The snow has finally melted and the road trip schedule has heated up! I have 32 ideas for you this week, and there’s something for just about everyone—whether you’d rather be running a half-marathon in Smiths Falls, humming along to country hits in Gatineau, seeing a play in Osgoode, enjoying classical music in Pembroke or celebrating all things maple in Perth. Happy travels!
Shop locally in Kemptville, Winchester and Morrisburg
The fifth annual Kemptville Shop Local Showcase is bringing 80 vendors to the North Grenville Municipal Centre on Saturday, April 27. Businesses will be offering product, food and beverage samples and sales of all sorts, Fat Les’s Chip Stand will be serving free coffee and tea, and the first 500 families at the show will receive a free tree from the Municipality of North Grenville and the South Nation Conservation Authority. Eager to try a new sport? Local dance, fitness, martial arts and crossfit companies will be giving demonstrations. Free parking and admission.
If you want to check out multiple events that day, you could be eligible to win a Nest Smart Home package—a flat-screen TV, a sound bar and two VIP Ottawa Senators tickets. To enter, you need to visit three community trade shows taking place on Saturday, April 27: the Kemptville Shop Local Showcase, the Local Business Expo 2019 at the Joel Steele Community Centre in Winchester, and the Spring Home and Trade Show at the Morrisburg Arena (the Morrisburg show also runs on Friday night). To enter, you need to get a postcard stamped at EACH event’s O’Farrell Financial booth.
Get a little bit country in Gatineau
The 10 musicians, singers and dancers of Nashville Québec will be recreating country hits by Shania Twain, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, Brad Paisley, Patrick Norman, Paul Daraîche and many more at the Casino Lac-Leamy in Gatineau on Saturday, April 27. The content will be roughly one-quarter French and three-quarters English.
Celebrate all things maple in Perth or Montreal
The Festival of the Maples in Perth on Saturday, April 27, caps a month-long celebration of all things maple in Lanark County. The fun will include live music, food and craft vendors, fun for kids, and lots of maple treats to try. (The website I’ve linked to earlier in this paragraph includes lots of great tips on navigating the busy festival, including where to find a parking spot!)
As well as enjoying the usual maple treats, you can get a tattoo or a beard trim, nibble on tacos, drink craft beer, and catch some live music (electronic on Friday, rap and hip-hop on Saturday, and pop on Sunday) at the hipster-ish Festival Gueule d’érable on Quai Jacques-Cartier in the Old Port of Montreal (April 26 to 28).
Enjoy a play in Osgoode, Smiths Falls, Perth or Kingston
The Isle in the River Theatre Company in Osgoode has an intriguing play coming up. Tempting Providence, based on a true story, focuses on English nurse Myra Bennett, who emigrated to Newfoundland in 1921 to serve a community on the remote Great Northern Peninsula. It runs from Thursdays through Saturdays from April 26 to May 5. The Friday shows start at 7:30pm, the Saturday shows are dinner theatre evenings starting at 6pm, and the Sunday shows are 2pm matinées.
From April 26 to May 5, Smiths Falls Community Theatre is staging The Faery’s Kiss, a play that tells the tale of a man who inherits a house in the British countryside, only to find that it’s haunted by a powerful spectre with a big secret. The show runs on Friday and Saturday nights, and on Sunday afternoons; there’s also a Thursday night show on May 2.
Barn Door Productions in Perth has adopted a novel by Charles Yale Harrison to create Generals Die in Bed, a multimedia production using theatre, film, music, photos and sound effects to recreate the sometimes funny, often tragic story of a First World War soldier. It runs from Thursdays through Sundays, from April 25 to May 5 (the Sunday shows are 2pm matinées).
Meanwhile, in Kingston, Domino Theatre is presenting An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde from April 25 to May 11 (Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays). Written in 1895, this very British comedy deals with themes of political corruption, blackmail, honour and the consequences of past actions.
Get literary in Gananoque, Renfrew or Ottawa
This weekend, you can enjoy one of the first of the season’s many literary festivals. The 1000 Islands Writers Festival (April 25 to 28) is bringing a big slate of writers, songwriters and artists—including Elizabeth Renzetti, Terry Fallis, Heather Smith and Eric Walters—to Gananoque.
In Renfrew, the Canadian Federation of University Women is holding a huge used book sale in the gym of the Renfrew Collegiate Institute on April 26 and 27.
Here in Ottawa, you can browse for used volumes at the Rockcliffe Park Spring Book Sale (April 27 and 28), taking place at the Rockcliffe Park branch of the Ottawa Public Library at 380 Springfield Road. (It’s not to be confused with the local public school’s big book sale, which happens in the fall.)
On Saturday, April 27, the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library is hosting its second annual BiblioCon, a celebration of comics and “geek culture.” The organizers encourage everyone to come in costume. The free event will include superhero storytime, comic-themed crafts, face painting, picture-taking with a green screen and presentations by graphic novel experts.
Enjoy retro music in Ottawa or Merrickville
If you like music you can hold in your hand, rather than just stream or download, the Ottawa Community Record Show—celebrating its 20th anniversary this year—is the place to hunt for vinyl 45s, LPs and EPs, as well as CDs of all descriptions. It’s happening in Little Italy on Sunday, April 28.
And to dance to your favourite Brat Pack-era tunes, head to Merrickville on Saturday, April 27, where ’80s retro band The Instigators will be playing at the Merrickville United Arts Centre’s Spring Fling dance.
