The best news and events from around the Waterloo Region. Delivered Monday and Thursday mornings. For free.
π Weekend Plans, 1896 Fines & Wilbur
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January 1st, 2026 Happy New Year, Waterloo Region! Wishing you the very best start to 2026. Bit of a shorter one again due to the holiday, but we'll be back at it as normal on Monday. Hope you're keeping warm & there's some quite interesting 'random facts' today. In today's email:
Let's dive in π -Ross at Grand River Buzz WHAT'S HAPPENING General (Ongoing Events) βWinter Crafternoons | Schneider Haus, Kitchener | Sat, Jan. 3rd & Sun, Jan. 4th from 11am-4pm | "We will have multiple craft projects available each weekend, so come on down and enjoy some quality family time and tour our historic house in its coziest season!" βOntario Men's & Women's Curling Championships | Woolwich Memorial Centre, Elmira | Sun, Jan. 4th to Sun, Jan. 11th | "Kids 12 and under are free! Full event, weekend, single day and single draw passes available." Friday, January 2nd βLittle Elves in Training: Gingerbread Clay Ornament | TWB Brewing, Kitchener | 1pm | "Join us for a magical, hands-on holiday workshop where kids get to sculpt, decorate, and bring their very own gingerbread clay ornament to life." βMatthew James: Live | Block Three Brewing, St. Jacob's | 6pm | "Influenced by artists like Matt Maeson and Sam Fender, heβs found his voice in alternative and indie-pop/rock, crafting songs that explore themes of resilience and self-discovery." βMusical Bingo: Pop 2000-2020 | EVO Kitchen & Bar, Cambridge | 7pm | "From chart-topping anthems to unstoppable dance-floor classics, this Musical Bingo is packed with two decades of hits you definitely know and love!" βRusty Nail Comedy | TWH Social, Kitchener | 7:30pm | Headliner: Kyle Lucey βRed Hot Ramble | The Jazz Room, Waterloo | 8pm | "An irresistible blend of New Orleans soul and Canadian charm creates pure musical magic." Saturday, January 3rd βFamily Feud, Family Edition! | EVO Kitchen & Bar, Cambridge | 1pm | "This Family Edition is designed to be fun for kids, teens, and parents alike. No trivia knowledge needed β teams try to guess the most popular survey answers, making it easy, interactive, and hilarious for all ages!" βLiam Grier: Live | Block Three Brewing, St. Jacob's | 6pm | "Liam blends a unique concoction of soul, folk, & mellow grooves" βSidney Barnabi: Live | Rural Roots Brewery, Elmira | 7:30pm | "Join us on our heated patio for a cozy night of live music featuring Sidney Russell, along with father-and-son duo Ryder & Cliff Russell - bringing country, classic rock, and crowd-favourite acoustic hits." βRusty Nail Comedy | TWH Social, Kitchener | 7:30pm | Headliner: Kyle Lucey βQueen Kong | The Jazz Room, Waterloo | 8pm | "Queen Kong specializes in the performance of both traditional and original klezmer music. In April 2024, the band was awarded the βInstrumental Band of the Yearβ by the Canadian Folk Music Awards" Sunday, January 4th βNew Year's Levee | Kitchener City Hall | 11am-4pm | "Plan for an afternoon full of family-friendly fun with this yearβs New Yearβs Levee activities: games, prizes, live music, magic, face painting, balloon twisting & more!" (this looks like an awesome event for the family, and you'll be able to skate outside as well!) βLeathercrafting Cardholder Workshop | Metro Restaurant, Kitchener | 1pm | "In this 2-hour workshop, you'll dive into the art of hand-stitching leather as you create your very own minimalist cardholder to take home. Under Gavin's expert guidance, you'll learn essential techniques like saddle-stitching, beveling, burnishing, and sealing edges." Upcoming Events βBlue Rodeo: Lost Together - The 40th Anniversary Tour | Centre in the Square, Kitchener | Fri, Jan. 9th & Sat, Jan. 10th at 8pm | "Blue Rodeo has defined the sound of Canadian roots rock with their signature blend of folk, country, and rock, earning a devoted fanbase, 12 JUNO Awards, and a permanent place in Canadian music history." Farmers Markets βSt. Jacobs | Saturday, January 3rd (7amβ3:30pm) βKitchener | Saturday, January 3rd (7amβ2pm) βCambridge | Saturday, January 3rd (7amβ1pm)β * none of these events are sponsored. that will always be made obvious if so.β WEATHER π¨οΈ Thu, Jan. 1st | HIGH -9Β° | NIGHT -10Β° | 40% POP | 5-10cm βοΈ π¨οΈ Fri, Jan. 2nd | HIGH -6Β° | NIGHT -7Β° | 60% POP | 2-4cm βοΈ π¨οΈ Sat, Jan. 3rd | HIGH -6Β° | NIGHT -8Β° | 40% POP | <1cm βοΈ β οΈ Sun, Jan. 4th | HIGH -5Β° | NIGHT -12Β° | 30% POP SPORTS π₯ Kitchener Rangers | 5th overall | 2nd in Western Conference
