My best friend suggested that I drop by the toonie (twonie or twoonie?) monument while in Campbellford. I decided to make a stop before swinging by her mom's house for dinner.
I frankly don't know what the proper spelling is of the term used to describe our $2 coin. I feel that toonie is more common because it's a simple letter change from loonie, our $1 coin. I can also see twonie and twoonie being acceptable, as they can represent the coin's bi-metallic look or its value, or both.
I'll use toonie until I have another internal spelling battle.
This monument is located in a small park, Old Mill Park, with the Trent River hugging it. It's a gorgeous setting.
I parked by the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce. Parking is free there. I then walked over to see the monument.
While I was admiring the toonie monument, there was a performance happening at the bandstand further down. A woman was singing, "God is great. God is wonderful." I wasn't expecting a spiritual choir singing as I was admiring this attraction. It was different.
This giant $2 coin was built in 2001. It's an exact replica of an adult polar bear in early summer on an ice floe, but larger. It was designed by Brent Townsend, who lived in Trent Hills.
This monument is 27 feet high and 18 feet wide in diameter. It was constructed by local metalsmith, Steve Redden, with the oversight of the Royal Canadian Mint.
The Mint declared Campbellford the home of the $2 coin in 1997. Cool!
My friend's brother is a wealth of knowledge, which I appreciate. He shared that Townsend had a mental breakdown roughly a decade ago. He decided to erect a 5-metre cross on his lawn and hung a noose from the top.
One word: Wow.
I hope that he has sought help.
I shared the God-is-good sing-along that I had experienced with my friend and her family. Her mom let me know that I had stumbled upon Gospel Fest that lasts two weekends in this town. I had caught the second weekend of it.
I had a great time taking photos of the giant toonie monument and admiring its craftsmanship. I also got more bang for my buck (er, two bucks) by taking in Gospel Fest. Yay, me!
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