Author: chingu

2015 Festival of the Giant Gallery

The Festival was very successful and provided a fun-filled day for campers and those who came for the day to take part in the events and enjoy the barbecue lunch. We want to thank the Park staff, J.D.Barnes, and all the volunteers (especially Elisabeth, Finn, Jessica M, Nicole, Jessica B, Leanna, Diane and Marian) for helping our Friends organization host the Festival. And a huge thanks to all of you who came to enjoy the day.

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Gallery Photo Contest

Congratulations to the winners of the 2015 Photo Contest! The photos  of the bean bags will be on display in the Visitor’s Centre all summer. And they are in our website photo gallery right now. Go to the 2015 Winners in the Photo Gallery and click on the first photo which will enlarge it. Scroll to the bottom of the picture to see the information about it. Then click the Next button to continue through the winners. The winners in the People Category were Nicole Morrison of Thunder Bay, Ontario (1st Place), Wendy Aaltomaa of Kaministiquia, Ontario (2nd Place), and Josh Tersteege of Hanover, Ontario (3rd Place). In the Scenery Category 1st place went to Josh Tersteege of Hanover, Ontario. 2nd place went to Betty Whatley of Thunder Bay, Ontario. 3rd place to Cindy Arnold of San Diego, California. In the Wildlife Category 1st place went to Paul Campagna of Thunder Bay, Ontario. 2nd place to Nicole Morrison of Thunder Bay, and 3rd place to Patrick Langevin of Fort Frances, Ontario. And in that category there was an Honourable Mention to Jamie Grasley of Thunder Bay, Ontario . Thanks to everyone who entered photos in 2015.

Trails

Festival of the Giant Trails time is near!! Mark your calendar for August 8th, 9th, and 10th. Come for the weekend to the trail or, if you can’t do that, plan to bring the kids or grandkids for Family Fund Day on Saturday. The kids fish derby is at 9AM and the afternoon is full of fun at the beach. Join us for the lunch BBQ (sausages, hot dogs, corn, cake and pop), and enjoy games, sand sculpture contest, crafts, clowns, face painting, shoot the hoop, log sawing, horseshoe tournament, and swimming. A park day use permit is required (if you don’t have a camping permit) and there is a fee for lunch, otherwise all events are free. And while you’re there visit the Westwind Store. Look below for more information on the exciting items available at the Store. .
Annual Photo Contest

giant bean bag

Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 Photo Trails Contest! The photos will be on display in the Visitor’s Centre all summer. And you can view them in our website photo gallery. The winners in the People Category were Michael Grundy of Thunder Bay (1st Place), Peter Wragg of Thunder Bay (2nd Place), and Kyra Paterson of Waterdown,Ontario(3rd Place). Dolores Tully of Winnipeg received an Honourable Mention in the People Category also. In the Scenery Category 1st place went to Carol Lee Kostyniuk of Thunder Bay. 2nd place went to Craig Scali of Thunder Bay and 3rd place to Graham Coles of Toronto. 1st place in the Wildlife Category went to Craig Scali of Thunder Bay, 2nd place to Elisabeth Hopkins of Thunder Bay and 3rd place winner was Kyra Paterson of Waterdown Ontario. Thanks to everyone who entered photos in 2013 Trails. Each year there are so many excellent photos submitted showing different aspects of the park and people’s experiences in it so judging is always a difficult job.

Bring your camera to the park this year and turn in your photos for the Trails 2014 contest. December 31, 2014 deadline
Wildlife, People, and Scenery categories. Print the submission form and submit it with your 8″ x 10″ photo on photo paper!

Festival of the Giant 2013

Help us host the Festival this year. The Festival is happening August 9th, 10th and 11th. The Ontario Rangers have been an important part of the Festival for years. Due to loss of government funding this program no longer exists. We need twelve volunteers to replace the Rangers and help us with the fun activities for children, adults, and families that make the Festival such a success every year. If you can help on any or all days of the Festival please contact Barbara at [email protected] or 767-5927.

Sleeping-Giant-Provincial-Park

Annual Photo Contest 2013

Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 Photo Contest! The photos will be on display in the Visitor’s Centre all summer. Take a look at them right now in our website photo gallery. The winners in the People Category were Peter Prugh of Gainsesville, Florida (1st Place), Betty Whatley of Thunder Bay (2nd Place), and Betty Whatley also took 3rd Place. In the Scenery Category 1st place went to John Ayearst of Shuniah, Ontario. 2nd place went to Betty Whatley of Thunder Bay and 3rd place to Lisa Frankl of Thunder Bay. There was a tie for 1st place in the Wildlife Category with Peggy Neisch of North Branch, Minnesota and Betty Whatley of Thunder Bay sharing the top spot. The 2nd place winner was Trevor Miller of Thunder Bay and 3rd place went to Kyra Paterson of Waterdown, Ontario.Thanks to everyone who entered photos in 2012.

Bring your camera to the park this year and turn in your photos for the 2013 contest. December 31, 2013 deadline
Wildlife, People, and Scenery categories. Print the submission form and submit it with your 8″ x 10″ photo on photo paper!

Fesitival of the Giant 2012 – August 10, 11, and 12

giant picture The festival begins Friday, August 10th, with an afternoon program presented by the Natural Heritage Education   (NHE) staff. And that evening the always popular Campfire Singalong with “Jim n’I” starts at 7:30 at the firepit on the beach. Be ready for the Children’s Fish Derby starting at 9AM Saturday by the dock. Saturday is full of activities on the beach. Games,crafts and face painting are found under the big tent. The Sand Sculpture contest, Horseshoe tournament, Shoot the Hoop basketball, and Log Sawing contest always provide enjoyment. Bring $3 and enjoy corn, cake, and a beverage from 1-4PM. Be sure to come to the evening program at the amphitheatre to view a slide show of the day’s festivities, see if you are the lucky winner of a prize for an event, and be entertained by a presentation by NHE staff   . On Sunday morning join us in a Blueberry pancake and sausage breakfast (plain pancakes also available). Breakfast starts at 9AM and is $4.

