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: Halloween Goes All Out on Coverdale Drive
A west-end house goes all in for Halloween. Photo: Les Cseh, Kingston Spotlight.
Somebody on Coverdale Drive in Kingston’s west end is not messing around this Halloween. The front lawn is a full graveyard of tombstones, a witch keeps watch by the garden, and the porch has been taken over by skeletons, a couple of them hanging out with gremlin friends. Add a floating ghost, a skeleton climbing the wall and Happy Halloween banners on every post, and this one is hard to drive past without slowing down.
Know a Halloween house in the Kingston area that can top this one? Tell us where it is or reply to this email, and we’ll round up the best ones for an upcoming issue.
📰 Kingston & Area Local News
♻️ The Last Giveaway Day of 2026 Is Saturday, October 24
Kingston’s last Giveaway Day of the year is Saturday, October 24. Graphic from the City of Kingston.
One more chance to clear out the basement before winter. Saturday, October 24 is the City of Kingston’s last Giveaway Day of 2026. Set gently used things at the curb in front of your home and mark them “Free”: books, clothes, furniture, small appliances, electronics, dishes, pots and pans, even leftover lumber and drywall. For safety reasons, keep cribs, car seats, strollers, playpens, baby walkers, bath seats, mattresses, blinds and toys out of the pile. Treasure hunters, take only what is marked Free and stay off lawns and gardens. Anything nobody takes goes back inside at the end of the day, because the City won’t pick it up, so think about donating it instead.
Read the full story at: City of Kingston
🛒 A Second Walmart Is Planned for Kingston’s North End, Opening in 2027
Walmart’s new Kingston East Supercentre is expected to open in 2027. File image via Kingston Daily.
Kingston is getting a second Walmart. Walmart Canada says its new Kingston East Supercentre is expected to open in 2027 at Division Street and Highway 401, as the anchor of a new SmartCentres shopping centre. At about 142,000 square feet, it will carry a full grocery section, the usual general merchandise and a pharmacy, plus pickup and delivery. Walmart has been in Kingston since 1994, and the company said in its release that a second store will bring it closer to more residents, downtown and students included. The plan has been in the works for more than a decade. There is no opening date or job count yet.
Read the full story at: Walmart Canada
📖 Kingston Author’s Gothic Novella The Name in the Stone Is Out, Already Optioned for Film and TV
Scott Henderson’s debut novella grew out of a name carved into his King Street East home. Cover from thenameinthestone.com.
Someone carved the name “Alfred” into the limestone of Muckleston House on King Street East, and nobody knows who, when or why. Scott Henderson, who lives in the 1843 house, imagined one. The Name in the Stone: The Lost Journal of Henry Collier, his debut novella, came out October 20 from Muckleston House Press. Set in Kingston in the fall of 1875, when a 12-year-old orphan named Alfred vanishes from the house, it has already been optioned for film and TV by Rink Rat Productions of St. John’s, the producers of Maudie. Yes, that explains the missing-boy notices and chalk portraits around town since August: Who is Alfred? was the teaser. Find the book at Novel Idea, the Kingston Visitor Information Centre, The Frontenac Club or The Secret Garden Inn.
Read the full story at: The Name in the Stone
🎃 Fruition Berry Farm Calls It a Bumper Pumpkin Crop While Other Ontario Growers Struggle
Pumpkins piled high at Fruition Berry Farm this Thanksgiving. Photo from Fruition Berry Farm’s Facebook page.
While growers around Ottawa watched a soggy summer drown their fields, Fruition Berry Farm got lucky. The rain came in the right amounts at the right times, so Christine and Ken Paul have healthy plants, big yields and some seriously big pumpkins, many of them 50 to 60 pounds. “I actually would call it a bumper crop,” Christine Paul told the Whig-Standard. Families are turning out in record numbers to find one big enough to sit the baby in for photos. The farm, at 3208 Hughes Road, is open weekends through Saturday, October 31, plus Monday, October 26, with a corn maze, wagon rides and pick-your-own pumpkins sold by weight. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for kids 5 to 15.
Read the full story at: Kingston Whig-Standard
🏆 Community Champions
💍 Sandy Pines Volunteers Mark 20+ Years Running the Christmas Jewellery Sale
Donated pieces from a past Sandy Pines jewellery sale. Image via Kingstonist, 2022.
Some volunteer gigs last a season. This one has lasted more than 20 years. Volunteers have run the Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre jewellery sale for over two decades, sorting and pricing thousands of donated pieces every year, and many of the originals are still at it. “Many of the original volunteers are still involved more than two decades later,” volunteer fundraising coordinator Adrienne Shannon told Kingston Spotlight. Every dollar they raise goes to rescuing, rehabilitating and caring for Ontario’s wildlife. This year’s Christmas sale is Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7 (more in New Events below). Can’t make it? You can donate to Sandy Pines any time.
