💜 Why 100 Feet? 🏊 $50,000 Swim ☎️ Rotary Phones Reborn 🌻 Sunflower Fest 📅 Events | 🔦 July 16, 2026

Local Spotlight

💜 Would You Know What To Do? Epilepsy South Eastern Ontario and Vivienne Le

Kingston & Area Local News

🏠 Kingston Receives $3.2M From the Province After Beating Its Housing Target
🏘️ 33 Transitional Housing Units Near Completion at 315 Queen Mary Road
☎️ Kingston Entrepreneur Gives Old Technology a Second Life

Community Champions

🏊 More Than 130 Swimmers Raised Over $50,000 at the First Swim the Lake
⛺ Volunteers Replaced Tents After Tornado Damage at Belle Park

New Events In and Around Kingston

🎸 FEATURED EVENT: Rock for Ryandale | The Spire | July 18
🚒 FEATURED EVENT: Pull Together for Epilepsy Fire Truck Pull | Confederation Park | July 19
🎵 FEATURED EVENT: One Ground One Sound, a Benefit for Venezuela | The Spire | July 27
🕊️ Rotary Peace Pole Unveiling | Breakwater Park | July 16
🌾 Five Rural Kingston Initiatives Get Up to $5,000 Each | Glenburnie Firehall | July 17
🍋 Sprinkles of Hope With Olivia | Jim Beattie Park | July 18
🌻 Wynn Farms 1st Sunflower Festival | Wynn Farms Flower Farm, Bath | July 18 and 19

Events Calendar

It’s gotten too long to include here in the summary! Click Events Calendar to see our list for the next few days.

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A neighbour had a seizure on a front lawn here in Kingston. Somebody else was standing there, and that somebody knew exactly what to do. Would you?

About 1 in 100 of us lives with epilepsy, so you already know someone, you just may not know who yet. The organization that has been quietly fixing that since 1985 will teach your workplace or your kid's school what to do, for free, and they will not charge you a cent.

They will also, on Sunday, July 19, ask you to put on a purple tutu and drag a 37,000-pound fire truck 100 feet down the street in front of City Hall. The number is not random.. Read the full story.

Third year running, same number on the cheque. Ontario handed the City of Kingston $3.2 million from the third round of the Building Faster Fund, after the city beat its provincial housing target by 26 per cent in 2025 and broke ground on 1,011 new homes. Minister Rob Flack turned up at City Hall on Friday, July 10 with a giant novelty cheque, plus nearly $7 million more through the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program. It is project money for water, wastewater and roads, the unglamorous pipes and pavement that let housing get built. Mayor Bryan Paterson notes Kingston rents have fallen faster than any city in the country.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist

The old Extendicare building at 315 Queen Mary Road is becoming something Kingston has not tried before: primary care, transitional housing and community programming under one roof. Thirty-three units for people aged 55 and over, run by Home Base Housing with 24/7 on-site staff, should welcome residents in August. KCHC’s Midtown Kingston Health Home has already moved in, a Lionhearts vocational laundry program lands in October, and the rest of the community space opens in early 2027. Council added a wellness and rehab centre on July 7. Want a say in how it fits the neighbourhood? Community Liaison Committee applications are open until August 9.

Read the full story at: City of Kingston

Jamie Emerton, 35, was “literally raised in a museum” (his mother ran the Brockville Museum), then spent nearly a decade at Kingston’s Old Phone Works learning to bring dead machines back. When US tariffs pulled the plug on that company’s American market, he started Find It All Antiques rather than leave the trade. Jukeboxes, barber chairs, Coke machines and rotary phones now leave his workshop working, usually with an upgrade: radios that stream from your phone, antique telephones on modern cellular networks, a customer’s late mother’s blender rebuilt so he could cook her recipes again. “I’m trying to make these things usable for another 100 years.” Find his framed vintage ads at Studio 88, 70 Princess Street.

Read the full story at: The Kingston Whig-Standard

More than 130 swimmers of every age and ability slipped into the water at the Kingston Yacht Club on Saturday, July 4 for the first Swim the Lake, picking a 1.5 or 3 kilometre route out toward the Gord Downie Pier and back. Together they raised more than $50,000 for Easter Seals Ontario and its accessibility and inclusion programs for kids living with physical disabilities. Organizer Linda Clouthier, who is with Easter Seals Ontario, called the turnout one of the proudest moments of her career. It kicked off the club’s Summerfest Regatta, and organizers want it to become annual.

