The best news and events from around the Waterloo Region. Delivered Monday and Thursday mornings. For free.
π A sculpture that moves with the audience
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November 17th, 2025 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! Hope you're having an excellent Monday and a nice start to the week. Does anyone have kids in their lives that have all of a sudden started yelling "6-7" whenever they hear those numbers out loud?! It's a new 'meme' taking the young ones by storm and they get so excited. It's wild. I still don't fully understand. But I love it. In today's email:
Let's dive in π WHAT'S HAPPENING Monday, November 17th βCoca-Cola Holiday Caravan | 6pm | Splitsville Bowl, Waterloo | "Pictures with Santa, refreshments, prize wheel, free 100-credit arcade cards and more". There's a promo code for 25% off bowling. Plus.. you get to see the iconic Coca-Cola truck! βCeramic Tree Workshop | 6pm | Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, Waterloo | "Create and decorate a handmade ceramic winter tree, taught by local ceramic artist Judy Donaldson." βTrivia Night | Games at 7:30pm & 8:30pm | Jack Astors, Kitchener Tuesday, November 18th βChristmas Urn Event | 6pm | Benjamin Tree Farm, Waterloo | "Come join us for an evening of holiday fun! Create your own Christmas Urn filler with Heather who will lead you though a step-by-step instruction" βPaint Night: Vincent van Gourds Starry Fright | 6:30pm | EVO Kitchen & Bar, Cambridge βAllan Rayman Live | 7pm | Maxwell's, Waterloo βCountry Swing Open House | 8pm | Remix Swing, Waterloo | "This country swing class is suitable for beginners and brand new dancers! ALL ARE WELCOME!" Wednesday, November 19th βRusty Nail Comedy | 7:30pm | TWH Social, Kitchener | PROAM Night (only $5) βSeinfeld Trivia Night | 8pm | AOK Craft Beer & Arcade, Kitchener | "Come join us for a night of Seinfeld Trivia, drinks, arcade games, yada yada yada, and experience serenity now!" βMeander: Cocktails and CanapΓ©s | 6pm | Tapestry Hall, Cambridge | "Join us for an evening of nature exploration & technological entertainment with Meander: the largest permanent living architecture sculpture" I remember featuring an event they had a month or two ago around the same theme, and it looks so cool! Here's a picture of the sculpture the audience 'interacts' with: "Engage with a Philip Beesley-designed sculpture that was specifically created to engage back with you! Its meshwork spheres, billowing cloud canopies and water-like formations react to your movements with sounds, light and movements of its own as it constantly adapts and learns from its audience. An exciting opportunity to blend food, art, technology and nature!" It's so strange and I love it! If anyone's experienced this or attends on Wednesday, please do let me know how it is and I'll share with everyone π€ Thursday, November 20th βMahler - Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, Resurrection | 7:30pm | Centre in the Square, Kitchener | If you've never been to a symphony at CITS before, definitely give it a go! A great venue with friendly staff, and it's incredible to hear the orchestra live. βWicked Watch Party | 7:30pm | Fireside Haven Studios, Cambridge | "A watch party of Wicked: Part 1, in anticipation of Wicked: For Good" Upcoming Events (not this week, but fun stuff coming up to keep an eye on!) βNight Christmas Parade | 6pm | Saturday, November 22nd | Elmira | "Gather with your family and friends along the route for a night of lights, music, and Christmas spirit." - a really fun parade with lots of cool lights and vehicles. Check out their instagram page here too, where you can see some of the awesome 'floats' from years past. They'll also be taking donations to help with some local initiatives. βThe Tina Turner Musical | Multiple Dates/Times | Centre in the Square, Kitchener | "This smash-hit stage production celebrates Tina Turnerβs resilience, talent, and triumphant rise from a small-town girl with a big voice to an international icon."β * none of these events are sponsored. that will always be made obvious if so. LOCAL NEWS Region Commits $265,000 to Fuel 2025 Creative Economy. The Region of Waterloo opened its 2025 Arts Funding application, committing $265,000 to support local artists and organizations across all seven municipalities. The partnership with MT Space will ensure equitable and transparent distribution, cementing culture as a vital regional priority. Info here. Waterloo Author Wins Governor General's Literary Award for Novel Tig. Waterloo author Heather Smith achieved national literary recognition, winning the Governor General's Literary Award for Young People's Literature. This prestigious award expands the region's cultural profile and highlights local creative talent succeeding on the national stage. City of Waterloo Approves Policy to Cultivate Community Gardens. The City of Waterloo Council approved a new Community Garden Policy, establishing a formal framework for safe, equitable, and sustainable delivery of the program. This move enhances neighbour cohesion, promotes environmental sustainability, and improves access to fresh, affordable produce across Waterloo neighbourhoods, fulfilling a key part of the Cityβs Neighbourhood Strategy. Info here. Student-Run Waterloo Tech Week Far Exceeds Expectations with 60+ Events. The inaugural, student-organized Waterloo Tech Week earlier in the fall grew significantly past modest initial plans to host over 60 events, creating a major positive buzz in the local ecosystem. The week successfully connected founders, investors, and students through events like a city-wide scavenger hunt and workshops on topics like "vibe coding," strengthening the regionβs talent retention strategy. WEATHER π€οΈ Mon, Nov. 17th | HIGH 1Β° | NIGHT -1Β° | 40% POP | ~1cm βοΈ π€οΈ Tue, Nov. 18th | HIGH 3Β° | NIGHT -7Β° | 30% POP π€οΈ Wed, Nov. 19th | HIGH 4Β° | NIGHT -3Β° | 20% POP π€οΈ Thu, Nov. 20th | HIGH 5Β° | NIGHT 2Β° | 30% POP SPORTS π Kitchener Rangers
