It’s Labour Day weekend! Yes, it’s probably the oddest Labour Day weekend in living memory, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still mark the traditional end of summer with some fun. Maybe music on a patio in Casselman, an outdoor art show in Burnstown or an online version of the Ottawa International Writers Festival? Read on for details—and travel safely.
Enjoy live music in Smiths Falls, Casselman, Westport or Bloomfield
As part of the Music by the Basin series, Ambre McLean (see video above) will be performing at Centennial Park in Smiths Falls on Friday, September 4, from 7pm to 11pm. Food will be provided by The Pickled Pig, and there’s an audience cap of 100 people for social-distancing reasons.
Domaine Cléroux, an orchard, sugar shack and farm shop in Casselman, is offering live music on its patio this fall. You can settle back with some of the farm’s maple wine or hard cider, while the new patio fireplace throws out some warmth. This Saturday (September 5), Deux Hommes Distingués will be entertaining visitors with folk-pop tunes from 6pm to 9pm. Munchies from the 1844 Bistro Pub (a charcuterie box or sweet potato fries) are available for pre-order. Note: You need to buy tickets in advance by noon on Friday, September 4.
Meanwhile, in Westport, the Cove County Inn has a busy schedule of live shows this week, with Kingston jazz artist Spencer Evans on Thursday night, Westport folk-rocker Eric Uren on Friday night, folk-blues from Kingston’s Tom Savage on Saturday night, acoustic folk, blues and jazz from Gananoque duo Head Over Heels on Sunday afternoon, and Lanark-based folk-rock-blues favourite Brock Zeman on Sunday night.
Further afield, there are still tickets left for Golden Hour, a small, two-day music festival at the Mustang Drive-In in Bloomfield (Prince Edward County) on September 5 and 6. Featured performers include Whitehorse, The Sadies and Dizzy. Admission is by vehicle, with a maximum of 150 cars. Kids and pets are welcome. Snacks and non-alcoholic drinks will be on sale at the concession stand; no alcohol is permitted.
Run through the forest in the Outaouais
You can raise money for trail maintenance by signing up for a forest run taking place on Sunday, September 6, in Sainte-Thérèse-de-la-Gatineau. Organized by PERO (Pôle d’excellence en récréotourisme de l’Outaouais), it starts at 10am and winds along the Chute Rouge trails. Registration is $25.
Raise funds for the Ottawa Humane Society
Normally right around now, the Ottawa Humane Society’s Wiggle Waggle Walk and Run fundraiser would have crowds of people thronging an Ottawa route to raise money for animal care. That’s not possible this year, of course, but you can still do your share for the OHS in the virtual Wiggle Waggle fundraiser. Sure, you could run or walk—but you could also have a yard sale! The event’s website has a whole page of inspiring ideas.
Try a scavenger hunt in Kingston
This weekend is your last chance to try the two versions of a Nautical Scavenger Hunt organized by the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston. The “Cadet Training” hunt can be done on foot in downtown Kingston, while the “Commodore Challenge” will require a bike or car. Participants can enter to win a prize package of a virtual escape room experience and dinner for six; the contest closes on Monday, September 7.
Watch interviews with authors from home
Like so many other events this year, the Ottawa International Writers Festival has gone virtual, and it will be streaming author interviews and readings throughout the fall. On Sunday, September 6, for instance, the festival will be presenting interviews with authors Emily St. John Mandel (The Glass Hotel) and Anne Appelbaum (Twilight of Democracy). And next week, Canterbury High School alum Eva Holland will be speaking about her acclaimed new memoir, Nerve, on Tuesday, September 8. You could also go back and watch videos of previous events with Thomas King (Indians on Vacation), Emma Donoghue (The Pull of the Stars), Billy-Ray Belcourt (A Brief History of My Body) and many others.
Savour all things apple
Eager to pick some apples, buy a fresh-baked apple pie or sample some local cider? Lucky you—I just finished updating and substantially expanding my annual post on Ottawa-area destinations for apple lovers. Get the scoop on an orchard in Renfrew that sells apple-blossom honey, a cidery in Bristol where you can watch apples being pressed, places where you can buy caramel apples or apple-cider doughnuts, and umpteen orchards where you can pick your own apples.
See art in Chelsea or Burnstown
La Fab Arts Centre in Chelsea is hosting an outdoor vernissage for its new show, Nature’s Path of Words, on Saturday, September 5, from 2pm to 5pm. You can meet the artist, Diane Lemire, who created the works in this exhibition with latex moulds and hand-made fabrics to evoke her experiences of nature. The show runs until Sunday, September 27.
In Burnstown, this is the last weekend to catch an outdoor show at the Bittersweet Gallery (running until Sunday, September 6). It showcases Scotland-inspired clay pieces by Richard Gill and metal sculptures by Jack Stekelenburg.
Looking for more ideas for day trips and short getaways from Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter.