Whether you want to watch artisans at work, go to a folk festival, check out a sidewalk sale, play trivia or take a free walking tour, you can do it in Eastern Ontario or the Outaouais this week. You can even join a virtual hunt for ghosts in an historic jail! Enjoy the week and get outside if you can—it looks like we finally have some nice weather coming up.
Bid on unique stone carvings
In years past, the Canadian Stone Carving Festival drew stone carvers to the Sparks Street Mall in Ottawa, where art fans and passersby could watch them at work. This year, the festival is online, but you can still learn about the artists, follow their creation process on Facebook and, from July 23 to 25, bid for their finished works. Proceeds will support Ottawa Innercity Ministries, which works with youth living on the street.
Check out Ribfest in Cornwall
The popular Cornwall Ribfest is back this year (July 23 to 25)—but it looks a bit different. If you want to hang out in the entertainment/beer garden area, you’ll need to book a 3.5-hour time slot in advance online. If the midway is your thing, you just show up and buy a $25 ticket on site for unlimited rides within a five-hour time slot (first come, first served). On the other hand, there are no advance orders for the ribs—you’ll just line up for your food as you did in the Before Times. The packed live music lineup includes Mena Hardy, Hadrian’s Wall and River City Junction.
Hear music along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa
This week is your last chance to catch Music on the Canal, free concerts organized by the National Arts Centre (NAC). Here’s the concept: Musicians board a boat at the Paul’s Boat Line dock, across the street from the NAC. They start to play as the boat heads south along the canal toward Dows Lake. The audience, meanwhile, gathers along the banks of the canal to enjoy the music for free as the boat goes by. (Why not bring a picnic?) The boat takes 45 minutes to reach Dows Lake, then it turns around and heads back to the NAC—so plan your time and vantage point accordingly.
This week, the entertainment will be provided by members of the NAC Brass. There will be two concerts: one starting at 6:30pm on Thursday, July 22, and the other at 4:30pm on Saturday, July 24.
Bid on quilts to support people with cancer
The Ottawa Branch of Victoria’s Quilts Canada—a charity that provides free handmade quilts to people living with cancer—is holding its first-ever online fundraising auction, starting this weekend. Lots of beautiful quilts are up for auction, of course, but you’ll also find jewellery, housewares, artwork, quilting tools and more. Bidding starts at 9am on Saturday, July 24, and closes at 5pm on Wednesday, July 28. Note that you must be able to pick up your items in the Ottawa area, as the charity doesn’t have the resources to ship or deliver them. (If that’s not possible but you’d still like to support the group, there’s a “donate” button on the site for financial contributions.)
Learn to standup paddleboard in Hull
To celebrate the opening of its new sports equipment rental location in Jacques Cartier Park in the Hull sector of Gatineau, Escape Tours and Rentals is offering free standup paddleboard lessons on Saturday, July 24. You need to contact the company in advance to reserve a time slot.
Bring your favourite thing to a Carleton Place museum
Ever wonder how museums choose which items to keep and display? Wonder no longer! If you think you have something that might interest people in the future—decades or even centuries from now—head to the Carleton Place Farmers’ Market on Saturday, July 24. There, you can participate in the aptly named Bring Your Thing: Making History pop-up event, from 8:30am to 12:30pm. Staff from the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum will be on hand to hear the story of your beloved item. Whatever you treasure—from your grandfather’s vintage hat to the latest tech toy—is fair game. Curators will document your story and photograph the item for inclusion in a future museum exhibition.
Speaking of Carleton Place: How many of these surprising facts about Carleton Place do you know?
Enjoy concerts in a vineyard in Morrisburg
Yes, it’s an honest-to-goodness in-person music festival! This weekend, the Seaway Valley Folk Festival is coming to Stone Crop Acres Winery + Vineyard in Morrisburg, an hour south of Ottawa.
Antigonish fiddler Anna Ludlow—who had a two-year run in the Toronto cast of Come From Away—tops the bill on Friday, July 23, with Ottawa musicians Graham Lindsey and Tyson Chen. Glengarry County favourites Hadrian’s Wall will open the night with Irish, Scottish and Canadian tunes.
On Saturday, Sons of Gord from Chesterville, Montreal folk veterans The Dave Gossage Group and headliners Great Lake Swimmers will give audiences a taste of everything from haunting ballads and infectious singalongs to indie pop.
P.S.: Want to know what else you can do in and around Morrisburg, when you come for the music festival? Check out my recent post about the Municipality of South Dundas.
Take a guided walking tour of the Culture Trail in Hull
The Culture Trail (Sentier Culturel) is a route leading past more than 30 public artworks in downtown Hull. You can walk it yourself at any time, but if you’d like to take a free, one-hour guided tour (in French), you can do that on Wednesdays at 6pm or Saturdays at 10am, from July 21 to August 28. Meet at the corner of promenade du Portage and rue Laval. No reservations are necessary.
Shop outside in Brockville
Another edition of Shop the Street comes to King Street in Brockville on Saturday, July 24. The road will be closed to traffic from 9am to 5pm but open to pedestrians, who can peruse local merchants’ wares during this festive sidewalk sale.
Play trivia for a good cause in Ottawa
Think you could beat Ken Jennings? Or are you just keen to get back together with a few buddies over beers and food? Either way, the Ottawa Trivia League is restarting after its long COVID-19 hiatus with a fundraising trivia night for Water First, a non-profit organization that works to improve access to clean water on Indigenous reserves. The game starts at 6pm on Saturday, July 24, at Queen St. Fare. Tickets are $25 per person. (Disclosure: The Ottawa Trivia League is my husband’s business…but, honestly, his trivia nights are a ton of fun and I’ve missed them a LOT over the last 16 months.)
Hunt for ghosts in L’Orignal…online
Phantoms of Yore and The Haunted Walk are presenting a virtual paranormal investigation on Saturday, July 24, at the l’Orignal Old Jail. The prison, just east of Ottawa, is Ontario’s oldest jail. Ghost hunters are invited to join the search for spectres between 7pm and 2am. The Facebook event is free, but donations to support the jail are encouraged.
Nosh at a Kingston food truck
Visit Kingston has drummed up this list of some of the city’s best food trucks. (Sure, it’s subjective, but doesn’t that just mean you should check it out for yourself?) From Cape Breton oatcakes to cheeseburger pickle poutine (um, OK), it looks like there’s something here for just about every taste.
Looking for more tips for things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter and/or buy my guidebook, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.