🔦 October 19, 2026 🎤 Bill Welychka's Perfect Circle 🩺 10 New Family Doctors 🏈 Gaels Tackle Hunger 🗓️ Events & More

🎙️ From MuchMusic to CKWS to Lionhearts: Turning the Camera on Bill Welychka

🩺 Kingston Welcomes Ten New Family Physicians in 2026, 43 Since 2022

🌳 Cataraqui West Community Park Construction Begins, Info Session October 22

🧥 United Way’s Coats for Community Drive Runs October 17 to November 16

🏠 Providence Care’s Transitions Home Program Helps Older Adults Settle Back Home After Hospital

❤️ Women’s Giving Circle Awards $50,000 to Kingston Heart Research

🏈 Gaels Football Collects Over 1,000 Pounds of Food for Partners in Mission

⛳ Grayson Cup Raises Over $52,000 for Easter Seals

🎉 Barb Fabius Marks 25 Years Leading Community Living L&A

🛍️ The Art of Thrifting with Becky Hinch | Museum of Lennox & Addington | October 20

🎰 Healthy Living Series: Online Gambling and Older Adults | Trinity United Church, Napanee | October 21

🎗️ Girls’ Night Out | Breast Imaging Kingston | October 22

🔐 Lock & Kee: A Halloween Event | Great Lakes Museum | October 22 and 24

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

🏓 5th Annual Rotary Pickleball Tournament | Kingston Pickleball Club | November 8

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

That's Bill Welychka cracking up in an armchair at the Lionhearts warehouse. Kingston knows him from more than a decade on CKWS, his radio shows on Big FM, and emceeing what seems like half the charity events in town. Canada knows him from MuchMusic, where he interviewed everyone from Prince and Madonna to Led Zeppelin. What fewer people know is that he's been hit with a Taser for TV, and once had to dive into a van to escape a tree full of charging monkeys. These days he points his camera at Kingston volunteers and donors, and he told us he's one of the happiest people in the region. We found out why he turned down jobs elsewhere to stay, what a Director of Storytelling and Media actually does, and which locals he thinks deserve more attention. Read the full story.

More Kingstonians have a family doctor to call their own. Ten new family doctors started practising here this year, bringing the total to 43 since the City of Kingston launched its Family Physician Recruitment Program in 2022, according to a City release. The newcomers are taking on patients who had no family doctor and stepping in for doctors who retired or moved away. Since 2022 the City has put $4 million into recruiting, from incentives for doctors to help with moving and even career support for their spouses, working with local clinics and the Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Ontario Health Team. Mayor Bryan Paterson said in the City’s release that access to primary care is a priority for Kingston residents.

Read the full story at: City of Kingston

A big new park is on its way to Kingston’s west end. Construction starts this month on the 14-acre Cataraqui West Community Park, and the plan includes sports fields, tennis and pickleball courts, a playground, a splash pad and even an off-leash dog park. Curious how it will all come together? The City of Kingston is holding an information session on Thursday, October 22 in Hall C at the INVISTA Centre, 1350 Gardiners Rd., where staff will walk through the timeline and construction schedule and answer your questions. Can’t make it? A recorded video goes up on the project page afterwards.

Read the full story at: Get Involved Kingston

Got a winter coat that doesn’t fit anymore, or one you never wear? United Way KFL&A’s annual Coats for Community drive runs from Saturday, October 17 to Monday, November 16, collecting clean, new or gently used adult winter coats. They need to be washable, so skip leather and heavy wool. Drop them in a bin at the United Way office, 417 Bagot St., Kingston City Hall, Cataraqui Centre, or a branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library or Lennox & Addington Libraries. Neighbours gave more than 1,300 items last year, and volunteers sort them all before they go out to local agencies. Cash donations help buy hard-to-find sizes too.

Read the full story at: United Way KFL&A

Going home after a hospital stay can be the trickiest part, and that is where Stephanie Reid comes in. She is an occupational therapist with Providence Care’s Transitions Home Program, and she meets older adults before they leave Providence Care Hospital or Providence Transitional Care Centre, then visits them at home within a day or two. She sees how they are getting around, spots safety risks and sorts out what helps, from walkers to bathroom equipment to funding for changes around the house. Preventing falls is a big part of it. “People deserve to have autonomy,” Reid said in a Providence Care story.

