Ten things to do in Durham on June 4 and 5

DurhamRegion.com,
Oshawa This Week,
June 2 2016

DURHAM — Music, walking and water are highlights on this weekend’s list.

The 48th annual Canoe the Nonquon is Ontario’s longest-running canoe race. It’s a June 4 paddle down the Nonquon River and into Lake Scugog, sanctioned by OMCKRA. Register on June 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. and June 4 from 7 to 10 a.m. Note the new start time and location. Boats may enter the water any time between 8 and 10:30 a.m. The race start line is on Scugog Line 12 between Old Simcoe Road and Simcoe Street (Regional Road 2). The cost is $50 per canoe or kayak. E-mail museum@scugog.ca or call 905-985-8698 for info — and don’t forget your life-jacket!

The Durham Girls’ Choir presents its annual year-end concert, Seasons of Love, on June 4 at 7 p.m. at Rehoboth Christian Reformed Church, 130 Scugog St., Bowmanville. Tickets are $15 at the door.

Back in Scugog, Roy Orbison — Shades of Yesterday is June 4 at 8 p.m. at Town Hall 1873, 302 Queen St., Port Perry. The show celebrates the life and music of the musician blessed with an incredible voice, featuring tribute artist Bernie Jessome backed by the Memphis Cats band. Tickets are $36, available at www.townhall1873.ca or by calling 905-985-8181.

In the south, Pickering Village United Church, 300 Church St. N., Ajax, holds a yard sale and barbecue with more than 15 vendors offering everything from plants to used clothing. And peameal bacon and other goodies will be cooking on the barbecue. It’s on June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A little further west, the Pickering Swim Club’s Last Gasp Swim Meet is free to attend on June 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pickering Recreation Complex, 1867 Valley Farm Rd. S., Pickering.

Also in Pickering and also water related, the Pickering Dragon Boat Festival is June 4 and 5 in Bruce Hanscombe Memorial Park (Frenchman’s Bay west shore). Athletes from across the province and south of the border are competing on the bay in races ranging from recreational to highly competitive. Visit www.pdbc.ca/festival/festival to learn more.

In Whitby, the Ontario Nature Youth Council, with special guest Kim Wheatley, is restoring pollinator-friendly habitat to support and bring awareness to declining wild pollinators on June 4 from 10 a.m. to noon at St. John’s Anglican Church, 150 Victoria St. The event is part of the Ontario Nature Youth Council’s Our Special Spaces initiative to promote student involvement in local environmental issues. It’s a youth-led initiative but all ages are welcome. Volunteers should bring a reusable water bottle, closed-toe shoes, a small shovel or trowel, gardening gloves, a hat and/or sunscreen. Contact Sarah at sarahh@ontarionature.org or 416-444-8419, ext. 24 for information.

Walk A Mile In Her Shoes is Durham’s annual men’s walk against domestic violence. It’s June 4 from 10:30 a.m. to noon in downtown Bowmanville, 98 King St. W. The walk increases awareness of domestic violence in Durham, raises funds to support services provided by Bethesda House women’s shelter and celebrates the “Good Guys” in Durham. For info on the all-ages event, contact Bethesda House at Bethesdahouse1@rogers.com or 905-623-6045.

One more in Scugog: jazz vocalist Lynn McDonald presents the Gabriel Palatchi Trio on June 5 at 7 p.m. upstairs at Jester’s Court, 279 Queen St., Port Perry. Tickets are $15. E-mail McDonald at lynn@lynnmcdonaldjazz.com or call 289-354-1140.

Also on June 5, go on a Downtown Walking Tour in Oshawa from noon to 2 p.m., departing from the Oshawa Public Library’s McLaughlin Branch, 65 Bagot St. Join Oshawa museum staff on a stroll down the streets of Oshawa, sharing stories new and old, including plane crashes and jewelry heists. The cost is $5; free for Oshawa Historical Society members.