This week we have lots going on both in Markham and in surrounding areas! Concerts, art exhibitions, online workshops and lectures, live theatre, outdoor movies, walks, waterfront festival and even a bird-watching tour! Of course, as we launch into the fall season we begin to showcase the area’s fall festivals where pumpkins rule the show! Scroll down to find out What’s On in Markham – Sept 15th – 21st. Have fun this week!
Concert Sundays – Bandstand Unionville – Sept 18th – 5pm
This week the award-winning Colombus Concert Band is coming to Unionville Bandstand! Proudly placing Platinum in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 Kiwanis Festival of Toronto, and placing Second in the OMFA 2017 Provincial Finals Recorded Competition this band is well worth coming out to hear!
For more details click here. Price: FREE
Varley Art Gallery Fall 2022 Exhibition Opening – Sept 17th – 2pm
Join artists Chun Hua Catherine Dong and Don Kwan, and curators Tara Ng and Anik Glaude, for the launch of the gallery’s fall exhibitions.
Chun Hua Catherine Dong brings together two major performance and photographic series by the Chinese-born, Montreal-based artist—Skin Deep (2014–20) and I Have Been There (2015–ongoing)—along with a selection of recent VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality), and 3D-printed works that address themes of diaspora, gender, and belonging. Dong reinterprets traditional Chinese symbols and practices to explore her hybrid cultural identity, navigate her ambivalent relationship to her homeland, and challenge social binaries and stereotypes.
Refracting the Lens is a two part exhibition marking the gallery’s 25th anniversary. This second iteration showcases new acquisitions and signals new directions in how we approach the work we do. Museums and art galleries are changing. Collections are no longer seen as repositories of historical artefacts, but as living and breathing chapters in ever-evolving narratives. We invite you to consider these narratives and push beyond those that have already been written.
As a way to extend the exhibition Refracting the Lens beyond the gallery walls, the gallery has commissioned Don Kwan to create a temporary mural on the exterior façade of the gallery. A third-generation Chinese Canadian, Don Kwan turns to his own experiences and challenges as a gay, East Asian artist in order to ground himself in broader conversations about identity, representations, and intergenerational memory-making in the diaspora. Quiet Resistance, Reclaiming Space consists of a series of photographs taken in a range of Canadian landscapes, each framed by a traditional Chinese lantern panel. By inserting himself into these environments, Kwan seeks to reclaim space and dismantle narratives of racism and homophobia.
For more details/registration click here. Price: FREE
Brass Transit – Flato Markham Theatre – Sept 16th
Eight of Canada’s most in-demand musicians and singers are the premiere interpreters of the great jazz-rock group, Chicago. Brass Transit’s dynamic, crowd-pleasing, studio-tight tribute includes all the hits from Chicago’s golden age. Hits like “Saturday In The Park,” “25 or 6 To 4,” “If You Leave Me Now,” “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day,” and “Beginnings” have left crowds in awe, evoking multiple standing ovations and comments like “Spine-Tingling!” “Brought me back to my youth!” and “Perfect in every detail.” With a world-class horn section, a rocking rhythm section and vocals stacked sky-high, Brass Transit transports audiences back to the freewheeling days of the seventies.
For more details click here. Price: from $15
Reesor’s Corn Maze & Pick Your Own Pumpkins – Sept 15th – Oct 30th
Reesor’s Corn Maze and Pick Your Own Pumpkin fields are open. The maze and pyo pumpkin field will be open from Thursdays to Saturdays in September and Tuesdays to Saturdays in October.
Located at: 10825 9th Line, Markham
Children are welcome with one supervising adult for every three children.
For more details click here. Price: from $3.50
Loup Garou & Moccasins: A Story in Multi-Mediums Exhibition – Sept 2nd-Oct 29th
Latcham Art Centre in Whitchurch-Stouffville launches a solo exhibition by Nathalie Bertin, entitled Loup Garou & Moccasins: A Story in Multi-Mediums. The exhibition is on view from Friday, September 2, through Saturday, October 29, 2022. Loup Garou & Moccasins: A Story in Multi-Mediums is a diverse collection of paintings, photographs and mixed-media beaded sculptures by Bonfield-based, Franco-Métis artist Nathalie Bertin. The exhibition combines personal stories from the artist’s life and upbringing, centred within a larger, ongoing context of negotiating identity that Métis communities have had to process and resolve for centuries.
The exhibition pauses on different aspects of Bertin’s life, starting with early-learned stories and tales expressed through the creation of moccushions. These sculptures use beadwork, silk embroidery, quills, fish scales, and other materials to acknowledge meticulous Métis craftwork and other traditional designs relevant to the artist’s upbringing. On the surrounding gallery walls, paintings and short photo essays tell stories of Bertin’s life so far, including reflections on her growth, ancestors, and her thoughts and dreams.
For more details click here. Price: FREE
Kids Financial Literacy Workshop – Sept 17th – 11am
EXPLORER HOP is a federally funded non-profit organization as the leader in Financial Literacy for Kids and Adults. Join us for a Free Seminar where we teach skills to empower your child at home. All participants will get Free Trial Lessons and Coupons to build their Money Management skills!
For more details click here. Price: FREE
Family Sundays Bring the Drama – Sept 18th – 11am-4pm
A special Sunday for families that love the passion of live theatre. Offered in partnership with TIFTPA, The Institute For The Performing Arts, join us for improvisation and musical theatre workshops designed for all ages. The highlight of the day will be a spirited performance of Robin Hood by Dufflebag Theatre.
