🔦 Several amazing local spotlight articles are coming up soon, including Bill Welychka and his perfect circle with Lionhearts, and why Susi Powell is on the steps of City Hall every Saturday afternoon!
It’s gotten too long to include here in the summary! Click Events Calendar to see our list for the next few days.
🔦 The Cover
🦃 On the Cover: Happy Thanksgiving, Kingston
Downtown Kingston from above, adapted with AI and given a Thanksgiving meal. Original photo from 366 King Street East by Les Cseh, Kingston Spotlight.
Whatever ends up on your plate this weekend, we hope you’ve got plenty to be thankful for. And a big thank you to the neighbours making sure everyone gets a plate: Feed the People is serving a full Thanksgiving lunch at Belle Park today, Lunch by George serves its Thanksgiving feast tomorrow on Wellington Street, Martha’s Table gathered turkeys for its traditional dinner, and kitchens, churches and volunteers across town quietly do this every year.
🔦 Local Spotlight
🔦 Several amazing local spotlight articles are coming up soon, including Bill Welychka and his perfect circle with Lionhearts, why Susi Powell is on the steps of City Hall every Saturday afternoon, and an update on Travey Graves and the 5th annual Mason Golf Classic!
📰 Kingston & Area Local News
🎖️ Kingston Becomes Home to the Canadian Army Support Division
Brigadier-General Landry presents the new flag to Chief Warrant Officer Hudon at the Canadian Army Support Division’s ceremony at CFB Kingston. Photo: Kristy Murphy, CFB Kingston.
Kingston just got a bigger job in Canada’s army. Under the Canadian Army’s new mission-based structure, announced in a release from National Defence on October 5, there are four main formations, and two of them are based right here: the Canadian Army Support Division and the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre. The other two are 1st Canadian Division in Edmonton and 2nd Canadian Division in Montreal. National Defence calls the Support Division the army’s “institutional backbone,” looking after the buildings, services and technical know-how that keep operations running at home and abroad. The Doctrine and Training Centre handles training and how the army learns from experience. The Support Division was officially launched at CFB Kingston on September 10.
Read the full story at: National Defence
🗳️ How to Vote in Kingston: Online Voting Opens October 14
Voters at their booths. Photo: City of Kingston.
Kingston’s municipal election is Monday, October 26, and you’ve got options. Online voting opens Wednesday, October 14 at 10 a.m. and closes Monday, October 26 at 8 p.m. Rather vote in person? Advance voting is Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17, and then there’s Voting Day itself. You don’t need your Voter Information Letter to vote in person, but you do need it to vote online, because it carries your registration number. Not sure you’re on the list? Check at CityofKingston.ca/Vote, and bring acceptable ID. On all three in-person days, Kingston Transit and Kingston Access Bus are free for voters. Find your voting location at CityofKingston.ca/Election.
Read the full story at: City of Kingston
🦟 Ticks and Mosquitoes Are Still Out This Fall
An adult blacklegged (deer) tick. Photo: Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service, public domain.
Sweater weather doesn’t mean bug season is over. Southeast Public Health is reminding everyone to keep up the bite prevention as it gets cooler. Our region has had West Nile virus cases this year (that one comes from mosquitoes), and it’s a busy area for blacklegged ticks, which can carry Lyme disease. Mosquitoes slow down in the cold, but ticks stay active any time it’s above freezing. The easy wins: do a full tick check after time outdoors, use a Health Canada approved repellent with DEET or icaridin, tuck your pants into your socks (fashion is optional), shower within two hours of coming in, and keep an eye on your pets. More on Lyme and tick-borne diseases from Southeast Public Health.
Read the full story at: Southeast Public Health
🎉 October Is Hispanic, Latin American and German Heritage Month
The Día de los Muertos Kingston emblem. Artwork: Ollin.
