Long May You Run: Neil Young’s Gift to Northcote Farm

Republished from the 2024/25 issue of Grove News

On a soft spring evening in May, more than 1,900 people gathered at Lakefield College School’s Northcote Campus to hear Neil Young perform a solo concert, his first in Ontario in years, and one offered entirely in support of an idea he loves, preserving Canadian heritage homes. Under a light rain and the glow of stage lights, alumni, parents, students, and friends of The Grove stood shoulder to shoulder with fans who had travelled from across Canada and the southern United States to see him perform.

By the time Young sang his final encore, Long May You Run, the clouds had lifted. Beside the stage, his two dogs, Moon and Mo, lay content. When the last notes of music faded, the concert-goers began the quiet walk back along the lane, guided by the string of twinkle lights and the sound of frogs calling from the woods.

“It was a magical evening,” says Anne-Marie Kee P ’17 ’19, Head of School and Foundation. “We are deeply grateful to Neil and Daryl for their generosity, and to everyone who came together to celebrate what Northcote represents, our connection to the land, to one another, and to the future.”

The benefit concert has funded a restoration of the historic farmhouse at Northcote, a project Neil has affectionately referred to as the Canadian Heritage Home. For the school, the concert was more than a fundraiser; it was a moment that united generations in a shared love of music and an act of gratitude and renewal.

News of the event spread far beyond Lakefield, appearing in The Globe and Mail, Rolling Stone, The Peterborough Examiner, CBC’s Here and Now, and even on Neil’s own website. But for those who were there, the evening felt distinctly personal, a gift of music that became a gift of place. 

Restoring a Heritage Home 

Just beyond where the stage stood that night, the house that inspired the event now stands nearly renewed, its restoration, the result of a series of lucky events. An impromptu visit to plant potatoes with our Grade 10s led Daryl Hannah and Neil Young to the old farmhouse—its charm and Lakefield’s hands-on farming inspired them to preserve its legacy. As Neil said, “History is important. Too often, it’s erased. A restored farmhouse can help students understand the past while shaping the future."

Built in 1878 by the Wright family, the house had weathered decades of use before Lakefield began restoring it with the help of local craftspeople and historians. The beams are saw-cut, their tool marks still visible, and the house was held together with forged square nails, custom-cut mouldings, careful joinery, and pine tongue-and-groove floors. As the farmhouse was carefully dismantled and labelled piece by piece for storage, the building methods and subtle adjustments made by the original craftsmen were revealed.

“It’s remarkable to see the old farmhouse coming back to life,” says Bruce McMahon P ’12, former LCS History Teacher and current Director of the Northcote Campus. “Each day brought new discoveries as we uncovered, for the first time, what had been hidden since the house was built more than a century ago. We wanted to preserve what was authentic and let it breathe again.”

The “Canadian Heritage Home,” as Neil Young fondly refers to it, has been carefully restored to honour its history while ensuring it will endure for generations. The team, led by Roger Glover, preserved original timber framing and stone foundations, adding heat pumps to reduce the carbon footprint that quietly modernize the space without erasing its character.

Adjacent to the farmhouse, two log cabins—dating to the 1830s and 1840s—still stand, their Scandinavian corner joinery offering a rare glimpse into early settler craftsmanship. These buildings, along with the farmhouse, form a tangible link to the property’s long and layered history.

“Every layer of this place tells a story,” McMahon says. “From the cabins to the farmhouse to the new programs running here today, it’s a continuum of care.”

A Legacy of Stewardship 

Northcote’s history stretches back centuries. Before European settlement, the land served as a traditional portage route between Lake Katchewanooka and Clear Lake for Indigenous communities, including members of Curve Lake First Nation.

The first log homes appeared in the 1830s, likely built by Scandinavian builders for John Hamelin and his family. The Wright family of Bristol, England, constructed the current farmhouse in 1878, followed by ownership transitions through the Strickland and Douglas families, both with ties to early Lakefield College School students.

