Are you enjoying all this snow yet? If not, maybe you just need to put some skis or snowshoes in the car and head out on the trails. Or perhaps you just need some indoor fun to cheer you up—a play, some curling or the chance to sample a new maple beer. Indoors or out, I have lots of ideas for you to try this week, including a bonspiel in Shawville, a free movie in Ottawa, a new exhibition in Arnprior and a hockey weekend in Brockville. Plus, did you know that you can go ice fishing without a licence this weekend? Well, now you do. Have fun!
Hit the ski and snowshoe trails in West Quebec
Flickr/Creative Commons photo of the Gatineau Loppet by ActiveSteve.
Here are some people who are probably delighted by the bountiful snow this winter: the organizers of the Gatineau Loppet (February 14 to 16). Billing itself as “the greatest international cross-country ski event in Canada” (hey, it never hurts to toot your own horn), it features a wide variety of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing races (the fat biking races took place a couple of weeks ago). Races depart from various points. After skiing or snowshoeing, you can check out the equipment show. There’s also après-ski fun at Les Brasseurs du Temps.
If you’d like to ski or snowshoe under the stars, check out Ski Pontiac’s evening outing on Saturday, February 15. Après-ski amusements include hot chocolate, dinner and live music at Pine Lodge. (For more details on the ski and snowshoeing fun in Quyon this weekend, read Katharine Fletcher’s latest Ottawa Road Trips post.)
See movie-related plays in Ottawa, Cornwall or Perth
In Ottawa, you can check out two plays opening this week. Ottawa Little Theatre is presenting Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (February 12 to 29). It’s a stage version of the 1967 movie about a young woman who finds out just how liberal her white parents are when she introduces them to her black fiancé. Also based on a movie, 9 to 5: The Musical comes to the Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe from February 12 to 15. Laugh (and hum) along with Violet, Judy and Doralee as they get the best of their sexist, egotistical boss.
The Seaway Valley Theatre Company is presenting Mamma Mia! at the Aultsville Theatre in Cornwall (February 14 to 22). This rollicking musical, a big Broadway (and Hollywood) hit, uses ABBA tunes to tell the story of a daughter trying to figure out which of three men is her father.
Meanwhile, Barn Door Productions is staging One Body Too Many at the Full Circle Theatre in Perth (February 14 to March 2). It’s a screwball comedy, based on a 1944 movie, about the heirs of an eccentric millionaire gathering in what could be a haunted house.
Curl in a bonspiel in Shawville
Flickr/Creative Commons photo by Adam Harvey.
Calling all curlers! The Spread the Love curling bonspiel in Shawville on Saturday, February 15, is a fundraiser for the Ottawa University Heart Institute Foundation, and the organizers are looking for the usual teams of four ($25 per player).
Try a new maple beer in Kanata
The Calabogie Brewing Company is launching its new maple beer with a Valentine’s Day event at its Kanata taproom on Friday, February 14. For extra sugar, you can also nosh on SuzyQ doughnuts (while supplies last). The fun starts at 11:30am.
Check out a thought-provoking exhibition in Arnprior
Well, this is timely: The Arnprior Museum is hosting a travelling exhibition called Unmasking Influenza from February 8 until April 1. The world’s deadliest influenza pandemic, known as the Spanish flu, swept across Canada in 1918 and 1919. Because no effective vaccine or treatment was available, roughly 55,000 Canadians died. This exhibition examines the impact of the pandemic and asks whether we’re prepared for the next one. The show is presented by Ingenium—Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation—and developed by Canadian Geographic Enterprises. The museum is open from 11am to 4pm (closed Mondays and Fridays), and admission is by donation.
See a movie about a remarkable Trindadian in Ottawa
OFFICIAL TRAILER from HERO on Vimeo.
This week, in honour of Black History Month, Carleton University’s Institute of African Studies and Department of History are screening the film Hero on Wednesday, February 12. The movie was inspired by the life of Ulric Cross, who left his home in Trinidad in 1941 and joined the Royal Air Force (RAF). By the end of the Second World War, he was the RAF’s most decorated West Indian. Following the war, he joined independence movements sweeping Africa and the Caribbean in the 1950s and 1960s. The screening will be followed by a talk by Prof. Michelle Moyd of Indiana University on labour migrations to and from Africa during the First World War. The showing at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre on Cooper Street starts at 4:30pm. Admission is free, but you need to register online.
(P.S.: If you love true stories, don’t forget that the Wakefield Doc Fest continues this weekend.)
Treat the kids to bouncy castles in Rockland
Do your kids have February cabin fever? The Bouncy Castle Festival (February 15 and 16) at the Jean-Marc Lalonde Arena in Rockland may be just the cure. As well as bouncing inside air-filled structures of all descriptions, they can learn to tie knots (courtesy of the Scouts), take a mini-dance lesson, or meet live animals in the care of animal keepers.
