Local Spotlight

🔦 Several amazing local spotlight articles are coming up soon !

Kingston & Area Local News

🫀 KHSC Performs First T-TEER Heart Procedure, a First for Southeastern Ontario
🚗 Highway 401 East of Kingston Speeds Up to 110 km/h This Summer

Community Champions

🍝 Nearly 35,000 Pounds of Pasta Lands at Partners in Mission Food Bank, Thanks to Michael Judd + Community
🦁 Lionhearts Named Non-Profit of the Year at the 2026 Kingston Business Awards
🏅 Seven Kingston Volunteers Honoured With 2026 Civic Awards
🎉 Seniors Association Kingston Region Turns 50, Gets Its Own Day

New Events In and Around Kingston

🍁 Canada Day in the Kingston Region | Confederation Park & Springer Market Square | July 1
🔬 Exploration Days | Babcock Mill (Odessa) & Bath Museum | Thursdays & Fridays, July 2 to August 21
🎂 Macpherson House 200th Birthday Bash | Macpherson House, Napanee | July 3
🎮 Eh! Game Expo | Slush Puppie Place | July 3 to 5
🤹 Kingston Buskers Rendezvous | Springer Market Square & downtown | July 9 to 12

Events Calendar

It’s gotten too long to include here in the summary! Click Events Calendar to see so many great events!

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Kingston Health Sciences Centre just notched a regional first. Doctors at Kingston Health Sciences Centre completed Southeastern Ontario's first T-TEER procedure, a minimally invasive repair that closes a leaky tricuspid heart valve by threading a tiny clip up through a vein in the leg, with no open-chest surgery and no need to stop the heart. Performed in KHSC's new hybrid operating room, it builds on the hospital's existing TAVI and MitraClip programs, with about 10 cases expected in the first year. As interventional cardiologist Dr. Wael Abuzeid put it, T-TEER gives patients in our region another option to improve quality of life through a much less invasive technique.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist

Road trips east just got a little quicker. As of Friday, June 26, the speed limit on Highway 401 from Kingston (Highway 15) to Highway 16 near Prescott rose to 110 km/h, part of a provincial move to bump limits on 938 km more of Ontario highways. A second phase on August 31 raises the limit on the 401 through Kingston itself, from County Road 38 to Highway 15. Once it is all in place, about 89% of Ontario's highway network will sit at 110 km/h, up from 43% today. The increase only applies to roads that passed technical safety reviews.

Read the full story at: Kingston Daily

Talk about carb loading for a good cause. Two tractor-trailers rolled into Kingston with nearly 35,000 lbs of pasta donated by Barilla Canada to the Partners in Mission Food Bank, a haul worth about $170,000 and good for roughly 200,000 adult-sized servings. From there it spreads out to Kingston-area agencies including Youth Diversion, Independent Living Kingston, and Lionhearts, with Feed Ontario helping send the rest across the province. Community advocate Michael Judd notes that demand keeps climbing alongside housing and grocery costs, so a donation this size means real, immediate relief for families, seniors, and people on fixed incomes.

Big thanks to the media who showed up and helped this story reach a wider audience. MBC Radio — 98.3 FLY FM, 98.9, and 102.7 — sent reporter Alyssa Brush to Wednesday's event, and Bill Hall of the Kingston Whig-Standard was there too, with a wonderful piece published the next day. A special thank you as well to Jan Murphy and the full Whig-Standard team for their continued support of community stories like this one. Kingston Spotlight was privileged to be on the ground — Les will be sharing his own account here soon.

Read the full story at: Kingston Whig-Standard and Kingston Daily. See also Michael Judd's Facebook post for his full thank-you to everyone involved.

Kingston's community outreach nonprofit is having a moment. Lionhearts Inc. took home the Non-Profit Award at the 2026 Kingston Business Awards, presented by MNP LLP and organized by the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce, which celebrates organizations strengthening the city through innovation, leadership, and service. Founder Travis Blackmore said what started as a simple desire to help people has grown because of a community that believes in compassion, dignity, and action, adding that Kingston is a city that cares deeply for one another and that Lionhearts is honoured to serve it.

Read the full story at: Lionhearts

Kingston is saying thank you to seven of its most dedicated volunteers. The City of Kingston named its 2026 Civic Award recipients, honouring service across culture, recreation, sports, health, education, safety, and the environment. Marion Westenberg receives the First Capital Distinguished Citizen Award; Rumit Sohal, Alicia Gordon, and Shawn Quigley share the First Capital Honourable Achievement Award; and Gabriel Bergeron, Zein Al Abideen Hammad, and Lucas Perri earn the Mayor's Award for Youth Volunteerism. Mayor Bryan Paterson said the awards recognize people who give their time, talents, and energy to help make Kingston better. The recipients will be formally honoured at the August 11 City Council meeting.

