekend and Labour Day.[9]

Images

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See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Stirling-Rawdon census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
  2. ↑ "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
  3. ↑ "2001 Community Profiles". Canada 2001 Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
  4. ↑ Bill Trmblay. "Atlanta Thrashers scout added to Stirling NHL sign". Canoe. Retrieved Feb 6, 2012.
  5. ↑ Dr Billyard's thesis at Library and Archives Canada
  6. ↑ Stanford University's SLAC library list of publications for Dr. Billyard
  7. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2012/03/30/sp-nhl-krafthockeyville-stirling-rawdon-winner.html
  8. ↑ http://www.communitypress.ca/2011/05/16/wilson-an-icon-in-stirling
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 http://www.stirling-rawdon.com/category/tourism/attractions/
  10. ↑ http://www.stirlingfestivaltheatre.com/

External links