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:

• Lottie
• a ton of fun, local events
• what Kim's favourite comfort food is
• where Bluetooth got its name
• & more

Let's dive in 👇

WHAT'S HAPPENING

General (over the weekend)

​KWMP's The Wizard of Oz | Thursday, Friday, Saturday (x2) and Sunday | Hagey Hall, Waterloo​​

​Santa's Nightcap (19+) | Friday & Saturday at 8pm | St. Jacob's | Back for another weekend! Looks like a fun evening...

​The Tina Turner Musical | Friday (8pm) and Saturday (2pm & 8pm) | Centre in the Square, Kitchener | Note: I've seen a 25% off coupon floating around on facebook ads! look out for that if you're interested in going)

​Christmas Cheerlight Charter | Multiple dates in late November/early December | St. Jacob's

Thursday, November 27th

​Outspoken Presents: A Community Event | KW Habilitation, Kitchener | 3:30pm

​Story Time with Father Christmas | Castle Kilbride, Baden | 6pm

​First Annual Queen's Square Tree Lighting Ceremony | Queen's Square, Cambridge | 6:30pm | "Join us in the heart of Downtown Cambridge as we kick off the holiday season with live music, festive lights, and plenty of cheer!"

​Merry Merry Market | Seven Shores Cafe, Waterloo | 7pm

​Create Your Own Holiday Porch Gnome | Rural Roots, Elmira | 7pm | "You will be guided step by step with trade tricks shared along the way."

​Chris Rouse's "Purple Funkadelica: A Prince Tribute" | The Jazz Room, Waterloo | 8pm

Friday, November 28th

​​Holiday Lantern Workshop | Meadow Acres, Petersburg | 6pm | "Light up your holidays with with a lantern that glows with your own creative flair"

​Music & Lights in the Village | Hespeler Village, Cambridge | 6pm | "Enjoy the festive holiday lights, tree lighting, food, musical entertainment, crafts and more!"

​Rock Night | Maxwell's, Waterloo | 7pm | "Featuring: Softcase, Oceans of Us and Roemers"

​Fifth Element | The Jazz Room, Waterloo | 8pm

Saturday, November 29th

​Annual Christmas Craft & Bake Sale | Messiah Church, Waterloo | 8am-1pm

​Copper Spoon Blacksmithing | Two Smiths, Kitchener | 9am-5pm | "Learn how to dish flat copper into a 3-dimensional scoop, and shape steel to make a handle of your own design."

​KW Navy League Winter Market | Royal Canadian Legion Branch #530, Waterloo | 10am-3pm | "Come spend the day exploring handmade gifts, festive décor, and delicious treats — perfect for holiday giving or a little something for yourself."

​Herrle's Christmas Market | Herrle's Country Farm Market, Agatha | 10am-4pm | Ohhhh, how I wish corn was in season right now, they're the best!

​Santa Claus Parade | Ayr | 1pm-2pm

​Punk Rock Flea Market | Maxwell's, Waterloo | 2pm

Sunday, November 30th

​Crystal Alchemy Bowl Sound Bath | The Village at 1833, Conestogo | 9am-10:30am

​Brunch with Santa | African Lion's Safari | 9am-12pm | "Enjoy a scrumptious all you can eat brunch buffet, see furry & feathered friends, and meet Santa and his reindeer!"

​Morning Yoga & Breakfast | Langdon Hall, Cambridge | 9am-12pm | "Join us for a morning yoga class in the Firshade, followed by Langdon Hall’s fresh country breakfast buffet."

Farmers Markets

​St. Jacobs | Thursday, November 27th (8am—3pm) | Saturday, November 29th (7am—3:30pm)

​Kitchener | Saturday, November 29th (7am—2pm)

​Cambridge | Saturday, November 29th (7am—1pm)​

* none of these events are sponsored. that will always be made obvious if so.

COMEDY

Friday, November 28th

​Comedy Night | 7pm | The Córdova Loft, Cambridge | Headliner: Dylan Gott

​Rusty Nail Comedy | 7:30pm | TWH Social, Kitchener | Headliner: Ryan Dillon

​Rusty Nail Comedy | 7:30pm | Morty's Pub, Waterloo | Headliner: Sammy Farid

Saturday, November 29th

​Rusty Nail Comedy | 7:30pm | TWH Social, Kitchener | Headliner: Ryan Dillon

* none of these events are sponsored. that will always be made obvious if so.

LOCAL NEWS

University of Waterloo Launches "Global Futures Fund 2.0". The University of Waterloo convened researchers and staff for the "Global Futures Ideas Exchange," a strategic session designed to operationalize the university's long-term research goals. The event introduced a new tiered funding structure, offering grants of up to $500,000 to support research initiatives that address critical global challenges in health, sustainability, and technology.