π KW Titans
* what other sports would you like to see included here? reply to let me know what you'd find useful! COMMUNITY UPDATE The new black and green bins continue their rollout in the region ahead of the March 2026 start date. The delivery map has been recently updated with the new neighbourhood(s) receiving theirs over the next couple of weeks (you'll find the map near the top of the page at the link above). FOOD & DRINK IN THE REGION βJimmy's Food Co.β An awesome sandwich spot in the north end of Waterloo. I love their simple, fun menu and the pricing is quite good too - all of the sandwiches are $8.80. Fresh, quality ingredients with 11 different 'standard' sandwiches to choose from. And they're always friendly about making any substitutions if needed, or building your own from scratch if preferred. They also do catering where you can pair the sandwiches with giant pretzels, salads, veggie platters and desserts for an event. As always, don't just take my word. Here's a 5 star google review from Javan: "Jimmyβs is one of the best sandwich places you can ever find. The quality and freshness of the sandwiches is unbeatable. The menu is done perfectly. And their prices are unbelievable! I had no.6 which is baby come back, super delicious. Canβt wait to go back to try other sandwiches." You can check out their menu here - and make sure to read through the sandwich names as they're really fun. Stayin' Alive, Wonderall and Runnin' On Empty are just a few. * this is not a sponsored placement, just a favourite of mine. ads will always be made obvious if so. QUESTION OF THE WEEK Last week's question was: "If you were giving a 'secret tour' of Waterloo Region, what's one quirky or hidden spot (not a major tourist attraction) you would have to include? π€" A couple answers to share with you below! "The answer to the question of hidden gems... Hibner Park... a small oasis in Kitchener" - John "Well it's not quirky and definitely not hidden, but I love the Expressway! It's an absolute gem of a road. I can zip around the Region in no time, and it's not awful like the 401. Similar sized cities don't have this conveyor - all hail the mighty Expressway!" - Suzanne RANDOM FACTS OF THE DAY There are more trees on Earth than stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Scientists estimate there are about 3 trillion trees on our planet, compared to the estimated 100 to 400 billion stars in our galaxy. A group of flamingos is called a "flamboyance." A very fitting collective noun for the brightly coloured birds. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV. This is because your brain and other bodily functions are still highly active while you sleep. THANK YOU! Hope you have the best day and we'll see you Thursday for more. π β ps. Could you help me out quick? I'd love your feedback. Whether it's something you like, or hate, or want to see more/less of - please let me know! My goal is to make sure you're getting value from these emails, and the important info you need. Just hit 'reply'. INFO STATION:β Had enough of these emails? No hard feelings, sometimes I don't like them either.. 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: https://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.
December 4th, 2025 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! I've said in previous emails that "this newsletter is packed", and I always genuinely thought it was... But this one... is JAM PACKED! There's so much going on around the region and it's fantastic. Great to see such a vibrant community, especially around this time of year. In today's email: a new medical dispatch system for the region Yoko the origin of Ketchup a ton of great, local events the 'GEM of the week' & more Let's dive in π -Ross...
December 1st, 2025 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! Here we are in the final month of 2025. (did this year go super fast for anyone else?!) 24 days until Christmas, and a ton of great events happening around the region. There truly is something going on for all ages and interests. In today's email: a must try for eggs benny lovers question of the week are sharks or trees older? a special community highlight & more Let's dive in π -Ross at Grand River Buzz WHAT'S HAPPENING Monday, December 1st...
November 27th, 2025 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! How about all this sno... ahh, nevermind, let's talk about something else. Hmmm.. tomorrow is Black Friday! I know for some of you it's all systems go for finding the best deals, while others are putting in noise-cancelling headphones and heading on a long walk. Whatever group you're in... hope you're having the best day and an awesome week so far. We've got lots of fun stuff heading into this weekend, so let's get to it. In today's email:...