October is a three-in-one month. The City of Kingston is marking Hispanic Heritage Month, recognized in Ontario, plus Latin American Heritage Month and German Heritage Month, both recognized across Canada. Want to celebrate close to home? Ollin’s 11th annual Día de los Muertos Kingston Community Celebration of Life is Sunday, November 1, and Mariachi Herencia de México plays the Isabel on Friday, October 30. On the German side, Amadeus Cafe on Princess Street serves German and Austrian food, and Grains and Goods Bakery in Sydenham bakes from traditional German recipes. To connect with Kingston’s Latin American community, look up Kingston Latino.
Read the full story at: City of Kingston
🏆 Community Champions
🏊 Kingston’s Casey Kidson Races for Canada in Japan
Casey Kidson in her Team Canada tri suit. Photo: Frame The Flex, Rutvi Terpstra.
While most of us were sizing up the turkey, Kingston para-triathlete Casey Kidson was racing for Canada. She was picked for the 2026 World Triathlon Para Cup in Chiba, Japan, an elite para sprint with a 750 m beach-start swim, a 20 km bike and a 5 km run. Thanks to the 13-hour time difference, her race was done before this issue landed. Casey lives and races with myoclonus dystonia, and she speaks up for people with disabilities and for adaptive sport. Want to know how it went? Check Casey’s Instagram, and send some cheers her way.
Read the full story at: Kingston Daily
🦁 Every Gift to Lionhearts Is Matched Until November 8, Up to $70,000
Lionhearts’ Big Hearts. Bigger Impact. matching campaign. Graphic: Lionhearts.
Here’s a deal worth bringing up at the dinner table: every dollar you give to Lionhearts until Sunday, November 8 is matched, dollar for dollar, up to $70,000. That could mean $140,000 at work in our community. The match comes from local businesses, foundations, groups and donors: the Estate of Dr. Tony Ashworth, the Britton Smith Foundation, Revell Ford & Revell Lincoln, Janet Lee, Kids 4 Kids, the Ritchie Fund and the Rotary Club of Kingston. Last year Lionhearts rescued 1.7 million pounds of food and essential goods, supported 212 partner agencies and made 81,335 meals in its Kingston Community Kitchen. Founder and CEO Travis Blackmore and Bill Welychka explain how it works in this short video (and our spotlight on Bill is coming soon). Double your gift at lionhearts.ca/match.
Read the full story at: Lionhearts
♿ Celebrating Accessibility Awards: Nominations Extended to October 16
The City’s Celebrating Accessibility Awards graphic. Graphic: City of Kingston.
Update: we first shared this on September 17. Know someone making Kingston easier to get around, get into or join in? You’ve got a little more time to say so. The City of Kingston has extended nominations for its Celebrating Accessibility Awards to Friday, October 16. The awards honour a person, group or business making Kingston more accessible for people with disabilities. You can nominate online (you’ll need a MyKingston account) or in person, and the original call has the details.
Read the full story at: City of Kingston
🙋 Queen’s Students Launch a Volunteer Network to Give Back to Kingston
Sisters Adelaide and Eloise Durant, founders of the Queen’s Community Volunteer Network. Photo supplied by Adelaide Durant, via the Kingston Whig-Standard.
Sisters Adelaide and Eloise Durant have launched the Queen’s Community Volunteer Network, a student-run group backed by the Smith School of Business’s Centre for Social Impact and Entrepreneurship. Adelaide is a fourth-year commerce student, and the Whig reports the goal is to make volunteering easy for any Queen’s student, especially on weekends: visiting seniors, doing yard work for neighbours who need a hand, joining charity walks and delivering meals to shelters. The group already has a team signed up for the Best Buddies Canada Friendship Walk. Students who want in can find QCVN’s sign-up links here.
Read the full story at: Kingston Whig-Standard
🆕 New Events In and Around Kingston
✂️ Tett Tuesday x Collage Club | Tett Centre | October 13
Tett Tuesday x Collage Club at the Tett Centre, featuring Tend to this Life by Ron Abreu. Graphic: Tett Centre.
