You don’t have to be a quilter to enjoy the vast array of shows, exhibits and events that make the Quilt & Fibre Art Festival so vibrant and inspiring!

Held May 22-26, 2018 in communities across Waterloo Region, it celebrates the best work of quilters and fibre artists both from the past and the present.
 

More than 6 of the festival’s collective events will take place in St. Jacobs, a village of Mennonite and pioneering heritage where quilting and needlework played an important role – for both practicality and beauty.

During the Festival, visitors will see a variety of exhibits featuring everything from historic collections to the work of contemporary guest artists and guilds. Work may be inspired by modern or traditional patterns, be hand-stitched or machine quilted with free motion linear and digital designs, or it may be experimental using new techniques and trends for remarkable outcomes.

The Festival also holds a “trunk show”, afternoon tea, chat with an artist, demonstrations, workshops, a mystery bus excursion, and a merchant mall. 

The Quilt Festival is a great excuse to book a getaway to St. Jacobs! Stay at a top hotel such as Homewood Suites by Hilton; take in the quilt shows, local shops, attractions, and the nearby St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market (open Thurs & Sat).

For details and a Calendar of Events for the Quilt & Fibre Arts Festival, click here.

With winter behind us and spring on the horizon, it's maple syrup season once again.  As majestic maple trees in local woodlots awake during warming daytime temperatures following freezing nights, sap begins flowing from root to treetop.  It's then that the trees are "tapped" and the watery sap collected for the long process of being boiled down to sweet and delicious pure maple syrup, taffy, sugars, and other maple products.

In St. Jacobs Country, there are a number of ways to learn, experience, and taste the magic of the maple season first-hand!

St. Jacobs Horse-drawn Tours hosts Saturday excursions to the sugar bush (until April 14 in 2018), local farmers sell maple syrup fresh from the farm at St. Jacobs Farmers' Market (Thursday & Saturday), and The Maple Syrup Museum tells the story of its production from the time it was introduced to pioneering settlers by indigenous people, to modern day production methods.

You can also sample and buy fresh local maple syrup products and other local gourmet foods all year around at The Farm Pantry, open every day in the Village of St. Jacobs, or order it from them online for shipping anywhere in Ontario.  

Maple syrup is so well-loved, and its production so significant to the local economy, that an entire festival is dedicated to it. The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival is the world's largest one-day maple syrup festival and takes over the town's entire main street each year with a staggering array of crafters, food booths, and of course, all things maple.  It takes place on Saturday April 7, 2018; learn more by clicking here. 

Maple syrup season happens only once a year so be sure to plan a visit soon!  

"Lots to Love" February SALE at St Jacobs Farmers’ Market & Flea Market!

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Once again, St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market  is giving you "Lots to Love" by jazzing up February with a massive sale! Throughout market, a huge number of food and craft vendors participate with their own unique offers and specials. See them all here! (pdf)

Every Thursday & Saturday, more than 200 vendors are at St. Jacobs Market to serve you in three distinct buildings, and you may even find a few hardy outdoor vendors too!

Find top quality fresh and smoked meats, fish & poultry, sausages and deli meats, cheese, farm fresh eggs, homestyle baking, mouthwatering desserts, locally-grown apples and other hardy Ontario crops, a mind-boggling array of delicious ready-to-eat foods, plus clothing, housewares,  gift ideas, and handicrafts galore.

Stop and chat with the farmers, butchers, bakers, food and craft producers themselves, and discover all there is to love at St. Jacobs Market.  Hop on over to our Facebook page to enter weekly contests too. The "Lots to Love" Sale event continues at St. Jacobs Farmers' Market every Thursday & Saturday, for the entire month of February.

St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market & Flea Market is OPEN
Thursday & Saturday all year, 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Plus Tuesdays in summer too, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

And as if that weren't enough, there's even more to love in the entire "market district".  Market Road Antiques is hosting their month-long February Warm-Up Sale too,  and St. Jacobs Outlets' Mall-wide Winter Clearance & New Spring Arrivals Sale takes place February 15 - 25.  Both  of these shopping destinations are open every day, including Family Day holiday Monday.

Follow Market Road Antiques on Facebook.    Follow St. Jacobs Outlet Mall on Facebook. 

Black Friday has grown in popularity in Canada over the past few years and debates about the true origins of the term "black friday" continue.  Today it is generally regarded as the start of the holiday shopping season in the USA, sometimes amid images of early morning lineups for store openings and frantic crowds. After all, who doesn't love to save some money and get a great deal ahead of the holidays!?

But in an increasingly fast-paced world, for many, an added sense of satisfaction comes from finding a way to incorporate the richness of past tradition into our modern living; to pay tribute to a quieter bygone time where a few simple treats - like nuts & candy and perhaps opening one or two treasured gifts with loved ones on Christmas morning - made the day special and memorable for a lifetime.