Annual Photo Contest

Congratulations to the winners of the 2011 Photo Contest! The photos will be on display in the Visitor’s Centre all summer and you can see them now in our website photo gallery. There were so many interesting and beautiful photographs entered showing different aspects of people’s experiences in the park. Winners in the People Category were Marc Leschuk (1st Place), Don Cockell (2nd Place), and Denis Bresolin(3rd Place) all from Thunder Bay. There was an Honourable Mention in this category to Sunny Elson fo Little Britain, Ontario. In the Scenery category 1st place went to Trevor Miller of Thunder Bay, 2nd place to Ashley Pitton of Kakabeka Falls, 3rd place to Lisa Frankl of Thunder Bay and an Honourable Mention to Paul Guise of Winnipeg, Manitoba. In the Wildlife category 1st place went to John Ayearst of Shuniah, Ontario. 2nd place winner was Denis Bresolin and 3rd place was Betty Whatley, both from Thunder Bay. The large number of submissions in this category called for two Honourable Mentions going to Sunny Elson of Little Britain, Ontario and Ashley Pitton of Kakabeka Falls. Thanks to everyone who entered photos in 2011.

Be sure to turn in your photos for the 2012 contest. December 31, 2012 deadline
Wildlife, people, and scenery categories. Print the submission form and submit it with your 8″ x 10″ photo on photo paper!

Festival of the Giant 2011 – August 5, 6, and 7

This year’s Festival of the Giant Bean Bags was quite a success. The beach area was full of people having fun in all the different activities. Thanks to everyone who worked at making it a great weekend. And thanks to all of you who participated in supporting the Park and the Friends.

Westwind Store

The Westwind Store, on the second floor of the Visitors Centre, has a large variety of nature, camping, and fun items. When you purchase items at the store you help support the activities of the Friends. We continue to look for new products and expand our merchandise in line with our goals and philosophy. Many of our suppliers are part of the 1% FOR THE PLANET community, in which the company donates one percent of its revenue to environmental organizations. Several sources also provide organic and/or fair trade certification. Click on Westwind Store to for information about current merchandise. It’s a great place to find great gifts for the people on your Christmas list. Become a member of the Friends and receive a 10% discount at the store.

Click here for a printable version of our membership application form!

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Annual Photo Contest

Congratulations to the winners of the 2010 Photo Contest! The photos will be on display in the Visitor’s Centre all summer and you can see them in our website photo gallery. The winners in the People Category were Betty Whatley (1st Place), Mike Sakiyama (2nd Place), and Shauna Kosoris (3rd Place) all from Thunder Bay. In the Scenery category the winners were Caitlin Calestani from Oshawa (1st Place), Ashley Pitton from Kakabeka Falls (2nd Place), and Denis Bresolin from Thunder Bay (3rd Place). In the Wildlife category the winners were Richard Debevec from Port St. Lucie, Florida (1st Place), Denis Bresolin from Thunder Bay (2nd Place),Ben Kuzmich from Thunder Bay (3rd Place) and there was an Honourable Mention in this category to Mike Segstro from Winnipeg.

Be sure to turn in your photos for the 2011 contest. December 31, 2010 deadline
Wildlife, people, and scenery categories. Print the submission form and submit it with your 8″ x 10″ photo on photo paper!

News & Upcoming Events 2009

Annual Photo Contest

View the winners of the 2008 photo contest by clicking on bean bag bed   Photo Gallery. We had two honorouble mention photos. In the People category that went to Connie Richard and in the Wildlife category to Herman Van Duyn. Technical difficulty has prevented our posting their photos. But all photos will be on view in the Visitors Centre

Now is a good time to start thinking about submissions for the 2009 contest. December 31, 2009 deadline
Wildlife, people, and scenery categories. Print the submission form and submit it with your 8″ x 10″ photo on photo paper!

Westwind Store

The Westwind Store will open June 13, 2009 for the new season. Drop in and see the large variety of items available this year.

Festival of the Giant

Mark your calender for this year’s Festival of the Giant   which is August 7,8,and 9, 2009. More details coming soon.

Guest Book. A new feature on our website

The Guest Book is a place where park visitors can tell others about interesting experiences, animal sightings, fun family activities and the like which they’ve enjoyed at the park.

Welcome to The Friends of Sleeping Giant Online

The Friends of Sleeping Giant is a non-profit, co-operating association dedicated to assist in conserving and fostering an appreciation of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park   . We work to encourage and support interpretive,educational scientific and historical non-profit programs and activities in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

Do you love Sleeping Giant Provincial Park?….So do we!

The Friends of Sleeping Giant want to help people understand the important natural and cultural values represented in the park. You can do your part by becoming a

Member Click Here to Find out more!
or Fill out a Application Form to become a member.

New Interior Trails Map

This year in 2004 hikers and park enthusiasts will be glad to find out that the brand new Interior trails map is ready for the public. This new map has been the result of a lot of hard work by a team of people. All the trails on this map have been done with G.P.S to ensure accuracy. A more visual approach to the backside has been taken to capture the beauty that is nestled in our park. The Friends would like to thank Sean Albanese of Thunder Bay Recreational Trails for the gracious donation.