Residents can get a sneak peak at Newmarket's Mulock Estate

Visit this historic site Oct. 6 for a glimpse of Newmarket's past and future

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 2, 2019
Ben Puccini

Newmarket residents are being offered a chance to step into the town's past.

In 2018, the town purchased the 11.6-acre property on the corner of Mulock Drive and Yonge Street.

The house and land were once the home of one-time Postmaster General of Canada Sir William Mulock, the namesake of both the road on which the property sits and the local secondary school.

Since then the property has been closed to the public, leaving local residents to wonder what sort of changes are being made to the historic site.

Now they're being a given a chance to come explore the estate for themselves during the Mulock Property Harvest Picnic.

Pack a picnic lunch, grab a blanket and a reusable water bottle and head to the property and join in a celebration of both history and the fall harvest.

The Newmarket Food Pantry is accepting donations, so be sure to also bring along a non-perishable food item to add to the collection.

There are plenty of heritage activities on the schedule.

Try your hand at the apple tree ring toss or dress like a pioneer at the costume photo op. There will also be a toy box filled with all the best childhood trinkets from yesteryear like spinning tops, Jacob’s ladder, jacks and more.

There will also be stage competitions throughout the day in categories ranging from the pumpkin seed toss, to scarecrow stuffing, to nail driving and everything in between.

Or you can just wander the grounds while sipping hot apple cider and listening to live music from local music duo Ainsworth and Degrandis.

The Mulock Property Harvest Picnic is only a teaser of what's to come, with future plans in motion to transform the historic property into a community park inspired by the likes of New York’s Central Park and the Arrowhead Ice Trail in Huntsville.

The project will benefit the entire community, Mayor John Taylor said.

“I’m very excited for people to come and see what we’re doing on the property,” he says, “and I’m excited to move forward with creating this park that will be a centre of our community for 100 years or more.”

Guests are asked to park at the Ray Twinney Complex. Fully accessible shuttle buses will be running between there and the Mulock property for the duration of the event.

It’s also recommended that people with accessibility needs be accompanied by someone who can assist, as the grounds may not currently be fully accessible.