If you love food, shopping, art, theatre, music or family fun, I’ve got something for you this week, including the nationwide Culture Days festival, Pumpkinferno at Upper Canada Village, concerts in Manotick and Luskville, a fun run in Pembroke, a Cold War-era play in Carp, and a big crafters’ fair in Ottawa. Happy road tripping!
Learn about cheese in Almonte
Given your past enthusiasm for posts mentioning cheese-related fun, you guys like cheese. I mean, really, really like cheese. So here’s another event for you: a cheese-themed lecture at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte on Saturday, September 28. Local historian Claudia Smith and heritage property manager Ian MacLean will talk about the history of cheese-making in Lanark County.
Get cultured across Canada
Like many studio tours, the Lyndhurst Art and Culture Tour (Sunday, September 29) gives you the chance to meet artists and see them at work. But this self-guided driving tour to six “art hubs” in and near the village of Lyndhurst also encourages you to ask the 30 artists lots of questions, in the hope that you will leave inspired to try these art forms themselves. Along the route, you can see the village’s famous Plaid House, 17 barn quilt blocks, and the historic Long Point School House, Love Blacksmith Shop and the Kammann Barn restoration. If you need a break, the United Church will be serving up tea, coffee, sweets and live music.
The tour is just one of many events making up Culture Days, a nationwide festival of arts and culture, taking place this year from September 27 to 39. The slate of activities throughout Eastern Ontario is amazingly diverse, from a dance performance in Orleans and the Artbomb Festival in Gananoque to a participatory artwork called the Consensus Bus in Brockville and a literary café with author Pierre Faucher in Hawkesbury.
Take in two free festivals in Belleville
It’s a busy weekend in Belleville, with both the 11th annual Belleville Porchfest (a free music festival where musicians perform on people’s porches) and the free Flavours of Fall family-friendly festival (try saying that five times fast) happening on Saturday, September 28.
Catch a concert in Manotick or Luskville
Watson’s Mill in Manotick is hosting the last show of its summer concert series on Thursday, September 26, when Matt Chaffey will be releasing his new soul/funk/pop album.
In Luskville, you can see Trio DaNols from Scandinavia—featuring two pianists and a French horn player—at Venturing Hills Farm as part of the Pontiac Enchanté series on Saturday, September 28.
Run for a good cause in Pembroke or Ingleside
Want to lace up your shoes for a good cause? The Dr. Kim Armstrong Turkey Trot in Pembroke, in support of the Pembroke Regional Hospital, is happening on Saturday, September 28. It includes a 5K walk/run, a 15K run and a family obstacle course. (Isn’t the latter just any family’s hallway, right after the kids get home from school and cast off their backpacks and shoes?) Hurry if you want to join this one; registration closes at 11:59pm on Tuesday, September 24.
You could also join the Stephanie Grady Memorial Chocolate and Cheesecake Run/Walk in Ingleside on Saturday, September 28. Choose from a 2K run/walk, a 5K run or a 10K walk, all following parts of the bike path between the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary and the Ingleside entrance to the Long Sault Parkway.
Hobnob with authors in Kingston and Montreal
Book lovers will be heading to the Limestone City this week for Kingston WritersFest (September 25 to 29). Writing workshops, authors’ talks, book signings and lots of other literary events are on the agenda. Participating authors include Armand Garnet Ruffo, Anne Bokma, MG Vissanji, Emma Donoghue and Elizabeth Hay.
This is also the last weekend to catch the Festival International de la Littérature in Montreal (until September 29). Events include everything from readings to films and concerts.
Visit a farm near Napanee
Ten farms in and around Napanee are throwing open their doors to the public during the Lennox & Addington Farm Fest on September 28 and 29. Through interactive activities, tastings and displays, you can learn more about where your food—including honey, milk and grain—comes from on this self-guided driving tour.
Celebrate 100 years of education in Kemptville
On Saturday, September 28, Kemptville Campus is celebrating 100 years of education in the community with demonstrations by teachers and students from local school boards, displays of historical artifacts and photos, building tours, a birthday cake, and more.
See elaborate pumpkin displays in Morrisburg
This event is one of the coolest things in Eastern Ontario, in my humble opinion. Pumpkinferno at Upper Canada Village (September 27 to October 27; check website for exact dates and times) is a nighttime…well, I’m not quite sure what to call it. Sound-and-light show? Halloween on steroids? Really, you’ve just got to see it to believe it. Almost 7,000 glowing, hand-carved, artificial pumpkins are arranged in theatrical displays throughout the living history village, with eerie music wafting about. There are three accessibility nights for guests with disabilities and they often sell out quickly, so get tickets ASAP for those if you are interested.
See a play in Carp or Gananoque
It sounds like a great idea: setting up a club to help new Canadians learn to curl. However, things take a turn for the worse when the coach who came up with the idea gets injured, and a coach who isn’t quite as keen on the project steps in. That’s the premise of The New Canadian Curling Club, a play that opens at the 1000 Islands Playhouse in Gananoque on September 27 and runs until October 20.
