PHOTOOOOOOOS

 Whipper Watson Park down the street from my house. It just went through an over haul, adding tons of things to play on, splash pad, tennis court, and more.

 Heres a photo I snapped of the lake.

 As well as this one :p

 I shot a movie around this area once. It has a really nice view of part of the lake.

 Building more homes for people to live in.

 MORE BUILDINGSSSSS :)

 Keswick High School is one of two high schools in Keswick. The other is Catholic high school OLL.

 Another view of Keswick High.

 We got a Walmart!! Not even a year old yet :)

 Just a snap shot of the road widening on Woodbine.

 Stephen Leacock Theatre!

 The Ice Palace! In the building there are 2 rinks, a library, a banquet hall, and a gym.

 The Gem Theatre. Our humble little theatre :)

Keswick Skate Park is a favourite of most teens.

Downside of Living in the "Wick"

Keswick is a great place to live for many reasons. Some of these reasons include its quite neighborhoods, its small town feel, and all the fun the lake provides throughout the summer and winter months. However Keswick has one major problem, the commute. The town has been on a steady increase in population for some time now, housing many families that rely on the commuting to southern jobs. This has become the downside to living in the town as there are only 2 major routes in and out of the “Wick”. The two routes I talk of are Woodbine Avenue which has a 80 km limit and two lanes, the other is the Queensway/Leslie Street which has a fluctuating limit of 40 km up to 80 km. This isn’t so bad when traveling during the day but it does become an issue when traveling during rush hour. My common route woodbine is the towns favorite route and takes 25 minutes in rush hour to go from Keswick to Newmarket, a big leap from the 15 minutes it normally takes. This has only recently been addressed with the 404 extension and the widening of Woodbine Avenue past Ravenshoe Road. This sounds like a ray of good news and looking at the overall picture it is. However the 404 extension has been in talks since the early nineties and only started 2 years ago, and there is not much to show for it. Woodbine’s widening has also taken some time to flourish with years of planning. Construction started last year with the addition of two lanes and is now halfway done with the other two under construction. Only time will tell how long it takes before residents have an easier time at getting to their jobs. 

Greg Reid

Greg Reid is a friend of my brothers. Although he didn't always live in Keswick, he moved north when he was six from Aurora. After the move he attended W. J. Watson public school which happens to be the same school I went to after I moved to the "Wick". Currently he goes to Keswick High School along with my brother. When I asked him about living in the "Wick" he told me it was "alright, but I would rather be in another town. Keswick is so hick!" He plans to go to college in september for police foundations and one day hopes to be a Toronto police officer. "It has always been something I like to do. My dad is a cop so it's always been there, if you know what I mean." he tells me. Who knows maybe one day we will see Greg passing us by in a cruiser. Until then Greg is working hard at school but can't wait to graduate and move out of the town.

Southlake Print Story

Searching through my local newspaper I found an article on the Southlake Hospital. The hospital is located south of us in Newmarket but it is our closest hospital. It also struck a cord with me seeing as that I had my shoulder operated on a few years back there. The story is about Southlake's new campaign to raise money to buy a new MRI machine and newer equipment installed at the hospital. They are planning to raise 9 million dollars to replace their old MRI machine which broke last year. For the time being they have been renting a unit. Among the the plans to purchase a new MRI machine they also plan to update some of their older equipment. Upon completion of their goal they say that they will be able to cut down on wait times and be able to cut down on patient recovery times. More information on the story can be found here.

What to Do??

Being as Keswick is a small town it doesn’t have to many attractions and some of them aren’t even built yet. However here is a list of what is out there to enjoy! 

• This is still being built. “The town’s Multi-Use Recreational Park got a major boost in July 2009 when the federal government announced it was adding its $4.7-million share to the pot. To be located on 150 acres on the town’s sprawling Georgina Civic Centre property and adjacent to the existing snow tube hill, the park is set to become a winter paradise for snow boarders and the summer home to serious mountain bikers, BMX enthusiasts and world cup 4X racing, Canada’s newest hot cycling sport. A network of mountain and cross-country biking trails and a rhythm track for aerial manoeuvres will round out the all-season park.” http://www.mynewwaterfronthome.com/Community/55/keswick.aspx 
• The Ice Palace is the local hockey arena. It features two rinks, library, banquet hall, and an out door skatepark. http://www.town.georgina.on.ca/dpt-leisure-skatetimes.aspx
• The Gem is the local theatre. It is independently owned and features 4 screens and unbeatable prices. http://gemtheatre.ca/
• The Georgina Civic Centre is home to soccer pitches as well as a couple baseball pitches. 
• There are a few public beaches within the Georgina area that Keswick residents gain free parking to. Non-residents must pay to park. The beach is always a great place to cool off! 
• Being by a lake also has its advantages. Crates Marina is just one of the many places to dock your boat for a summer on the water. 
• In the winter Ice fishing and Snowmobiling are also a great pass time! 
• If live theatre is your thing be sure to check out Stephen Leacock theatre. They put on loads of musical performances, plays, and have also partnered with TIFF to bring TIFF films to georgina. http://www.stephenleacocktheatre.ca/index.aspx

Getting to Know the Wick

Keswick has been my home for home for 9 years now. Since my move from Newmarket to the “Wick” as some of us like to call it, there has been a few changes. Keswick is located 20-25 minutes north of Newmarket near Lake Simcoe. It is a continually growing town full of commuters. Many things have changed in the almost past decade here such as new subdivisions, large stores, widening woodbine, 404 extension progress, and my High School got a new wing added on. Much has changed indeed. 

Keswick’s population is always increasing as people move further north to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. This constant raise in population has put our town on the map for development. Some may know Keswick as cottage country and at one point it was. The closer you get to the lake the easier it is to see this as many homes appear to be cottage size. However being a cottage hotspot is no longer the case. 

With the addition of new subdivisions and cheap house prices many have flocked to the town. Many of us commute to work each morning creating some issues for the two lane stretch of Woodbine Avenue. To combat this problem work started a couple years back to extend the 404 highway from its current end point at Greenlane in Newmarket to Ravenshoe Road on the border of Keswick. Also work started last year on widened Woodbine Avenue north of Ravenshoe Road to ease congestion. Roads aren the only thing being constructed in the town either. Just last year Walmart finally came to Keswick along with rumors of a Home Depot and resurfacing rumors of a Great Canadian Superstore. 

Keswick is an ever growing place, it will be interesting to see what happens next.