Blogs, magazines, home décor and diy websites are abuzz with ideas on how to achieve this, much of it centered on holiday décor. And within that realm, antiques and collectible items play an important role in bringing a sense of nostalgia to your home.

Consider how an antique piece of furniture – whether rustic or refined - or a table set with lovely antique dishes and glass can in itself pay homage to days gone by. A cedar garland strung with vintage ornaments and draped over a mantle, hutch or doorway can add dramatic flair and festive mood in an instant.

Or perhaps you are a do-it-yourselfer whose greatest satisfaction comes from repurposing an old item to star in your home in a fresh new way, or to give as a gift. Think wooden boxes, jugs, and jars adorned with greens and candles; bells of every description strung with ribbon; old skates, wooden sleds, skis, or an architectural element adorned to greet guests at the front door...

And even a small creative venture can be good for the soul. So take some time to browse for ideas on line or in magazines, stroll through Market Road Antiques with its more than 100 antique vendor booths, then perhaps... get out the glue gun, greens & glitter, and let visions of sugar plums and all things Christmas dance in your head as you prepare for the holidays!

  4-day BLACK FRIDAY SALE at Market Road Antiques
  Thursday November 23 - Sunday November 26, 2017
  Open daily 10 am - 6 pm, and OPEN LATE to 8 pm
  on Thursday & Friday of this event!

  4-day BLACK FRIDAY SALE at St. Jacobs Outlets

  (across Weber St from Market Road Antiques)
  November 23 - November 26, 2017. Open daily and
  weekday nights until 9 pm.

Welcome St. Jacobs Sparkles! This much anticipated holiday event celebrates the holiday shopping season and took place on November 16, 17, 18, 19, 2017. Read on to see what took place, and plan to attend in 2018!

Merchants have been busy as elves preparing once-a-year savings, fabulous in-store promotions, festive goodies, free draws, and more for you to enjoy.  All across town shopkeepers throw open their doors for extended hours to 9 p.m. on Thursday & Friday night and until 6 p.m. on Saturday & Sunday.

Outdoors, strains of strolling Victorian carolers can be heard, horse-drawn trolleys decked with lights and bells transport happy visitors around the block; the warm-up barrel fire burns brightly and twinkling lights illuminate the streets (see below for schedule of activities). Everywhere, merriment and warm greetings abound. 

St. Jacobs Sparkles

Thursday - Sunday, November 16, 17, 18, 19, 2017
Location: Village of St. Jacobs

Store Hours:

•   Thursday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
•   Friday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
•   Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
•   Sunday 12 - 6 p.m.

​Plan to attend and read on for lots more details!

Where to PARK:
New! FREE Luxury Shuttle to the village’s downtown aboard
Brentwood Livery's Limbusine  when you park free at Calvary United Church (see location).

•   Thursday evening  4:45 - 9 p.m.     •   Friday evening  4:45 - 9 p.m.

More free parking in the municipal lot off Albert Street, the Mill parking lot off Front St.,
street parking; overflow parking at St. Jacobs Mennonite Church.

Free Horse-drawn Trolley ride:

•   Thursday 4:30 - 8:30 pm   •   Friday 4:00 - 8:00 pm   •   Saturday 1 - 5 pm
(the horse-drawn trolley does not operate on Sunday)

 Victorian Carolers:

Listen for the strains of outdoor wandering carolers:
•   Thursday 5 - 8 pm  •   Friday 12:30 - 3: 30 pm •  Friday 4 - 7 pm
•   Saturday 2 - 5 pm  •  Sunday 1:30 - 4:30

SANTA makes an appearance in the Village!  Bring your little ones and your camera!
•   Saturday 1:30 - 4 p.m.    •   Sunday 1:30 - 4 p.m.

(located in outdoor tent next to Toy Soup)

Warm up with warmed sweet apple cider at the burn barrel hosted by the Township of Woolwich volunteer firefighters, St. Jacobs division, in front of the Mill. Hotdogs and marshmallows while they last too (donations gratefully accepted).
•   Thursday evening  approx 6 - 9 p.m.     •   Friday evening  approx 6 - 9 p.m.  

Carols & Songs by Children's Choir from St. Jacobs Public School

•   Friday evening 
sponsored by the St. Jacobs Optimists 

Get Social!  Be prepared to post images of your favourite store displays

for a chance to win a St. Jacobs Sparkles prize pac valued at approx.

$1,000! Details at La Creme,  Xclusive Elements and other participating shops.

Optimist Club of St. Jacobs fundraiser to support new cribs for the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit at Grand River Hospital (located outdoors at Scotiabank).

