Lombardy, Ontario

Lombardy, Ontario, is a community in the Township of Rideau Lakes, Leeds and Grenville County in Eastern Ontario. Its nearest communities are the town of Smiths Falls to the northeast, Rideau Ferry to the west, and Portland, Ontario to the southwest. The village of Lombardy is home to approximately 100 residents, with many more inhabiting the rural areas surrounding it.

Although the name reprises that of the Italian region of the same name, the Ontarian community supposedly owes its name to Francis Lombard, a French soldier who settled in the area in the early 1820s. It has also been known by other names, including Landon's Corners, Landon's Mills, Lombard's Corners and South Elmsley. Capitalising on its proximity to Otter Creek, a number of mills were built in Lombardy, along with tradesmen's shops and hotels and taverns, which served the travelers passing through.

The community has two churches, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, and Holy Trinity Anglican church. It has an elementary school, Lombardy Public School, which serves children from junior kindergarten to the eighth grade and offers library services to the general public. The Rideau Lakes branch of the Ontario Provincial Police is located within the community off of Highway 15.

Additionally, the Lombardy area boasts several tourist attractions, including campgrounds, like Bass Lake Lodge, Sandy Beach, Moonlight Bay and Camp Otterdale, as well as antique shops and Lombard Glen Golf and Country Club.

It is also home to the Lombardy Agricultural Hall and Fairgrounds, which hosts the Lombardy Fair every year on the August long weekend. The fair is celebrating its 141st anniversary in 2007. As well, the Fairgrounds has hosted the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life since June 2000, representing Leeds and Grenville County, as well as Lanark County, and raising almost two million dollars for cancer research so far.

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