$13,000 going to Caledon Trailway improvements thanks to book committee 

Caledon Trailway Book Committee has now raised $63,000 from sales of its book

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Caledon Trailway is continuing to improve thanks to the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers. 

The Caledon Trailway Book Committee recently donated $13,000 to the Town of Caledon to be used for improvements to the Caledon Trailway.

The committee was able to do this thanks to sales of its book, “The Caledon Trailway: Building the Dream”. 

Including its first donation of $50,000, the committee has now raised $63,000 for the Caledon Trailway from book sales. 

The committee chooses specific improvements it wants its donations to go towards. Some improvements to the trail funded by the committee include: a kiosk where the trail intersects with Mount Wolfe Road; metal benches on the trail in Palgrave, Caledon East, Inglewood, Terra Cotta and Cheltenham; stone benches on stretches of trail far away from any other places to rest; bike repair stands in Palgrave and Cheltenham; and restoration of the trail at Cardwell Junction.

The committee also has another bike repair stand ready to be installed at Mount Wolfe Road come spring, is planning to help the Town install a new kiosk on the trail in Caledon East, and is looking into a mural project.

“The Caledon Trailway: Building the Dream” was written by Diane Allengame, edited by Donna Davies, and published by the Caledon Trailway Book Committee in 2019. The book took two years to make and was a 100 per cent volunteer effort. In total, the committee published 1,650 copies of the book and has now sold all but 50.

Allengame explained the idea for the book originally came from Betty Ford, a lover of the Caledon Trailway who has many fond memories of time spent with family on it. It was Ford talking to friends and fellow trail-lovers that sparked the creation of the Caledon Trailway Book Committee in 2017.

“We wanted to capture the stories of the genesis of the trail and its development,” said Allengame, noting that people quickly jumped on board with the idea and could tell the book had the potential to be amazing.

Book committee member Cheri Cowan said she was so happy with how the book turned out. 

“It's gorgeous… it's really generated interest in the trail,” said Cowan.

The hardcover coffee table book was professionally designed by Wallflower Design and features beautiful photographs from many different photographers, both professional and amateur. The committee's attention to historical accuracy, storytelling and great visuals means the book can be enjoyed at a glance or in-depth.

Allengame said the committee had many amazing photographs submitted for the book, and also gathered historical images from the Town of Caledon and Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives.

Cowan said much credit is due to committee members Ford and Fay McCrea for their countless hours spent going through photographs to choose the best ones.

Similarly, many long hours of research from Allengame, Davies and the committee were required to write and edit the book's text. With each new chapter written for the book, the committee would go through it together. 

Committee member Wayne Noble explained the committee worked on the book for the better part of 30 months, using a timeline planned around the book's launch date.

“When it really hit home for me… is when you go to someone's house or business and they have the book on their table,” said Noble, describing the great feeling of having the book published.

Allengame said the Caledon Trailway is a critical part of the fabric of Caledon.

“It unifies the Town and the care of it and development of it is really important,” said Allengame.
Those interested in purchasing one of the remaining Caledon Trailway books, which cost $40, can visit caledontrailwaybook.ca. All proceeds from book sales go back to the Caledon Trailway.