Kenora’s Loonie Bear has been beautifully restored to his past glory, in time for the first Matiowski Farmer’s Market of the 2025 season. Loonie has been a delight to children and their families on the Kenora Harbourfront for the past nineteen years!
Loonie was a generous gift to the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation from Andrew B. Paterson and family in 2006, in honor of our children and our beautiful lake region. Loonie was one of the sixty-two bears which formed Cancer Care Manitoba’s “Bears on Broadway” project in Winnipeg in 2005. Mr. Paterson was the chairperson of the Cancer Care Foundation at the time and wanted to share a bear with us in Kenora. He covered Loonie’s delivery and set up costs and installed a special “bear bank” on Loonie’s backside. This was to encourage all of us to give a “Loonie for the love of the Lake”. Thank you again to Andrew Paterson and family for this generous gift. We also recognize and thank acclaimed Manitoba artist Hubert Theroux for completing Loonie’s restoration.
