Don’t miss Doors Open Aurora 2017 this weekend

August 16, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Jeff Healey
Town of Aurora

The 12th annual Doors Open Aurora event is on Saturday, August 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This is your chance to become a tourist in your own backyard. Participation is free and no tickets or reservations are required. Join thousands of visitors exploring Aurora’s hidden treasures.
This year, Doors Open Aurora features 17 participating sites including two walking tours:

Hillary House & Koffler Museum of Medicine – 15372 Yonge Street
Aurora Historical Society Walking Tour – 15372 Yonge Street
Horton Place – 15342 Yonge Street
George Russell House – Bijoys Restaurant – 42 Temperance Street
The Patrick House Art Studio & Gallery – 58 Temperance Street
Theatre Aurora – 150 Henderson Drive
Aurora Public Library – 15145 Yonge Street
Aurora Cultural Centre – 22 Church Street
Victoria Hall – 27 Mosley Street
Aurora Lawn Bowling Club – 76 Maple Street (McMahon Park)
Rising Sun Masonic Lodge – 57 Mosley Street
Aurora Farmer’s Market & Artisan Fair – Town Park
Aurora Armoury – 89 Mosley Street
Creepy Tours – Town Park
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 385 – 105 Industrial Parkway North
Merlin’s Hollow – 181 Centre Crescent
Charles Henry Sheppard House and Sheppard’s Bush Conservation Area – 93 Industrial Parkway South

New additions to Doors Open Aurora include the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 385, the newly restored Horton Place and the Aurora Studio Tour at Victoria Hall.
The two walking tours include Creepy Tours led by David Heard leaving from Town Park at 10 a.m. and the Aurora Historical Society Walking Tour lead by Leigha Cooney leaving from the Hillary House at 2 p.m.
The Horton Place was built for Dr. Alfred Robinson and his family in 1875 and named after their ancestral home in Yorkshire, England. Dr. Robinson was a dental surgeon who worked throughout York Region. The building was purchased in 1901 by the Webster-McIntyre family and remained the same facility for over 100 years. The Horton Place is considered to be one of the best examples of Italianate Architecture in Aurora. In 2016, the Horton Place was extensively restored re-emerging as one of the true architectural gems of Aurora.
As a special event for Doors Open Aurora 2017, the Aurora Armoury will feature over 25 musical artworks by David Heard. The Great Canadian Songbook on Vinyl Returns will showcase Canada’s great music history in an art gallery setting. This includes a collection of albums from many different genres.
More than half of this year’s Doors Open Aurora sites are featured in the vicinity of the Southeast Old Aurora Community. Doors Open sites within this historical area include: the Aurora Armoury, the Aurora Cultural Centre and Aurora Museum & Archives, the Aurora Public Library, Victoria Hall and the Rising Sun Masonic Lodge. Many of these sites are within walking distance from one another and are in the vicinity of the Doors Open Aurora headquarters at Town Park.
Maps providing directions to each participating site will be available at the Doors Open Aurora headquarters booth at the Aurora Farmer’s Market & Artisan Fair in Town Park, located at Mosley Street and Wells Street.
Don’t forget to pick up a Doors Open Aurora visitor survey at one of the participating sites. Leave us your contact information and you will be entered to win a prize.
For additional information about Doors Open Aurora, please visit the Town of Aurora’s website at aurora.ca/doorsopen or the Doors Open Ontario website at doorsopenontario.on.ca.