Published Jul 23, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 2 minute read<\/p>\n
![\"Ron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0724-so-history.so_.jpg\")
Ron Realesmith speaks about historically significant locations in Sarnia during a Pedal Through the Past tour July 12, 2025. Other tour dates via the Sarnia Historical Society and nuSarnia Foundation are Aug. 21 and Sept. 11. (via Facebook) jpg, SO, apsmcArticle content<\/p>\n
Sarnia\u2019s history is deep but often overlooked, a member of the city\u2019s historical society says.<\/p>\n
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For Ron Realesmith, a Pedal Through the Past tour of Sarnia historical sites is a way to showcase what he said people sometimes forget.<\/p>\n
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\u201cSomething we always say in our tours is that Sarnia is a great city. It\u2019s citizens have forgotten,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Realesmith is helping tell those tales in cycling tours this summer.<\/p>\n
Stories on the 12-stop, six-kilometre tour, organized by the community advocacy group nuSarnia Foundation and funded by a $5,000 Lambton Creative County grant include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 the 1936 firefight in which infamous Norman \u201cRed\u201d Ryan and Sarnia Police Const. John \u201cJack\u201d Louis<\/a> were both killed;<\/p>\n \u2022 Elizabeth Workman\u2019s hanging in 1873<\/a> at the former Lambton County jail, after being convicted of the murder of her husband, James Workman, though the jury recommended mercy;<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u2022 Sarnia Bay\u2019s historical significance to local commerce;<\/p>\n \u2022 a 1937 riot<\/a> at the former Holmes Foundry site;<\/p>\n \u2022 Grey Cup wins and the history of Norm Perry Park;<\/p>\n \u2022 and local war efforts memorialized in Veterans Park, Realesmith said.<\/p>\n About 20 people took part in the first tour, earlier this month, he said.<\/p>\n All 30 spots are full for the second, Aug. 21, and some spots remain for the third and final tour Sept. 11, said nuSarnia\u2019s Kerry Gabriel.<\/p>\n The mix of feel-good and \u201csordid\u201d stories on the tour is a draw, she said, adding nuSarnia came up with the idea as a way to celebrate the city in an active way.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be able to do a cool mix of both really lends itself to a very entertaining tour,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The foundation also advocates for improved cycling infrastructure<\/a> in Sarnia.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Group members cycle in front of and behind tour-goers, who can bring their own bicycles or make use of nuSarnia bikes, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey do a whole bike safety talk in the beginning, and they\u2019re obviously making sure all the safety checks are in place as it\u2019s ongoing,\u201d Realesmith said.<\/p>\n The tours call to mind historical walking tours<\/a> held in Sarnia that drew hundreds before the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.<\/p>\n Cycling though, means groups can cover a longer distance, he said, noting this type of tour is also meant for a smaller crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cThe walking tour, we essentially kept it from city hall down to Veterans Park and we kind of zigzagged through the streets,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The cycling tour goes from Exmouth Street and Centennial Park to Wellington Street.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The tour\u2019s cycling component is about 40 minutes, and the overall tour in July took about two and a half hours, Realesmith said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not going to be entirely spent by doing it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Hopes are to continue with cycling tours in the future, Gabriel said, noting the historical society\u2019s Phil Egan wrote histories for all the stops on the tour, and others.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of all the information we got from Phil, we couldn\u2019t fit it all in one,\u201d she said, adding she and others with the foundation are working on another tour incorporating some of those other stops.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would absolutely love to see this happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n Signs at the stops feature QR codes linking to more information via Egan about their historical significance, she said.<\/p>\n More information is available at nusarnia.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Ron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0724-so-history2.so_.jpg\")
Ron Realesmith speaks about historically significant locations in Sarnia during a Pedal Through the Past tour July 12, 2025. Other tour dates via the Sarnia Historical Society and nuSarnia Foundation are Aug. 21 and Sept. 11. (via Facebook) jpg, SO, apsmc<\/p>\n