A wet and cool spring coupled with high water levels postponed the start of the 2019 navigation season by a week on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

The locks officially opened at 9 a.m. on Friday.

The opening of the 386-kilometre waterway is the unofficial start to summer for many communities along the Trent-Severn, including Buckhorn.

There, businesses were getting ready for the summer rush.

“It’s very important,” said Jessica Leahy, a server at Main Street Landing.  “A lot of our customers come off the water.”

“It actually makes for a busy restaurant,” added Erik Hoflick, chef at Main Street Landing.  “I don’t think we would be busy without it.  It helps out quite a bit for us.”

“It’s really good for us.  We get a lot of boat traffic coming through here looking to fix things and get going,” said Mike Cross, manager at Buckhorn Home Hardware.

“A lot of cottagers show up and need supplies to fix things that went bad over the winter.”

Locks are open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m and from Friday to Sunday from 9 a.m. until 6:30 p,m.

Extended summer weekday hours begin on June 24.

The final day of the navigation season is Oct. 14.

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