🧺 Kingston Basketeers Ask for Laundry Baskets of Essentials for Women Starting Over
Laundry baskets packed with fresh-start essentials. Photo via Kingston Basketeers.
Starting over after leaving an abusive home can mean starting with almost nothing. Since 2019, the volunteers of Kingston Basketeers have filled 365 laundry baskets with new household and personal care items for women moving on from Kingston Interval House’s emergency shelter, and given $10,700 in gift cards on top. They are asking again this year. Register your basket, fill it using the shopping guide, and drop it off on Saturday, November 14 at the INVISTA Centre, 1350 Gardiners Rd. Rather send money? E-transfers buy gift cards, though there are no tax receipts. “Each basket is a tangible reminder that people care and want to help,” chapter lead Claire LaPlante told Kingstonist.
Read the full story at: Kingstonist
🥎 Napanee’s Will Babcock Named to Softball Canada’s U18 National Team
Will Babcock at bat for the Napanee Express. Photo by Adam Prudhomme, Napanee Beaver.
Napanee is sending a ballplayer to the world stage. Will Babcock, an outfielder and catcher with the Napanee Express, is one of 16 players Softball Canada picked for the 2027 WBSC U18 Men’s Softball World Cup, June 18 to 26 in Czechia. He will have a familiar face in the dugout, too: Napanee’s Bryan Brooks is the head coach. Catching gives him an edge at the plate, Babcock told the Napanee Beaver, because he learns how pitchers think. “I can guess what pitch is going to come next,” he said. Hockey comes first for now, and the team gets together for a workout in Quebec in February.
Read the full story at: Napanee Beaver
⛸️ Kingston Businesses Give Their Naming-Rights Credits So More Kids Can Play Free Hockey
Young players and program partners at the Hockey Diversity Program. Photo from cityofkingston.ca.
When a business buys naming rights at a City facility, it gets credits to spend there. Five of them just gave theirs away. INVISTA, CaraCo, Philip MacLean Desjardins Insurance, CUPE 109 and Selkirk Homes are donating their credits to buy more ice time for BGC South East’s Hockey Diversity Program, which gives kids free hockey, full equipment included, every Sunday. About 50 kids play each year, and more than 120 are on the waiting list. “Every Sunday we see kids step onto the ice for the first time and leave with a little more confidence than they came with,” Jahmaal Branker of BGC South East said in a City release.
Read the full story at: City of Kingston
🆕 New Events In and Around Kingston
🏛️ Great Kingston Stories: Later Life Learning Talks | The Seniors Centre | Fridays, October 23 to November 20
Five Friday talks on the people and places that shaped Kingston. Graphic from seniorskingston.ca.
Five Fridays, five great Kingston stories. The Seniors Association Kingston Region’s Later Life Learning series, Great Kingston Stories: Legends, Lives and Landmarks, opens Friday, October 23 with Peter Gower of the Kingston Historical Society on four centuries of local churches and cemeteries. Then come the many residents of Bellevue House (October 30), Agnes Etherington and the house that became the Agnes Etherington Art Centre (November 6), trains on Kingston’s waterfront (November 13) and British Home Children in Kingston with author Ken Cuthbertson (November 20). Each is a one-hour talk with Q&A over coffee at The Seniors Centre, 56 Francis St., and the whole series is $75. Register at seniorskingston.ca or call 613-548-7810.
👻 A Spooky Crafternoon | Lay Low Cafe | October 22
Cardboard ghosts on the craft table at Lay Low, $5. Poster from Late Night at Lay Low.
Feeling crafty? Ash and Bri host a Halloween Crafternoon at Lay Low Cafe, 241 Princess St., on Thursday, October 22, and the project is a little crowd of cardboard ghosts in tiny frames. It’s $5, and spots are by reservation, so send a DM to Late Night at Lay Low on Instagram to save yours.
💀 Bottle Tree Productions: The Death of Me | Bottle Tree Studio | October 22 to 25 and 29 to November 1
Norm Foster’s comedy about a man haggling with the Angel of Death. Poster from Bottle Tree Productions.
What if you could talk your way out of dying? In Norm Foster’s comedy The Death of Me, directed by Bill Morrow for Bottle Tree Productions, a man bargains with the Angel of Death for a second chance, then finds that fixing his past is not entirely up to him. There are eight shows over two weekends, Thursday, October 22 to Sunday, October 25 and Thursday, October 29 to Sunday, November 1, at the Bottle Tree Studio, 130 Clergy St. E. It’s for adult audiences, and heads up: the studio is up flights of stairs in a historic church. Tickets are about $22 on SimpleTix.
