So the kids are back in school, you’re back at work and you think the fun is over? Not by a long shot—just check out this list of 36 road trips you can try this week. You can visit a farm in Thurso or Harrowsmith. You can check out a food festival in Vankleek Hill or Carleton Place. You can treat your kids to midway rides at a bunch of fairs. You can cheer dancers at a powwow in Cornwall or walk your dog for a good cause in Ottawa. And I haven’t even mentioned Fibrefest in Almonte, Porchfest in Hintonburg and Gardens of Light in Montreal! Rev up your road trip engines!
Savour fine food in Carleton Place, Vankleek Hill or Kingston
On Sunday, September 8, the Festival of Flavours is an outdoor food festival on Main Street in Vankleek Hill. Some 90 vendors will be serving up dishes from across Canada and around the world. The event’s Facebook page has the latest details.
Also on Sunday, September 8, the Lanark County Harvest Festival comes to Beckwith Park on the outskirts of Carleton Place. Highlights include cooking demonstrations, live music and a harvest church supper.
The Kingston Ribfest and Craft Beer Show (September 6 to 8) in Memorial Centre Park features chicken and ribs barbecued by five top ribbers, along with funnel cakes, corn dogs and other snacks, and craft beer and other beverages. This charity event includes a kids’ fun zone and lots of live music, too.
Visit a farm in Quebec or Frontenac
Farms across Quebec—including spots in Val-des-Monts and Thurso—will be participating in a “doors open” event on Sunday, September 8. As part of the province-wide event, a farm festival at Olympic Park in Montreal will give you the chance to meet farmers, see cows being milked, watch sheep shearers at work and enjoy lots of tasty samples. (Website is in French.)
That same day, farms in Verona, Harrowsmith, Sydenham, Inverary, Glenburnie and Kingston will be participating in a similar event, Open Farms in Frontenac.
Catch a fundraising concert in Middleville
Fiddler Cindy Thompson is giving a concert at the Middleville Agricultural Hall on Saturday, September 7, to raise funds for the Middleville Museum. It’s actually a family affair, featuring her musical son, husband and sister as well! Thompson draws from a wide ranging of fiddling styles and is known for her energetic shows.
Thrill to a powwow in Cornwall
The Akwesasne International Powwow (September 7 and 8) brings Indigenous dancers, drummers, crafters and food vendors to Cornwall Island for a busy weekend. Visitors can see smoke dancers, shop for Indigenous crafts, and learn about corn husk doll making, flint knapping and basket making.
Check out a reading in Gananoque
The 1000 Islands Writers Festival is hosting a special event on Wednesday, September 4. Author Terry Fallis will be reading from his new comedic novel, Albatross, and author Ted Barris will read from his new non-fiction book, Rush to Danger: Medics in the Line of Fire, focusing on conflicts from the Second World War to Afghanistan.
Enjoy music or comedy in Burnstown
Neat Café in Burnstown is hosting two events this week: singer-songwriter Ben Caplan takes to the stage on Thursday, September 5; the following night, a comedy night features stand-up comics Casey Corbin, Dylan Gott and Nick Beaton. Dinner-show tickets are available both nights.
Channel your inner Celt in Syracuse
Syracuse has not one, but two, Irish festivals every year, and the fall version will be lighting up Clinton Square with lots and lots of Celtic music this weekend, including two shows by Toronto-based Celtic rockers Enter the Haggis (September 6 and 7).
Cheer for fast boats in Gananoque
At the 1000 Islands Poker Run and Hit the Mark Weekend in Gananoque (September 6 to 8), you can see a “parade of power” on Friday night, then watch speedboat pilots race through the waters of the St. Lawrence on Saturday and Sunday.
See classic cars and motorcycles in Alexandria Bay
The Rollin’ Street Thunder Hogs and Rods Show (Sunday, September 8) gives you the chance to see lots of vintage cars and motorbikes in Alexandria Bay. The whole event has a ’50s and ’60s theme, so there will probably be lots of classic tunes, too.
Take a historical walk in Beechwood Cemetery
I may be odd, but I’ve always loved walking through cemeteries (OK, maybe not at night on Halloween, but generally). I find them both fascinating and tranquil. If you do, too, then here’s a tour for you: the free annual historical walk at Ottawa’s Beechwood Cemetery on Sunday, September 8. Actors in period costume will tell the stories of four notable Ottawans buried at Beechwood. It starts at 2pm.
Experience a pioneer-style harvest festival in Dunvegan
The Harvest Fall Festival at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum in Dunvegan (Sunday, September 8) usually draws big crowds. This year, they can enjoy pioneer harvest and craft demonstrations, a parade, live music, an apple pie-baking contest, made-from-scratch ice cream, and local baking and preserves. It’s a great chance to visit the museum’s heritage buildings, too.
Put on the dog in Ottawa and Petawawa
The Wiggle Waggle Walk and Run at Lansdowne Park on Sunday, September 8, is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Ottawa Humane Society. The OHS is aiming to raise $115,000 at the event this year; as of this morning, they were 48% of the way there. You can sign up for a variety of walks and runs, ranging from 1K to 10K, including a 1K kids’ fun run and a 2K furry fun run. Amusements for four-legged friends (and their human companions) include a K9 fun zone and an arty “puppy PAWcasso booth.”
Also on Sunday, Dog Day in the Valley features dog agility competitions, pet-product vendors and more at the Petawawa Civic Centre.
Delve into many cultures in Kingston
The Kingston Multicultural Arts Festival on Sunday, September 8, will be serving up great foods from around the world from pavilions in K-Town’s Confederation Park. You can also check out arts workshops and enjoy live music.
