An Irish kitchen party in Lyndhurst, a coffee workshop in Ottawa and an exhibition of astrophotography in Napanee are among the many things you can enjoy this week in our region. Wherever your travels take you, have fun!
Catch a concert in Ottawa and beyond
Does Danny Boy always bring a tear to your eye? Then you may well want to be in the audience when the Celtic Tenors—a trio of Irish singers—take to the stage at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans on Friday, March 18. The three men also sing classical pieces like Nessun Dorma and pop hits like Josh Groban’s You Raise Me Up (which, come to think of it, sounds a bit like Danny Boy).
If you hurry, you might be able to snag some of the few tickets remaining to Canadian rocker David Wilcox’s show at the Bronson Centre in Ottawa on Thursday, March 17.
The 17th edition of the Guitare Alla Grande classical guitar festival rolls out this week (March 17 to 20), with six guitar-focused concerts across Ottawa-Gatineau. They include the premiere of six new works for guitar duo and strings, featuring guitarists Adam Cicchillitti and Steve Cowan, and the Thirteen Strings chamber orchestra, at the Dominion Chalmers Centre on Saturday, March 19. There will also be master classes with leading guitarists on several days, as well as a luthiers’ fair at the University of Ottawa on Sunday, March 20.
Music at Mill Road is presenting Music Is the Best Medicine, a concert by Wakefield piano-playing doctor Carol Wiebe, singing cardiac surgeon Fraser Rubens, cellist Fanny Bray and violinist Adam Nelson. During the afternoon show on Sunday, March 20, at La FAB sur Mill in Chelsea, the musicians will blend classical music and science to explore the connections between music, medicine and health. It’s a fundraiser for a new organization called Radical Connections.
Shop at a March Break market in Cornwall
Cornwall’s March Break Market (Saturday, March 19) at the Cornwall Square Marketplace will feature artisans, a tarot card reader, a tea bar, comics and vinyl vendors, and more.
Take up roller skating
Whether you have fond memories of 1980s roller rinks (yes, I am that old) or have never enjoyed the fun of skating indoors, you might be interested in Ottawa Quad Sessions’ weekly social roller skating nights. They take place every Friday night from 9pm to 11pm at the Norman Fenn Gym at Carleton University. You can rent skates if you don’t have your own.
Join a BIPOC hike at Shirley’s Bay
Ottawa Free Fitness is holding its monthly free BIPOC community hike on Sunday, March 20, starting at 1pm at Shirley’s Bay. While the event is free, you need to register online in advance. Check out this CBC Ottawa story to learn more about this initiative to encourage members of the Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) community to enjoy the outdoors.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all over
Not surprisingly, this is a busy week for an Eastern Ontario band called The Celtic Kitchen Party (see video above). They’ll be at the Tir Nan ‘Og Irish pub in Kingston from March 16 to 18, then doing back-to-back shows at Furnace Falls Farm in Lyndhurst and the Spearhead Brewing Company in Kingston on Saturday, March 19.
On March 18 and 19, Steve Kennedy (AKA The Irish Troubador) will be singing Celtic favourites at the Royal Theatre Thousand Islands in Gananoque.
On Saturday, March 19, Dennis Alexander, Frank Cassidy, Jeff McClintock and Ellen MacIsaac will be singing Irish, Scottish and other Celtic tunes at the Little Red Wagon Winery in West Clarendon, Quebec (just west of Shawville). The dinner-and-show package is sold out, but you can buy tickets just for the show. (P.S.: If you’d like to do dinner and a show in the future, here’s information on the winery’s upcoming concerts in April.)
The Irish Society of Ottawa has cancelled many of its live events this year, but you can still join its Virtual Irish Kitchen Party on Tuesday, March 15, for an evening of music, storytelling and dance. It will stream free on Zoom.
In another Society event, author Conor Ryan will be speaking about his graphic novel, Shiner’s War, at St. Columba’s Parish Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 15. The book tells the story of the often-violent clashes between Irish Shiners and French-Canadian labourers in 19th-century Bytown.
Connect with cultural communities online
The African and Caribbean Students’ Association (ASCA) at Queen’s University is taking its culture show online this year. The evening will include music, dance, spoken-word performance, storytelling and a fashion show, taking viewers through different cultures, time periods and social movements. The free show will be streaming on Saturday, March 19.
Plan ahead: Lorna and Mikayla, two educators with the Native North American Traveling College in Akwesasne, present a weekly Living Culture with Mohawk Interpretation session on Zoom (via Air BnB Experiences) on Wednesday afternoons. In the one-hour sessions, they bring viewers from the Creation Story to the present day. They teach a few Mohawk phrases, share some music and talk about elements of Mohawk history, such Longhouses, Wampum belts, stories and treaties. I was going to mention this week’s session here, but the event is already sold out for the next two weeks! If you’d like to attend, I’d get your tickets now. The next available date is Wednesday, March 30.
Learn to make a perfect cup of coffee in Ottawa
As part of its Master Series, CA Paradis/Chef’s Paradise in Old Ottawa South is hosting a Coffee 101 workshop with experts from the Happy Goat Coffee Company on Saturday, March 19. They’ll discuss the differences between the various types of coffee and show you how to brew a perfect cup. The 45-minute session starts at 12:30pm.
(P.S.: If you love coffee, don’t miss my new post, 5 coffee shops in Eastern Ontario you must visit.)
See astrophotography in Napanee
The Lennox & Addington Museum and Archives in Napanee has a new exhibition, Our Dark Skies, featuring photographs of the night sky in Lennox & Addington by local photographers. As described in this blog post, the show also includes displays of space-themed toys, an interactive play area for kids and more. The exhibition is running at the museum until September 3.
Have some laughs at Centrepointe
Top Canadian comedian Ron James brings his Back Where I Belong tour to the Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe in Ottawa on Thursday, March 17. Along with his five-season series, The Ron James Show, and his nine New Year’s Eve comedy specials, he’s also written a book, All Over the Map: Rambles and Ruminations from the Canadian Road, which came out in September 2021.
Paint in a pub in Ottawa
Paint Night: The Original Paint and Sip Party, is coming to the Hunt Club Royal Oak on Sunday, March 20. Pick up a brush and polish your artistic skills with artist Suzannah Robertson as she offers step-by-step guidance to creating a painting as you sip a pint.
Looking for more ideas for things to see and do in our region? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or pick up a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide, from which this post is adapted.
As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.