Read the full story at: Providence Care

Two Kingston heart doctors just got a big boost. The Women’s Giving Circle, more than 130 local women who pool their gifts through the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation to fund medical research, awarded two $25,000 grants to Kingston Health Sciences Centre cardiologists at a luncheon at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club on September 29. Dr. Aws Almufleh’s team is testing a way to spot a hard-to-diagnose type of heart failure early, using information already in patients’ records. Dr. Maria Luz Garagiola is working to make heart imaging easier to get for adults who were born with heart conditions.

Read the full story at: University Hospitals Kingston Foundation

The Queen’s Gaels football team knows how to tackle a big job. For their annual Gaels Tackle Hunger drive, players took shifts outside the Metro on Barrie Street and brought in 1,082 pounds of food plus $1,233.15 for the Partners in Mission Food Bank. The team does it every Thanksgiving. Head coach Steve Snyder told Kingston Daily that everyone looks forward to it, and tight end Mateo Tuioti told the outlet it matters to give back to the community. Turns out a football team is very good at carrying heavy things.

Read the full story at: Kingston Daily

Linda Clouthier started the Grayson Cup for her son Grayson, who has Angelman syndrome and relies on equipment Easter Seals Ontario helped the family get. Six years in, it keeps growing. Twenty-two teams of four played at Loyalist Golf and Country Club on Friday, September 18, and the tournament had $34,000 in hand before the first tee, the Whig-Standard reported. It has now blown past its $50,000 goal, with more than $52,000 raised for Easter Seals programs and equipment for kids with physical disabilities. “I could not be prouder of what this event has turned into!” Clouthier told Kingston Spotlight.

Read the full story at: Kingston Whig-Standard

Twenty-five years in, and still bringing the same spark. Barb Fabius joined Community Living Lennox & Addington on September 24, 2001 as its very first full-time executive director, and the agency has been celebrating the milestone. On October 1, the people the agency supports gathered to thank her in person. Staff point to her open-door style and her sense of humour, and her daughter Sarah DeWitt shared that her mom still talks about new projects with the same passion, according to a statement from the agency’s board published in the Napanee Beaver.

Read the full story at: Napanee Beaver

That vintage coat on the rack has a story, and Becky Hinch wants to tell it. The photographer, artist and lifelong thrifter, with more than 26 years behind the camera, gives a talk called “The Art of Thrifting: Following the Invisible Thread” at the Museum of Lennox & Addington, 97 Thomas St. E. in Napanee, on Tuesday, October 20. Expect stories about the things we leave behind and give new life to, from handwritten recipes to well-worn chairs. It’s $3 (free for museum members), everyone is welcome and there’s no need to register. Details at countymuseum.ca.

Some scam sites look exactly like the real thing. At the sixth talk in Trinity United Church’s Healthy Living Series, mental health and addictions counsellor Shannon Horrigan, a registered psychotherapist with more than 30 years’ experience, covers the pitfalls of online gaming and scams for older adults, how they affect family and friends, how to spot a problem and where to find help. It’s Wednesday, October 21 at 25 Bridge St. E. in Napanee (use the John St. entrance). Entry is free, with light refreshments. Details at trinitynapanee.com.

Breast health, minus the awkwardness. For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Breast Imaging Kingston, 820 John Marks Ave., hosts a relaxed, judgment-free evening on Thursday, October 22 for women, Two-Spirit, trans and nonbinary people aged 40 and older. Dr. Doris Jabs, Rose of Hope Clinical Chair in Breast Health, hosts, with games, resources, good conversation and a peek at the brand-new MRI. Due for screening? Book ahead and you can have your mammogram right there, or book one for later. It’s free. Register on Eventbrite.

So many people wanted in that the Great Lakes Museum added a second night. Lock & Kee is an escape-room-style Halloween mystery aboard the SS Keewatin: a curse has fallen over the crew, and your team has 45 minutes to crack the puzzles, break it and get off the ship. It runs Thursday, October 22 and Saturday, October 24, for groups of up to six. It’s $32 per person, ages 13 and up (16 and under with an adult), costumes are encouraged, and the ship is not accessible. Missed out? Join the waiting list on the museum’s event page.

Kingston was brewing beer long before Canada was a country. On Thursday, October 22, Alan McLeod uses maps and old newspaper notices to trace brewing and the beer trade in Kingston before Confederation, and the part beer played in the town’s culture and economy. It’s a Featured Speakers talk from the Seniors Association Kingston Region at The Seniors Centre, 56 Francis St. Tickets are $5 per person, and you register by phone at 613-548-7810. Details at seniorskingston.ca.

