This weekend, you can hit the road and enjoy a concert in a country hall, tour cool buildings or see the RCMP Musical Ride. Or you can stay right here in Ottawa to eat ribs, tour Glebe houses or enjoy a new Indigenous arts celebration. Wherever the road takes you, travel safely and have a great time!
(P.S.: If you’re looking for more ideas, why not come to my free talk about fall day trips at the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library on Thursday, September 12? It starts at 6:30pm and I would love to meet you in person!)
Take a barn quilt tour in northern New York
Have you ever wondered about those beautiful paintings of quilt blocks on rural barns? Then here’s the outing for you: the St. Lawrence County Barn Quilt Tour on Saturday, September 14. The bilingual (French and English) tour starts in Canton and includes stops at an art gallery and an Amish craft shop, and lunch at a vineyard. More information is available on the tour’s Facebook page.
Catch a show in Merrickville
It’s a busy weekend at the Merrickville United Arts Centre (MUAC), with a drag show on Friday, September 13, and the annual Pink Party (now open to both women and men) featuring The Instigators playing lots of ’80s tunes, on Saturday, September 14.
Get a good scare in Stittsville
Halloween isn’t until next month, but Stittsville is getting a jump on the spooky fun with the Stittsville Haunted Heritage Tour. The 90-minute interactive tour will take place on weekends (and some weeknights) between September 13 and November 9.
Eat beans and watch strongmen in Plantagenet
This year’s Festival de la Bine de Plantagenet (September 13 to 15) offers a pancake breakfast, strongmen competitions, live music, cooking demonstrations, kids’ activities and—of course—lots of opportunities to eat baked beans and other treats.
Revel in creativity in Wakefield
Wow, there’s a lot going on at the TaDa! Festival in Wakefield (September 13 to 15). A musical comedy by Ian Tamblyn, a magic show, a new mosaic installation, a show by standup comedian Candy Palmater, dance performances …really, just go check out the schedule and see what jumps out at you.
Enjoy a unique evening in Kemptville
In downtown Kemptville, Not Just Ladies’ Night (Friday, September 13) looks like one of those events that doesn’t fit neatly into any sort of description but will be a lot of fun. Items on the agenda include a meet and greet with local authors, demos and mini-workshops offered by local merchants, shopping discounts, prize draws, and a “mystical experiences venue” where you can meditate or get a psychic reading. It all kicks off at 5pm with free appetizers at Salamanders restaurant.
Tour interesting buildings in Smiths Falls, Quinte West or Wilberforce
Doors Open Smiths Falls (Saturday, September 14) gives you a free inside peek at 10 intriguing buildings old and new, including the Tweed Visitor Centre and the St. Francis Masonic Lodge 24. Further afield, you can also check out 15 sites in and around Trenton during Doors Open Quinte West (Saturday, September 14) and the same number of buildings in and around Wilberforce during Doors Open Highlands East (September 14 and 15).
Explore Indigenous culture in Ottawa
The National Arts Centre’s Indigenous Theatre program is celebrating its inaugural season with the Mòshkamo Indigenous Arts Festival (September 11 to 29). Arts lovers can enjoy a packed program of everything from drama and dance to a show by hip-hop artist Cody Coyote (Friday, September 13) and free outdoor powwow workout classes (September 12 and 19). Culinary events, free children’s activities, art installations and more are all part of this diverse event.
Nosh your way across Montreal
Montreal is hosting a week of fun for food lovers during the YUL EAT festival (September 9 to 15). Amusements include master classes for keen amateur chefs, culinary demonstrations, food tastings, a pop-up smokehouse and a kids’ Iron Chef competition.
Enjoy big-name acts in small Eastern Ontario venues
The Ontario Festival of Small Halls (September 12 to September 29) is back, with dozens of concerts featuring locally and nationally popular musicians—such as Tomato Tomato, above—in intimate venues across Eastern Ontario. You can choose from shows in more than 35 communities, including Spencerville, Pakenham, Dacre, Delta and Combermere. Some evenings feature community dinners before the concert. Many shows have already sold out, so move quickly if you want tickets to those that remain!
Head to a ribfest in Orleans
If you love barbecue, head east this weekend for the Orleans Ribfest (September 13 to 15) to enjoy ribs, pulled pork, barbecued chicken, live music, a kids’ zone, a beer garden and a wine bar. And if barbecue isn’t your thing, don’t worry—there are other food vendors and dessert purveyors, too.