Scheifele Bridge Replacement Project Begins with Tree Removal in Woolwich. The Region of Waterloo will replace the Scheifele Bridge on Northfield Drive over the Conestogo River starting spring 2026, with preliminary tree removal work commencing December 1 under provincial environmental approvals, while maintaining two-way traffic throughout construction and committing to replant all removed trees upon project completion. | Info​

Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation Opens Nominations for 2026 Awards Program. The Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation is accepting nominations until February 27, 2026 for its annual awards recognizing outstanding contributions to heritage preservation across five categories, including the Sally Thorsen Award for professional commitment, the Dr. Jean Steckle Award for education leadership, and research grants for graduate students, with the ceremony scheduled for May 12, 2026. | Info​

Conestoga Mall Unveils Major Retail Expansion and Winter Garden. Defying retail trends, Conestoga Mall opened several major new stores this week, including a 7,000-square-foot Ardene and a new Chipotle, while launching an experiential "Holiday Winter Garden" to drive community engagement and foot traffic.

WEATHER

🌨️ Thu, Nov. 27th | HIGH 1° | NIGHT -3° | 90% POP | 15-20cm ❄️

🌨️ Fri, Nov. 28th | HIGH -1° | NIGHT -7° | 70% POP | 6cm ❄️

⛅️ Sat, Nov. 29th | HIGH -2° | NIGHT -3° | 20% POP | 5-10cm ❄️

🌨️ Sun, Nov. 30th | HIGH 1° | NIGHT -6° | 80% POP | <1mm 💧 | 6cm ❄️

SPORTS

🥅 Kitchener Rangers | 8th overall

• Next Games:
  • Friday, November 28th | Niagara at Kitchener | 7pm | Tickets​​​
  • Saturday, November 29th | Kitchener at Brantford | 7pm

On Tuesday, December 2nd - the Kitchener Rangers will be hosting the Erie Otters for their annual 'Teddy Toss'. The game starts at 7pm, and you can find tickets here (limited number of seats left). This is (weirdly?) on my bucket list... have always wanted to see the ice fill up with teddy bears as 1,000's rain down around you. For a great cause too.

* what other sports would you like to see included here? reply to let me know what you'd find useful!

COMMUNITY UPDATE

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 neighbourhoods receiving theirs over the next couple of weeks (you'll find the map near the top of the page at the link above).

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

​Toy Mountain | A great initiative with three different ways to donate - "Every child deserves to open a present on Christmas morning and we need your help to meet our gifting goal.Toy Mountain, in collaboration with the Salvation Army, is once again collecting toys for children in need in Waterloo Region and Guelph."

​Rhythm & Blues Pulse Check Survey | "Rhythm & Blues Cambridge invites you to take part in the Pulse Check Survey, a community-wide effort to better understand the health, well-being, and daily experiences of Black residents across Waterloo Region."

​Stuff-a-Cruiser | "A highly successful partnership between the Waterloo Regional Police Service and the Waterloo Knights of Columbus' toy drive campaign. Through events at local retailers and collection points at police buildings, it has collected more than 80,000 toys for children in our community."

* these are not sponsored placements, just causes I came across. ads will always be made obvious if so.

ADOPTABLE PET OF THE WEEK

Meet Lottie!

Yea I know what you're thinking... how cool is this dog?! She looks like an absolute blast.

Lottie is a 7 & 1/2 year old mixed breed female who first came to the shelter in June of this year.

"Lottie is a lovable pup with a heart as big as her smile! She's the perfect mix of bubbly and cheerful, always ready for some fun and an adventure. Enjoys going for car rides, playing with her toys, and soaking up attention from her favourite humans. She's a smart cookie who already knows a few tricks like sit, paw, and down and she's always eager to learn more, especially when treats are involved!"

Sounds like she can be a wee bit nervous at first, but for the right person she'd be a wonderful addition to the family.

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 dog 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

Last week's question was: "As things get a touch colder... what's your favourite 'comfort food'?"

Sharing a few of the replies below! A fitting day for these recommendations...

"Nothing like a nice bowl of soup (in particular my homemade Thai Red Curry Coconut Chicken soup with a savoury scone)." - Randy

"Pasta is the best!" - Michelle

"My favourite comfort food in the winter is soup. I make homemade soup every week, trying different recipes such as French onion soup, cabbage roll soup, marry me chicken soup, potato leek soup and the list goes on." - Kim

Each month I'll be sending out a special gift to some random people that either reply to the Question of the Week... or give overall feedback on the newsletter (see the ps. at the bottom)!

RANDOM FACTS OF THE DAY

Bluetooth is named after a Viking king. The technology was named after King Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson, who united Denmark and Norway in the 10th century - just as the technology was designed to unite computers and cellular devices.

It rains diamonds on Saturn and Jupiter. Scientists believe that lightning storms turn methane into soot (carbon), which hardens into chunks of graphite and then diamonds as it falls through the intense atmospheric pressure.

Humans are the only animals that blush. While other animals experience blood flow changes, humans are the only ones known to blush from social or emotional triggers like embarrassment.

THANK YOU!

Hope you have a great weekend & we'll see you Monday 🐝

​

ps. 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. Hit 'reply' to let me know!

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