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

🔦 Local Spotlight

👋 “Wave to Everybody, Joyce”: How a Reeve’s Daughter Found Her Way to the Ballot

Joyce MacLeod-Kane smiles at a desk under the words "Wave to everybody, Joyce" and "Granny, driver, trustee candidate," with the Kingston Spotlight logo in the corner.

Joyce MacLeod-Kane. Supplied by Joyce MacLeod-Kane

Sundays in Kenyon Township meant tagging along on her dad’s rounds as reeve. “Wave to everybody, Joyce,” he’d tell her. “Dad, I’ll never be in politics,” she’d answer. Decades later, the Kingston Mills granny drives a Kingston Access Bus, helps families find their way through the system and, as the seat’s current trustee, is on the ballot for Limestone District School Board trustee this October. Read the full story.

📰 Kingston & Area Local News

🙏 Update: Const. Jeff Smith Is Improving Each Day

Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd, in dress uniform and cap, speaks into news microphones, with Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner standing behind him.

Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd at a September 24 press conference in Belleville. Photo: Derek Baldwin/The Belleville Intelligencer.

Update: we first shared this on September 28. Some good news to start with. Const. Jeff Smith of the Belleville Police Service, who was critically wounded outside Sons of Jacob Synagogue on September 20, “continues to make steady progress and is improving each day,” Police Chief Murray Rodd said in a statement reported by the Belleville Intelligencer. He has had several surgeries and was brought to Kingston General Hospital for care. People everywhere have rallied behind him, and a GoFundMe has raised nearly $1 million toward what is expected to be a long recovery. “Every message, letter, card, and well wish received from across Ontario and beyond has been deeply appreciated,” Rodd said.

Read the full story at: The Intelligencer

💉 Free Flu and COVID Shots Open to Everyone October 26, and Where to Get One in Kingston

Hands in blue medical gloves press a small bandage onto a person’s upper arm.

A bandage goes on after the shot. Image from Kingston Community Health Centres.

Time to roll up a sleeve. Starting Monday, October 26, everyone in Ontario can get a free flu shot, a COVID-19 vaccine or both, according to the Ministry of Health. If you are 65 or older, live in long-term care or are immunocompromised, you can go now. Want one close to home? Kingston Community Health Centres runs a flu shot clinic at its Weller site, 263 Weller Ave., on Wednesday, October 21: open to everyone, no health card needed, with appointments recommended (613-542-2949 ext. 4) and walk-ins welcome. KCHC also has a clinic at the Midtown Kingston Health Home on Tuesday, October 20 for its own patients and anyone without a family doctor. Southeast Public Health runs clinics for people with no health care provider too.

Read the full story at: Southeast Public Health

🏒 Centre 70 Arena Reopens Saturday, October 17

The white brick Centre 70 arena building with its name on the wall, a flagpole and a large evergreen on a green lawn under a clear sky.

Centre 70 on Days Road. Photo: Penny Cadue/Kingstonist.

Dust off the skates. Centre 70 Arena on Days Road reopens Saturday, October 17, after sitting dark since January, when a burst pipe damaged the equipment that makes the ice. Skating also returns to the UFIT Rink that day. “We appreciate the community’s patience while we worked to reopen Centre 70 Arena,” Amy Elgersma, the City’s director of recreation and leisure services, said in a City of Kingston release. New program schedules, public skating included, go live October 17 on the City’s recreation registration site.

Read the full story at: City of Kingston

🛝 Creekside Valley Park Officially Opens in Kingston’s Westbrook Neighbourhood

A new park with a rope climbing structure and slide on a wood-chip base, a picnic table, a paved path and young trees, with a treeline behind under a blue sky.

Creekside Valley Park in Westbrook. Photo: City of Kingston.