Art activities and workshops from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Performances at 2 pm
McMichael Canadian Art Collection – 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg.
For more details click here. Price: FREE
Richmond Hill Moonlight Movies – Sept 19th – 8pm
Instead of another Netflix night at home, pack up your family, blankets, camp chairs and some snacks, and join us at a park near you on select Mondays in August and September for an opportunity to watch a blockbuster or local film production. Be sure to arrive early to secure a spot! Moonlight Movies events will take place rain or shine.
Silver Stream Park – 8pm or sunset
Animated Short – Stories are in our Bones
Feature Film – Dino Dana The Movie
For more details click here. Price: FREE
Senior Stroll – Changing Seasons – Claremont Conservation Area – Sept 15th – 10am – 11.30am
Join the TRCA for a walk through Claremont Conservation Area! We will discover how things are changing in the forest! Learn about how the trees and animals change as they get ready for fall.
This will be an hour and a half walk along a paved path/road at a reasonable pace.
Meet at the gates off Concession 7 just west off Westney Road (Click here for the map).
Cancellation policy: The event will run rain or shine, but will be cancelled if there is a greater than 70% chance of thunderstorm or other hazardous weather. Registrants will be emailed by 8:00am on the morning of the event if there is a cancellation.
For more details click here. Price: FREE
Online Lecture: A History of Toy Trains – Sept 15th – 7pm
Join the Toronto Railway Museum from the comfort of your own home for “A History of Toy Trains: An ‘O’ Gauge Perspective” on September 15 (7pm EST).
Discover the beginnings and early history of toy trains made in Britain, Europe and the United States, and how manufacturers marketed trains for Canada. Presenters will delve into the evolution of toy trains, from pull toys to simple clockwork mechanisms and beautifully decorated tinplate lithography, to the well-engineered mechanical marvels of the early 1900’s.
The appeal of mechanical electric toy trains exploded in the Post WWII era, and the Golden Age of popularity was the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. After a generation of decline, the toy trains of today are enjoying an unprecedented resurgence, as manufacturers are now making modern remote-controlled electronic marvels, with full sounds and effects recorded from real steam and diesel locomotives. The session will close with a look at the toy trains of today.
For more details click here. Price: FREE
Bird Watching at the Aga Khan Museum – Sept 18th
In collaboration with the Toronto Ornithological Club, enjoy a morning full of birds, nature, and art as you take flight on a unique birdwatching excursion and Museum exhibition tour!
During this special 4-hour program, you will learn about the importance of the annual fall migration of birds in Toronto during a guided nature and birdwatching walk led by ornithology specialist, Mark Peck, and naturalist, biologist, and science educator, Emily Rondel. Continue your morning at the Museum with a light breakfast and a guided tour of our new Birds gallery rotation by Associate Curator Bita Pourvash and the Museum’s Education team. On this tour, you will learn about the wonders of the avian world and the significance and symbolism of birds in Islamic art.
Please note:
- Families and seniors are welcome
- Strollers can be accommodated
- Due to the nature of the pathways, there may be limitations for mobility devices
- For more details click here. Price: $60
Redpath Waterfront Festival – HTO Park and Sugar Beach Toronto – Sept 17th & 18th
The Redpath Waterfront Festival (RWF) will celebrate the last weekend of summer by featuring unique on-land and on-water programs including Parks Canada, the Royal Canadian Navy and Theodore TOO Tugboat.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS:
● See an exciting lineup of local talent on the RBCxMusic Stage in HTO Park and the Bayside Village Stage in Sugar Beach.
● Say ‘Toot Toot’ to Theodore TOO Tugboat, the 65-foot working replica of the original TV character.
● Visit the Parks Canada team to learn about protecting the ocean and snap a selfie with their giant inflatable Beaver.
● Meet the Royal Canadian Navy crew and learn about what it takes to be a sailor.
● Enjoy interactive cultural activities with Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Moccasin Identifier and Indigenous Tourism Ontario.
● Enjoy delicious eats from local food trucks at the Billy Bishop Airport Picnic Lounge.
For more details click here. Price: FREE
Pingles Harvest Festival – Sept 10th – Oct 30th
Enjoy fun for all ages while you navigate through our Alice in Wonderland 6.5 acre corn maze, have some farm-tastic fun in our playland, take in the farm views on a wagon ride, & pick-your-own apples & pumpkins.
End your experience in our entertainment area, where we’ll be offering a full dine-in menu, featuring things like our Beef’d Up Double Cheese Burger, Chunky Chilli Poutine & Triple Decker Grilled Cheese, live music & picnic table seating.
Finish it all off with our signature apple pie funnel cake, an over-the-top hot drink, or an adult libation!
During the week (Tuesday – Thursday) enjoy a more peaceful experience, when only our apple orchards are open.
• Secret Agent Corn Maze (6.5 Acres)
• Mini Corn Maze (for toddlers)
• Pingle’s Playland
• Wagon Rides
• Pick-Your-Own Apples
• Pick-Your-Own Pumpkins (Oct only)
• Fall Inspired Menu, including everything from pizza & brisket to fried apples!
• Live Music
• The Thirsty Goat Bar
• Pingle’s Coffee Shacks (multiple locations)
For more details click here. Price: $10-$76