Halloween happenings and other things you can do this weekend in Hamilton
The autumn chill is creeping into every corner.
Environment Canada is predicting daytime highs around 10 C this weekend, with a good chance of showers on Saturday.
Book your spot now for the annual Hamilton Mum Show, take in a walking tour, football game, or film festival.
Here are Halloween happenings and other things you can do this weekend in Hamilton.
HAMILTON MUM SHOW
Nothing will brighten a dreary day better than a free visit to the Hamilton mum and garden show. With more than 200 varieties of chrysanthemums, and more than 100,000 blooms, the 101st annual Mum Show as most Hamiltonians call it is at the Gage Park greenhouse from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily until Oct. 31. The city is limiting the number of people who can enter the greenhouse at any time to 128. You must register in advance for your two-hour time slot. Because of the pandemic, there will be no interactive displays or cafe and visitors will have to show proof of vaccination and provide contact tracing information. Parking is off Lawrence Road, enter the park at the Roselawn Lawn Bowling Club. Book your tickets now through hamilton.ca/mumshow.
WALKING TOUR
Stories in the Stones free walking tour in Hamilton looks at the War of 1812. Join Robin McKee on Saturday, 11 a.m., at Hamilton Cemetery, 777 York Blvd. Meet at the Gatehouse. For more information, see hamiltonhistory.ca.
GAME DAY
The Ticats host Ottawa at Tim Hortons Field on Saturday, 4 p.m.
No home game for the Bulldogs this weekend but note the Oct. 30 game is a Zombie game at 4 p.m. FirstOntario Centre, 101 York Blvd. A family pack of four tickets starts at $60 for this game against the Mississauga Steelheads. hamiltonbulldogs.com
SENIOR AWARDS
Winners of Hamilton's annual Senior of the Year Awards will be announced Saturday, 7 p.m., during a virtual celebration hosted by the city in partnership with Cable 14. You can watch it on Cable 14 or on Hamilton's YouTube channel, youtube.com/insidecityofhamilton.
CHAMBER MUSIC
The Effusion chamber music collective presents The Gratitude Project," a program of music and poetry readings inspired by gratitude, initially planned pre-pandemic, and supported by the Burlington Arts and Culture Fund. On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in Port Nelson United, 3132 South Dr., Burlington, pianist Andrea Battista, violinist-violist Stephanie Numan-Scholman, clarinetist-saxophonist Shiori Kobayashi, and tenor Jason Hales perform works by Milhaud, Tailleferre, Dun, Emami, and Philip Corke's settings of four haikus by Roland Packer. Readers are KooGle Theatre Company's Leslie and Christopher Gray. Proof of full vaccination and masking are required. Limited seating. Tickets: $15. Call 905-331-8701.
AGH FILM FESTIVAL
Hamilton's 2021 Art Gallery of Hamilton Film Festival continues until Oct. 24. This annual festival presents international, independent and Canadian film to the Hamilton community. You can explore in person or catch online screenings. Purchase 10-packs or all access passes on the website, aghfilmfest.com.
HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS
The creep is on and Hamiltonians won't back down from a good fright. Here are some ideas you'll want to look into before Halloween happens next weekend.
Hamilton Zombie Walk is next week. Get yourself ready for the dead walking. Meet downtown at Gage Park at noon on Halloween. Bring donations for the food bank.
Expect this corn maze to take one to two hours to complete. Hanes Corn Maze at 1001 Hwy. 5 W., Dundas, features a 20-acre maze and a pumpkin patch. Pumpkins are $5 each and maze admission is $17 for adults. Visit thehanescornmaze.com to reserve a time. Tip: bring a flashlight if you are doing the maze after dark.
There's a four-acre corn maze and pumpkin hayrides every Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., until Oct. 31 at Lindley's Farm and Market, 900 Fiddlers Green Rd. Cost is $10 per person for the hayride (includes one pumpkin) and $10 for the maze. See lindleyfarm.com.
Soup-to-go, 573 Parkside Dr., Waterdown. Ready and you-pick pumpkins are available, as well as a play area for children, games, a corn maze, pedal-karts and more. Hours are Thursday to Monday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $8.50 per person for a two-hour visit to the farm. Weekend wagon rides run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (weather permitting) and are $4 per person. Visit soup-to-go.ca.
Harvest Festival Weekends at Puddicombe Estate Winery, 1468 Hwy. 8, Winona, run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. Expect train rides, a campfire, live entertainment and more.
Merry Farms, 1974 Concession 2 Rd. W., Lynden. Pumpkin patch events until Oct. 31. Admission is $15, hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with no new admission after 4 p.m. No pets allowed.
Dyments, near Dundas Peak, pumpkin picking and autumn fun on Saturdays and Sundays. No tickets will be available at the gate, pre-book your visit now at dyments.com.
Tickets are available for Pumpkins After Dark, an outdoor, 2.5-kilometre, drive-thru Halloween event at Country Heritage Park in Milton (8560 Tremaine Rd.) Visit pumpkinsafterdark.com.
Halloween Haunt returns to Canada's Wonderland Friday, transforming the theme park into a scream park filled with thrilling attractions, unspeakable horror and amazing night rides. Due to COVID-19, indoor mazes have been transformed into new outdoor experiences throughout the park. More at canadaswonderland.com.
TIME
Daylight time ends on Nov. 7 at 2 a.m.
Jennifer Moore is an editorial assistant at The Spectator in Hamilton. Reach her via email: jmoore@thespec.com