💎 Gem Storm 2026 | St. Lawrence College Event Centre | October 23 to 25
Kingston’s 55th Gem Storm runs all weekend at St. Lawrence College. Graphic from the Kingston Lapidary & Mineral Club.
Rock hounds, this one is 55 years in the making. The Kingston Lapidary & Mineral Club’s Gem Storm, one of the longest-running gem and mineral shows in Southeastern Ontario, fills the Event Centre at St. Lawrence College, 100 Portsmouth Ave., from Friday, October 23 to Sunday, October 25. Dealers from Ontario and Quebec bring crystals, fossils, gemstones, beads, jewellery and lapidary tools, and there are demos, grab bags, jewellery-making for kids, door prizes every hour and gem ID by a certified gemologist. Tickets are $8 and good all weekend, kids 8 and under get in free, and parking is free too. More details at Kingstonist.
🦆 Cataraqui River Waterfowl Prowl | Pittsburgh Library, Gore Road | October 24
Waaban Crossing over the Cataraqui River, the first stretch of the walk. Photo by P199 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Bring your binoculars. On Saturday, October 24, Steve Coates leads a Kingston Field Naturalists walk in search of ducks and other waterfowl on the Cataraqui River, starting on the Waaban Crossing and following the river trail through a string of waterfront parks to Doug Fluhrer Park. Meet in the parking lot of the KFPL Pittsburgh Branch, at Gore Road and Highway 15. It’s moderate walking on paved paths, so dress for the weather. You need a current KFN membership to sign up, so join the KFN first ($30 a year), then register through the KFN newsletter.
🌿 Foraging for Local Wild Food | KFPL Isabel Turner Branch | October 24
The October session is full, but the waitlist is open. Graphic from KFPL.
Ever wonder which of those weeds in the yard are actually lunch? Kingston urban forager Sheila Nemcsok shows how to safely and ethically spot wild herbs, greens, fruits, seeds, nuts and roots, first in the classroom and then on a walk around the Isabel Turner Branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, on Saturday, October 24. It’s free for teens and adults, and yes, it filled up fast. Join the waitlist on KFPL’s event page, and watch for the library’s other foraging workshops, which run through January.
🎭 Halloween Mask Making Workshop | The Hive, Bath | October 24
Kids cast and decorate their own masks at The Hive, ages 6 to 12. Poster from The Hive.
Messy hands, spooky faces. At The Hive, 363 Main St. in Bath, kids aged 6 to 12 sketch a design, pair up to plaster-cast a mask to their own face, then decorate it, with two kids’ art instructors from MULU Mobile Art Studio guiding the way, on Saturday, October 24. It’s $65 with all materials included, and it runs about three and a half hours, so pack a water bottle, snacks and a lunch. Spaces are limited and there are no refunds. Register on Eventbrite.
🧩 Puzzle Swap | KFPL Isabel Turner Branch | October 24
Bring a puzzle, take a puzzle. Graphic from KFPL.
Finished that 1,000-piece lighthouse? Trade it in. Bring a complete puzzle (no missing pieces!) in good shape and in its original box to the Maple Room at the Isabel Turner Branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, 935 Gardiners Rd., on Saturday, October 24, and swap it for one that’s new to you. It’s free, it’s for kids, teens and adults, and there’s no need to register. Details on KFPL’s event page.
🏒 Hurricanes Hockey Junk Removal Fundraiser | Kingston | October 25
Book a pickup by Friday, October 23. Poster from Hurricanes Hockey Association.
Got a wobbly couch, a pile of dead electronics or a garage full of reno scraps? Players from the Hurricanes Hockey Association will haul it away on Sunday, October 25, anywhere inside Kingston city limits, and the money helps cover their tournament fees and ice time. Book by Friday, October 23, and have everything outside and easy to reach on the morning of the pickup. Minimum donations are $40 for up to five bags or one or two items, $60 for about half a pickup truck bed and $120 for a full one, paid by cash or e-transfer. They can’t take hazardous waste, tires, fridges, freezers, air conditioners or dehumidifiers. Book your pickup on the registration form.
🕌 Open House at the Islamic Centre of Kingston | October 25
The open house includes a calligraphy workshop for children with Sr. Aumama Al-Naib. Poster from Islamic History Month, Kingston.
