Sarnia Makes Must-Experience List for Canada's 150th Anniversary.

Photo by Zach Neal.

From the Sudbury Star.

(Sarnia is third on the list in a larger story.)

SARNIA, ONT.: Many parts of southwest Ontario are seeing a revival, thanks in part to soaring house prices in Toronto that have seen folks turn elsewhere for affordable homes and a general influx of creative talent. Sarnia's downtown features a lovely art gallery, the Judith and Norman Alix Gallery, with trendy and cool exhibits you'd expect at much larger galleries. 

You’ll also find great craft beer at Refined Fool (a nice play on Sarnia’s oil refineries), good food (try Ciao Chow and Under Wraps café) and cooler-than-you-might expect shopping at places such as Urban Escape.

Link to the rest here.

Mentioned in the story is the Refined Fool Brewing Company.

By coincidence, here is a related story.

From the Sarnia Journal.

The Refined Fool Brewery is calling for a second round.

The Sarnia microbrewery is seeking a zoning amendment from City Hall for possible expansion at 1326 London Rd., a site currently occupied by TJ’s Furniture & Home Decor.

“There is still a lot of work ahead to make it a reality,” said Nathan Colquhoun, one of the brewery’s owners.

“We will make a more in-depth announcement in the near future.”

Refined Fool has operated at 137 Davis St. since opening in May of 2014. The additional space would serve as a production facility and have a taproom as well, Colquhoun said.

Link to the rest here.

Thank you for reading.

Valley Axe Expanding for Summer Fun.

Photo by Zach Neal.

From Tyler Kula, the Sarnia Observer.

The folks behind Sarnia’s axe and knife-throwing venue have sized up a new target.

Valley Axe is taking over the shuttered Bluewater Fun Park, with plans to transform the deteriorating locale – closed down in 2015 after almost 30 years in Sarnia – into a new attraction, said Valley Axe’s Bo Tait.

He and his business partners have taken on the lease and are planning fenced and netted ranges for outdoor axe and knife throwing.

“We’ll even do some spear throwing and archery,” said Tait.

Safety standards, to make the venue on par with the indoor, licenced facility off London Line, are a must, he said.

And they’re not stopping there.

Link to the rest here.

Related coverage from Josh Boyce and Blackburn News.

The owners of Valley Axe are breathing new life into the adjacent former Bluewater Fun Park on London Line.

Bo Tait says they’ve leased the five acre property and plan to build as many as a dozen outdoor throwing ranges, a soccer field and volleyball courts.

He says they’re going to tear down the waterslides and pools and expect to have construction complete by the summer.

Link to the rest here.

Thank you for reading.