Read the full story at: Kingston Daily

When the June 30 storm spun up tornado activity across eastern Ontario and tore through the encampments at Belle Park, the tents went first. They were back within hours. Pam Gray, co-founder of Threads of Hope Kingston, rallied people over Facebook. “We lost, I think, it was between three and six tents, but those tents were replaced right away from our inventory.” Gray has worked with Kingston’s unhoused community for more than five years. “We have a hundred volunteers looking out for the homeless in this city.” Michelle Schwarz of Feed the People was handing out food when it hit: “We were holding down the frame of the carport so the wind wouldn’t sweep it away.” That is Kingston at its best.

Read the full story at: CFRC

A night of live music with a whole lot of heart behind it. ROCK for Ryandale takes over The Spire on Saturday, July 18 in support of Ryandale Transitional Housing, which provides safe, sober housing and support for people experiencing homelessness in Kingston. Hosted by singer-songwriter Carrick McAllister, the all-ages lineup features Lukey Pell, StunSeed, Starfish Psyche, John Torres, Creatures of Habit, and Mike Brown, with a silent auction rounding out the evening. Every ticket goes straight to Ryandale’s programs, and if you want to know what those programs actually do, our spotlight on Patti Ridlon and Ryandle’s forty years of second chances ran in the Monday, July 13 issue. Grab your tickets at Eventbrite.

Think your crew can move a fire truck? Epilepsy South Eastern Ontario is rallying teams for the 11th annual Pull Together for Epilepsy Fire Truck Pull. Teams of eight, aged 13 and over, raise a set minimum, then haul a 37,000-pound Kingston Fire & Rescue truck 100 feet, one foot for each of the 1 in 100 people living with epilepsy. Last year eight teams pulled in more than $35,000, and every dollar stays local. Expect purple tutus, prizes for best costume, a Kids Zone, and free admission to watch. It happens Sunday, July 19 at Confederation Park, in front of City Hall, and here is the part worth knowing: teams can sign up right up until the pull starts. Round up a crew through CanadaHelps or call 613-542-6222, then meet Vivienne Le and ESEO in this issue’s spotlight.

Full event details at: Epilepsy South Eastern Ontario

When the earthquakes hit Venezuela on June 24, Gia Nahmens was watching from Kingston. Born and raised in Caracas, Gia spent childhood summers on the coast in La Guaira, and family on Gia’s father’s side helped found Los Corales, one of the towns the quakes wiped out.

Gia, who is Operations Manager at Cantabile Choirs, decided the best thing to do from here was put on a concert. One Ground One Sound brings together Larissa Koniuk, Geoffrey Sirett, Tim Stiff, Anna Sudac, Gisele Dalbec-Szczesniak, Jill Vitols, Mauricio Montecinos and special guests, with The Levon Ichkhanian Group headlining. Every one of them is donating their time, so all proceeds go to Ventura Orbit, a non-profit Gia knows and trusts that is already working with families displaced by the disaster.

Every dollar goes where it’s needed. Let’s fill The Spire. Grab your tickets here.

Can’t make it on the 27th? You can still donate directly. And watch for our spotlight article on Gia Nahmens in the Monday, July 20 issue.

Kingston’s four Rotary clubs are unveiling the city’s first Rotary Peace Pole at a public Peace Gathering at Breakwater Park on Thursday, July 16, and everyone is invited. The pole carries the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in multiple languages, a permanent symbol of hope, unity and friendship, and as Kingston’s first it is a real milestone. The Rotary Club of Kingston, Rotary Club of Kingston-Frontenac, Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston and Rotary Club of Kingston Waterfront are behind it. In their words: “The Peace Pole is more than a monument, it is a daily reminder that peace begins with each of us.” Free, all ages, no registration.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist

Five rural Kingston projects have each landed up to $5,000 from the City’s 2026 Rural Community Program Fund, and the City is throwing a free celebration at the Glenburnie Firehall on Friday, July 17 so you can meet the people behind them. The winners: a rink redevelopment at Peirson Park (Joyceville Rink Redevelopment Committee), a well for a community garden (Scott Ecological Fund), the Sounds of the Pines concert series (Sand Hill Presbyterian Church), a 5-stand recreational shooting sport experience (Kingston & District Trap Skeet and Sporting Clays Club), and reusable programming equipment for the Thousand Islands 4-H Sheep Club. Councillor Gary Oosterhof put it well: “Rural communities are an integral part of Kingston’s identity.” Sand Hill Presbyterian won last year too, so consider this one the sequel.

