Last evening, after a busy day at the office, the Taste team headed out to attend the Cultural Crawl on Rednersville Road.

Hosted by the Cultural Round Table, a group of people who represent a wide variety of cultural constituencies in Prince Edward County, the Crawl is the second a series, the first of which took place in Picton last July.

Kicked off at Oeno Gallery, about 20 people mingled and sipped County wine while taking in the works of numerous artists including those of Sylvain Louis-Seize. Created from materials including oil, tar, metals and acid, Louis-Seize’s works feature moody depictions of industrial landscapes sealed under a glossy coat of resin.

Before moving on to the next location, Oeno co-owner Carlyn Moulton spoke to the group about the County’s thriving cultural community, particularly its happy marriage of fine food, art and wine, referring to the region as Canada’s Tuscany.

Next it was on to Albury Church, the oldest nondenominational church in Ontario, which recently celebrated the opening of a new entrance whose ultimate goal is to be fully accessible. While the crowd admired its charming cornflower blue sanctuary, they learned a little of the church’s history including how it got its name. In the 19th century when the Peck family gave the land to Ameliasburgh it was under the stipulation that it be used to house a church, a school and a cemetery where anyone could be buried…hence the name, a fusion of the words “all” and “bury.”

Down the road at cozy Sweet Water Cabin, owner Janice Hubbs gave a fire-side talk. Over coffee and homemade oatmeal cookies (made with maple syrup, of course!), Janice shared stories and folklore about the circa 1830 cabin’s origin in Lanark County and the scores of maple-related artifacts it now houses. We learned about everything from sugar tongs and shavers to the habits of fishers — one of the very few animals who prey on porcupines.

Unfortunately, none of the Taste group could make it to potluck dinner at the Crawl’s final stop, the Art House Gallery. Formerly the Rednersville United Church, the space now is open to hosting everything from art classes to small scale musical performances.

For more information about the Cultural Round Table (including upcoming Culture Crawls), be sure to check out the organization’s website, www.culturalroundtable.ca.

Tags: artists, Culture, Wine