Hot take: one of the County’s best-kept accidental secrets is the town of Minden.
I know what you are thinking – everyone knows about Minden. It is one of the biggest towns in Haliburton County! How can it be a secret?
Shockingly, so many visitors to our area don’t realize the community that exists just off Highway 35. A community where you can stroll the banks of the Gull River admiring the artwork that tells stories of our region; stop and take in the flowers that brighten the air; or listen to the music cascading down from Dominion Hotel or Boshkung Social. A community that truly shines in the summertime.
The wonderful thing about small towns is the memories that they contain within their boundaries. Floating down the gull river soaking in the sunshine, watching a beaver swim the downtown strip looking for sticks, sticky ice cream coating hands as the sun beams down on Kawartha Dairy, and celebrating the community at Pride Streetfest or RotaryFest.
Unfortunately, the shine of the community has dimmed in recent years. The wear and tear of the seasons has started to show on the facades on the shops lining Bobcaygeon Road, overshadowing the beauty of the downtown. Luckily for Minden, all that is about to change!
The Minden Business Working Group has collaborated to bring a fresh change to the downtown area. The first change will include a fresh coat of paint to brighten up the stores lining Bobcaygeon Road and then the group plans to continue their improvement efforts from there. Their goal is to bring the shine back to a fading downtown strip and help locals and tourists alike see the gem that already exists.
Collaborating with organizations such as the Haliburton Chamber of Commerce and the Haliburton County Development Corporation, the Working Group is making sure they do things the right way, and with business owners on board, progress is looking promising. The repainting process is just their first step in creating a more welcoming and vibrant town and it shows promising progress for the town’s future.
The amazing thing about the town of Minden is its sense of community. The repainting project is open to anyone who wishes to help and tentatively scheduled mid-spring once the snow has mostly melted. The community is looking forward to a collaborative team effort to brighten the walls of Minden and thankful to the group working to bring about the fresh change.
With the improvement efforts underway, locals and visitors alike are hopeful that some fresh changes will help people discover the magic of downtown Minden and help everyone create some new memories to cherish.
What are your favourite memories from this truly special community?