Another one of our drives in the Kawarthas led us to the amazing Highlands Cinemas where we saw Moonrise Kingdom, which I thought was very fitting. It’s a curious little theatre tucked away in a forest in the tiny town of Kinmount (population 300). In addition to being a theatre it also serves as a museum. The maze-like building is full of huge old projectors, antique film equipment, and movie memorabilia. And that’s not all! Attached to the building is a room with windows and tunnels leading to an enclosed outdoor area where numerous cats roam, called Keith’s Cat House.

I recently read that Highlands Cinemas was under threat of being closed this fall after 33 years.  The theatre has been screening movies using projectors from the 1950’s, but this year had to decide whether or not to invest in an expensive conversion to digital in order to keep operating in 2013.  The survival of the cinema will very much depend on moviegoers, so everyone with a cottage in the Kawarthas, invite all your friends to your cottages and go watch some movies! Highlands Cinemas is open from May to Thanksgiving every year. Too bad they’re not open for Halloween because it would be the perfect place to watch a scary movie and then wander out into the dark forest parking lot to find your car.

Last month during our stay at the cottage in Fenelon Falls we took little trips to check out the surrounding towns. The friends we were with are in the midst of renovating their farmhouse in Prince Edward County so we drove around looking for antiques and anything that might be useful. I love that you never know what you’re going to find when you see a sign that says “Antiques” with an arrow pointing you down a long country road. One of those signs led us to a couple of dark, cavernous barns filled with what I suppose one could call antiques. Or maybe one could also call them graveyards for neglected, damaged furniture and home to Chucky’s playmates. A little disappointing in our quest for antiques, but a part of me loves that places like this exist.