{"id":21037,"date":"2018-06-28T10:31:55","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T14:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=21037"},"modified":"2018-06-28T10:31:55","modified_gmt":"2018-06-28T14:31:55","slug":"inside-aurora-ghost-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/inside-aurora-ghost-town\/","title":{"rendered":"INSIDE AURORA: Ghost Town"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Scott Johnston<\/strong><\/p>\n

In only a few days I\u2019ll practically have the Town to myself.
\nAt least, it will seem that way.
\nIt\u2019s never ceases to amaze me what a ghost town Aurora becomes on summer long week-ends.
\nThe streets are empty, there are no lines at the grocery stores, and you can always get a table at your favourite restaurant.
\nIt\u2019s equal parts delightful and eerie.
\nI suppose a lot of people must have cottages, or better for them from that pesky having-to-do-all-that-icky-maintenance-like-fixing-the-septic-system perspective, get invited to other people\u2019s cottages.
\nOr maybe they take advantage of the week-end GO train service and disappear southward to the big city for a few days.
\nFor whatever reason, it\u2019s their loss, because they\u2019re missing out on a lot of fun right here in Aurora.
\nTake this week-end, for example. Our country\u2019s 151th birthday may not have the cache of last year\u2019s150th, but it\u2019s still reason to celebrate.
\nAlthough technically not part of the Canada Day festivities, the week-end\u2019s fun in Aurora starts with the Farmer\u2019s Market.
\nWhile all the Town\u2019s escapees are either still sitting bumper to bumper on the 400 inhaling idling engine exhaust on Saturday morning, or already collapsed in flimsy deck chairs up north swatting mosquitoes the size of small pterodactyls, those of us who are left in Town can enjoy fresh local veggies, baked goods and other goodies.
\nLater in the day, Town Park will transform from produce to party as it hosts the Dance in the Park. Even if you\u2019re not too graceful on your feet, you can still enjoy live bands, food and (or maybe just) a beer garden.
\nThe following day is the big event. As kids chalk their personal visions of Canada on the sidewalk outside of the library, the patriotism will continue with the annual parade of local bands, multicultural community groups, dignitaries and others down Yonge Street.
\nFrom there the fun moves to Lambert Willson Park and the Leisure Complex. There\u2019s pretty much something for everyone through the day, including concerts, horseshoe contests, kids crafts and activities, swimming and several musical performances.
\nAnd, in what seems to be the tradition of all events in Town, there will be more food, starting with a late breakfast (pancakes) or early dessert (birthday cake).
\nOf course, the day winds up with a bang \u2013 literally \u2013 with fireworks at dusk. Better yet, since you can see the fireworks from virtually anywhere in Town, you have your choice of vantage points. And there\u2019s no worry about staying up too late, because the next day is a holiday.
\nAll that\u2019s just this week-end.
\nThe next two months will feature no end of things to do in Town.
\nFor example, I\u2019ll definitely be taking in some of the Concerts in the Park, which yes, do have food options, as well.
\nAs an added bonus, many of the activities, including the concerts and Movies in the Park, are presented free, courtesy of the Town and generous corporate sponsors.
\nAnd just in case there\u2019s still some room on your bathroom scale at the end of August after partaking in all the special event-related food the Town has to offer, the summer winds up with Ribfest.
\nDespite the food-related name, it\u2019s not just an eating event, as it also includes bands and children\u2019s activities.
\nSo, the next time you\u2019re considering joining the exodus from Town this summer, you may think you\u2019re getting away from it all, but what you\u2019re doing is missing out on a lot of good times right here in Aurora.<\/p>\n

Feel free to e-mail Scott at: machellscorners@gmail.com<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Scott Johnston In only a few days I\u2019ll practically have the Town to myself. At least, it will seem that way. It\u2019s never ceases to amaze me what a ghost town Aurora becomes on summer long week-ends. The streets are empty, there are no lines at the grocery stores, and you can always get […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[29,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-columns","category-opinion"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-5tj","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-05 20:17:32","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21037\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}