No partner? No problem. The Rotary Club of Kingston’s 5th annual charity pickleball tournament is Sunday, November 8 at the Kingston Pickleball Club, 1150 Gardiners Rd., Unit 1A. You play six timed games with a new partner each time, in one of four brackets (ladies’ or men’s, recreational or competitive), and a King and Queen of the Court get crowned. Entry is $50, and it raises money for Rotary’s local and international causes. Not a player? They need volunteers too. Register at kingstonrotary.ca.

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

🤝 Chamber Member Exchange Webinar  |  Online  |  October 21

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

🌳 Cataraqui West Community Park Info Session  |  INVISTA Centre  |  October 22

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

🎗️ Girls’ Night Out  |  Breast Imaging Kingston  |  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

🏛️ Livable City Design Awards: People’s Choice Vote  |  Online  |  to October 23

🌍 Mea Centre’s Around the World Trivia Night  |  Best and Bash Arena, Napanee  |  October 23

🦆 Cataraqui River Waterfowl Prowl  |  Gore Road Library parking lot  |  October 24

🌿 Foraging for Local Wild Food  |  KFPL Isabel Turner Branch  |  October 24

🎭 Halloween Mask Making Workshop  |  The Hive, Bath  |  October 24

🔐 Lock & Kee: A Halloween Event  |  Great Lakes Museum  |  October 22 and 24

🧩 Puzzle Swap  |  KFPL Isabel Turner Branch  |  October 24

🧙 Spooktacular Witch Dance  |  Selby Community Hall  |  October 24

🎶 The Weather Station  |  The Spire  |  October 24

🥂 Champagne and Shopping Pop-Up  |  The Seniors Centre  |  October 25

🎨 Craft Lab Sundays  |  The Hive, Bath  |  October 18 and 25  |  🔦 Read our story

💎 Gem Storm  |  St. Lawrence College Event Centre  |  October 23 to 25

🕌 Islamic Centre of Kingston Open House  |  Islamic Centre of Kingston  |  October 25

🎻 Kingston Symphony: Haydn and Beethoven  |  The Isabel  |  October 25

🧵 Seasonal Fabric Swap  |  Tett Centre  |  October 25

🎭 Theatre Kingston: The Year of Magical Thinking  |  Homestead Baby Grand  |  October 13 to 25

🚗 Trunk-or-Treat and Crafts  |  Odessa  |  October 25

💬 An Evening With Barbara Coloroso  |  Napanee District Secondary School  |  October 26

🚲 Culture Talks: Phil Norton, “My Stupid Bicycle Thing”  |  Bath  |  October 26

🗳️ Municipal Election: Online and Advance Voting  |  Online and voting locations across Kingston  |  October 14 to 26  |  🔦 Read our story

🎈 PA Day Programs at KFPL Branches  |  KFPL branches  |  October 26

🕷️ Free Halloween Fun  |  Museum of Lennox & Addington, Napanee  |  October 26 and 29

📸 Cataraqui Trail Photo Contest  |  Cataraqui Trail  |  July 8 to October 30  |  🔦 Read our story

🥾 2026 Hike Challenge  |  Cataraqui Conservation Areas  |  September 1 to October 31  |  🔦 Read our story

👻 Fort Fright  |  Fort Henry  |  October 15 to 18 and 22 to 31  |  🔦 Read our story

⚖️ Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott  |  Kingston Grand Theatre  |  Thursdays to Saturdays, October 15 to 31

📢 KFPL’s Loud for Libraries  |  KFPL branches  |  October 1 to 31  |  🔦 Read our story

🎸 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

🧥 Coats for Community Drive  |  Drop-off bins across Kingston and L&A  |  October 17 to November 16

📚 Later Life Learning Series B: Great Kingston Stories  |  The Seniors Centre  |  series starts October 23

📸 Rideau Heights Neighbourhood Photo Contest  |  Across KFL&A  |  October 1 to January 1  |  🔦 Read our story

🎸 Blues at the Cove Turns 20  |  The Cove Inn, Westport  |  from October 16

🥕 Lionhearts Fresh Food Market  |  The Seniors Centre and Seniors Centre East  |  Tuesdays and Wednesdays  |  🔦 Read our story

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