Got a project on the go, or just a pair of scissors and the urge to make something? Tett Tuesday is the Tett Centre’s open studio on the second Tuesday of every month, where community artists bring a project and create, share and chat together. This month’s guest is Collage Club, which is all about crafting to build community. It’s on Tuesday, October 13 in the Rehearsal Hall at 370 King St. W., free by donation, and you can drop in or register ahead. Collage Club is for ages 18 and up. Details at tettcentre.org.
🎻 Newfoundland Songbook | Kingston Grand Theatre | October 14
The Newfoundland Songbook poster. Poster: Kingston Grand Theatre.
Consider this your invitation to a kitchen party. Shipyard Kitchen Party’s Newfoundland Songbook tells the story of Newfoundland’s fishers and loggers, sealers and whalers through song, stories and visuals. It comes from the same company behind Tom Thomson’s Wake and 100 Years from Now. Catch it in the Rosen Auditorium at the Kingston Grand Theatre on Wednesday, October 14. Tickets are $69.13 with tax and fees. Tickets at kingstongrand.ca.
🐦 Kingston’s Winter Crow Roosts, With Steve Manders | Kingston Secondary School | October 15
An American crow. Photo: Sarah Stierch, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Ever wonder where Kingston’s crows go when winter sets in? Steve Manders is talking about Kingston’s winter crow roosts at the Kingston Field Naturalists’ October general meeting on Thursday, October 15, in the library at Kingston Secondary School, 145 Kirkpatrick St. (parking is east of the school). KFN’s monthly meetings are open to the public, so you don’t need to be a member to come along. Details in the KFN newsletter.
🕯️ Pathways of Hope: Suicide Prevention and Healing After Loss | Donald Gordon Centre | October 15
Pathways of Hope event image. Image: University Hospitals Kingston Foundation.
Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s Stand Up to Stigma initiative, with KHSC Mental Health & Addiction Care and the YGK Healthcare Champions, is hosting a day of learning, reflection and connection on Thursday, October 15 at the Donald Gordon Hotel and Conference Centre. Pathways of Hope covers suicide prevention, reducing stigma, healing after suicide loss, lived experience and support for bereaved families, along with building resilient workplaces, schools and communities. You’ll hear perspectives from men, youth, first responders, and LGBTQ and Indigenous communities. Tickets are $49.64, including a continental breakfast and lunch, and proceeds go to future Stand Up to Stigma events. Details and tickets at uhkf.ca.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 9-8-8 any time.
🌉 Bridges Out of Poverty Training | Online | October 15
A suspension bridge through fall trees. Image: Kingston Community Health Centres.
This one’s for people whose job is helping others. Kingston Community Health Centres is running a one-day online Bridges Out of Poverty training for service providers on Thursday, October 15. It’s about understanding what life on the poverty line actually looks like: the unwritten rules of economic class, how poverty and middle-class experiences differ, ways to communicate that build stronger relationships with the people you support, and local resources for low-income households. It costs $107.83. Register on Eventbrite, or read more at kchc.ca.
📅 Events Calendar
🗓️ The following is just for the next few days. The full Kingston events calendar lives here.
