Hey, neighbour 👋

We picked a good week to come back.

When The Grapevine went quiet, Sunset Beach was heading behind construction fencing. This week, the fences came down.

Indigenous art has also found new homes in everyday public spaces, Port Dalhousie has a market by the harbour, and a very social hound in Welland needs a home.

And because Canada Day arrives before our next Thursday issue, our region-wide guide to celebrations across all 12 Niagara municipalities is now live. You’ll find the link a little further down.

We missed doing this. Let’s get into it.

When we last wrote about Sunset Beach, it was closing for redevelopment. This Monday, the fences came down.

The $6.9-million rebuild adds a new boat ramp, playground, paved trails, shoreline protection and roughly 185 parking spaces.

Some landscaping is still settling in, so expect finishing work - and possibly soft road closures around Arthur Street when summer traffic gets ambitious.

Parking is $3.25 an hour or $20 for the day. Drivers with accessible parking permits receive three free hours.

The towels and sand toys are back.
Your parking strategy remains a personal matter.

👉 Check the beach and parking details →

For more than 550 local families, the end of the school year also came with groceries for the summer ahead.

DSMAH Children’s Charity organized a two-hour giveaway at the Armenian Community Centre for families connected to eight local elementary schools. According to the charity, roughly $80,000 worth of groceries was distributed with support from Open Arms Mission, Second Harvest and CityServe.

The dollar figure shows the scale. The family count shows why it mattered.

👉 Read the full community story →

These works are not tucked away in a gallery. They are meeting people at the library, inside a community space and in the middle of ordinary errands.

Kristen Monture’s Sacred Waters is at Harmony on West in Port Colborne. A work by Woodland Cree artist Alicia-Lynn Morin hangs at Wainfleet Public Library, while Red River Métis artist Deb Malcolm’s Spirits of the Carolinian is at the Maple Acre library branch in Fenwick.

A fourth mural is planned for Fort Erie once a location is selected, extending the project into another everyday public space.

👉 Meet the artists and find the murals →

🎷 Bossa Nova in the Vines — Brazilian jazz, local wine and a summer evening between the vineyard rows.
📍 Reif Estate Winery, Niagara-on-the-Lake | 🕑 6–10 PM | 💵 $31.64–$64.36
👉 Get tickets →

🎤 Air Supply — five decades of soft-rock favourites, with a second Niagara Falls show Saturday night.
📍 OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino, Niagara Falls | 🕑 Fri. and Sat. at 9 PM | 💵 Ticketed
👉 Check ticket availability →

⚽ Fan Zone by the Falls — World Cup matches shown on two giant outdoor screens in Queen Victoria Park.
📍 Queen Victoria Park, Niagara Falls | 🕑 Daily, 11 AM–11 PM | 💵 Free
👉 See the Fan Zone details →

🌮 Port Dalhousie Foodie Fest & Summer Market — food vendors, sweet treats, handmade goods and a live DJ beside the harbour.
📍 Port Dalhousie Lions Club, 201 Main St., St. Catharines | 🕑 11 AM–5 PM | 💵 Free
👉 See the market details →

🥾 Hike & Help: Glen Cleanup — a guided Niagara Glen outing combining litter removal with invasive-species spotting, with outings Saturday and Sunday.
📍 Niagara Glen, 132 Niagara Pkwy., Niagara Falls | 🕑 Sat. and Sun., 1–3 PM | 💵 Free; registration required
👉 Reserve a spot →

🎻 Niagara Youth Orchestra — young local musicians bring a free afternoon concert to Queenston Heights.
📍 Queenston Heights Park, Niagara-on-the-Lake | 🕑 2–4 PM | 💵 Free
👉 See the concert details →

🎸 Revolver & Friends — classic-rock favourites and an easygoing Sunday set at the Ridgeway Legion.
📍 Ridgeway Legion, 228 S. Mill St., Ridgeway | 🕑 4–8 PM
👉 See the show details →

Canada Day arrives Wednesday, one day before our next issue, and Niagara has no shortage of places to spend it.

We checked all 12 Niagara municipalities and gathered the confirmed celebrations into one guide, including fireworks, live music, family activities, parking and transit details.

Thorold starts two days early. Niagara Falls splits its daytime festival and fireworks between two locations. St. Catharines has two parks in play. Port Colborne’s finale may have to wait for a ship.

👉 Explore our complete Canada Day Across Niagara guide →

Tide & Vine gives seafood plans two possible endings.

You can sit down at the Oyster House for shucked-to-order oysters, Canadian seafood and house-ground burgers. Or stop next door at its Fish Market for fresh fish, prepared meals, cooking kits, platters and takeout to bring home.

That restaurant-and-market pairing is the useful part: date night, dinner pickup and the answer to “what are we cooking?” all share one address.

There is also a weekday happy-hour offer of $2 Shucker’s Choice oysters from 3 to 5 PM with the purchase of a drink.

A few oysters now. Tomorrow’s dinner handled on the way out.

📍 3491 Portage Rd., Niagara Falls
👉 Browse the menus or reserve a table →

Scooby Doo is seven months old, full of puppy energy and very interested in being wherever the people are.

The Welland Shelter describes this white-and-sable hound mix as social, affectionate and playful. He is working on basic cues like “sit,” gets along well with other dogs and may benefit from a confident older dog.

The shelter says Scooby may suit a home with children, canine company and people ready for an active young dog. His housetraining status is unknown, so there will likely be some homework involved.

Less mystery-solving. More leash walks, training treats (scooby snacks) and one friendly work in progress.

👉 Meet Scooby Doo and apply to adopt →

Late June gives the day a second shift.

Dinner is done, but the sky is still bright over the canal. There is time for a walk by the water, an ice-cream run, a drive toward the lake or ten quiet minutes on the porch before the streetlights take over.

At 8:47 PM, the dishes lose the argument.

For a few weeks, evening feels like an extra hour slipped into the schedule. Take the walk. The dishes will still be there when the streetlights come on.

Got something from your corner of Niagara that belongs in next week’s issue? Hit reply and spill the grapes.

Until next Thursday,

🍇 Ian & The Grapevine Team

Locally sourced. Lightly stirred.

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