JUNK BOAT TRAVELS

02 October 2026

Weekend Roundup

Welcome to The Weekend Roundup...hosted by Tom The Back Roads Traveller

1. Starts with "N"
2. A Favorite
3. NUMBER - chosen by Tom

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

Starts with N NOTEBOOK

FAVOURITE NAPKIN Basel Switzerland

NUMBER

Danforth Toronto

REFLECTIONS NAPLES Florida

01 October 2026

Salmon Running - Port Hope ON

September 2014 - Port Hope ON

Some photos of town first.

Historic Port Hope Town Hall constructed in the 1850s.

Horror fans will recognize this building instantly. The town hall served as a prominent exterior filming location for the Derry Public Library in both Stephen King's IT (2017) and its sequel. During production, film crews replaced the building's Canadian flags with American flags and heavily decorated the surrounding streets, leaving unsuspecting tourists entirely confused about what country they were in.

Standing directly in front of the Town Hall is a large bronze statue of Lt. Colonel Arthur T.H. Williams. Unveiled in 1889 by Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, the monument honors a prominent local politician and militia leader who led Canadian forces during the 1885 Northwest Resistance. In recent years, the statue has been the subject of community dialogue regarding its colonial history and historical context.

One of two captured German field guns in Port Hope. This specific piece—Serial No. 13820—was captured on September 29, 1918, by the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles). It was seized at Moon Quarry near Chérisy, France, during the final months of World War I.

Port Hope Cenotaph, a historic war memorial, commemorates local service members who served in conflicts including the First World War and Korean War.

The historic Capitol Theatre, opened August 15, 1930, as one of Canada's first cinemas built specifically for talking pictures. A National Historic Site of Canada featuring classic Art Deco architecture.

It featured as the exterior of the Derry movie theatre in both IT Chapter One (2017) and IT Chapter Two (2019).

The historic Hotel Carlyle & Restaurant was built in 1857. It features 19th-century Italianate design with distinctive green trim and cornices. Now operates as a boutique hotel with ten renovated rooms and the on-site Carlyle Bistro, where the old bank vault has been converted into a private dining space.

The building was constructed in 1857 as a branch of the Bank of Upper Canada, designed by the prominent architectural firm Cumberland and Storm. The main floor was dedicated entirely to financial operations, while the upper floors served as a grand private residence for the bank manager. It operated this way until the bank collapsed financially, and the property was sold in 1881.

In 1882, the building was purchased by Dr. Robert A. Corbett, a prominent local figure who oversaw the construction of Corbett’s Dam (which produced Port Hope's very first electricity). He converted the old banking halls into his family home and active medical practice. The building changed hands a couple more times after his passing before its next major commercial pivot.

In 1920, the property was purchased by Herbert and Fred Lingard, who radically transformed the estate by establishing the Port Hope City Dairy on the premises.Commercial milk production took over the property. In the 1940s, large structural additions were built onto the rear of the building to house modern, industrial dairy facilities and cooling equipment.

In 1937, Erwood and Gladys Downey took over ownership. Under their leadership, it became one of Port Hope's most successful and recognizable local businesses. For decades, residents associated the beautiful stone building with door-to-door glass bottle milk deliveries and local ice cream.

The dairy finally wound down operations in the late 1970s. In 1985, the property was purchased by David and Jeanne Henderson, who recognized its deep historical roots. Over the next few decades, they methodically reversed the mid-century industrial dairy updates, meticulously restoring the 19th-century Italianate architecture.They repurposed the structure into The Carlyle Inn & Bistro.

We stopped in Port Hope to watch the salmon jumping upstream. It is located on the Ganaraska River in Port Hope at the fish ladder on Cavan St.

Built in 1865 as a Presbyterian church north of Walton Street and moved to its current location in 1907. It served as St. Mark's Parish Hall before being purchased by the Navy League branch in 1956. It now functions as the local headquarters for the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps (RCSCC) Skeena and Navy League Cadet Corps (NLCC) Northumberland.

An ornate, weathered stone or cast-metal architectural water spout featuring a grotesque or lion-like mask, commonly known as a mascaron.

This is a piece of the historic William Craig Fountain (also known as Craig's Fountain), which was erected in 1878.

Salmon migrate and swim from the ocean where they reside and back to the place where they were born in the small streams in order to lay eggs for their next generation. Then they take the journey back to the ocean or die during the process.

Other people watching too.

It builds patience. It was around 4 PM and you get a much better turnout in the morning.

You can see the salmon in the water.

She's trying. Many die as they try and end up hitting the wall.

AHA!

30 September 2026

Every Child Matters

October 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an annual federal statutory holiday in Canada observed on September 30th to honour residential school survivors, their families, and communities, and to remember the children who never returned home.

Purpose and History

• Commemoration: The day recognizes the tragic history and lasting impacts of the Canadian Indian residential school system.

• Call to Action: It was established in 2021 (via Bill C-5) in response to Call to Action 80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

• Orange Shirt Day: The date coincides with Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led grassroots movement inspired by survivor Phyllis Webstad, where people wear orange to symbolize that every child matters.

Closures: As a federal statutory holiday, federal government offices, banks, and postal services are closed, though provincial holiday status varies by provinces.

Signs

Joining Tom at Signs2.

September 2026 - Montreal QC

29 September 2026

Tuesday Treasures

Tom hosts Tuesday's Treasures.

2013, 2017 and 2025 - Memphis TN

2017
William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was a composer and musician, known as the Father of the Blues. An African American, Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musicians who played the distinctively American blues music, Handy did not create the blues genre and was not the first to publish music in the blues form, but he took the blues from a regional music style (Delta blues) with a limited audience to a new level of popularity.

Handy was an educated musician who used elements of folk music in his compositions. He was scrupulous in documenting the sources of his works, which frequently combined stylistic influences from various performers.