What’s Happening the Next Few Days
🗳️ All-Candidates Meeting: Loyalist-Cataraqui District | Online (Zoom) | October 13 | 🔦 Read our story
🩺 How Social Prescribing Is Redefining What Health Means | Delta Hotel Kingston Waterfront | October 13
✂️ Tett Tuesday ft. Collage Club | Tett Centre | October 13
💜 Her Wealth, Her Way | ANAF Martello Unit 377 | October 14 | 🔦 Read our story
🎻 Newfoundland Songbook | Kingston Grand Theatre | October 14
🌉 Bridges Out of Poverty Training | Online | October 15
🐦⬛ KFN Talk: Kingston’s Winter Crow Roosts With Steve Manders | Kingston Secondary School | October 15
🎶 She Carries the Song | Kingston Grand Theatre | October 15
💚 Pathways of Hope: Suicide Prevention and Healing After Loss | Donald Gordon Hotel and Conference Centre | October 15
🎸 Blues at the Cove Turns 20 | The Cove Inn, Westport | from October 16
🎤 Sound Escapes: A Patsy Cline Songbook | The Seniors Centre | October 16
🤠 The Stampeders: One More Time | Kingston Grand Theatre | October 16
🧟 Enterprise Zombie Walk | Enterprise Community Hall | October 16 and 17
🌿 Alien Invaders Guided Hike | Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area | October 17
🪕 Fortunate Ones | Seeley’s Bay Community Hall | October 17
🍂 Friends of Mac Johnson Fall Festival | Mac Johnson Wildlife Area | October 17
🎃 Hollow’s Eve Evening Market | Newburgh | October 17
💼 Kingston Women Entrepreneurs’ Expo | Tett Centre | October 17
🖼️ The Big Art Splash | Best and Bash Banquet Hall, Napanee | October 17
🎸 The Hip Experience | The Spire | October 17
🖌️ Kingston Square Foot Show | Tett Centre | October 16 to 18
🎹 Janina Fialkowska | The Isabel | October 18
🪶 Katarokwi Grandmothers’ Council Harvest Social | Kingston Community Health Centres | October 18
🎵 Outdoor Nature Sing-a-long | Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area | October 18
🎨 Craft Lab Sundays | The Hive, Bath | October 18 and 25 | 🔦 Read our story
🎭 Theatre Kingston: The Year of Magical Thinking | Homestead Baby Grand | October 13 to 25
🗳️ Municipal Election: Online and Advance Voting | Online and voting locations across Kingston | October 14 to 26
📸 Cataraqui Trail Photo Contest | Cataraqui Trail | July 8 to October 30 | 🔦 Read our story
📢 KFPL’s Loud for Libraries | KFPL branches | October 1 to 31 | 🔦 Read our story
👻 Fort Fright | Fort Henry | October 15 to 18 and 22 to 31 | 🔦 Read our story
🥾 2026 Hike Challenge | Cataraqui Conservation Areas | September 1 to October 31 | 🔦 Read our story
⚖️ Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott | Kingston Grand Theatre | Thursdays to Saturdays, October 15 to 31
🎸 Play Me Guitar Sculptures | Downtown Kingston | to November 1
📸 Rideau Heights Neighbourhood Photo Contest | Across KFL&A | October 1 to January 1 | 🔦 Read our story
🥕 Lionhearts Fresh Food Market | The Seniors Centre and Seniors Centre East | Tuesdays and Wednesdays | 🔦 Read our story
Know of something we should add? Let us know.
🗓️ The full Kingston events calendar lives here.
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📣 Your Turn: Share a Local Gem
Do you have a favourite local business, community champion or organization that deserves a moment in the spotlight? (You can nominate yourself too!)
Help us celebrate the people who make the Kingston area shine. Tell us who they are and why they’re great, or give us the "inside scoop" on your own mission or business!
🩺 How Social Prescribing Is Redefining What Health Means | Delta Hotel Kingston Waterfront | October 13
The CFKA speaker series poster. Graphic: Community Foundation for Kingston & Area.
Social prescribing means connecting patients with community programs and supports, not just medicine, and it’s the topic of the next Community Foundation for Kingston & Area speaker series breakfast on Tuesday, October 13 at the Delta Hotel Kingston Waterfront. Clinical pharmacist Tarek Hussein hosts a panel with Sue Hesjedahl of the Older Adults Centres’ Association of Ontario and Wendy Vuyk of Kingston Community Health Centres on how it can change what health and quality of life look like as we age. Tickets are $50 with a buffet breakfast, and each one comes with a $20 tax receipt. Tickets and details at cfka.org.