Sample wine in Alexandria Bay, New York
At the Wine Festival and Farmers’ Market in Alexandria Bay on Saturday, September 14, you can sample a variety of wines in a park with a scenic view of the St. Lawrence.
Tour pretty houses in the Glebe
You can peep behind the door’s of some of the Glebe’s prettiest homes during this year’s Glebe House Tour (Sunday, September 15). Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 on the day, and include tea, coffee, water and snacks at the Glebe Community Centre, and shuttle bus service between the homes.
Admire vintage cars in Renfrew
On Saturday, September 14, the Renfrew Fairgrounds will be the site of the Summer’s End Car Show and Swap Meet for Dad, where you can admire lots of lovingly maintained cars from across the decades. The event is a fundraiser for prostate cancer research, and if you’ve ever thought about attending, this is the year to go—this is its last year.
Head to a music festival in Ottawa, Montebello or Prince Edward County
The lineup at the City Folk Festival at Lansdowne Park (September 12 to 15) includes Our Lady Peace, Robert Plant and the Sensational Shape Shifters, Lucinda Williams, and The Strumbellas. You can ride OC Transpo to and from the festival for free if you show your event ticket.
In the Outaouais, the Festival Musika de Montebello (September 13 to 15) offers a range of concerts by jazz, blues and emerging artists at Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello.
This weekend, you can also check out three music festivals in Prince Edward County. The Sandbanks Music Festival at Sandbanks Provincial Park on Saturday, September 14, features a wide range of performers, including The Grapes of Wrath. If classical music is more your style, it’s also the first full weekend of the Prince Edward County Chamber Music Festival (until September 22). And in Cherry Valley, the ’50s and ’60s Live Music Festival (September 13 to 15) is presenting three days of classic rock.
Have breakfast at the airport in Petawawa
This Sunday, September 15, is the last of this year’s monthly public breakfasts at the Pembroke & Area Airport in Petawawa. Between 8:30am and 11:30am, you can enjoy bacon on a biscuit, hash browns and fruit salad while watching planes take off and land.
Watch tractors in action in Forester’s Falls
The Renfrew County Plowing Match will be the biggest ticket in Forester’s Falls on Saturday, September 14. As well as watching plowing competitions, you can see an antique tractor/equipment parade, rope-making demonstrations, an excavator rodeo, bagpipers and more. (There will be food vendors, too.)
Choose from four fall fairs
Looking for a fall fair this weekend? You’re spoiled for choice!
The Spencerville Fair (September 12 to 15) has a parade, a midway, live music, a climbing wall, livestock shows, artisans’ booths and more.
Upper Canada Village’s Fall Fair Weekend (September 14 and 15) gives you the chance to experience an 1860s-style fair, complete with a quilt show and quilting bee, people in period costume, a beard competition (on Sunday), and livestock shows.
The Middleville Fair (Saturday, September 14) also features many livestock competitions, as well as a kids’ tractor parade, a pet show, chainsaw carving and axe throwing.
And at the Milford Fair in Prince Edward County (Saturday, September 14), along with a parade, carriage rides, pumpkin painting and a dog show, you can enjoy an event called Country Folk Chucking Stuff. (Where else are you going to see non-angry people throwing cast-iron frying pans?)
P.S.: Don’t forget to check out my comprehensive list of local fairs.
See the RCMP Musical Ride in Carleton Place
As part of the town’s ongoing 200th anniversary celebrations, Carleton Place is hosting a free performance by the RCMP Musical Ride on Saturday, September 14. There are pre-show activities at 2pm, followed by the performance at 3pm. Anytime the Mounties and their horses show up, there’s usually a crowd, so I’d get there early, if you’re interested.
Browse for antiques in Picton
The Prince Edward County Antique Fall Show and Sale (September 14 and 15) is a big indoor/outdoor event packed with vintage furniture, decor items and more.
See new movies in Sudbury or Quebec City
Cinéfest Sudbury (September 14 to 22) will be showing a diverse range of about 80 features, documentaries, shorts and animated films, including gala presentations of The Song of Names, American Woman and Judy. The Quebec City Film Festival (September 12 to 21) will be screening more than 250 features and short films from Canada and abroad, with a special focus on Quebec movies.
Discover new tastes in Saint-Eustache
Saint-Eustache in suburban Montreal is holding a whole festival dedicated to the buckwheat pancakes called galettes, as well as to regional cuisine in general. La Festival de la Galette et des Saveurs du Terroir (September 14 and 15) features a vintage car show, an artisans’ village, kids’ activities and more.
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