The sculpture, located on the municipal boulevard at the east end of Broadway, depicts an upright canoe with a Jack Pine tree carved in its interior. The piece, sculpted by Nick Hall, was donated by Linda Stokes-Barth in memory of her late husband Jack Barth who was well-known in Orangeville for his dry cleaning and coin laundry business and his outgoing personality. Given his love for exploring n
orthern Ontario and canoeing, especially for gunwale bobbing (standing up and balancing on either rim side of the canoe back and being able to jump and bob the canoe along without a paddle ), the sculpture represents these two passions. "It's a piece of art that everyone can enjoy and it will remain part of the community for many years. I tried to combine his experience of canoeing and his love for Canada by designing this carving to honour Jack and his dedication to Orangeville and the surrounding communities." Jack Barth was a resident and business person in the area for more than 32 years, opening Barth's Cleaning Centre in 1977. He was an avid supporter of promoting the east end of the downtown business community so the location of the sculpture is a fitting one. He was a board member and participant in Orangeville's BIA, Chamber of Commerce, Orangeville Business Club and Kiwanis Club. Barth's was a vital member of the community supporting many local charities, theatre groups, as well as children's sporting leagues. He also helped local teams such as the Orangeville Northmen and Crushers by providing free cleaning of their jerseys. Barth was a highly respected leader in the industry. He was president, board member and a participating member of many Canadian and International fabricare associations and he received many awards of recognition for his contributions and expertise over the years. For most of his life, he loved canoeing. His parents sent him to canoe camp during his teen years where he learned the skills of canoeing and paddling. Later he would take canoe trips through Ontario locations like Algonquin.
