Online Articles - theHumm
Cheryl Babineau — An Artist Takes Flight - theHumm June 2024
By Sally Hansen
Art… and Soul
Seven years ago while on holiday in Mexico with her artist husband Richard Gill, Burnstown gallery owner and entrepreneur Cheryl Babineau decided to try her hand at painting bird portraits. She borrowed Richard’s acrylic paints and painted her favourite subject — a pelican in flight.
It was an epiphany, and an artist took flight. Babineau’s portraits of birds reflect her enduring beguilement with them. At her gallery website at
Motown Dance Party A Fundraiser for Perth’s Stewart Park Festival - theHumm June 2024
The Downtown Heritage Perth BIA and Stewart Park Festival will present a Motown Dance Party at the Crystal Palace on June 8, featuring music by HEATWAVE.
You heard it through the grapevine and it’s true! The eleven-piece band will be bringing their tribute to the Motown sound and have you movin’ and groovin’ into the night! Get ready to dance to your favourite hits from the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and many more!
The Motown Dance Party will be a night of ......
A Multicultural Potluckon Mill Street - theHumm June 2024
By Submitted The Inclusion Project in Mississippi Mills
The Mississippi Mills Inclusion Project, in partnership with Mississippi Mills Bicycle Month and the Municipality of Mississippi Mills, is delighted to invite you to our next exciting event: a Multicultural Potluck on Mill Street! On Friday, June 28 from 5–9pm the lower section of Mill Street in Almonte will be closed to vehicular traffic and we will enjoy a community potluck dinner in the middle of the street
Please bring a favourite food or a dish from your culture to share. Together we’ll enjoy a family-friendly evening of food, music and entertainment celebrating our diverse ......
Celebrating Summer Solstice - theHumm June 2024
By — Sue Evans is the coordinator of Mississippi Mills All My Relations
What does reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples look like? For many settlers, this can be confusing or perhaps even unknown terrain. For most Canadians there is so much to learn about the history of colonization and how it lives on today. However, one practical action that we can all do to begin taking responsibility and restoring trust and friendship between us in our own area, is to come together in a spirit of learning and celebration. In fact, the more we do this, t......
Memorial Installation Ceremony Honouring Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQTIA+ - theHumm June 2024
Mississippi Mills All My Relations invites the public to a memorial installation ceremony to honour Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQTIA+ people as part of The Canadian Library. It will take place on Saturday, June 15 at 1pm at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum.
The Canadian Library is a country-wide, community-engaged initiative to create a permanent art memorial of 8000 books as testament to the lives lost and the grief suffered by their loved ones. Books......
Sherman Downey’s East-Coast Sounds - theHumm June 2024
Farmgate Cider is thrilled to announce that the talented singer-songwriter Sherman Downey will be gracing their barn for a captivating concert experience on June 22 at 2pm. This event marks another highlight in Farmgate Cider’s ongoing commitment to providing exceptional entertainment in a unique and picturesque setting.
Hailing from Newfoundland and Labrador, Sherman Downey is renowned for his soul-stirring performances and heartfelt lyrics, which have won the hearts of audiences worl......
Univox Choir in Perth - theHumm June 2024
St Paul’s United Church is happy to host Univox Choir from Toronto again this summer. On Friday, June 21 at 8pm they will present The Beauty of a Summer Night, where the harmonies of the season will come alive.
Experience a dynamic range of emotions as the choir weaves through upbeat, invigorating pieces that emulate the vibrancy of summer. Feel the energy as the music uplifts and energizes with powerful, rhythmic melodies that resonate with the joy of the season. Then, as the night deep......
Blue Skies Jamathon - theHumm June 2024
Once a year the Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra invites musicians of the area to come to an all-day “Jamathon” fundraiser where they can play along with each of the three Fiddle Orchestra groups and share their own tunes as well. Musicians are asked to gather pledges for their participation, and all funds raised are used to support the orchestra as it continues to provide low-cost music education, instrument rental, and celebration of community and music. All ages and levels of abi......
EcoFest Westport Returns - theHumm June 2024
By — Jayne Walker joined the Better Together Circle when she retired from teaching, to do what she can for a healthy future for all children.
In the spirit of “it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness”, we anticipate that Lockwood Park will be ablaze with enthusiasm on June 8 from 10am to 3pm for the second annual EcoFest Westport: Celebrating Connection. Proudly organized by the Better Together Circle (BTC), please join us for this uplifting event located at 37 Spring Street in Westport.
With the often-negative information in the mainstream media these days, it’s difficult to feel that anything we can do matters. The critical piece we want to highlight is that, at the local level, hundreds of people, org......
Almonte Celtfest — Back with Big Energy! - theHumm June 2024
Mark your calendars and tell your friends — Almonte Celtfest is returning to Gemmill Park for a fine weekend of family-friendly entertainment from July 5–7.
