Fairy doors add magic to a walk through town

When Peter and Gail Jaycock moved to Brussels, they knew they wanted to get involved in their new community. The opportunity to get involved with the Brussels Fairy Door Trail seemed like the perfect match for their creativity and love of community.

Each summer the residents of Brussels invite the fairies to come live in their gardens and trees, and create a trail guide and interactive Google map so that visitors can walk the town and enjoy the whimsical Fairy Door Trail.

Families are urged to have their doors ready by Mother’s Day each year and most are kept out until at least mid to late October. Doors are often added throughout the year, as whole families get involved. The group hosts a library workshop for kids to decorate a door, ensuring that everyone has a chance to display their creativity.

Peter says that they have lost count, but definitely hundreds of doors have sprung up throughout the town. Brussels has the most fairy doors per capita, making it the Fairy Door Capital of Canada. There is a Facebook page dedicated to the phenomenon, complete with a whimsical video telling the tale of how the first fairies came to Brussels.

No two doors are the same according to Gail and she is excited each spring to see the creativity emerge. The whole town has gotten into the project and the displays range from beautifully decorated doors, to multi-level dwellings with ladders to entire fairy villages.

The “official” starting point of the trail is a beautiful mural downtown at the gazebo where you can pick up a map, or pull up the Google map on your phone. Be sure to get a selfie with the mural and tag the Brussels Fairy Door trail on social media photos!

Stop in Brussels this summer and look for the doors! If you have patience, luck and just a little imagination, you may just see a fairy peek out a door. www.facebook.com/brusselsfairydoortrail Starting point: Brussels Homecoming Parkette, 445 Turnberry St, Brussels