Read the full story at: City of Kingston

Olivia is 13, and she started her lemonade stand in memory of a young friend who passed. On Saturday, July 18 she is set up at Jim Beattie Park on Henderson Blvd with drinks and cupcakes, raising money for the Pediatric Oncology program at Kingston Health Sciences Centre through the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation. Her goal is $500, and it funds care close to home. What began as one kid’s idea has become a way for the rest of us to show up for families facing cancer. Free to attend, so go buy a lemonade, or donate on her page.

Ontario’s longest blooming sunflower farm is finally blooming. Wynn Farms in Bath opens the season’s first sunflower festival on Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19, bumped back a week from July 11 by a cool spring. Admission ($11.06 for ages 1 to 12, $13.72 for 13 and up, taxes in) gets you a Kawartha Dairy ice cream cone, a bouncy castle, a sand pit, face painting, pick-your-own sunflowers, a photo op, and a colouring contest where each category winner takes home bouquet making. Bring a picnic and wander the 50-acre waterfront farm. Miss it and you are fine: more weekends follow on July 25 and 26, August 8 and 9, and August 15 and 16.

🎸 FEATURED EVENT: Rock for Ryandale  |  The Spire, 82 Sydenham St  |  July 18

🚒 FEATURED EVENT: Pull Together for Epilepsy Fire Truck Pull  |  Confederation Park, downtown Kingston  |  July 19

🎵 FEATURED EVENT: One Ground One Sound: A Benefit for Venezuela  |  The Spire, 82 Sydenham St  |  July 27

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

🕊️ Rotary Peace Pole Unveiling  |  Breakwater Park, King St & Lower University Ave  |  July 16

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

🌾 Five Rural Kingston Initiatives Celebration  |  Glenburnie Firehall, 1485 Unity Rd  |  July 17

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

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

🔥 S’more Stories  |  Glendower Park, South Frontenac  |  July 18

✨ Skylla Festival  |  Marysville, Wolfe Island  |  July 18

📚 KFPL Summer Reading Party  |  KFPL Isabel Turner Branch  |  July 18

🍋 Sprinkles of Hope With Olivia  |  Jim Beattie Park, 930 Henderson Blvd  |  July 18

🌻 Wynn Farms 1st Sunflower Festival  |  Wynn Farms Flower Farm, 9592 Loyalist Pkwy, Bath  |  July 18–19

🏊 Loyalist Township Barr Homes Aquatic Centre Opening  |  W.J. Henderson Community Centre, Amherstview  |  July 20

🎡 Delta Fair 2026  |  Delta Fairgrounds, Delta  |  July 23–26

🏰 Kids Take Over the Museum  |  Murney Tower Museum  |  July 23

🩰 OFF SEASON Dance Festival  |  Hotel Wolfe Island  |  July 24–25

🎨 Kingston Craft & Collectable Show  |  The Kingston Shrine Club, 3260 Princess St  |  July 25

🏝️ Howe Island Rockin’ the Rock  |  Howe Island  |  July 25

🌶️ Hobo Steve’s Hot Sauce Charity for Almost Home  |  Mike’s Pizza and More, 4423 William St, Sydenham  |  July 26

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

💥 Rad Kids Comic and Art Con  |  Nexus, Kingston  |  August 1

🐑 Kingston Sheep Dog Trials Festival  |  Grass Creek Park  |  August 7–9

🖼️ Women’s Art Festival  |  City Park  |  August 8

🐐 LIVESTOCK Music & Craft Festival  |  Second Chance Ranch, Odessa  |  August 8

🛣 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

🌳 Neighbourhood Parks Program  |  Five Kingston parks  |  Weekdays to Aug 28

🎵 Music From Miles Around  |  Market Wing Cultural Space, City Hall  |  Free, to June 2027

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

🎨 Mending Ways Juried Exhibition  |  Cultivate Art Commons, Tett Centre  |  to July 18

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

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

🐟 Aquaculture: Farming the Waters  |  Great Lakes Museum  |  to October 18

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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