Knit, spin or weave up a storm in Almonte
The ever-popular Fibrefest is back in Almonte this weekend (September 7 and 8). It’s such a draw that it is now being held across three locations: the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, the Almonte Community Centre and the Almonte Curling Club. Come learn about knitting, rug hooking, spinning, weaving, quilting and other fibre arts. There are also workshops from Thursday through Saturday.
Tap your toes in Manotick, Hintonburg or Hawkesbury
On Wednesday night (September 4), Tyler Kealey is giving a concert of piano-based pop at Watson’s Mill in Manotick. Later in the week, dozens of musical acts will be performing on verandahs and lawns across Hintonburg as part of the free Ottawa Porchfest event on the afternoon and evening of Saturday, September 7. Also on Saturday, Journée Trad is a free festival of grassroots music, storytelling and food at Le Chenail Cultural Centre in Hawkesbury.
Cycle through Prince Edward County
Feeling energetic? You can sign up for a 50K, 100K or 150K bike ride through scenic Prince Edward County on Saturday, September 7, as part of the County Gran Fondo event.
Try square dancing in Cumberland
Travel back in time to the 1920s and 1930s at a community barn dance at the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum on Saturday, September 7. Nosh on roast pork, roast chicken or vegetarian fare, enjoy local craft beer, and bring your dancing shoes to do a little square dancing.
Enjoy a street festival in Vanier
The festival formerly known as East Feast has now morphed into BeechFest, a free outdoor celebration along Beechwood Avenue in Vanier on Saturday, September 7. From 4pm to 9pm, the road will be closed to vehicles, giving those on foot the chance to enjoy live music, sample great food and more.
Admire Gardens of Light in Montreal
The annual Gardens of Light extravaganza opens at the Montreal Botanical Garden on Friday, September 6, and runs until Thursday, October 31. If you’ve never checked it out before—and even if you have—you are in for a treat. See displays of huge, elaborate lanterns in the Chinese Garden; ethereal, atmospheric lighting in the Japanese Garden; and a giant poplar illuminated as the Sacred Tree in the First Nations Garden. This event is very popular, so I’d recommend buying your timed tickets in advance online.
Have fun at a fair in Renfrew, Russell, Hawkesbury or Picton
Fall fair season is in full swing, giving farmers the chance to showcase the best of their livestock and produce.
Entertainment at the Renfrew Fair (September 4 to 8) includes concerts by The Trews and Carroll Baker, a midway, a demolition derby and livestock shows.
There’s also a midway at the Russell Fair (September 5 to 8), along with an antiques display, a fire show, a craft market, a petting zoo, a craft beer festival and more. The fair is also hosting a special needs afternoon from 1pm to 3:30pm on Thursday, September 5.
East of Ottawa, there’s the Hawkesbury Fair this weekend (September 5 to 8). It offers games of skill, midway rides and concessions.
Down in Prince Edward County, the Picton Fair (September 6 to 8) features both a dog show and a mini horse show, as well as a lawn tractor pull, a bake-off, a baby show and more.
Looking for more fairs this month? Check out my comprehensive list of summer and fall fairs!
Sip soup in suburban Montreal
Do you like soup? I mean, really like soup? Then the Festival de la S.O.U.P.E. in Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot (on the west side of Montreal) on Sunday, September 8, will be your cup of chowder. You can taste all kinds of soups by local chefs and vote for your favourite, while watching international dance performances and other entertainment in a park on the shore of the St. Lawrence.
Catch the film festival in Toronto
It’s like an all-you-can-eat-and-then-some buffet for movie lovers: the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) pretty much takes over Toronto from September 5 to 15. My husband and I went a few years ago, and it was a blast. You really have to experience it to believe it: hundreds of movies in more than a dozen theatres across the core, with enthusiastic fans lining up for hours and discussing their favourite flicks. As usual, you can choose from films from around the world (this year, source countries include Albania, Nepal and Nigeria) or catch an Oscar-bait Hollywood flick (stars in this year’s entries include Clive Owen, Ellen Page, Scarlet Johansson and Tom Hanks).
Enjoy family fun in Kingston
The Garrison Kingston Family Fun Fest (September 7 and 8) will keep things hopping at CFB Kingston on Sunday with axe throwing, laser tag, trolley tours of the Royal Military College and more. Helix, Prism and Destroyer will play a show on Saturday night. Admission to the festival is free, but the concert costs $15.
Have some apple-themed fun east of Ottawa
Les Vergers Villeneuve and Blueberry Farm in Saint-Pascal-Baylon (not far from Clarence Creek) is hosting Applefest on September 7 and 8. Family-friendly fun will include wagon rides, pony rides, face painting, crafts and apple picking, and you can buy tarts, jam and other products from local vendors and artisans.
Check out interesting buildings in Kawartha Lakes
Fourteen intriguing buildings and sites, including a radio station, a heritage schoolhouse and two canal locks, will be inviting the public in for tours during Kawartha Lakes Doors Open on Sunday, September 8.
See sunflowers near Ashton
Sultan Farm Sanctuary near Ashton is inviting flower-lovers to come see its fields of sunflowers this fall. There are no set hours, and the owners of the sanctuary would greatly appreciate donations to help them support the sanctuary’s animals. [Note that this information has been updated; a previous version of this post incorrectly stated that admission was free.]
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2 comments
The Almonte Quilt Guild is also having a show at the Union Hall this weekend. Don’t miss it when you come to Fibre Fest
Thanks for the tip!