Westbrook has a brand new place to play. The City of Kingston cut the ribbon on Creekside Valley Park on Wednesday, October 7, with Deputy Mayor Ryan Boehme and Loyalist-Cataraqui Councillor Paul Chaves on hand. The park sits at Creekside Valley Drive and Brookedayle Avenue, right beside Collins Creek, and it has a playground, a looped path for walking, a basketball half-court and spots to sit. Neighbours helped shape it through surveys and sessions starting in 2023, and Northern Lights Landscape Architects designed it before Len Corcoran Excavating built it. “Your voices are reflected in the playground, pathways and landscaping around us,” Chaves told the crowd, as reported by the Whig.

Read the full story at: Kingston Whig-Standard

🏆 Community Champions

🍲 Lunch by George Served More Than 15,000 Meals in Three Months on the Street

People line up on the sidewalk beside a white Lunch by George van parked outside a stone church downtown, with its side door open.

Lining up at the Lunch by George van on Wellington Street. Photo: Emily Wright/Kingstonist.

Update: we first shared this on June 8. Since Lunch by George moved its meals onto the street on June 29, handing out takeaway breakfasts and lunches from a van at Wellington and Johnson, it has served more than 15,000 meals from July to September. One day set a record of 375. Chief administrator Tom Ivison told Kingstonist the van feels more personal than the old takeout window, and that the program is close to capacity. The food is cooked from scratch in a St. Lawrence College kitchen, and since October 5 it also delivers 25 meals a day to Peer Support South East Ontario. Next on the list: a permanent downtown home within three years.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist

⛳ Mason Golf Classic Sells Out and Raises $25,000 for Partners in Mission Food Bank

Dan Irwin, Tracey Graves and Dean Sills stand in front of a Partners in Mission Foodbank backdrop holding an oversized $25,000 cheque made out in memory of Chris Mason.

Dan Irwin of Partners in Mission Food Bank, Tracey Graves and Dean Sills of PatronQR with the Mason Golf Classic's $25,000 cheque. Photo from Tracey Graves.

Sold out, with a wait list for 2027 already started. That's how Tracey Graves's 5th Annual Mason Golf Classic went on September 12. Its 144 golfers raised $25,000 for Partners in Mission Food Bank. On September 30, Tracey handed the cheque to Executive Director Dan Irwin.

Tracey started the tournament in memory of her late husband, Chris Mason. Chris spent nine years on the food bank's board and lived by one rule: no one should ever go hungry. In its four years as a charity event, the tournament has raised more than $91,000. That money goes a long way: Partners in Mission says 1 in 17 people in Kingston and Loyalist Township got help from the food bank in 2025.

Tracey's own rule for the day is laughter, and she told us she heard it from all over the course. Lone Star's nacho station on the seventh hole was so busy it ran out. With food costs rising, Tracey is looking for a local business to help sponsor the meal next year. The 2027 tournament is Saturday, September 11.

Read the full story, including how Tracey's tournament began, at: Kingston Spotlight

🏅 Seniors Association Leader Don Amos Receives the 2026 OACAO Staff Award of Merit

Don Amos, smiling, in a grey suit and dark tie, stands in front of a red-brick building with trees and garden beds.

Don Amos outside The Seniors Centre on Francis Street. Photo: Seniors Association Kingston Region.

A well-earned pat on the back. Don Amos, executive director of the Seniors Association Kingston Region since 2014, has won the 2026 Staff Award of Merit from the Older Adult Centres’ Association of Ontario. On his watch the association has grown to 13 centres across Kingston, Loyalist Township and, most recently, Wolfe Island, with nearly 6,000 members. And it lands in the association’s 50th anniversary year. “Don stands out in his ability to combine leadership with the genuine understanding of what older adults need to remain active, connected, and engaged,” OACAO president-elect Nora Jones said in a release reported by Kingstonist.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist

🏡 Donors Step In When the Hospice’s Grant Falls Short

Krista Wells Pearce and Amanda Amesse, seated, and Donna Dwyre and Chara Gerow, standing, hold an oversized cheque for $13,330 made out to Providence Care Hospice, in a bright room with paintings.