•   Thursday   •   Friday   •   Saturday 

A peek at IN-STORE Specials  & Activities!

Read on for details & date specifics, and check back often for updates:

Stone Crock Restaurant, Jacobs Grill, and Stone Crock Bakery

• Enter on-site for chance to Win daily draw, Thursday Nov 16 - Sunday Nov 19

Stone Crock Meats & Cheese

• Drop in to enter for a chance to Win daily prize, Thurs Nov 16 - Saturday Nov 18!

Cecelia's Boutique  •  free gift with purchase Thursday - Sunday;
in-store refreshments too

• Stone Crock Outdoor Pop-Up! Purchase a hotdog, sausage-on-a-bun or chili,

Thurs & Friday approx 4:30 - 9 pm outdoors, or come on in for a meal

Spoil the Dog Bakery, Thursday Nov 16 - Sunday Nov 19:

• "Save the Tax" Sale all 4 days! Find many new christmas gifts for cats, dogs and their owners.

Hybrid Hair and Detox Spa on Thursday November 16 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm:
• a Christmas Carol sing-a-long

• 15-minute Angel Card Readings for $15
Plus discounts and prizes throughout November 16-19

Home Hardware, Thursday November 16, 5 - 9 pm:

• Try your luck on their Plinko Game, win a Prize! 
• Specials • "Save the Tax" shopping • Treats

At The Farm Pantry on Friday November 17:
• Sample specialty  all natural chocolates from a local chocolatier!

EcoCafe (new location at front of the Mill)

Take a seat on their outdoor patio while visiting the Stuffin’ Stockings crew
or take a seat inside and enjoy live music by a local harpist.

EcoCafe has great holiday gift ideas for coffee lovers, such as:

• $5 coffee gift bags • $35 gift packs • coffee gadgets

• drink and coffee bean specials all weekend long! 

Red Wind Studio 

• 10% off all merchandise with the exception of consignment items

Gift to Remember
• 2018 Lang & Pineridge Calendars $19.99 • All Framed Prints 25% off the regular price
Lots more specials throughout the store

Spanner

• 30 % Off New Arrivals! • 40% Off Jewellery and Accessories • Door Crashers at great deals

Xclusive Elements
• “No Tax” storewide during St Jacobs Sparkles!   • Unveiling of our “Top 10 List” of gift ideas!

• Complimentary Coffee and Baked Goodies to enjoy while you shop

Block Three Brewery

Thursday Evening: 
• Live Music with the Block Three House Band;

• Wood-fired Pizza from "Those Pizza Guys"

Saturday Afternoon: 
Live Music with Drew Chester from 1-3pm

At Angel Treasures
• draw for a prize, and everyone leaves with a Christmas angel ornament.

No purchase necessary; lots of chocolate to be eaten!

FYidoctors-St.Jacobs 

• stop by to see a variety of stocking stuffer ideas; and enter a ballot draw for sunglasses!

Region of Waterloo Library: St. Jacobs branch

• Let’s Read Storywalk in St. Jacobs, Saturday, November 18, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Walk with your family through the pages of the book, Good Morning Canada, displayed outside the branch and come inside to make a fun Canadian craft!
Andrea Beck is the Let’s Read selected author for 2017-18.
Free. All ages. Drop in. 519-664-3443

*See the EVENT LISTING on Facebook and click "Going"

PLUS, stay tuned to Instagram: @stjacobscountry, @stjacobsvillage
Facebook: St. Jacobs Village Shops

From the Farm: Eby Manor Golden Guernsey Dairy’s Chocolate Milk is a Real Food Treat!

While shopping at the Meats & Cheese store in St. Jacobs recently, I purchased a glass bottle of Eby Manor Golden Guernsey Chocolate Milk as a treat for myself. I was completely unprepared for the flood of joy that overtook me upon my first sip of this smooth, rich beverage.

“Some say it tastes like a chocolate milkshake, others describe it as a liquid chocolate bar, several have likened it to melted chocolate ice cream.”

This quote from the Eby Manor web site, although accurate, cannot quite capture the rapture that their product invokes. Decanted cold from its retro style glass bottle, I am reminded of days gone by and memories of fresh milk being delivered in glass bottles door to door. 

No less nostalgic is the idyllic farm where the milk is produced. The pampered herd of 60 registered milking Guernsey cows of the Eby Manor live in a clean and comfortable home, grazing fields that have been farmed for three generations.

The special qualities of the Guernsey cow breed makes their milk naturally higher in Beta-Carotene, Omega 3, calcium and A2. It’s pure and wholesome naturally.

