Cookstown

Cookstown is a cozy village located in Simcoe County. It’s downtown streets are filled with quaint antique and special interest shops, making it well known as the antique capital of Southern Ontario.

Cookstown is also known for its annual garage sale called the “Wing Ding” which occurs the first weekend of June.

Cookstown is part of the town of Innisfil. It is located about 80 kilometres north of Toronto, and is just south of Barrie. It is is a rural area, but growth throughout the Greater Toronto Area and Barrie has meant that more and more families are choosing to settle in Cookstown.

Cookstown is a shopper’s dream. There are plenty of antique stores, gift shops and art galleries to shop at as well as a the area’s famous outlet mall.

In addition to a bustling and historic downtown, Cookstown also has recreation activities such as a dance studio, curling club and more. There are plenty of special interest events to get involved in as well such as the Georgian Bay Steam Show, which displays steam engines, and other steam powered inventions.

There is an event called the “Wing Ding” which is a huge celebration in the streets that takes place the first weekend of June each year with over 100 vendors at the event. It is a great way to get some shopping done, and celebrate the beginning of summer.

Another great event is Light Up Night, which features a tree lighting ceremony and a parade for people of all ages to enjoy.

Cookstown is named for Thomas Cooke and was established in 1847. Cooke’s homestead still exists today.

Cookstown was proudly home to Emily Murphy, a feminist and activist who was part of the Famous Five. She was heavily involved with taking women’s rights to the highest courts in England and Canada in order to secure their status as legal persons in 1929.

An interesting piece of history worth noting is that Cookstown holds a record for the longest continuous operation of a post office by a single family. The Coleman family ran the post office for 100 years between the years of 1873 and 1973.