In 1962, Dr. Hugh Gastle P '68 '73 '75, GP '04 '07, a physician who served the Village of Lakefield, the school, and Curve Lake First Nation, purchased the property. Under his family’s care, it became a beloved community gathering place, remembered for its horses, sleigh rides, and Centennial celebrations, shaping the memories of countless Lakefield students and families.

In 2007, Gretchen and Donald Ross '48, P '79 '80, GP '17 '27 gifted the Northcote property to Lakefield College School, ensuring its preservation as an educational landscape for generations to come.

“The generosity of the Ross family changed everything,” says Kee. “Their vision for preserving the natural beauty of Northcote helped us imagine a place where learning, community, and sustainability come together.”

Northcote Today 

That vision has since come fully alive. Today, Northcote is a vibrant hub of learning—a living classroom where students learn through experience and connection. In 2024 alone, nearly 4,000 student visits took place across academic, outdoor, co-curricular, and community programs.

Here, teenagers grow vegetables, design art projects, explore ecology, and learn how small acts of care can shape large outcomes. Students helped produce more than 10,000 pounds of food, 60% of which was donated to local food programs, the rest supporting the school’s dining hall.

Six new sections of Green Industries courses at two levels (Grade 10 and 11) bring together forestry, floristry, agriculture, landscaping and horticulture in an applied setting, while Outdoor Education and the school’s Outdoors Every Day philosophy help students link environmental science with daily life. Through partnerships with local organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters Peterborough, CMHA, Lakefield Food Bank, Community Table, local farmers, and other community organizations, Northcote has also become a bridge between cultures and generations. The success of these programs owes much to the original partnerships that helped to shape Northcote. The school’s collaboration with Trent University, local farmers, and the Northcote Farm Task Force has strengthened the farm’s ecological and educational reach.

“When students come here, they see how learning connects to something real,” says Janice Greenshields '03, Assistant Head: Sustainability. “It’s not about theory; it’s about doing, caring, and understanding the world they’re part of.”

Why It Matters Now

In a time when both heritage buildings and healthy ecosystems are increasingly at risk, Northcote represents a rare and hopeful example of how the two can be revitalized together. It’s a place where students learn not only from textbooks but through lived experience, growing food, exploring history, and creating art rooted in their surroundings.

The Canadian Heritage Home is more than a restoration project. It is a symbol of what happens when community, creativity, and care intersect. Its reopening will provide a welcoming space for small gatherings, visiting partners, and reflective events, a physical and spiritual anchor for the farm’s next chapter.

“Neil and Daryl’s gift means so much to our community,” Kee adds. “It’s a reminder of what happens when people believe in Lakefield’s spirit, in our traditions, in the land, and in preparing young people for the future.”

For Kee, the concert and restoration carry a broader message that reaches beyond Lakefield’s gates.

“The benefit concert was extraordinary,” she reflects. “It wasn’t just about raising funds. It was symbolic of something larger, an invitation to reimagine schools as stewards, where art, education, and conservation meet.”
 

Looking Ahead

The restoration of the Canadian Heritage Home marks an important milestone in Lakefield’s broader vision for Northcote. It signals not only the preservation of history, but a commitment to the future, to sustainability, to partnership, and to the kind of immersive learning that defines Lakefield’s approach

Through Neil Young and Daryl Hannah’s generosity, and the continued support of families, alumni, and community partners, Northcote will remain a place where learning, stewardship, and creativity thrive together.

“The goal has always been stewardship,” McMahon says. “To make sure this property keeps giving back to our students, our community, and the land itself.”

As the farm grows, it will serve as an important space for Northcote’s next chapter. The school plans to build on its success through expanded partnerships and programming.

“This is a legacy project in every sense,” says Kee. “It honours where we’ve come from and opens up what’s possible next.”

That sense of continuity, of gratitude, and belonging, lingered long after Neil Young's benefit concert ended. Under the same trees and starlight that witnessed the music that night, the spirit of Northcote continues; a place where community gathers, learning takes root, and gratitude endures.

It was, as one attendee later said, “a perfect Lakefield moment.”

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