All the way from Newfoundland, Rum Ragged will be kicking the festival off, with special guest Mariner’s Curse, on Friday, July 5. Tickets for opening night are $30, and are available through Tickets Please (TicketsPlease.ca, 485–6434) and at the gate. And what an opening night it will be! Rum Ragged has made a name for themselves ......
Presenting a Stupendous Selection of Summer Art Events - theHumm June 2024
CPAWS Fundraising Art Show
The Valley Artisans’ Gallery is honoured to be the premier gallery of choice for the Ottawa Valley chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS-OV) Fundraising Art Show.
Closing the Gap, Algonquin Park to Dumoine River Fundraising Art Show supports CPAWS-OV efforts at trail building and conservation actions. The opening ceremonies take place on Saturday, June 8 from 10am to 5:30pm on the grounds of the Valley Artisans’ Ga......
Summer Night Market Almonte is the Destination on June 20 - theHumm June 2024
Destination Almonte enthusiastically invites everyone to come out to their Summer Solstice Night Market, taking place on Thursday, June 20 from 5–9pm. Shops in downtown Almonte will be open late, with live musical performers at the top and bottom of Mill Street. You’ll also find sidewalk sales, vendor pop-ups, street treats, and lots of small-town fun. This is a wonderful way to visit all your favourite shopping and dining destinations in the friendly town!
2024 Pops Concerts - theHumm June 2024
The Perth Citizens’ Band, Canada’s oldest continuing town band, is preparing for the 2024 season of its annual Summer/Fall Pops Concert Series. These concerts in the downtown core have been a tradition of the band for well over 100 years. The concerts feature a variety of music ranging from classical, Broadway and movie themes to jazz, blues and other popular forms; a bit of music for all tastes and ages. In addition, conductor Brian Tackaberry includes heritage pieces from the band’s hist......
Pride… and Beyond! - theHumm June 2024
Pride 2024 in Lanark County is evolving into an amazing time. And this year’s Pride has extended beyond the traditional month of June to well into the fall.
This year, the Lanark County Wide Pride committee (a collaboration of Pride in Mississippi Mills, Carleton Place Pride, Smiths Falls Pride and Queer Connection Lanark) chose “Free to be… You & Me” as their theme — acknowledging the continued struggle of each us to be who we are.
The full schedule of events can be found in the ad on this page, but everyone is encouraged to follow Lanark County Wide Pride on Facebook and to ......
Curds And Cooks - theHumm June 2024
Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 29 from 11am to 6pm, and plan to celebrate local food, drink, and international music at Back Forty’s 7th annual Curds and Cooks festival.
In addition to Back Forty’s world-class sheep cheeses, this year’s festival will showcase multiple artisan food producers from the area. Sample and shop handmade chocolate, pies, preserves and more. Enjoy the renowned beer-battered deep fried Back Forty curds, and then refresh your palate with a local......
MERA Turns 25! - theHumm June 2024
The MERA Schoolhouse (McDonalds Corners/Elphin Recreation & Arts) is celebrating 25 years of artists in action!
Serving the hamlets of McDonalds Corners and Elphin as well as visitors to the area, MERA’s formation in 1999 brought a vibrant cultural centre to an area that previously had little arts programming and few recreational activities. MERA now hosts about 250 events throughout the year in the small Schoolhouse. People come from as far as Ottawa and Kings......
The Perils of Persephone Farming and Politics Collide at Studio Theatre - theHumm June 2024
By Jane Stott
Best known as the playwright behind the Wingfield series of one-man shows, Dan Needles grew up in Toronto and on his family’s farm in Rosemont, Ontario. The Perils of Persephone is his satirical look at 1989 farming and politics in this province. Worrying about global warming, the possibility of losing the century-old family farm, and concerns about where the next landfill will be located are part and parcel of this comedy with a serious underbelly.
Award-winning director and e......
A Medieval Market at Art in the Garden - theHumm June 2024
Let’s start by saying that Kiwi Gardens is a wonder to visit any day of the year. The gardens are spectacular, well thought out and tended with care. It’s a nursery like no other, with enchanting pathways through the woods, show gardens, and over 1,000 varieties of perennials for sale. One visitor called it “a gardener’s dream.” Owner Paul Loiselle is a passionate horticulturalist, and his energy and vision are the driving forces. Kiwi Gardens has been growing perennials for 40 years.
So......
Maggie’s Getting Married atThe Station Theatre - theHumm June 2024
Maggie’s Getting Married, the hilarious play by Norm Foster, will be on at the Station Theatre in Smiths Falls this June. This comedy about family and the tensions that come from a whirlwind wedding features a fantastic cast of characters and constant laughs.
Just returning from the wedding rehearsal, everybody has an opinion about Maggie and Russell (Josie Diepitro and Jesse Gibson). The Duncan family kitchen becomes the hub where each member of the family ge......
