Rediscovering

This post might be a little personal in the content that I’m specifically focusing on but there’s more so don’t write me off too quickly today.

I grew up north of CFB Clinton. As a kid, it really was a puzzle. You couldn’t go in there because there were guards and gates keeping us out. It was only through school that we learned that it was the “Home of Radar” and the huge radar dome you could see driving by on Highway 4. You could look but you sure couldn’t touch!

While the base was locked down, you could kind of go through the village where people lived. It was called Adastral Park and I have remembrances of playing hockey in the arena and I recall it being the coldest arena that I’d ever played in. Also unique was that all of the roads seemed to be named after Canadian cities. When the base closed, the community was renamed Vanastra which remains today. Obviously, we don’t get home much these days but it was always worth a trip.

Many of the old military buildings have been put up for sale and there are many businesses that have located there. You’ve got to believe that the buildings were built incredibly well. Driving through, it’s a mix of old and new buildings. We even rented a hall there for our wedding reception. Sadly, it’s gone.

This isn’t the only abandoned military base – this is a resource devoted to documenting them all and includes many images.

When people think of CFB Clinton or RCAF Clinton, usually it’s about Stephen Truscott. That’s not the case here.

I stumbled upon this terrific Canadian resource the other day and Season 1, Episode 1 was devoted to Vanastra. And, there’s a supporting Bright Lights Tour. It doesn’t stop at Vanastra – take a look at Brussels, Seaforth, Huron East…

The section of Heritage Places was equally as engaging. I’ve visited many but obviously have missed quite a bit! I took a look at the trailers for Sparta, Goderich, Aylmer, and more..

The resource is “Rediscovering Canadian Television”. You can check it out here.