Closer to home, you can see Dief the Chief: October 62, a play by Pierre Brault about the Cuban Missile Crisis as seen through the eyes of Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. It’s on at the Diefenbunker Museum in Carp from September 27 to 29.
Catch a music festival in Montreal
I swear that Montreal has a cool-sounding music festival every week. This week’s event is the POP Montreal International Music Festival (September 25 to 29), showcasing more than 400 musical artists (yes, you read that right) from around the world on multiple stages, including Laurie Anderson and Mavis Staples. You can also check out art exhibitions, a crafters’ and artisans’ fair, kids’ programming, and more.
Meet artists in many places
The packed fall slate of artist studio tours has six events to tempt you this weekend, whether you’d like to stick close to home or make a weekend of it. All of them are taking place on September 28 and 29.
In Ottawa, you can take in the New Edinburgh Studio Tour or the West End Studio Tour. If you fancy a country drive, you can check out the first weekends of the Chelsea and Wakefield Studio Tour and the Merrickville Artists’ Guild Studio Tour and Sale. To the southeast of Ottawa, the Apples and Art tour features studios in and around Cornwall, mainly between Morrisburg and Lancaster. And north of Belleville, there’s the Tweed and Area Studio Tour.
Looking for more ideas? Check out my comprehensive list of studio tours.
Celebrate all things pumpkin in Gananoque
I’m sometimes not the swiftest: It took me a minute to realize that the name Pump-Gan-Fest is a play on the words “pumpkin fest.” The free family event is taking place in downtown Gananoque on Saturday, September 28.
Raises a glass in Lake Placid
Feeling thirsty? Oktoberfest at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid (September 28 and 29) has been ranked among the top five Oktoberfests in the U.S.
Shop for unique gifts in Ottawa or Pembroke
Want to get a really early start on your Christmas shopping—or just pick up a treat for yourself? Then head to the Etsy Made in Canada market at the Carleton University Fieldhouse, where more than 190 crafters will be on hand selling one-of-a-kind handmade products (September 28 and 29).
Meanwhile, in Pembroke, the Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice fall craft and vendor show on Sunday, September 29, will feature more than 50 artisans, food trucks and other vendors. Admission is free, but donations of non-perishable food to the St. Joseph’s Food Bank are appreciated.
Enjoy some harvest fun in Delta
The village of Delta (between Smiths Falls and Gananoque) is hosting a Harvest Festival on Saturday, September 28. Fun for the whole family includes tours of the Old Stone Mill, a bread-baking contest, blacksmithing demonstrations, wagon rides, a car show, live music and an evening dance. When you get hungry, you can tuck into Oktoberfest sausages at the Royal Canadian Legion or barbecued hot dogs at the mill.
Take in a fair in Carp or McDonald’s Corners
The Carp Fair (September 26 to 29) bills itself as the “Best Little Fair in Canada.” And it does seem to have a lot going on, including a midway, agricultural shows, dog shows, a family fun tent, and a big slate of concerts. OC Transpo is running a shuttle to the fair from the Terry Fox Park and Ride in Kanata on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The McDonald’s Corners Fall Fair on Saturday, September 28, features a teddy bear contest, a turkey supper, a puppet show and livestock shows.
Shop for art and more in Kingston
During Fall Art After Dark (Friday, September 27), 29 art galleries and other sites in downtown Kingston will be open until 10pm for late-night browsing—and they’re running a draw for a $500 Kingston art shopping spree, too.
The next day, one of Kingston’s main shopping streets will become a big, pedestrians-only festival during the Fall Princess Street Promenade from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, September 28.
Learn about the British Home Children in Morrisburg
Throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, thousands of impoverished British children were sent to Canada and other Commonwealth countries. What started as an effort by social workers to give these “Home Children” new opportunities sometimes turned into a dark story, as some were exploited and abused when they reached their new lands. On Saturday, September 28, you can learn more about this period in our history when Ontario East British Home Child Family presents Standing in the Light: Life Stories of British Home Children at the Aultsville Train Station in Morrisburg.
Sample local food and wine in Picton
Taste Community Grown (Saturday, September 28) is a one-day culinary festival celebrating the products of Prince Edward County—everything from cheese to cider. Some 50 vendors will be on hand to serve up local food and beverages in an airplane hangar in Picton.
Enjoy a film festival in Ottawa or Montreal
The Montreal International Black Film Festival (September 24 to 29) offers a chance to see documentaries, short films and features focusing on the Black experience around the world. Special attractions this year include an evening with two of the members of the Central Park Five, whose stories were told in Ava DuVernay’s Netflix series When They See Us.
And if you’ve ever watched the animated film clips during the Academy Awards ceremony and thought, “Wow, that looks cool! But where can I see stuff like this?” I have good news for you. At the Ottawa International Animation Festival (September 25 to 29), you’ll be able to see Oscar-calibre animation of all descriptions, from family-friendly fare to avant-garde flicks that are definitely not for kids. Screenings, parties, talks, a career fair and other events are taking place at the ByTowne Cinema, the Ottawa Art Gallery, the National Gallery, the Fairmont Chateau Laurier and several other downtown venues.
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2 comments
Cat show at Nepean sportsplex this weekend!
Thanks!