🔦 In This Issue of Kingston Spotlight
🏛️ The Spire Is in the Running for a National Heritage Prize, and Kingston Needs to Vote
⚽ HERpath Is Opening Doors for Kingston's Young Female Soccer Players
🥚 Baltic Deli's Hand-Painted Easter Eggs Sold Out Again
😄 April Fools! Local Businesses Had Us Going This Year
🏠 YGK Thrift Secures Its Future, and the Families Who Need It Most
🏥 Kingston's Safe Consumption Site on the Clock
🍴 Spring Countylicious Returns to Prince Edward County | Prince Edward County | April 9–26
🗡️ Machete Comics Brings Canadian Destroyer #1 to Kingston with a Release Day Signing | Nexus | April 11
🐰 Easter Hunt: Bunnies on Boats | Great Lakes Museum | April 6, 2026
🗓️ City Trolley Tour | Visitor Information Centre | Weekends in April
🗳️ Vote for The Spire | Next Great Save | April 7–24, 2026
🍴 Spring Countylicious | Prince Edward County | April 9–26, 2026
🗡️ Machete Comics: Canadian Destroyer #1 Release Signing | Nexus, 270 Bagot St. | April 11, 12PM–3PM
👕 YGK Thrift Pop-Up Clothing Drive | 165 Princess St. | April 11, 2026
🍷 Guac for Griff | Lone Star Kingston | Until May 10, 2026
🏛️ History Exposed: Enslavement of Black People in Canada | Kingston City Hall | Until May 22, 2026
📰 Kingston & Area Local News
🥚 Baltic Deli's Hand-Painted Easter Eggs Sold Out Again

Photos by Les Cseh, Kingston Spotlight
These beautiful artisan-crafted eggs, a beloved Easter tradition at this west end Eastern European deli, sold out again this season. Each egg is a miniature work of art, hand-painted in the rich decorative tradition of Eastern European folk art, making them as much a keepsake as a seasonal treat. If this is your first time hearing about them, make a note for next year and follow Baltic Deli so you don't miss out.
😄 April Fools! Local Businesses Had Us Going This Year



Kingston businesses brought their A game this April Fools' Day. Schnitzelman teased a comeback out of retirement to open an Irish pub, Riverhead Brewery dangled the dream of a rooftop patio, and The Spire had us doing a double take with a full goth makeover of their gorgeous church building. Well played, all of you. Well played.
🏠 YGK Thrift Secures Its Future, and the Families Who Need It Most



YGK Thrift, the social enterprise run by Almost Home, has signed a new five year lease at 165 Princess St., keeping its doors open for the community it serves. Almost Home has been a Kingston fixture for 34 years, offering temporary housing to families whose children are receiving medical care away from home, many of them newborns in the NICU or kids undergoing cancer treatment.
The thrift store is how Almost Home keeps the lights on, and right now donations are running low. On April 11, YGK Thrift is hosting a pop-up clothing drive where volunteers will come pick up your donations right from your home. Local businesses are also encouraged to host their own drives.
Drop off donations at 165 Princess St. (big loads go to the back via the Springer Memorial Parking Lot on Queen St., but call ahead: 613-541-1665).
Read the full story here: The Kingston Whig-Standard
🏥 Kingston's Safe Consumption Site on the Clock

Inside the Consumption and Treatment Services Site in Kingston, 2020
Photo by Steph Crosier / The Kingston Whig-Standard
Kingston's safe consumption site is among the facilities across Ontario that have been given 90 days to wind down operations, as the provincial government shifts its focus to HART Hubs. All 28 HART Hubs are now open across Ontario, but expansion to additional communities is years away, pending results of the current three-year pilot program.
Read the full story here: The Kingston Whig-Standard
🏆 Community Champions
⚽ HERpath Is Opening Doors for Kingston's Young Female Soccer Players

A Kingston weekend event brought young female soccer players together with elite coaches and professional athletes through HERpath's ELEVATE Summit, a high-performance program focused on developing the complete player, on and off the field. Featuring Ottawa Rapid players as role models, the summit is part of a growing series dedicated to giving girls real access to the kind of training that actually moves the needle. This is grassroots women's sport done right, and it's happening right here in Kingston.
Read the full story here: Global News @HERPath.ca Instagram
🏛️ The Spire Is in the Running for a National Heritage Prize, and Kingston Needs to Vote

The Spire, from their Facebook Page April 2026
The Spire, Kingston's nearly 200-year-old church turned community centre, has been named one of 12 finalists in the National Trust for Canada's Next Great Save competition, which awards $65,000 in prizes to help protect and restore Canada's most cherished historic places. Public voting opens April 7 and runs until April 24, so now is the time to show up for one of Kingston's most beloved landmarks. Cast your vote at nextgreatsave.us.launchpad6.com.
Read the full story here: CFRC 101.9 FM | National Trust for Canada
🆕 New Events In and Around Kingston
🍴 Spring Countylicious Returns to Prince Edward County | Prince Edward County | April 9–26

Spring Countylicious is back in The County from April 9 to 26, and it's a great excuse for a day trip or weekend getaway. Restaurants across Prince Edward County are offering specially curated prix-fixe menus priced from $20 to $65, showcasing locally sourced ingredients including fresh produce, artisanal cheeses, honey, maple syrup, craft beer, cider, and award-winning local wines. Check the full list of participating restaurants and menu details at Visit The County.
🗡️ Machete Comics Brings Canadian Destroyer #1 to Kingston with a Release Day Signing | Nexus | April 11

Kingston's own Machete Comics is launching its bold new title, Canadian Destroyer #1, with a release signing event at Nexus (270 Bagot St.) on April 11 from 12PM to 3PM. The comic is a myth-charged revenge story weaving Aztec legend into real Canadian history, spanning 1967 to 1983. Come meet the creators, grab your copy, and be part of the very beginning of what promises to be an epic series. Machete Comics also runs Rad Tales, a youth comic program dedicated to empowering the next generation of artists and storytellers right here in Kingston.
📅 Events Calendar
Easter Hunt: Bunnies on Boats | Great Lakes Museum | April 6, 2026
City Trolley Tour | Visitor Information Centre | Weekends in April
Vote for The Spire | Next Great Save | April 7–24, 2026
Spring Countylicious | Prince Edward County | April 9–26, 2026
Machete Comics: Canadian Destroyer #1 Release Signing | Nexus, 270 Bagot St. | April 11, 12PM–3PM
YGK Thrift Pop-Up Clothing Drive | 165 Princess St. | April 11, 2026
Guac for Griff | Lone Star Kingston | Until May 10, 2026
History Exposed: Enslavement of Black People in Canada | Kingston City Hall | Until May 22, 2026
BTW, if you don’t want to receive this anymore, please help all the subscribers by just using the Unsubscribe link at the bottom instead of marking this as SPAM… remember, you did subscribe ;-)
All feedback and suggestions are appreciated!
Too long? Too short? About right?
What would you like to see more of, and less of?
Email Les at [email protected]
📣 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!
🌊 This Newsletter is just the tip of the iceberg
Beyond the Inbox ➕
I find way more "local gold" every week than I can actually fit in this newsletter without turning it into a novel! If you want the daily updates, extra tips, and the cool stuff that didn't make the cut, come hang out with us on our social channels.
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