Read the full story at: Kingston Daily

Fifty years deserves a party, and the Seniors Association Kingston Region threw a good one. On Friday, June 19, about 600 people gathered on the front lawn of the Seniors Centre on Francis Street for an Anniversary Bash, complete with a barbecue served by the Board of Directors, live music from Motown tribute band HeatWave, and a motorcycle parade led by the association's Roadside Ramblers. Kingston Town Crier Chris Whyman proclaimed the date Seniors Association Kingston Region Day, with Mayor Bryan Paterson on hand. Now running 250+ programs across 12 locations for roughly 5,800 members, the group has come a long way since 1976.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist

It is the City of Kingston's biggest day of the year, and it is free. On Wednesday, July 1, Canada Day brings daytime programming to Confederation Park and Springer Market Square: an Indigenous welcome from Grandmother Kathy Brant, remarks from Mayor Paterson, red and white cake from Downtown Kingston while supplies last, live music, a kids' zone with inflatables and face painting, food vendors, and a licensed beer garden. The evening main stage features DJ Deena and headliner Soul Sublime, then fireworks over Lake Ontario to close. One heads-up: the LaSalle Causeway will be fully closed to vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians on July 1. Regional celebrations also run in Seeley's Bay, Bath, and South Frontenac. Full details on the City of Kingston Canada Day page.

Loyalist Township is filling the summer with free, hands-on fun. Exploration Days run weekly from July 2 through August 21, with Thursdays at the Babcock Mill in Odessa and Fridays at the Bath Museum & Visitors Centre. The Babcock Mill sessions lean into woodworking, basket making, and early electricity, while Bath offers pottery, spy science, and a time-capsule project tied to the museum's 90th birthday. Everything is free, all ages, and no pre-registration needed. Full program details on the Loyalist Township Exploration Days page.

Napanee's Macpherson House turns 200, and the Museum of Lennox & Addington is going big. This free drop-in bash on Friday, July 3 also marks 50 years at the museum's current location, so expect some groovy 1970s touches. The day opens with Indigenous knowledge-keeper Judii Merle leading traditional drumming and storytelling, followed by live music from Brad Gibson, roaming performers including the Kingston Stilters and a juggler, lawn games, self-guided house tours with loom demonstrations, and community art projects. A few extras like face painting and cupcakes run $5 each. Details on the Museum of Lennox & Addington event page.

Gamers, this one is for you. The Eh! Game Expo takes over Slush Puppie Place from Friday, July 3 to Sunday, July 5, a three-day festival from the Canadian Game Awards. The Fight for the Throne esports brackets cover Smash, Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and more, alongside free play, cosplay, an Indie Game Showcase, and a vendor and Artist Alley marketplace. General Admission covers live matches, vendors, and free play, while competitors grab an Event Pass to enter the brackets. Tickets run $25 to $38, available on Eventbrite.

One of Canada’s oldest busker festivals is back for its 36th year. From Thursday, July 9 to Sunday, July 12, the Downtown Kingston BIA fills Springer Market Square and downtown pitches with eight acts of stunt comedians, unicyclists, marionettists, acrobats, and jugglers travelling in from the USA, Switzerland, France, Japan, and Italy. Crowd favourite Wacky Chad returns for a 10th year of pogo-stick comedy, and Buskers After Dark on Friday, July 10 brings Toronto’s In Motion Fire & Glow Show. A weekend artisan market and a kids zone round it out, all pay-what-you-can. Full lineup at Downtown Kingston.

🍁 Canada Day in the Kingston Region  |  Confederation Park & Springer Market Square  |  July 1

🔬 Exploration Days  |  Babcock Mill (Odessa) & Bath Museum  |  Thursdays & Fridays, July 2 to Aug 21

🎂 Macpherson House 200th Birthday Bash  |  Macpherson House, Napanee  |  July 3

🎭 Come Play by the Lake One-Act Play Festival  |  Domino Theatre, 52 Church St  |  July 3–4

🎮 Eh! Game Expo  |  Slush Puppie Place, 1 The Tragically Hip Way  |  July 3–5

⛵ Summerfest Regatta + Swim the Lake  |  Kingston Yacht Club, 1 Maitland St  |  July 4

💜 Lavender Bloom Fest  |  Lavender Queen Lavender Farm, Yarker  |  July 4–5

🤹 Kingston Buskers Rendezvous  |  Springer Market Square & downtown  |  July 9–12

🌅 A Summer Evening in the Islands  |  Rockport Barn, 28 Old River Rd, Rockport  |  July 16

🎊 Napanee Connect Block Party  |  Market Square, Greater Napanee  |  July 17

🥩 Schnitzel Fundraiser Dinner  |  Golden Links Hall, Harrowsmith  |  July 18

🦋 Remembering by the River  |  Macpherson House, Napanee  |  July 18

🛍️ Princess Street Promenade  |  Princess Street, Downtown Kingston  |  August 1

🛶 Rideau Canal Lock & Paddle  |  Rideau Canal  |  August 15

⚔️ Ironwood Fantasy Fair  |  The Spire, Kingston  |  August 15

🎸 Forever Hip  |  Springer Market Square  |  August 20–22

🎶 Music Festival in Compton Park  |  Compton Park  |  August 23

🚗 RoadTrip Music Festival  |  Princess Street & Springer Market Square  |  September 12

Ongoing Events

🚤 Rideau Canal Free Lockage  |  Rideau Canal  |  Season open (through Sept 7)

🚢 S.S. Keewatin Tours  |  Great Lakes Museum  |  Season open

Ongoing Markets

🥕 Kingston Public Market  |  Springer Market Square, downtown  |  Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays

🥬 Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market  |  303 York St  |  Sundays

🪶 Katarokwi Indigenous Market  |  Springer Market Square  |  Monthly Sundays (June–Sept)

🛠️ Makers at the Mill  |  Babcock Mill, Odessa  |  Sundays (through Oct 18)

🎪 Gananoque Farmers’ Market  |  Town Hall Square, 30 King St E  |  Thursdays

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