The Community of Orono

Orono is the locale for some of the most enjoyable and popular yearly events in Clarington: the Orono Fair hosted by the Orono Agricultural Society the first weekend after Labor Day every year. The fair draws nearly 30,000 annually to celebrate the area’s agricultural roots and features Equestrian Events, Livestock shows, School and Children’s Exhibits, Agricultural Education, Art Show Competition, Pie and Cake Auction, Woodworking, Cooking Demonstrations, Live Entertainment, Truck and Tractor Pulls, Horse Pulls, Demolition Derby and much more. Orono is also host to the Annual Chili Cook-Off, Orono Bluegrass and Old Tyme Country Jamboree plus the Ontario Country Kennel Club Dog Show

This picturesque setting has attracted several filmmakers, and Orono’s film credits include David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone (1983), Patrick Lussier’s Dracula 2000 and Jim Abrahams’ …First Do No Harm (1997 – TV), starring Meryl Streep. Furthermore, many of the town scenes from the CBC drama Wind At My Back (1996-2001) were filmed in downtown Orono.

Notable landmarks include:

* The Village Bakeshop
* Jungle Cat World
* The Dutch Oven Restaurant
* Orono Fairgrounds
* Orono Crown Lands
* Orono Community Centre (Hockey Rink)
* Link Greenhouses
* We’re In The Hayfield

Producing millions of evergreen seedlings annually for restoring Ontario’s forests, the Orono Forestry Station (founded in 1922) was a prominent feature in the town until it closed down in 1996. At the centre of the village, residents and tourists enjoy the Sydney B. Rutherford Woods Walk Park, one of the many wooded areas in the village. Orono is surrounded by several pastoral hamlets, such as Kirby, Kendal, Newtonville, Leskard, Starkville; and larger towns like Newcastle and Bowmanville.

Despite its size, Orono boasts a popular zoo called Jungle Cat World, located on the north side of Orono.

The nearby Brimacombe Ski Club, locally known as the Kirby Ski Hill, is a popular winter attraction, and has a dramatic landscape view of the Oak Ridges Moraine’s rolling hills and farmlands at the top of the hill in the summer season.