"The Stickwood Walker heritage farmstead is about to salute the past. At a cost of about $300,000, Newmarket council has given the go-ahead to transform 3.5-acre homestead on Mulock Drive into a meeting place for quilting, embroidery and tea parties. While the plan includes major renovation and landscaping, the barn, destroyed by fire in April, will not be rebuilt. Instead, remaining footprint of the barn will be used for parking or returned to greenspace. Meanwhile, land just west of the homestead will be used for outdoor soccer pitches. Once complete, the main floor's restored interior will be home to new period programs, such as quilting, embroidery and community tea parties, the mayor said. Up to 50 per cent of the cost of the project, or $150,000, will come from funding through potential partnerships and other sources, said Crystal Moss of the town's communications department."