The Arts & Craft Festival was held again this year at the Railway Station Park and the Water Tower Park at the entrance to the village of Barry's Bay. This festival has proven very successful in the past to all exhibitors.

At left is Marion Atchison, the 2002 Show Co-ordinator

All proceeds after expenses are used in the maintenance of the parks and station by the Barry's Bay Railway Station Restoration Committee and the Parks Committee.

For more information, contact;
Dave or Connie Cosgrove (613)756-9561
or
South of 60 Arts Centre,
Box 370, Barry's Bay, Ontario,
K0J 1B0

  The railway station, originally built in 1894 by the famed lumber baron J. R. Booth, was used for the Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway. It was taken over by Canadian National Railway in 1922 and served until rail service was discontinued in the late 1970s. The village purchased the station and thanks largely to an effort of dedicated local citizens it has been restored to its former beauty and is used as a tourist centre and Art Gallery..

 The name of the town derives from James Barry, who was a foreman for McLaughlin's Lumber in Arnprior. He had constructed a cabin on the shore of the bay as his headquarters. Lumbermen referred to this camp on the Kamaniskeg Lake as Barry's Camp on the Bay... Hence the name Barry's Bay.

  The settling of Barrys Bay started in 1854. In order to encourage and keep up the settlement of the region of the County of Renfrew, the government built the Ottawa, Opeongo, Addington, and the Hastings roads.
 The Polish and Irish settlers,who came to this area were immigrants who left their homelands primarily due to political and economic conditions. The Polish language is still heard spoken throughout the village.

 The town sits as a hub with roads leading to Ottawa, Toronto and Huntsville. With the areas many lakes and rivers and located near Algonquin Park the town has become a tourist mecca that swells the local population every summer..

 The area is is quickly gaining a reputation for quality arts and crafts. It has become home for a diverse group of artisans who practice the fine skills and traditions of the craftsmen of yesteryear.

  The booth of Sandy Cline, Soapstone Sculptor.