Hard to believe we are on the cusp of the August holiday weekend, but here we are. And already the back-to-school flyers are appearing in the newspaper. Sigh...
No matter, it is a great weekend to get out and enjoy some of the great things we have to offer here in Niagara, and believe me, there is plenty. So here are a few ideas to take up part of your long weekend without going that far away.
This evening the 37th annual Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival got underway in downtown Port Colborne. I was up in Port Colborne this afternoon and things were still being set up, but already people were heading out to take in the fun.
Actually, the Marine Heritage part is more confined to the Port Colborne Museum site, I find, and that celebration is Saturday and Sunday only from 11 to 5 each day. There will be lots of family-friendly events on the grounds, in the library, and inside the museum proper. And if you, like me, like to frequent Arabella's Tea Room, it will be operating extended hours on the weekend as well, although it does tend to get rather crowded in there this weekend.
Beyond the museum grounds, the rest of the city celebrates the holiday weekend for three full days plus this evening, and there are live concert events, lots of food and items for sale, and a classic car show at H.H. Knoll Lakeside Park. Fireworks are also part of the agenda on Sunday evening, I believe.
Port Colborne has long been one of my favourite nearby escapes in the summer months, so if you have the time, make a point to visit over the weekend and see what the South Coast has to offer.
Here in St. Catharines, meantime, the annual Rotary Rib Fest is now underway, as I could hear from our sun room just a couple of blocks away from the action. I took a walk through Montebello Park this evening before the storm blew in, and it was a very busy, happy place.
Rotary does such great work in our area, and this weekend is certainly one of their marquee fundraising events. The ribs are always delicious, the entertainment is fun and varied, and there are lots of other activities planned to keep the family entertained throughout the weekend.
Also tied in with Rib Fest is the annual Hospice Niagara Five Car Draw, which wraps up Monday afternoon in the park. There are five vehicles to be won, and you could theoretically win each and every one of them, as your ticket goes back into the drum for each draw.
This has become probably the most important fundraising event for Hospice Niagara, again people doing great work in our community, so if you can support them by buying a draw ticket, that would be great. Tickets are $ 25 each or five for $ 100, and your odds are pretty good on this one.
The vehicles are all on site throughout the weekend, and volunteers will be as well selling the tickets for the draw.
Rotary Rib Fest is on until Monday evening at Montebello Park in downtown St. Catharines, so do make a point of visiting if you possibly can. If nothing else, dinner is taken care of one night this weekend!
If you like your entertainment a little more refined, Music Niagara continues with a busy weekend in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Saturday morning at 11:30, the Young Virtuosos I recital takes place at St. Mark's Church; the Paris Connection Jazz & Classics concert is Saturday evening at 7:30 at the church. You can go for a trio of events on Saturday with the Jazz on the Patio concert featuring the Mike Field Quintet at The Epicurean Bistro at 9:30 pm.
On Sunday, The Niagara Falls Concert Band entertains in the bandshell at Simcoe Park in the heart of Old Towne Niagara-on-the-Lake at 2 pm, and that concert is free of charge. The evening sees a Mozart Double Bill Picnic beginning on the grounds of St. Mark's Church at 5:30 pm. There are two concerts planned, and you can purchase tickets to either one or both concerts with a picnic supper.
Holiday Monday, Music Niagara presents The Toronto All-Star Big Band at Ravines Estates Winery at 7:30 pm.
For more details and to order tickets, go to www.musicniagara.org.
Finally, on Monday evening Riverbrink Art Museum presents a fundraising gala entitled "Primarily Porter", a Cole Porter Revue to be held at Konzelmann's Estate Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Headlined by Canadian actress and broadcaster Marilyn Lightstone, the evening gets underway on the grounds with appetizers and a four-course dinner, followed by a two-act cabaret revue.
Accompanying Marilyn Lightstone will be Gabi Epstein, Lawrence Cotton and Musical Director David Warrack, three of Toronto's finest cabaret and musical theatre performers. Also appearing will be young actor Jeremy Carver James, now in his fourth season at the Shaw Festival.
Riverbrink Art Museum is a jewel on the Niagara Parkway just as you reach the edge of Queenston, and well worth your support with this fundraising concert. I have been to the museum several times over the years and it is magnificent.
Tickets to the gala are $ 150 with a tax receipt issued for the maximum amount allowed. For more information or to order tickets, call 905-262-4510 or go to www.riverbrink.org.
So you see, lots to do this weekend right in your own backyard - enjoy your weekend!
July 31st, 2015.
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