Lace up your running shoes in Kingston
It must be spring, because suddenly the calendar is full of running events. On Sunday, April 28, you can hit the Cataraqui Trail in Smiths Falls during the Spring Fling Running Thing, a fundraiser for the Smiths Falls Hospital Foundation. It includes 2K, 5K and 10K races, and a half-marathon. Further afield, you can choose from a selection of races (from a 2K for kids to a half-marathon) during the Limestone Race Weekend in Kingston (April 27 and 28).
Catch a symphony performance in Pembroke
Local pianists Keegan Lazarus and Elena Semenets will be the featured soloists in the Pembroke Symphony Orchestra’s season finale concert on Saturday, April 27. CBC Radio’s Doug Hempstead will narrate the program, which features three works: Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals, Offenbach’s Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld and Franck’s Symphony in D Minor.
Hunt for groovy clothes in Carleton Place
Browse for mini skirts, maxi skirts and everything in between at the Vintage Clothing Sale at the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum (April 26 to 28). A wide range of clothing and accessories for men and women—including hats, jewellery and coats—is usually available at this fundraising event.
Nosh on poutine in Ottawa and Gatineau
If the interest in my recently updated post about poutine festivals is any indication, Ottawa Road Trips readers like their cheese curds, gravy and fries a lot. So here are two tasty outings for you this weekend in Ottawa-Gatineau. At Poutinefest on Sparks (April 25 to 28), you can enjoy beers by Big Rig Brewery and others, as well as lots of live music. Similar fun is on the menu at Le festival bière et poutine de Gatineau at Parc place de la cité in Gatineau (April 26 to 28).
Channel your inner poet in Almonte
The Almonte Public Library and Mill Street Books are hosting a Poetry Blitz to celebrate Poetry Month on Saturday April 27, at the Almonte Public Library. They’re inviting local poets to come and read one or two of their works (first come, first served). Almonte spoken word poet Danielle Gregoire will host the event, and local poet Claire Sylvan (whose poetry book Turnings was recently reprinted) will be on hand to discuss the question “Why write poetry?” For more information or to sign up to read, call Mill Street Books at 613-256-9090.
Buy used outdoor gear in Kingston
Dying to get out on a hiking trail or a lake, but lacking gear? In Kingston this weekend, you can buy and sell used outdoor equipment—everything from boots to boats—at Trailhead’s annual Gear Swap (April 27 and 28). If the items you bring in sell, you get cash or a store discount. If you don’t have anything to sell, you can still buy. It’s a win-win!
Shop for art in Manotick, Navan, Rockland, Elgin or Ottawa
Members of the Manotick Art Association will be showing and selling their works at the Inspirations art show and sale from April 26 to 28, with some of the proceeds going to support Rural Ottawa South Support Services. At the vernissage on Friday, April 26 (6:30pm to 9:30pm), you can meet the artists.
The Navan Fine Arts exhibition and sale on April 27 and 28 features 20 local artists who create works in a wide range of media, including acrylics, fused glass, threaded metal, wood, clay and watercolours.
The Clarence-Rockland Artists’ Association is holding its annual art exhibition at the Canadian International Hockey Academy in Rockland on April 27 and 28. Works by 31 local artists will be featured.
The Elgin Art Gallery is holding an opening reception for its new show, A Bird’s Eye View, on Saturday, April 27, at 2pm. The show, which features wildlife art by Kristi Bird, runs until June 14. The gallery is located above the Savoury and Sweet store and restaurant in Elgin.
At the Ottawa Guild of Potters sale at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park (April 26 to 28), you can meet the artists, see demonstrations, and enjoy coffee, snacks and live music, as well as shop for distinctive pottery.
Catch a documentary in Toronto
In Toronto, the Hot Docs Festival (April 25 to May 5) focuses solely on documentaries of all styles, from around the world. If you’re a documentary fan, it might be worth the long drive to Toronto, as it could be hard to see some of these documentaries otherwise. Eagerly anticipated movies this year include the North American premiere of The Rest, a film about refugees in Europe by director/activist Ai Weiwei, and the international premiere of Nothing Fancy: Diana Kennedy, focusing on a 90-something master chef and teacher.
Hop aboard the Beer and Wine Train in Utica
This year, there will be 13 Beer and Wine Trains on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad route between Utica and Remsen, New York. The first one leaves Utica (about 310 kilometres south of Ottawa) on Friday, April 26, and the season runs until October 18. Along the 32-kilometre route (64 kilometres for the whole round trip), passengers can sip beer and wine, and enjoy light snacks, while listening to live music.
Enjoy roots music in Ottawa and Almonte
David Myles will be the headliner in the final show in this year’s Folkus concert series at the Old Town Hall in Almonte, taking place on Saturday, April 27. The genre-blending roots musician from Halifax has won all sorts of awards for his jazz-pop-folk songs. Opening for Myles will be Ottawa-based singer-songwriter susan o.
The Ottawa Grassroots Festival (April 25 to 28) is a family-friendly event featuring folk, Indigenous and Franco-Ontarian music at Southminster United Church in Old Ottawa South. Artists on the roster include Ian Tamblyn, Digging Roots and Siqiniup Qilauta. Daytime shows on Saturday and Sunday are free; for other shows, you can buy single tickets or a festival pass.
Taste California wines in Ottawa
If you like California wines, here’s a great opportunity: the chance to sample a whole bunch of them, all in one place. The California Wine Fair is taking place at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Friday, April 26 (the public tasting portion of the event runs from 7pm to 9:30pm).
Want to plan your outings a month or two in advance? Why not download my comprehensive spring festivals and events guide? This e-book features more than 100 festivals and events from across our region, and is available for Android, Apple and Kobo devices for just $4.99.
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