Home & Garden Tour CFUW Perth & District Tour Features Stunning Homes and Gardens - theHumm June 2024
Get ready to immerse yourself in a day of historic architecture and charming town and country garden retreats at CFUW Perth and District’s Home and Garden Tour.
“Our inaugural event offers you a full-day journey through captivating homes and gardens nestled in and around town, each showcasing the talents of our creative community,” says Home & Garden Tour chair Nancy Chevrier.
Each $30 ticket “gives guests a wonderful opportunity to enjoy these properties while contributing to a......
A Planet is a Poem Author Amanda West Lewis Shoots for the Stars and Succeeds — Enchantingly! - theHumm June 2024
By John Pigeau
“A planet is a poem,” Amanda West Lewis writes, in the opening pages of her latest book. “A poem is a planet.”
In A Planet Is a Poem, West Lewis’s ninth book, she makes a good case for why this is so.
“Actually, planetary scientists are some of the most poetic people around,” she notes. “They need to describe our solar system, but what they’ve discovered is so incredible, it’s almost impossible to find the words. So they try to capture your imagination using images and ......
The Seasonal Flower Movement - theHumm June 2024
By David Hinks
Do you love cut flowers? Are you concerned about the carbon footprint of flowers flown half-way around the globe? Do you really need cut flowers twelve months of the year?
Welcome to the seasonal flower movement! I was intrigued by an article in the May 4 Globe and Mail titled Taking Root. It featured female entrepreneurs who are starting flower farms on acreages of a quarter of an acre or less. It reported that hundreds of flower farms are sprouting up across North America, almost all femal......
Invasion of theCute Kind - theHumm June 2024
By Glenda Jones
I’m locked in battle with a chipmunk. The thing is so darn cute with its bright little eyes, straight-up tail, and bossy little chatter. I don’t know if it’s sharing the space under the front porch with the garter snake family that lives there or if it evicted the snakes, but it’s made itself a veritable mansion I think. And NO, I’m not crawling in there to inspect!
It’s really good at evading the dogs, running into the drainpipe when it’s threatened. Diva has trampled the peony, ripped out t......
Celebrate Canada Dayin Mississippi Mills! - theHumm June 2024
Spend your 2024 Canada Day and Canada Day Eve in Mississippi Mills! With activities for all ages in Almonte and Pakenham, you will not run out of things to do. Kick off your celebrations in Pakenham on Canada Day Eve as the Pakenham branch of the Royal Bank hosts their annual BBQ, beginning at 4:30pm. At 6pm, go to the Stewart Community Centre for kids’ activities, including bouncy castles and face painting by the Mississippi Mills Youth Centre, while the parade floats line up.
The parade will start at 7pm sharp with a variety of Canada Day themed floats. Following the parade, head t......
Writing Fundamentals - theHumm June 2024
Almonte Readers & Writers (ARW) is getting into the fundamentals, with community events and educational opportunities for readers and writers scheduled throughout June.
On Wednesday, June 12, at Equator Coffee in Almonte starting at 6:30pm, ARW presents a conversation with author Margaret Macpherson about the themes of her new book Tracking the Caribou Queen: Memoir of a Settler Girlhood (2022, NeWest Press) — an honest and challenging account about her formative years in Yellowknife in the ’60s and ’70s. In her book, Margaret takes a sustained look at her own white privileg......
How to Electrify Your Life and Home - theHumm June 2024
By Sue Brandum
Climate Network Lanark seems to have recognized a pressing need! We had a sold-out crowd for our residential Solar Workshop at the end of April. And we’re all glowing from the phenomenal response to our full day Electrify Lanark Forum, accidentally scheduled for the long weekend! Despite that (it’s what happens when you make your plans in the depths of winter), we drew fabulous participants from across the whole of Eastern Ontario, from Peterborough through Ottawa and Kingston and through to the far......
Because of You… Commemorating and Celebrating the Work to End Violence Against Women - theHumm June 2024
What Now, Lanark County is on the road again and sponsoring a bus trip from Lanark County to Barry’s Bay on Friday, June 28. This event features a discussion by notable panelists Pamela Cross, Kirsten Mercer and Erin Lee, focusing on the work done, ongoing efforts, and future initiatives to end violence against women. It will culminate with a discussion and vigil at the stone pebble monument, a poignant tribute to the victims of gender-based violence.
The bus departs at 12:30pm fro......
The Early Reader Gets the Puppet Insider Tips About Adult-Only Shows at Puppets Up! - theHumm June 2024
By Rona Fraser
Here are some facts that regular Humm readers know:
Summers are busy in our small towns, so you had better check the Humm calendar’s Claiming Column before booking any trips. After all, when it comes to fantastic events, you want to be the one excitedly gushing about them, not the one glumly replying “Oh… I was out of town then…”
Reading theHumm as soon as it’s available helps you to remember that event you read about last issue but forgot to add to your schedule.