π KW Titans
ADOPTABLE PET OF THE WEEK Meet Wilbur! Wilbur's an almost 3 year old male domestic shorthair/mix, with a lovely grey coat. "A sweet boy with a gentle soul. He may be a little shy at first, but once he feels safe, his true personality shines - especially if you offer head scratches! Wilbur is a certified purr machine and will happily reward your kindness with nonstop rumbling. He's looking for a calm, patient home where he can settle in at his own pace and become a loving, loyal companion." Tap here to find out more. And there are tons of dogs, cats and other animals that are looking for their forever homes. You can find the adopt page here. * if you adopt a cat or any pet from these emails, reply and let me know! I'd love to send you a special gift to help get things started QUESTION OF THE WEEK "As we head into 2026, what is the one local business in the region youβre determined to visit more often in the new year?" π Hit reply to this message to let me know and I'll share some of the best responses next week! RANDOM FACTS OF THE DAY The first person convicted of speeding was going 8 mph. In 1896, Walter Arnold was caught doing four times the speed limit (which was 2 mph) in his horseless carriage - leading to a chase by a police officer on a bicycle and a fine of one shilling. Pound cake is named after its original recipe. The name comes from the fact that the traditional 18th-century recipe called for exactly one pound each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Polar bear skin is actually black. Underneath all that thick, white-looking fur, their skin is black to help them absorb and retain heat from the sun. Their fur is actually translucent and hollow, reflecting light to appear white. THANK YOU! Hope you have an awesome day and we'll be back Monday πͺ INFO STATION:β Had enough of these emails? No hard feelings, just tap this link to unsubscribe. π© Did someone forward you this email? And now you're wondering how to get in on the action? Say less friend, tap here to sign up for yourself: grandriverbuzz.ca/signupβ π Do you have an event, funny story or meme about the region you want to share? Hit reply to this email and let me know what you've got to be featured in an upcoming email! π Have a thought, comment or feedback about the newsletter? Or maybe you just want to tell me a random joke.. whatever it is, I love getting replies and try to respond as often as possible. Reach out whenever you'd like by hitting reply. π’ Think someone you know would love this email? Forward this to them to spread the love. β€οΈ Feeling extra generous and loving? Shout us out on your favourite social media platform using this link: grandriverbuzz.ca/signup - it really helps spread the word! |
Grand River Buzz
The best news and events from around the Waterloo Region. Delivered Monday and Thursday mornings. For free.
April 2nd, 2026 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! Did anyone see the rocket launch going to the moon yesterday?! Exciting that we're going back there. This mission takes 4 astronauts on a 10 day journey where they'll fly around the moon and back. In the next year or two, the plan is to run two more missions - one where they'll connect with a lander in outer space, and the second where they'll actually land on the moon. And in a local twist, Jeremy Hansen from London, Ontario is one of the four...
March 30th, 2026 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! What a beautiful, well-deserved day we're having. If you love paint nights, then you're going to absolutely love this newsletter. And if you don't... well, that's fine too - because there's lots of great stuff going on this week! Plus our local sports teams are getting right into 'playoff season' which is always exciting. In today's email: some great community-drive grants available lots of paint nights to choose from local news from the past...
March 26th, 2026 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! So for those that clicked through onto the 'upcoming events' site on Monday, thanks so much & appreciate the feedback. Since I can't reliably get the full list into the email each week, it's now going to live under 'Upcoming Events' in the 'What's Happening' section - this'll actually be a good thing, giving you easy access each time the newsletter's sent. I'll also put a 'new' badge on anything that was recently added. For example, there's a...