Four Burlington locations on Doors Open in-person list for this summer’s event

Doors Open, the annual event that gives people a peek behind mysterious or famous buildings in their community, is returning to Burlington this year.

There will be four in-person locations in Burlington – Backed by Bees, Burlington Model Railway Club, Freeman Station and Kilbride United Church.

According to the Doors Open website, The Ontario Heritage Trust works with communities across the province to open the doors, gates and courtyards of their unique and most fascinating cultural sites so people can explore the stories inside.

The event is being held both in-person and online on Saturday, Aug. 12.

Here is a look at Burlington’s four in-person sites:

Backed By Bees started with two guys, some bees and a yellow shipping container on Burlington’s Appleby Line. The founders, a mead maker and a beekeeper ,work with pollinators and the products of pollination to help sustain and increase local biodiversity, all while serving the community with quality local products.

• Location: 6214 Appleby Line
• E-mail: [email protected]
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Burlington Model Railway Club was established in the early 1980s and owns and operates model railways in three different scales. The club includes people from Burlington and the surrounding area who share a common interest of model railroading, in N scale, HO scale, and/or G scale, with varying skill levels.

• Location: 1137 Hidden Valley Road
• E-mail: [email protected]
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Burlington Grand Trunk Railway Station, known as Freeman Station, was built to replace the original two-storey station that burned down in 1904. Until its 1988 closure, Freeman Station was still transporting passengers and freight. Now a museum, it was restored and is managed by the Friends of Freeman Station.

• Address: 1285 Fairview Street
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visit Kilbride for a look inside the historical Kilbride United Church, built in 1860. Learn about its history and how it was moved to its present location around 1878. The church has served the village of Kilbride and the local community for 163 years.

• Location: 2066 Kilbride Street
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will also be virtual visits at the following Burlington sites:

• Burlington Central School
• Burlington Public Library, Central Branch
• Freeman Station
• Holy Rosary Parish
• Ireland House Museum
• Joseph Brant Museum
• Burlington Teen Tour Band rehearsal hall
• Royal Botanical Gardens

For more information about Open Doors and the sites, visit the website.