Earlier this year, in May, the North Grenville Chamber of Commerce purchased two very unique benches to help further beautify Kemptville’s downtown. The benches are shaped like open books, allowing the user to sit comfortably upon the open pages and read about the community. Fittingly, the benches were placed outside the North Grenville Public Library.
When they were installed, the benches were very well received. Now, they have even more prestige. The benches were recently dubbed “best in show” for the Unique Signs award in a national magazine called Sign Media Canada. The benches are pictured prominently in a page of the magazine, alongside a description of how they were constructed.
“These benches were built with a custom structural aluminum frame, computer numerical control (CNC) programmed to bend 3.1 mm aluminum sheets to form the shape of an open book,” the blurb reads. “The team used 3M vinyl on the panels and Matthews anti-graffiti clear coat. When finalizing this project, they highlighted key works and landmarks in the wording, so the book actually tells the story of the community where it belongs. Structurally, the result is very strong, and it presents itself as a unique and functional product.” The benches were built by Moncton, NB based company Hansen Signs, which is one of the top sign makers in the country.
Next time you take a stroll through downtown Kemptville, be sure to take a break on one of these beautiful and creative benches. They aren’t just benches anymore, after all, they’re “award winning benches!”