Calligraphy is the theme of Islamic History Month, Kingston this year, and on Sunday, October 25 you can see it up close. The Islamic Centre of Kingston, 1477 Sydenham Rd., holds an open house with displays of calligraphy and art, including work by local artisans, all built around the theme Islamic Calligraphy: A Living Legacy of Faith, Art, and Expression. There’s also a calligraphy workshop for children with Sr. Aumama Al-Naib, where kids make an art piece to take home. See the full Islamic History Month lineup at Kingstonist.
🧙 Spooktacular Witch Dance | Selby Hall, Napanee | October 24
Proceeds go to the Lennox and Addington Humane Society. Poster from The Cauldron Sisters Napanee.
Dust off the broom. The Cauldron Sisters, a volunteer troupe of dancing witches from Greater Napanee, host their Spooktacular Witch Dance on Saturday, October 24 at Selby Community Hall, 114 Pleasant Dr., with music, dancing, snacks, a cash bar, raffles, a silent auction and plenty of costumes. It’s 18+ with ID, $25 in advance or $30 at the door, and every dollar goes to the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society Lennox and Addington Animal Centre. Tickets go by e-transfer to [email protected] (include your names and phone number). Details on the Cauldron Sisters’ Facebook page.
📿 Sandy Pines Christmas Jewellery Sale | Crossroads United Church | November 6 and 7
Thousands of donated pieces, all for wildlife rescue, November 6 and 7. Poster from Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre.
Christmas shopping, sorted, and the wildlife wins too. The Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre Christmas Jewellery Sale fills Crossroads United Church, 690 Sir John A. Macdonald Blvd., on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7, with thousands of pieces of donated jewellery to dig through. Parking is free, and you can pay by cash, e-transfer or credit card. Every purchase goes to rescuing and rehabilitating Ontario’s wildlife. More about Sandy Pines at sandypineswildlife.org.
📅 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
🌳 Cataraqui West Community Park Info Session | INVISTA Centre | October 22 | 🔦 Read our story
☕ Community Café With Rural Frontenac Community Services | Soldiers Memorial Hall, Oso | October 22
🎗️ Girls’ Night Out | Breast Imaging Kingston | October 22 | 🔦 Read our story
🍺 Pre-Confederation Beer Brewing in Kingston | The Seniors Centre | October 22 | 🔦 Read our story
🕺 We Three Kings: Pop, Soul and Rock n Roll Edition | The Spire | October 22
👻 A Spooky Crafternoon | Lay Low Cafe | October 22
🪭 Exploring Korean Dancheong: Free Silk Fan Workshop | Tett Centre | 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 | 🔦 Read our story
🧩 Puzzle Swap | KFPL Isabel Turner Branch | October 24
🧙 Spooktacular Witch Dance | Selby Community Hall | October 24
🎶 The Weather Station | The Spire | October 24
♻️ Last Giveaway Day of 2026 | Curbside across Kingston | October 24
🎤 Jimmy Carr: Laughs Funny | Slush Puppie Place | 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
🏒 Hurricanes Hockey Junk Removal Fundraiser | Pickups across Kingston | October 25 (book by October 23)
💬 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
🪴 Tom Sparling Talks Garden Structures | Tamworth Legion | October 27
💻 Not-for-Profit Academy: AI for Fundraising | Online | October 27
❤️ Talks With Docs: Transforming Heart Failure Care | Firehall Theatre, Gananoque | October 27
🩷 BRA Day Kingston 2026 | The Isabel | October 28
🧂 Eastern Ontario Salt Symposium | Online | October 28
🚌 United Way Seeing Is Believing Tour | Memorial Centre | October 28 | 🔦 Read our story
🕷️ Free Halloween Fun | Museum of Lennox & Addington, Napanee | October 26 and 29
📚 For the Long Haul: Chris Dixon Book Launch | KFPL Central Branch | October 29
🤖 Helping Kids Navigate AI | KFPL Isabel Turner Branch | October 29
🖼️ Isabel and Alfred Bader Lecture in European Art | The Isabel | October 29
🍔 McDonald’s Hospital Day for KidsInclusive | McDonald’s in Kingston and Gananoque | October 29
🩻 Sips & Spirits 2: Choose Your Nightmare | Museum of Health Care | October 29
💚 The Gift of Life: Organ Donation Talk | The Seniors Centre | October 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
💀 Bottle Tree Productions: The Death of Me | Bottle Tree Studio | October 22 to 25 and 29 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
🚶 Theatre Kingston: Strolling Player | Homestead Baby Grand | October 29 to November 15
🧥 Coats for Community Drive | Drop-off bins across Kingston and L&A | October 17 to November 16 | 🔦 Read our story
📚 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
Know of something we should add? Let us know.
🗓️ The full Kingston events calendar lives here.
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