Also try their 2% white milk and Balkan style yogurt available for sale at Meats & Cheese in St. Jacobs!  For more information about Eby Manor Golden Guernsey products, visit their website

J. Rennie

One of the first orders of business in planning a special event is finding a standout venue, especially if it is something as important as your wedding.

Yes, you’ll want modern amenities and a fully accessible, conveniently located space, a trusted caterer, professional photographer and top-notch florist, but you’ll also want a distinct building and a lovely space that is flexible enough to adapt to your vision for the day.
 

With its abundant natural light, serene colour scheme, and soaring gothic windows, the historic St. Jacobs Schoolhouse building in St. Jacobs offers you a classic intimate space in which to create your special event, whether it is to act as the wedding reception hall, or serve as the ceremony space too. 

Is your style vintage glamour? Classic and sophisticated? Blush and breezy? Glitter and glow?
 

Like a canvas awaiting your creative touch, you’ll find the possibilities for setting the mood are almost endless in this charming space.

Step inside and feel the possibilities!

The details:
 

• The historic 1867 St. Jacobs Schoolhouse building is an extensively renovated space with original hardwood floors, high ceilings and gothic windows.

• Accommodates 120 at table seating or 150 for cocktail receptions.

• Exclusive caterer: St. Jacobs Catering, offering everything from cocktail receptions and food stations to buffet or plated dinners.
• Located in the Village of St. Jacobs, approximately 15 minutes from uptown Waterloo.
• Fully accessible.
• Ample free parking.

The schoolhouse hosts weddings, receptions, celebrations, parties, and corporate events.

For more information contact Tiffani: catering@stjacobs.com  or telephone 519-664-2288 ext 277

Photography credits: All images by Devon C Photography, www.devoncphotography.com

Discover the Village of St. Jacobs' connection to the past in this series of articles written by Rych Mills, writer for The Record. Read them and get well-researched insights into some of the people, places and things which had significance in the village, and which tie in to Canada's  confederation and its 150th celebrations this year.

In his first article,  find out how the past is all around you in St. Jacobs.

In this second article, get a glimpse into the village's schoolhouse and the teachers who taught there.  The Schoolhouse is still in existence today, albeit much modernized to house a serene space for private functions, and as a venue for theatre productions.

Next time you visit St. Jacobs, consider taking a leisurely walk around town to see significant buildings, sites, and evidence of its early pioneering beginnings  in its picturesque downtown and along quiet side streets.  Download our free historic walking map.   Shops, restaurants and most exhibits will be OPEN - even on holiday weekends this summer.  Why not plan a visit soon!

Pictured above: original gothic window in the  St. Jacobs Schoolhouse , Albert Street,
St. Jacobs.

It was 1979 when Milo Shantz, the visionary behind the redevelopment of downtown St. Jacobs, approached Conestoga River Pottery’s Phil Yordy. Recognizing Phil as a talented potter, Milo offered him an opportunity to develop a pottery studio in St. Jacobs. Fortunately for the village, the rest is history and Conestoga River Pottery has been creating high-end, handmade pottery in the village for 38 years.


 
As one of the original artisans in the Village Silos, Phil continues to make over 100 unique functional pottery items ranging from tableware to teapots. Conestoga River Pottery offers a wide variety of work in style, shape, and colour, with many different glaze finishes. Phil’s pottery is sold in complementary sets and as individual pieces. 

With the kiln, potters wheel and bisque room all onsite, you can see new unique pottery items in production all year-round. We welcome you to visit Conestoga River Pottery located in the historic silos in downtown St. Jacobs.

 

The Village of St. Jacobs has embraced the art of weaving for 37 years and Elsa Brigden Elliott is the reason why. Elsa was one of the original three weavers that started their business in The Village Silos in 1980; she continues to contribute to the variety of downtown shops as one of the original artisans remaining from that era.
 

Today she specializes in high-end textiles such as table runners, scarves and throws, unique items that are functional and yet colourfully intricate. St. Jacobs shoppers are impressed with her design expertise and the quality material with which she weaves. 

Elsa remains passionate about her work in part because of the expressed appreciation and conversations with shoppers supporting her craft.  She has a friendly, authentic personality, and claims she is always learning something new.
 

The Silo Weavers is an example of St. Jacobs’ commitment to the textile field and just one example of the community's support of unique local artisans and independent businesses. 

Elsa also plays an important role with the "Quilt & Fibre Art Festival, Waterloo Region & Beyond" held annually each May, by inviting important visiting textile artists to showcase and demo their work at her studio.
 

Sadly for St. Jacobs, Elsa will be retiring and closing her store at the end of May 2017 after a long and successful run as artist, shopkeeper, and business woman. Make sure you experience her artistry and pick up original handcrafted pieces before it's too late.

You can find The Silo Weavers in the silos of the historic flourmill adjacent to the Conestogo River.