Providence Care and Community Foundation staff with the $13,330 cheque for the hospice. Photo: cfka.org.

Sometimes a no turns into a yes. This spring, Providence Care asked the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area for help running its hospice, AB Smith Homestead House on Phillips Street. Reviewers recommended it, but there was not enough money that round to fund it. So the Foundation’s Amanda Amesse reached out to its donor-advised fund advisors, and two donors who care about local health care quickly gave $13,330. The ten-bed hospice gets only about half of what it costs to run from the province. And it is built to feel like home: a kitchen always stocked, a shower room and laundry for families, quiet rooms and a patio off every room. “They can simply be present with one another,” Donna Dwyre of Providence Care said in the Community Foundation’s story.

🆕 New Events In and Around Kingston

🖼️ Kingston Square Foot Show | Tett Centre | October 16 to 18

Gallery walls lined with rows of small square paintings in bright colours, landscapes and abstracts.

Square paintings at a past Square Foot Show. Photo: tettcentre.org.

Big talent, small canvases. More than 80 artists fill the Tett Gallery at the Tett Centre, 370 King St. W., with work that is all exactly 12 by 12 inches, plus live painting demos. Created by Michelle Reid and Adele Webster and run by Kingston Artist Events since 2023, it runs Friday, October 16 to Sunday, October 18, and admission is free. Details at tettcentre.org.

🧟 Enterprise Zombie Walk | Enterprise Community Hall | October 16 and 17

A green and red poster reading "The 4th Annual Haunted Zombie Walk" over a spooky moonlit scene, with the October 16 and 17 dates.

The Enterprise Zombie Walk poster. Poster: Naturally L&A.

Brave enough? The 4th annual Enterprise Zombie Walk is a haunted 1.5 km walk through the woods, and this year it runs two nights, Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17. It starts and ends at Enterprise Community Hall, 38 Cross St., and winds through the Field of Screams, the Trail of Terror, the brand new Path of Panic and a real 1914 cemetery vault called the Creepy Crypt. It is a minimum $5 donation (bring a food item too), with proceeds to the New Legacy Centre Food Bank in Stone Mills. Leashed zombie pets are welcome, and kids under 12 need an adult. Details at Naturally L&A.

🌾 Alien Invaders Guided Hike | Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area | October 17

A dense stand of tall feathery phragmites reeds under a pale sky.

Phragmites, an invasive reed. Photo: Cataraqui Conservation.

No spaceships required. On Saturday, October 17, Cataraqui Conservation leads a guided hike at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area all about invasive species, the plants and critters that moved in and are crowding out the locals. Register through Cataraqui Conservation’s events page.

🎃 Hollow’s Eve Evening Market | Newburgh | October 17

An orange and black poster reading "6th Annual Hollow’s Eve" under a full moon, with the date, 425 Main St Newburgh, and "Featuring a performance by The Cauldron Sisters".

The Hollow’s Eve poster. Poster: The Hollow Square Market.

Shopping, with a side of spooky. The Hollow Square Market hosts its 6th annual Hollow’s Eve, a harvest and Halloween evening market, on Saturday, October 17 at 425 Main St. in Newburgh. Expect 45-plus local vendors, a performance by The Cauldron Sisters, live music, a food truck, a beer garden, face painting and psychic readings. It is free to get in, and donations for the annual toiletry drive are welcome. Details at Naturally L&A.

💼 Kingston Women Entrepreneurs’ Expo | Tett Centre | October 17

A pink and white graphic reading "AWEC presents Kingston Women Entrepreneurs’ Expo 2026", framed by green and yellow pixel patterns.

The Kingston Women Entrepreneurs’ Expo graphic. Graphic: tettcentre.org.

Calling all bosses, and bosses in the making. AWEC Canada (the All Women Entrepreneurship Circuit) brings its 2nd annual Kingston Women Entrepreneurs’ Expo to the Malting Tower at the Tett Centre on Saturday, October 17. The theme is “Passion, Purpose, Possibilities,” with panel speakers, exhibitors, workshops, a fashion show called the Runway of Possibility, live music and a women-led vendor market in the Rehearsal Hall. Register here, or find details at tettcentre.org.

