By Jenn Watt

Published Aug. 22 2017

Local thespians and tourism promoters got together on the Essonville Line earlier this month to give social media influencers something to post about.
Yours Outdoors organized an old fashioned road-building party as part of the day’s events for the group who arrived on motorcycle.

Sponsored by Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization and Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation the tour was promoting the Haliburton Highlands as an ideal motorcycling destination.
“A couple of years ago a consultant did an assessment of the suitability of the area for motorcycle touring” said Barrie Martin owner of Yours Outdoors. “No surprise this is one of the best motorcycling areas in Ontario if not beyond.”
The hard-topped roads that rise and fall over the hills of the scenic landscape are a major attractor.
The tour guests stayed at the Bonnie View in Haliburton and visited Tory Hill’s Artech Glassblowing Studios and Maynooth’s Sunrun Cafe on Thursday Aug. 10 then doubled back eating lunch at the Olde Ridge Authentic Barbecue.
The motorcyclists joked that those early road-builders were really creating paths for motorcycles of the future.

Members of the local theatre community museum and Yours Outdoors came together to act out the scene engaging the visitors in conversation. A horse provided by Irvin Holland completed the picture.
OHTO’s motorcycle initiative is called Ride the Highlands and can be found using that hashtag on social media or by going to ridethehighlands.ca.