Good morning, neighbour. 👋

Yesterday, Niagara had plans. The weather made revisions.

A severe thunderstorm warning brought lightning, heavy rain and the risk of damaging winds across the region. Welland cancelled its evening Concerts on the Canal show and Canada Day fireworks, while St. Catharines paused its Montebello Park celebration before reopening the gates and resuming programming at 7:30 p.m.

We updated our Canada Day guide as official notices arrived. Thanks to everyone who checked before heading out - and to the municipal and event crews making difficult calls while the sky was doing its best impression of a badly supervised drum kit.

This morning, the calendar is trying again.

Toronto hosts its sixth and final World Cup match tonight, with Portugal and Croatia meeting at 7 p.m. in the Round of 32.

One team goes home. Several people who learned the offside rule last week will explain why with great confidence.

Around Niagara, the weekend brings art beside the lake, history along the canal, a big top, one enormous bouncing duck, cherries, basketball, theatre, fireworks and enough Sunday music to carry you well past dinner.

Tuesday handled what changed. Today handles where to go.

In today’s Grapevine:

Let’s get into it.

— Ian

More than 80 artists and makers fill Queen’s Royal Park with painting, photography, jewellery, pottery and original work.

Meanwhile, Lake Ontario has once again agreed to handle the backdrop.

📍 Queen’s Royal Park, Niagara-on-the-Lake
🕙 Friday–Sunday, 10 AM–5 PM
💵 Free

👉 See the Artistry by the Lake details →

Firemen’s Park has made room for a temporary resident of considerable size: a sprawling duck-themed inflatable park with three-hour admission blocks.

📍 Firemen’s Park, 2275 Dorchester Rd., Niagara Falls
🕙 Daily, 10 AM–8 PM
💵 Tickets from $28.99 plus tax; anti-slip socks required

👉 See tickets and visitor details →

Museum staff lead a 90-minute walk through West Street’s early industries and the canal-side community that grew around them.

It is the kind of local history that tends to hide in plain sight until someone points at the right building.

📍 West Street, Port Colborne
🕙 10 AM
💵 Suggested minimum donation of $10; advance registration required

👉 Register for the West Street walking tour →

Fiddlestix brings country and Celtic rock to the waterfront, with food vendors and outdoor games beginning before the concert.

📍 H.H. Knoll Lakeview Park, Port Colborne
🕕 Pre-show at 6 PM; concert at 7 PM
💵 Free; food or cash donations to Port Cares encouraged

👉 See the community concert details →

The Great Benjamins Circus brings acrobats, aerial acts and other live circus performances to Welland for five shows beneath the big top.

A routine trip to the mall is about to become considerably less routine.

📍 Seaway Mall parking lot, 800 Niagara St., Welland
🕙 Friday at 7 PM; Saturday at 1, 4 & 7 PM; Sunday at 1 PM
💵 Ticketed

👉 See showtimes and tickets →

Old Town’s annual cherry celebration returns with fruit, food and community tables on the grounds of St. Mark’s.

If cherries are the main event for you, earlier is better. Niagara’s cherry season has never been one for lingering.

📍 St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Niagara-on-the-Lake
🕘 9 AM–2 PM
💵 Free admission; purchases extra

👉 See the Cherry Festival details →

Vintage cars, hot rods, tuners, motorcycles and electric vehicles gather at Niagara College alongside food vendors and family activities.

There should be something polished for every generation to stand beside and discuss.

📍 Niagara College Welland Campus, 100 Niagara College Blvd.
🕙 10 AM–2 PM
💵 Free for spectators; Sunday rain date

👉 See the car-show details →

🏀 River Lions vs. Ottawa BlackJacks

The River Lions host Ottawa on Trinidadian & Caribbean Culture Night - an indoor choice with a crowd, a scoreboard and no need to negotiate with the weather.

📍 Meridian Centre, St. Catharines
🕖 7 PM
💵 Ticketed

👉 See River Lions tickets →

The Two Nation Celebration closes Saturday with an extended fireworks display over Niagara Falls.

Holiday road closures are planned in the tourism core, so leave enough time to get settled before the sky takes over.

📍 Queen Victoria Park, Niagara Falls
🕙 Fireworks at 10 PM
💵 Free

👉 See the Two Nation Celebration details →

The Grove fills with local vendors, fresh produce and handmade goods - plus the familiar possibility of leaving with something you did not know you needed.

📍 The Grove, 4055 Erie Rd., Crystal Beach
🕙 10 AM–2 PM
💵 Free admission

👉 See the Sunday Market details →

Lakeside Park becomes a day-long stage for global music, with the carousel nearby and Lake Ontario just beyond the crowd.

Come for one set and there is a fair chance the afternoon makes other plans for you.

📍 Lakeside Park, Port Dalhousie
🕚 11 AM–9:30 PM
💵 Free Tickets

👉 See the final music schedule →

The Shaw Festival offers an indoor Sunday escape built around quick dialogue, theatrical invention and one very capable valet cleaning up another man’s mess.

📍 Court House Theatre, Niagara-on-the-Lake
🕐 1 PM
💵 Ticketed

👉 Check tickets for Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense →

The Andrew Collins Trio performs in Roselawn’s shaded gardens Sunday afternoon.

Bring a chair, settle under a tree and let the musicians make the case for staying awhile.

📍 Roselawn Centre, Port Colborne
🕐 1–3 PM
💵 Free

👉 See the Music on the Lawn details →

Niagara’s sweet-cherry season is short, weather-dependent and currently open at Duffin Appleworks.

Pick-your-own admission is $25 per person and includes a three-litre basket. Visitors have up to two hours to pick, and outside bags and coolers are not permitted in the orchard.

There is one especially useful detail: bring cash.

Limited internet service means arriving with a credit card and optimism will not get the job done.

The posted picking hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., weather and crop permitting. Call before making the drive, especially later in the day.

📍 Duffin Appleworks, 1541 Rice Rd., Fonthill
🕗 8 AM–8 PM, weather and crop permitting
💵 Free parking; $25 cash per person, including a three-litre basket
📞 905-892-5387

👉 Check the latest picking update →

Pick a day, check outdoor details before leaving and remember: cherries purchased at a festival do not count against cherries picked directly from a tree.

Those are separate categories.

See you Tuesday.

🍇 Ian
The Grapevine

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