You h......
The Killaloe Craft Fair Save the Date for this Celebration of Music & Art - theHumm June 2024
Mark your calendars for an unforgettable experience at the Killaloe Craft Fair, taking place from August 9–11 in the enchanting natural amphitheatre of the Wilno Hills. This year’s fair promises to be a celebration of creativity, community and nature like no other.
For over five decades the Killaloe Craft Fair has been a beloved local staple, originating from the vibrant artistic community of the area. It has grown into a unique event that blends the best of art......
CP Legion Tattoo - theHumm June 2024
The sights and sounds of the Pipes and Drums and Highland Dancing will be returning to the Town of Carleton Place on Sunday, June 23 beginning at noon. This tribute to the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force will be held on the grounds adjoining the Captain A. Roy Brown Legion Branch 192 building located at 177 George Street.
The Royal Canadian Air Force Pipes and Drums from Ottawa will take part in the Tattoo again this year, and as an added attraction, the 75 & 742 Youth Air Cadets Squadrons Band Programs and Highland Dancers from the National Capital Region w......
Old School Bluegrass Camp - theHumm June 2024
The Ottawa Valley’s awesome Old School Bluegrass Camp oldschoolcamps.com is back and better than ever! This year’s week-long camp will feature a plethora of world-class bluegrass instructors teaching folks from all walks of life more about their bluegrass instruments and, more importantly, how to have a great time.
Local award-winning musicians Jenny Whiteley and Joey Wright have been organizing the camp for nine years now up i......
Rent a Bike in Carleton Place - theHumm June 2024
Carleton Place Tourism is excited to announce the return of its popular bike rental program at the Visitor Information Centre, located at 170 Bridge Street.
“We’re thrilled to once again offer this service to both residents and visitors looking to explore the town by bike,” says Tourism Coordinator Rachael Heleniak. “Cycling is a healthy and refreshing way to experience our historic downtown district, cycle-friendly businesses and scenic trails. An increasingly popular experience for day trippers!”
“Here in Carleton place, the renowned Trans Canada Trail and Ottawa Valley Recre......
Call Me Crazy An Interview with Patrick John Mills - theHumm June 2024
In advance of his solo show Call Me Crazy, Arnprior artist Patrick John Mills sent in this interview about his art, his background and his distinctive venue.
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Patrick John Mills, and I am an abstract painter and poet. Having painted for more than 30 years now, I’m fortunate to have my work featured in collections around the world. I’m also the owner of the Art Factory in Renfrew, Ontario. In 2016, I bought an old 10,384 square-foot......
Be a Home Hospice North Lanark Hero! - theHumm June 2024
By Wendy O’Keefe
Wondering what happened to the Home Hospice North Lanark (HHNL) Spring Auction this year? Short of volunteers, and knowing that our local businesses get asked for a lot, we decided not to do it this year. But we still need to raise at least the $20,000 that the Auction brought in last year.
We’re experiencing phenomenal growth — at the end of our last fiscal year, we had served 108 clients, and are tracking higher this year. Most people will benefit from services such as ours someday. That’s just a fact. Perhaps we’ve helped a family member or friend.
Why are we launching our HHNL Hero......
Friends of the Mississippi Mills Library Auction A Summer Supply of Fabulous Fours - theHumm June 2024
By Glenda Jones
Here’s your chance to stock up on exclusive offers for summer and beyond! The Friends of the Mississippi Mills Public Library online auction opens for bidding on June 10 with over 70 items o......
The Silver Chain Challenge Returns This June - theHumm June 2024
Lace up your sneakers and pump up your bike tires: the annual Silver Chain Challenge is back for June 2024! This exciting month-long event invites participants from Lanark County and Renfrew......
Jun 1 - 2 Red Trillium Studio Tour
Jun 2 Book launch with Amanda West Lewis
Jun 2 Live! @ the Library Featuring CR5 Bluegrass
Jun 2 Meet the Artists
Jun 6 Family Paint Party: Paint Nite
Jun 7 Franc van Oort: New Watercolours Opening Night
Jun 7 Franc van Oort: New Watercolours Opening Night
Jun 7 Amanda Keeley Trio
Jun 8 AGH Run/Walk for Women's and Newborn Health
Jun 8 Psychic Tea Party Perth
- Cheryl Babineau — An Artist Takes Flight
- Motown Dance Party A Fundraiser for Perth’s Stewart Park Festival
- A Multicultural Potluckon Mill Street
- Celebrating Summer Solstice
- Memorial Installation Ceremony Honouring Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQTIA+
- Sherman Downey’s East-Coast Sounds
- Univox Choir in Perth
- Blue Skies Jamathon
- EcoFest Westport Returns
- Almonte Celtfest — Back with Big Energy!