🐦 KFN Birding Meet-Up | Lemoine Point Conservation Area | October 17

Three birdwatchers on a lakeside trail look through binoculars at birds over the water, surrounded by red and yellow fall trees.

Birders on a lakeside trail in the fall. Image generated with AI.

Grab your binoculars. The Kingston Field Naturalists are hosting a birding meet-up on Saturday, October 17 at the north end of Lemoine Point Conservation Area. Fall migration is a great time to look, and you do not have to be an expert, or even a member. It is free, open to everyone and there is no sign-up. Details in the KFN newsletter.

🎶 Outdoor Nature Sing-a-long | Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area | October 18

A beaver in shallow water among grasses, chewing on a stick.

A beaver at work. Photo: Cataraqui Conservation.

Warm up those vocal cords. Cataraqui Conservation is hosting an outdoor nature sing-a-long at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area on Sunday, October 18. Bring your family, bring your loudest voice and sing along in the fresh fall air. Register through Cataraqui Conservation’s events page.

🪶 Katarokwi Grandmothers’ Council Harvest Social | Kingston Community Health Centres | October 18

An autumn poster framed by orange leaves, berries, mushrooms and pumpkins, reading "Katarokwi Grandmothers’ Council Harvest Social", with the October 18 date, 263 Weller Ave, and drumming, singing, teachings, vendors, gifts and a potluck.

The Harvest Social poster. Poster: Katarokwi Grandmothers’ Council.

Everyone is welcome at this one. The Katarokwi Grandmothers’ Council hosts a free Harvest Social for all ages on Sunday, October 18 at Kingston Community Health Centres, 263 Weller Ave. There will be drumming and singing, Indigenous teachings, vendors and gifts, a silent auction and a potluck feast, so bring your hand drum and a feast bundle if you have them. The Kingston Frontenac Public Library will have a booth too, with library card sign-ups, a book display and an activity. Details at KFPL.

📅 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

🌉 Bridges Out of Poverty Training  |  Online  |  October 15  |  🔦 Read our story

🐦‍⬛ KFN Talk: Kingston’s Winter Crow Roosts With Steve Manders  |  Kingston Secondary School  |  October 15  |  🔦 Read our story

🎶 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  |  🔦 Read our story

🎸 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

🐦 KFN Birding Meet-Up  |  Lemoine Point Conservation Area  |  October 17

💼 Kingston Women Entrepreneurs’ Expo  |  Tett Centre  |  October 17

🧶 Rug Hooking Workshop With Denise Finn  |  Museum of Lennox & Addington, Napanee  |  October 17

🖼️ The Big Art Splash  |  Best and Bash Banquet Hall, Napanee  |  October 17

🎸 The Hip Experience  |  The Spire  |  October 17

🏆 Wall of Fame Unveiling  |  Stone Mills Rec Centre, Tamworth  |  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

🛍️ The Art of Thrifting With Becky Hinch  |  Museum of Lennox & Addington, Napanee  |  October 20

🎲 Healthy Living Series: Gambling Risks for Seniors  |  Trinity United Church, Napanee  |  October 21

🤝 Chamber Member Exchange Webinar  |  Online  |  October 21

☕ Community Café With Rural Frontenac Community Services  |  Soldiers Memorial Hall, Oso  |  October 22

🍺 Pre-Confederation Beer Brewing in Kingston  |  The Seniors Centre  |  October 22

🕺 We Three Kings: Pop, Soul and Rock n Roll Edition  |  The Spire  |  October 22

🎨 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  |  🔦 Read our story

📸 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

📖 It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken  |  Kingston Grand Theatre  |  October 22 to November 8

🍽️ Countylicious  |  Prince Edward County restaurants  |  October 22 to November 15

📸 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.

❓ So, how are we doing?

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