Photo: Andrew Gunn and Maddi Obar of young & free press make a video in the charming alleyway next to the Old Town Hall in downtown Aylmer. This urban space has been transformed recently with a remarkable new mural by artist Meaghan Claire Kehoe … the design was inspired by conversations between the artist and students from East Elgin Secondary School in Aylmer. The mural is located on the wall of the ‘Steam Laundry Building’, currently the home of Groovy Moon.

Celebrating the Past, Present & Future of Aylmer

Our team at young & free press has worked in collaboration with the Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives over the past year to make some beautiful enhancements to the community.

In fall 2020, we arranged a donation of $130,000 to the Museum from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell to fund a new ‘Digital Archivist’ position at the Museum, support the purchase of new technologies, facilitate the use of the ‘On This Spot’ app in the community, install a new large-scale mural in downtown Aylmer, and contribute toward the ‘Museum Relocation Fund’ to strengthen the long-term goal of establishing a new site for the Museum locally. At this stage, the Museum has hired the Digital Archivist, added new pieces of technology to help preserve historical documents and artefacts, and started the process of developing the app for the community. Further, artist Meaghan Claire Kehoe was engaged to develop a concept for the mural, aided in the design process by high school students from East Elgin Secondary School. The result is a spectacular landmark work of art now on view in the alley by the Old Town Hall in downtown Aylmer.

Andrew Gunn, Maddie King & Maddi Obar of young & free press (at left) joined artist Meaghan Claire Kehoe as she completed this impressive new mural in downtown Aylmer. Representatives of the Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives attended as well, including Sarah Bentley, Paul Hickling, Amanda VandenWyngaert & Ivana Csinos. The mural is located at 20 John Street South. — *Andrew Gunn, Maddie King & Maddi Obar of* young & free press (at left) joined artist Meaghan Claire Kehoe as she completed this impressive new mural in downtown Aylmer. Representatives of the Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives attended as well, including Sarah Bentley, Paul Hickling, Amanda VandenWyngaert & Ivana Csinos. The mural is located at 20 John Street South.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of adding murals to a community is how the artwork sparks conversations at street level. We were happy to hear all the positive comments from local residents walking or driving by as the mural was painted, as well as a few suggestions for where additional pieces could be located in town. There are lots of stories to tell in Aylmer! As Meaghan painted the mural, we took the opportunity to explore the town and check out a number of local businesses. Here are a few recommendations:

Spicer’s Bakery is one of the best-known spots in Aylmer, famous for aromatic loaves of bread and lots of delicious treats. Our staff member Maddie King stopped into the shop downtown for a chocolate covered brownie, accompanied by Maddi Obar, who is one of the students from East Elgin that helped give input into the mural design. Check out the shot below with the mural-in-progress as the backdrop!

We visited Aylmer one Saturday morning while the mural was being painted, and totally enjoyed having breakfast on the front sidewalk patio at Johnny’s Restaurant. Make sure to check out “Johnny’s Sensational Skillets”, and the omelettes are excellent, too! Perfect spot to watch the world go by for a while …

Emily Stage of young & free press on the front patio at Johnny’s Restaurant in downtown Aylmer. — *Emily Stage of* young & free press *on the front patio at Johnny’s Restaurant in downtown Aylmer.*

Now and then we have passed through town and noticed the Aylmer Burger Stand at the east end. Our staff members Avelea Thorne and Julie Couwenberghs took the plunge recently on a Friday night, ordering up some burgers and fries. The menu is both expansive and surprising, offering up everything from a regular cheese burger to inventive variations such as Hawaiian, Jalapeno Popper, and Deep-Fried Pickle burgers. We enjoyed the fresh-cut fries, too! Busy spot … there always seems to be a steady line-up at the stand.

During the planning stages of the mural, we visited Aylmer a few times, and one place we wanted to check out for sure is the new Walker Dairy Bar at the east end of town. Serving up Shaw’s ice cream along with milkshakes, the spot stands out due to some unique features like the distinctive sign by Abracadabra Signs and the fact that there is a drive-thru service! Walker Farms also produces a distinctive brand of milk called ‘Single Farm A2 Milk’ … get all the details on the product line here.

Julie Couwenberghs & Madison Comfort of young & free pressenjoying the ice cream from Walker Dairy Bar, which is located at 546 Talbot Street East in Aylmer. — *Julie Couwenberghs & Madison Comfort of* young & free pressenjoying the ice cream from Walker Dairy Bar, which is located at 546 Talbot Street East in Aylmer.

If you find time for a quick late-summer road-trip through Ontario’s Southwest, make sure to check out the stunning new mural by Meaghan Claire Kehoe in downtown Aylmer, and definitely visit a couple of the great spots that we have recommended here. Next up, we are excited to return to the Aylmer area this fall to highlight another exciting community project! Last year, our team announced a donation of $335,000 from the Estate of Donna Bushell to the Catfish Creek Conservation Authority to build the new “Evans Sisters’ Stage” in Springwater Forest. Construction begins soon and we look forward to sharing all the details!