From a scenic bike ride and a popular needlecraft festival to discounts on two music festivals and Pumpkinferno tickets, this Heads Up post is full of news you need to know now. I even point you to a small town made for book lovers!
Rain has closed an Ashton sunflower trail this year
Sad news from Sultan Farm Sanctuary in Ashton: This year, the very wet summer has ruined the farm’s popular sunflower field. It’s simply too wet for the plants to bloom. Over the past few years, the field has been a popular destination for photographers, and the Sultan family welcomed donations for the privilege of photographing the pretty fields. The money went to help feed and maintain the farm’s rescue pigs and goats. With luck, the sunflower trail will be open again next year, but if you’ve enjoyed the fields in the past and want to help the family feed their animals, you can still do so. This story from Stittsville Central has all the details.
Early-bird Latin Sparks tickets are still available
If you’d like to spend Saturday, September 7, enjoying Latin music and food on LeBreton Flats at the Latin Sparks Festival, hurry: You can save 20% to 45% on tickets if you purchase by Friday, August 30.
Pumpkinferno tickets are available
If you’ve ever been to Pumpkinferno, the installation featuring thousands of carved artificial pumpkins at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, you know how popular it is. So you might want to hustle and grab your tickets now, even though the opening is a month away. The family-friendly event runs on select nights from September 27 to October 31.
Register now if you want to join a scenic bike ride near Kingston
The Limestone Century Bicycle Tour (Sunday, September 8) is a set of non-competitive rides in and around Kingston. You can choose from 50K, 100K and 100-mile routes, but registration closes on Sunday, September 1. The event is a fundraiser for Cycle Kingston, Inc., a non-profit group that promotes cycling in general and cycling safety in particular.
This New York village is full of books
Thanks to alert Ottawa Road Trips reader Stephanie R., who tipped me off to the recent CBS Sunday Morning story above. It highlights the village of Hobart, New York—about 5.5 hours south of Ottawa by car—which is home to seven bookstores. The village has modelled itself on Hay-on-Wye, a bookshop-packed town in Wales that I’ve visited twice. I’m definitely taking a detour to Hobart next time I drive to New York City!
Tickets to Gatineau’s Riverside Festival are 85% sold out
Music fans, take note: If you’ve been slow to get tickets to this year’s Riverside Festival in Gatineau (September 5 to 8), it’s time to snap to it. As of August 26, tickets were 85% sold out. Headliners include Sean Paul and Deadmau5.
You can sign up now for Fibrefest workshops
Attention, crafters: Registration is open for a huge array of needlecraft workshops offered by Fibrefest in Almonte. The public festival runs for just two days (September 7 and 8), but workshops will be held from September 3 through 8. Advance registration is required for workshops.
CHEO needs people to run for a good cause
Registrations are open now for CHEO’s RBC Race for the Kids, a fundraising run for children’s health taking place on Sunday, October 6, in Ottawa.
And if you’re looking for a nice little shack in the woods…
…and money is no object, check out the video above to see what a cool $3 million will buy you near Chaffey’s Lock on the Rideau Canal Waterway. Yowza!
Looking for more tips on things to see and do in and around Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.
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.