More than a dozen things to do this weekend in the Hamilton area
If your weekend isn't full, it could be.
Here is a plethora of events for you and yours happening this weekend in Hamilton.
It looks like there might be rain on Saturday but Environment Canada is calling for Friday and Sunday to be mainly sunny with daytime highs around 27 C.
Remember that masks still must be worn in areas where you can't social distance from people not in your household.
TICAT PRACTICE
The Tiger-Cats are opening Sunday morning's training camp practice to the public. Tickets, which are free, must be obtained online prior to the practice at ticats.ca/open-practice-july25. It's first-come, first-served and there's a limit of four tickets per application. The applicant must fill in a form providing a contact-tracing email address and phone number. Masks must be worn. The practice runs from 8:30 to 11 a.m. and gates open at 8 a.m. Enter through the south side patio, located off Cannon Street.
GAME DAY
Hamilton Honey Badgers take on the Fraser Valley Bandits Friday, 7 p.m., at FirstOntario Centre, 101 York Blvd. coreentertainment.ca
ROAR OF THE LANCASTER
This Hamilton staple is back in the skies. Your Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum has reopened with new hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday. And the flying season has also kicked off. Visitors can witness most of the fleet flying Hamilton skies this weekend, including the Lancaster and B-25 Mitchell. Keep your eyes to the skies and visit the museum located at 9280 Airport Rd., Mount Hope. warlane.com
SOMETHING ELSE!
Saturday is day one of the Something Else! Festival Series being held at Bayfront Park, 200 Harbour Front Dr. Concerts run from noon to 5 p.m. and are in person. The performance schedule is: 12 p.m. - Cluttertones; 12:40 p.m. - Brodie West; 1 p.m. - Lina Allemano's Titanium Riot; 2 p.m. - Andrew Downing & Tim Postgate; 3 p.m. - glassEYElashes; and 4 p.m. - Lina Allemano Four. Suggested donation is $25 at door, or get tickets online at eventbrite.com. No one will be refused entry for lack of funds. somethingelsefestival.com
ANCASTER WINGFEST
Hungry? Wingfest is at the Ancaster Fairgrounds this weekend as a drive-thru event. The Drive-thru Rib Series is presented by the Rotary Club of Hamilton AM with favourites available for takeout on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m., Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. Ancaster Fairgrounds, 630 Trinity Rd. S., Jerseyville.
SANTA CLAUS FOOD DRIVE
Santa and the Mrs. will be cruising on Hamilton Mountain this weekend, bringing delight and spirit in the Lawfield neighbourhood as they collect donations for local food banks. Santa in the City is hosting Christmas in July on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If he's on your street, you are encouraged to place food bank donations at the bottom of your driveway for safe pick up and wave from your porch or lawn to the couple and their volunteers. The parade will happen on streets surrounded by Mohawk and the Linc and Upper Gage and Lime Ridge Mall.
Donation suggestions include: school snacks, canned pasta, crackers, diapers, shampoo, canned fruit, jam, cereal, feminine hygiene products, conditioner, canned meat, peanut butter, oatmeal, toothpaste, toilet paper, canned fish, juice boxes, flour, laundry soap and body soap. Please check the best before dates on your donation and consider putting your donation in a new reusable bag.
Drop off locations between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. are at Mountain Tire, 593 Concession St.; Huntington Park, corner of Brentwood and Broker Drive; or Lawfield Park, 150 Folkstone Ave.
SUNFLOWER FARM
Sunrise Sunflowers at Highway 6 and Concession 11 East is open for business. The Spectator's Cathie Coward was out last week and shot some photos of the huge duck and two smaller ducklings on site as an attraction for kids at the farm. As well as cut sunflowers, you can buy sunflower honey at this farm, open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. From Highway 6, turn right on Concession 11 just south of Puslinch.
ROCK THEM ORANGE
Organizers of the Orange Road Home event are looking for donations of small rocks either painted orange or not. The rocks are to line the 20-kilometre event route. Orange Road Home is to help raise awareness and funds for the Woodland Cultural Centre's #SaveTheEvidence campaign. If you have rocks to donate, email civics@hotmail.com and Alice with Steeltown Supporters will arrange for pick up and donation to the campaign.
METRO RETRO DRIVE IN
Metro Retro Drive In is a community event where a drive-in movie is shown at a local Metro store parking lot. Tickets are already sold out for the event at the Barton Street showing on July 31 but there should still be some left for the July 30 event at the Metro Winona Crossing, 1370 South Service Rd. Tickets are free with guests encouraged to donate to support the Stoney Creek Community Food Bank. Register today at proofexperiences.swoogo.com/metro/begin?reg_type_id=172017.
SWEET CORN
In case you were wondering, sweet corn season is here. Nothing screams summer louder than corn on the cob from a local farm. Snyders, 1863 Haldimand Rd. 9, Caledonia opens July 26 snyderscorn.ca/. Corn is in season at Lindley's Farm in Ancaster lindleyfarm.com/, coming soon at Richardson's Farm in Dunnville richardsonsfarm.com/, or try at your neighbourhood farmers' market like Locke Street, 260 Locke St. S., Hamilton Farmers' Market downtown, Ottawa Street market or Binbrook market, 2600 Regional Rd. 56, Bldg 3.
STREETS UNLOCKED
Locke Street is open to pedestrians and cyclists between Herkimer and Hunter every Saturday until September. Traffic is blocked between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. for Saturday Unlocked. You can check out store vendors and eat on expanded patios.
DOWNTOWN WALKING TOUR
Lonesome Churchyards is the theme for Bill King's free walking tour of downtown Hamilton on Sunday. Search out the few remaining graveyards and tombstones in downtown Hamilton. Meet in Gore Park at John and King streets, 10 a.m. The tour is about 90 minutes. Participants are reminded to observe pandemic restrictions and will require a mask if you aren't more than two metres apart.
HAMILTON FRINGE
The Hamilton Fringe Festival 2021 continues until Sunday. Have your digital Fringe backer button ready! The festival shares the biggest offering of unabashed and unjuried theatre produced right here in Hamilton. Choose online or live-at-a-distance, there's something for everyone at any age. There's an unjuried performance series: Theatre On Demand as well as full-length Fringe plays performed and recorded live on stage. Family Fringe On Demand is also recorded live on stage for streaming. Digital Exclusives includes 40-minute online Fringe offerings. This series also includes Bring Your Own Virtual Venue offerings. There's also Skip The Glitches - a 20-minute theatrical curbside delivery series performed in your own backyard.
Visit boxoffice.hamiltonfringe.ca/ for tickets, schedule and more.
HAMILTON MUSEUMS
Most Hamilton museums will open for tours again on Aug. 10. However, Hamilton Children's Museum, Whitehern Historic House & Garden and Griffin House will remain closed for capital project work.
Jennifer Moore is an editorial assistant at The Spectator in Hamilton. Reach her via email: jmoore@thespec.com