Whether you want to play in the sand with your kids in Gatineau, thrill to Fort Henry’s Sunset Ceremony, play outdoor bingo in Carp, see Shakespeare in Prescott, cheer for jousting knights in Osgoode, dance the night away at Bluesfest or meet Napoleon in upstate New York, there’s a road trip for you in this week’s roundup. Happy travels—and cross your fingers that it doesn’t rain!
Stop and smell the flowers in Prince Edward County
Flickr/Creative Commons photo by Sonny Abesamis.
Breathe deeply: The Prince Edward County Lavender Farm in Hillier is holding a Lavender Festival this weekend (July 8 and 9). Sample lavender-flavoured lemonade or chocolate, pick your own lavender, get a massage in a lavender field, shop for lavender products, taste lavender wine vinegars or search for fossils. Other amusements include face painting, pony rides, a petting zoo, a bubble artist and lots of live music.
Try your luck at the Verona Jamboree
Can’t wait until autumn for some fall fair-style fun? Then head to Verona (about half an hour northwest of Kingston) for the Verona Jamboree (July 6 to 8). Check out games of chance and bingo, a raffle, midway rides, mini-golf, and burgers and fries. Free admission and parking.
See the skies light up over Montreal
Didn’t get enough fireworks last weekend? Until August 5, l’International des Feux Loto-Québec will present musical fireworks shows by international pyrotechnics designers on Saturday nights (and some Wednesday nights), rain or shine. Head to La Ronde or the waterfronts on either side of the St. Lawrence River to enjoy the show.
Get in touch with history at Upper Canada Village
Photo copyright Laura Byrne Paquet.
This weekend, Upper Canada Village is making a special effort to reach out to visitors with disabilities during Accessible History Weekend (July 8 and 9). Costumed interpreters will be providing sign language and tactile tours. Braille maps and all-terrain wheelchairs will make it easier for all visitors to make their way around the site. Wheelchair-accessible horse-drawn wagon rides and miniature train tours will also be available.
Enjoy barbecue and tunes in Smiths Falls, Peterborough or Lake Placid
A brand-new music and food event comes to Smiths Falls this weekend. Pigstock (Saturday, July 8) is a fundraiser for the Two Rivers Food Hub, which serves farmers and food producers throughout Lanark, Leeds and Grenville counties. The family-friendly event will feature roasted pork, microbrewed beers, craft vendors and live music.
Barbecue lovers will also be heading to Millennium Park in Peterborough this weekend for the Kawartha Rotary Ribfest (July 7 to 9). Five different rib vendors will be serving up racks for festival goers, who can also enjoy local chocolate, Caribbean fare, Thai food and more. The free live entertainment includes Tom Petty and Rolling Stones tribute bands.
The name pretty much says it all: The I Love BBQ and Music Festival in Lake Placid (July 7 to 9) serves up lots of live bands and lots of grilled goodies. The event is a fundraiser for the Shipman Youth Center.
Rock on to ABBA in Brockville
Want to channel your inner Dancing Queen? Then head to the Brockville Arts Centre for two nights of ABBAMANIA (July 5 and 6), a tribute show to possibly the biggest pop music act ever to come out of Sweden.
Cheer on buskers in Kingston
Jugglers, clowns, magicians and other street performers from around the world will be amusing crowds in downtown Kingston this weekend during the Kingston Buskers Rendezvous 2017 (July 6 to 9).
Play in the sand in Gatineau
What small child doesn’t love building sand castles? Indulge your kids (and yourself) at the Wonders of Sand (Merveilles de sable) festival at Lac Beauchamp Park in Gatineau (July 7 to 9). Watch master sand sculptors at work, build your own creation, play on giant inflatables in the Aquazone or join a giant water gun fight. Activities are free but there’s a fee for parking. Don’t want to drive? There’s a regular shuttle from the Labrosse Rapibus station.
Play drive-in bingo in Carp
Under the B: a fun night out! Drive-in bingo is an annual tradition at the Carp Fairgrounds. This year, get your chips and daubers ready on Wednesday nights, from July 5 and until August 2. The barbecue starts at 6pm and the game starts at 7:30pm.
Get artsy in the Glebe, Barry’s Bay or Kingston
The Glebe Art in Our Gardens and Studio Tour takes place this weekend (July 8 and 9). You can see art by 18 artists at 11 sites scattered across the downtown Ottawa neighbourhood. Works include paintings, multimedia items and glass pieces.
On Saturday, July 8, you can take in the Madawaska Valley Artisan Festival in Railway Station Park in Barry’s Bay, featuring 25 art and craft vendors, a fish fry, live music and a drop-in art workshop for families.
And the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts and the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning in Kingston have joined forces this summer to offer free combined tours of both facilities on Wednesday and Friday mornings, from July 5 until August 30.
Chat with authors in Eganville
The 15th annual Bonnechere Authors Festival kicks off on Wednesday, July 5, and continues with author readings every Wednesday evening in July at St. James Church. Featured authors this year are Melissa Yi (July 5), Eva Stachniak (July 12), Doug Gibson (July 19) and Merilyn Simonds (July 26).
Meet Napoleon in Cape Vincent, New York
Cape Vincent is also just a lovely place to stroll around, filled with pretty old houses.
