Cowgirls and creatures take over Uxbridge

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Photo by John Cavers

Last Thursday's Boots and Bling Ladies Night brought out dozens of women to downtown for an evening of local shopping and camaraderie. Many of the women wore cowboy hats and boots, going along with the evening’s Western theme.

The Uxbridge BIA coordinated the event, and had pink floodlights installed for the occasion, giving the whole area a warm glow.

Outside Rutledge Jewellers, at the corner of Brock and Church Streets, a small paddock made of straw bales held two horses, one of which was a miniature horse. In the photo above, Rutledge Jewellers owner Scott Rutledge feeds carrots to the horses while Shelley Macbeth, owner of Blue Heron Books, gives the miniature horse a cuddle and Bonnie Vesage, owner of both horses, keeps a careful eye on the animals.

Later in the evening, women gathered in Wixan's Bridge for an evening of line dancing, Western-style.

Two days later, the cowgirls were replaced by a wide variety of characters and creatures as hundreds of children paraded in their Halloween costumes during the BIA's Spooky Saturday trail. Most of the stores in the downtown area handed out treats and surprises, while their parents could grab a free cup of coffee at a couple of locations. The Township set up a wagon with free pumpkins which were gobbled up fast.