Revel in winter in Crysler, Perth, Syracuse, Algonquin Park and Quebec City
Snowshoeing in Algonquin Park, Ontario, during Winter in the Wild. Photo courtesy of Ontario Parks.
Algonquin Park celebrates Winter in the Wild on Saturday, February 15, with guided birding and snowshoeing hikes, marshmallow roasts, winter camping demonstrations, skating, chili, a barbecue and more.
Other winter festivals and carnivals happening this weekend include the Crysler Winter Carnival (February 12 to 16), the new Frost and Fire carnival in Perth (February 15 to 17), Winterfest in Syracuse (February 13 to 23) and the final week of the Carnaval de Quebec in Quebec City (February 7 to 16).
Looking for more winter carnival ideas? Check out my big list of winter festivities.
Catch some comedy in Calabogie
Award-winning standup comic Rachelle Elie is the headliner at the Rash Comedy Bash at the Calabogie Community Centre on Sunday, February 16. The uncensored show also features comedian Sebastien Bourgault and crooner Johnny Vegas. Tickets are $25 in advance or $35 at the door, and some proceeds go to the Calabogie Food Bank and Bernadette McCann House.
Enjoy a weekend of hockey in Brockville
Photo courtesy of the Brockville Winter Classic Weekend.
Hey, hockey fans! The Brockville Winter Classic Weekend (February 14 to 17) has a packed schedule of activities for you, including a Heroes of Motown Hot Stove Winter Gala, a match pitting Detroit Red Wings alumni against the Prescott/Brockville Tim Hortons All-Stars team, amateur games galore, a sledge hockey match, a Family Day skate and more. Since it began in 2015, this fundraising weekend has raised over $150,000 to build Rotary Park in Brockville.
Celebrate with your Valentine in Johnstown
If stuffed cremini mushrooms, hickory-smoked Angus brisket, chocolate mousse and live music sound like a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, check out this dinner-dance at the Johnstown Community Centre on Friday, February 14. Tickets are $50 and must be purchased in advance (no walk-ins).
Go ice fishing all over Eastern Ontario
Photo by Sarah Labuda on Unsplash.
Have you ever wanted to introduce your kids to ice fishing? This weekend (February 15 to 17) will be the perfect time, as the Ontario government has designated it a licence-free fishing weekend—so you can cast your line for free! The Ontario Family Fishing Events website has a comprehensive list of fishing weekend events across the province, including fun in Nepean, Constance Bay, Westport and beyond. One event not on the list above is the Alexandria Ice Fishing Derby on Saturday, February 15, which offers all sorts of prizes.
Learn about local history in Prince Edward County
The folks in Prince Edward County have put together a fascinating-sounding week of special events riffing on the County’s history. During Flashback February (February 15 to 22), you can see a fantastical interpretation of women’s history at historic Macaulay House, try your luck in an escape room at a Second World War air force training base, or hear a sobering talk about the history of slavery along the St. Lawrence River. And those are just a few of the events on the packed schedule.
Cheer for snowmobilers in Ottawa or Eganville
Ready, set….watch racers rev through the snow! The Osgoode Carleton Snowmobile Trail Club is holding a drag race at the Hard Rock Casino (AKA the Rideau-Carleton Raceway) on Saturday, February 15. Spectators are welcome.
Snowmobile fans will also be heading to Eganville this weekend for the 46th annual Bonnechere Cup (February 14 to 16), three days of high-speed racing on a professional ice oval. The video above gives you a sense of the action.
Raise a glass near Rochester
It’s a bit of a hike and you’ll have to get there early (well, really, the night before), but if you’re an icewine and food fan, you might enjoy the New York Ice Wine and Culinary Festival at Casa Larga Vineyards in Fairport, New York (Saturday, February 15). The one-day event near Rochester features food and New York state icewine tastings, tours, live music, and more. Tickets for the afternoon session are sold out, but as I type this, tickets are still available for the morning session (10am to 1pm).
Ogle cool cars in Toronto
Photo by Emil Vilsek on Unsplash.
A new Bugatti hyper sports car! A replica of the DeLorean from Back to the Future! Electric vehicles you can test drive! No matter what revs your engine when it comes to cars, you’ll probably find it at the Canadian International Autoshow in Toronto, which runs February 14 to 23.
Ski for kids at Mont Ste. Marie
Mont Ste. Marie’s annual Ski for Kids event (Friday, February 14) is a fundraiser for the CHEO Foundation and the Children’s Aid Foundation of Ottawa. As well as hitting the slopes, participants can bid for great prizes in a live auction.
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