Field Notes for Spring 2025

Lucky ducks

At the Grand Valley Duck Race on May 24, 4,000 numbered yellow rubber ducks bob their way down the Grand River to the finish line at Hereward Park. The first duck – yes, you can bet on which duck will win! — that makes it into a specially designed wooden chute wins the grand prize.

This fun event is one of Grand Valley’s biggest, and is sponsored by the Grand Valley Lions Club to raise funds for community projects. Early risers can join the pre-race breakfast at the Grand Valley Community Centre from 8 to 11 a.m. before heading to the river.

Major milestones

Orangeville’s independent bookstore darling, BookLore, celebrates “35 years of stories” this year. “I can’t believe it’s already been 35 years!” says owner Nancy Frater, who has been at the same location on First Street since the day she opened. “It’s truly been a thing of friendship and family.” Catch their upcoming Authors on Stage event at Theatre Orangeville on May 28, featuring British writer Robert Macfarlane, who will be discussing his new book, Is a River Alive?

Congratulations to the 2025 inductees into the Caledon Sports Hall of Fame, including triathlon coach Barrie Shepley, triathlon and Ironman champ Lisa Bentley, and pole vaulter Douglas Wood (who also coached one of our 2024 Local Heroes, Caledon East-based Olympic medallist Alysha Newman).

The Orangeville and District Horticultural Society is marking 55 years of beautifying the town’s gardens, including Kay Cee Gardens and Alexandra Park — plus two holding gardens where plants are grown and stored for their annual plant sale. Join the society to learn more about their upcoming events, garden tours, workshops and plant sales.

Mark your calendar

Hike for a compelling community stalwart at the annual Hike for Bethell Hospice event on May 4, starting at Inglewood’s Lloyd Wilson Centennial Arena. Register at hikeforbethellhospice.ca.

Creemore Springs Brewery hosts their annual Turas Mór bike ride on May 10 – expect hundreds of cyclists to ride through Creemore and the neighbouring countryside on one of four routes ranging from 20 km to 85 km. Turas Mór — Gaelic for “great journey” — invites riders to enjoy the charming town, beautiful views and, of course, cold beer at the après event.

Try your hand

Honour an animal spirit at the Celtic/Norse Zoomorphic Knotwork Workshop led by CJ Shelton at the Alton Mill Arts Centre on March 22. And at the Museum of Dufferin, enjoy a blast from the past with a Handwriting with Fountain Pens masterclass on April 12, followed by a Make Your Own Soap workshop on April 26.

On stage this spring

Tuck yourself into Bed and Breakfast, the tale of two city boys who inherit a historic property in a quiet tourist town, at Theatre Orangeville until March 30. April brings One Step at a Time, in which actor Andrew Prashad (who starred in The New Canadian Curling Club on the same stage in 2023) shares his inspiring story of juggling family medical issues and an acting career. And in May, you already know what the story’s going to be about with the tellingly named Norm Foster comedy, I’m in Love With Your Sister. 

Contemporary guitar group Quartet Malamatina, featuring Canadian Tim Beattie, performs as part of the Caledon Chamber Concerts on April 5 at St. James Anglican Church in Caledon East. 

Brampton On Stage presents Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, a jukebox musical in early April. The eye-popping Afrique en Cirque by Cirque Kalabanté hits the stage April 10, followed by the enchanting Rapunzel the Musical from Netherlands’ Theater Terra on April 22. 

Then, starting May 30, the beloved annual Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival descends on the town, bringing international-caliber musicians and singers to venues big and small. Watch for the schedule to be announced soon at orangevillebluesandjazz.ca.

Art shows bloom

The spring art season is underway! The Museum of Dufferin in Mulmur presents Life in the Country, a juried photography exhibition running until May 31, and showcases the work of 30 talented photographers — including In The Hills contributor Elaine Li — who find new ways of seeing rural life. 

Get a glimpse of another landscape entirely, Canada’s Arctic, through the lens of Inuk photographer Robert Kautuk with the A Daily Drive exhibit at the Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives, on from March 30 to September 7. Kautuk’s work also appears in Dark Ice, a joint exhibit with Leslie Reid focusing on climate change in the Arctic, also at PAMA from April 26 to September 7.

Catch photographer Peter Dušek’s crisp, stark landscapes, including his Free and Easy Wandering series at his gallery in Creemore. And a few doors away, artist David Constantino Salazar’s dreamy and delicate Forever Birds-Botanicals runs until March 24 at Gallery Lagom. Pop into the Alton Mill Art Centre’s Spring Open Studio Weekend April 26 and 27, and meet as many of the 25 in-house artists as possible. 

Spring planting

Get a jump on your gardening this year by stocking up at the annual Perennial Plant Sale at the Friendship Gardens at Headwaters Health Care Centre on May 31 which raises funds for the hospital and gardens.

Rally for a rink

The My Honeywood project raises funds to finish renovating the North Dufferin Community Centre, known locally as the Honeywood Arena. “Mulmur doesn’t really have a downtown at all, so this is the heart of the community,” explains Lisa Thompson, who along with James Godbold of Hill’N Dale Landscaping leads the fundraising committee. Visit myhoneywood.ca to donate and get a tax receipt from the Township of Mulmur.

Make a splash

Interested in learning to paddle? Island Lake Rowing Club’s annual Come and Try Rowing Day on June 7 is an open house for ages 11 and up to grab the oars for free with instruction from experienced rowers. Visit them at islandlakerowing.com to learn more.