The French Festival in Cape Vincent, New York (July 8 and 9) celebrates the small waterfront town’s French heritage. As well as being founded by a Frenchman, the community almost became Napoleon’s retirement site, when locals hatched a plot to rescue France’s former leader from his exile on St. Helena. As a result, a Napoleon re-enactor is a prominent participant in the festival’s annual parade. Other highlights include craft vendors, kids’ activities and fireworks. Here’s a fun 2016 Citizen piece about the festival by Peter Johansen. Cape Vincent is about two hours southwest of Ottawa, via the 1000 Islands Bridge.
Try a new teahouse in Montebello
On Saturday, July 8, the Manoir Papineau National Historic Site in Montebello is inaugurating its new Chez Julie teahouse in the historic home’s pretty garden. Until August 27, you can sip tea and nibble on cookies baked at the nearby Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello.
Enjoy classic plays in Prescott
The St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival (July 8 to August 12) begins its season this year with Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra (premiering July 8). Performances of that show will alternate with a musical version The Three Musketeers (premiering July 12). All shows take place in a pretty outdoor theatre overlooking the river, and shows go on rain or shine (unless there’s lightning). Watch for a post on my site soon, with more details on the festival from my upcoming interview with festival director Rona Waddington.
Thrill to military pageantry in Kingston
Photo of the Fort Henry Sunset Ceremony courtesy of Kingston Accommodation Partners.
Recently redesigned, the Fort Henry Sunset Ceremony takes place at the historic fort in Kingston every Wednesday night in July and August, beginning Wednesday, July 5. The show recreates the military music and drills that took place at the fort in the 1860s.
Kick up your heels in Almonte
Almonte Celtfest will have the Lanark County town tapping its toes to Irish, Scottish and other Celtic tunes this weekend (July 7 to 9). Musical acts on stage will include Fiddlehead Soup, Salty Dog, De Temps Antan, the Ottawa Celtic Choir and many others. As well as concerts, there will be workshops for fiddle, guitar, whistle and bodhran players, along with an artisan fair and kids’ activities. Admission is free but donations at the gate are welcome.
Root for big trucks in Gatineau
Do you like mighty machines? Then head to the Gatineau Airport to see modified tractors, 4X4s, semi-trucks and other big vehicles show what they’ve got at the Gatineau Truck Pull (July 8 and 9).
Go medieval in Osgoode
Grab your armour and your lance—it’s the Kingdom of Osgoode Medieval Festival (July 7 to 9). With a free concert, a silent auction, a market, jousting, storytelling, birds of prey, dancing, music and other medieval-themed fun, it’s the place to be for all fine lords, ladies and knights (or knaves and wenches, if that’s more your style).
Browse for antiques in Prince Edward County
The Prince Edward Antique, Vintage and Retro Show is on at the Prince Edward Curling Club in Picton (July 7 to 9), featuring vintage fabrics, painted furniture, fun collectibles and lots of antiques.
Enjoy three days of paddling, music and more in Bancroft
The Wheels, Water and Wings Festival in Bancroft (July 7 to 9) features paddling competitions on the York River, live music, car and motorcycle shows, a midway, a soapbox derby, a fly-in breakfast and lots of other fun.
See pretty gardens in Gananoque
Looking for some inspiration for your backyard? The Gananoque Horticultural Society is holding its annual garden tour on Sunday, July 9, from 12:30pm to 5pm. Tickets are available at the Gananoque Visitor Centre.
Enjoy the blues (and more) at LeBreton Flats and Mont Tremblant
Photo of RBC Ottawa Bluesfest © Ottawa Tourism.
The huge RBC Ottawa Bluesfest opens on LeBreton Flats this week (July 6 to 16), with acts ranging far beyond blues to encompass everyone from July Talk and A Tribe Called Red to 50 Cent and Pink.
Further afield, the hills of Mont Tremblant will be alive with the sound of blues music (and R&B, soul, rock, funk, country and folk) during this year’s Festival International du Blues de Tremblant (July 7 to 16). Choose from more than 100 shows, most of them free.
Be a little bit country in Kingston
Country music fans might want to head to Fort Henry in Kingston on Saturday, July 8, when the Chill on the Hill Festival will be featuring Rascal Flatts, Aaron Pritchett and Meghan Patrick.
Take in a huge slate of classical music in Ottawa
The Music and Beyond Festival (July 4 to 17) presents roughly 75 classical music concerts and events in a variety of venues, including an opening gala with Sarah Chang on July 4 and concerts by Kronos Quartet, the Canadian Brass, Thirteen Strings and many others.
Thrill to the circus in Montreal
Photo of the Montreal Cirque Festival by Andrew Miller.
The Montreal Cirque Festival (July 6 to 16) brings acrobats, trapeze artists and all sorts of other circus performers to indoor and outdoor venues across the city for a mix of free and paid performances.
See a play about the other Trudeau couple in Gananoque
Maggie and Pierre, a one-woman play about the stormy romance between the one-time Margaret Sinclair and Pierre Trudeau, opens at the Firehall Theatre of the 1000 Islands Playhouse in Gananoque on Friday, July 7, and runs until July 30.
Learn about the seedy past of Brockville
If you love tales of criminal wrong-doing, check out the Brockville’s Criminal Past walking tours, which run twice each Friday until August 25. Organized by the Brockville Museum, the cover everything from a bank heist to a creepy-sounding tale of a missing human skin.
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