Media Advisory - Doors Open Ontario 2012 commemorates War of 1812

TORONTO, April 3, 2012 /CNW/ - The 2012 Doors Open Ontario season kicks off in Guelph on April 28. Fifty-seven events across the province comprise this year's program. From April until October, heritage buildings, cultural sites and other interesting venues will be open - free of charge - for public viewing.

The theme for Doors Open 2012, "Defending a nation," commemorates the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the locations, events and persons connected to the defence of our province and country. Doors Open participants will uncover the stories of early inhabitants who faced invasion during the War of 1812 and learn about other heroic war efforts from the past 200 years. A diverse range of defence-related sites will be open to visitors, such as battlefields, military fortifications, armouries, armament manufacturing facilities, legion halls, commemorative monuments and peace gardens.

Five new communities have joined Doors Open this year. Georgian Bay, Quinte West, Algonquin Highlands, Halton Hills and Lambton County are hosting events to tell the stories of their local heritage.

The new Doors Open Ontario website, www.doorsopenontario.on.ca, allows visitors to pinpoint specific site locations and to plan their event itinerary. The site's interactive calendars, "my favourites" folder and social media tools allow visitors to enhance their Doors Open experience.

Doors Open Ontario is the province's most exciting heritage tourism program. Since its launch in 2002, it has grown from 17 events to a record 57, representing hundreds of communities and thousands of individual heritage sites. When the 2012 events conclude in October, the program will have generated more than 4.5 million visits to 5,000 sites across the province. Out-of-town visitors will have spent an estimated $23 million in Ontario's communities.

Trails Open Ontario, part of the Doors Open program, encourages visitors to explore Ontario's 88,000 kilometres of walking, hiking and cycling trails. Participating trails can be discovered in the Doors Open Guide and on the Doors Open website. Call 1-800-ONTARIO (1-800-668-2746) for a free copy of the guide.

Doors Open Ontario 2012 sponsors include: the Globe and Mail, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation, the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund and the participating communities.

Attached is the Doors Open Ontario 2012 calendar of events. Visit www.doorsopenontario.on.ca for more information about each community.

The Ontario Heritage Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage for present and future generations.

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Doors Open Ontario 2012 Calendar of Events

April
Guelph	April 28
May
Whitby	May 5
Hamilton	May 5-6
Richmond Hill	May 12
Brockville-Thousand Islands	May 26-27
Kincardine	May 26-27
Toronto	May 26-27
June
Stratford	June 2
Whitchurch-Stouffville	June 2
Huronia	June 2-3
Ottawa	June 2-3
Owen Sound	June 2-3
Smiths Falls	June 3
Clarington	June 9
Burlington	June 9-10
Niagara (Ontario and New York)	June 15-17
Georgian Bay New!	June 16
Fergus and Elora	June 23
Kingston	June 23
Muskoka	June 23-24
July
Aurora	July 14
Orillia-Mariposa	July 28
August
Timmins	August 11
Georgina	August 25
September
Mississippi Mills-Carleton Place	September 8
Thunder Bay	September 8
Cornwall-Seaway Valley	September 8-9
Kawartha Lakes	September 9
Haldimand County	September 15
King Township	September 15
Quinte West New!	September 15
Waterloo Region	September 15
Algonquin Highlands New!	September 15-16
South Bruce Peninsula	September 15-16
Brant	September 22
Markham	September 22
East Elgin	September 22
Oshawa	September 22
Oxford	September 22
Walkerton and Area	September 22
Grimsby	September 22
Kenora	September 28-29
Ajax	September 29
Mississauga	September 29
Oakville	September 29
Parry Sound	September 29
Port Stanley-Sparta	September 29
Chatham-Kent	September 29-30
Gananoque	September 29-30
Halton Hills New!	September 29-30
Lambton County New!	September 29-30
London	September 29-30
Middlesex	September 29-30
St. Thomas	September 29-30
Vaughan	September 29-30
Windsor	September 29-30
October
Huron County	October 13-14

Jennifer Jarvis
Marketing and Communications Specialist
Ontario Heritage Trust
Telephone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]