The best news and events from around the Waterloo Region. Delivered Monday and Thursday mornings. For free.
🐝 Four Noses, The Pep & Randy Bobandy
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May 25th, 2026 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! Hope you're enjoying the day so far & the week's kicking off well for you. Herrle's Market officially opens this Thursday. That's one step closer to the best corn on the cob ever 🤌 (iykyk) Let's go! In today's email:
Let's dive in 👇 -Ross at Grand River Buzz WHAT'S HAPPENING General Gaslight District Big Screen | Bring your own lawn chair for some great entertainment on the outdoor big screen. Lot's of options for food & drink around as well.
Tuesday, May 26th Live at Lunch | Kitchener City Hall | 12pm | "Grab a delicious lunch from a local restaurant and cool off in the splash pad while enjoying a rotating mix of live music all summer long. A perfect midday break with great food, fresh air, and feel‑good tunes, right in the heart of Downtown Kitchener." Parent Resource Fair | The Family Centre, Kitchener | 4pm | "Join the Parenting Alliance of Waterloo Region and the YMCA Early Years and Child Care Navigator Team for a welcoming, family-friendly community event." Bookworms & Beverages Book Club | JTM Cake Studio & Cafe | 6:30pm | "Grab a cozy drink and attend our free community book club - all fiction lovers welcome!" Wednesday, May 27th The Courage to Dream: From Refugee Camp to Canada | Tri-Sisters Art House, St. Jacobs | 6:30pm | "Join us for a screening of the award-winning documentary “A Dream Called Khushi” (happiness), which explores resilience and the pursuit of education." Randy’s Cheeseburger Picnic | Maxwell's, Waterloo | 7pm | "Get ready for a night of outrageous laughs, greasy goodness, and classic Trailer Park Boys chaos with Randy Bobandy himself!" Rusty Nail Comedy: PRO AM Night | TWH Social, Kitchener | 8pm | "Only $5 for a great night of laughs!" Thursday, May 28th Live at Lunch | Kitchener City Hall | 12pm Outdoor Zumba Class | District Square, Cambridge | 5pm | "Join us for a free outdoor Zumba class on the Stone Stage, courtesy of Zumba with Murcel. No registration required & all skill levels welcome!" Founders Workshop | University of Waterloo | 6:30pm | "This session: Why Founders Waste Months on the Wrong Decisions and How to Avoid It" Run Club & Trivia Night | Counterpoint Brewing, Kitchener | 7pm Darts Night | TWB Brewing, Kitchener | 7pm | "Come out for a fun and friendly evening of darts. Partners rotate after each game of '501'. All levels are welcome." Trivia 4 Change | Lincoln Road Chapel, Waterloo | 7pm | "Join us for an exciting Trivia Night Fundraiser, where friendly competition meets a great cause. The evening will also feature music, refreshments, and a short presentation highlighting the impactful work of our charity and how your support is making a difference." Salsa In The Square | Waterloo Public Square | 7pm | "Back for the 4th year in a row! Join us for a free evening of dancing, music, and laughs. Registration is encouraged." Rusty Nail Comedy | Pops and Ruby's, Cambridge | 8pm | "2 headliners: Jason Allen & Manolis Zontanos" Jeliz (Soul Series) | The Jazz Room, Waterloo | 8pm | "An unforgettable evening of soul/R&B covers and originals, including her latest releases!" Upcoming Events Retro Remix Workshop | Gaslight District, Cambridge | Sat, May 30th from 10am-12:30pm | "In this guided, hands-on session, you’ll transform an original Nintendo controller into your very own work of art!" Sessions look to be selling out, so get in while you can. Waterloo VHS & Horror Swap | Sat, May 30th from 11am-4pm | "Free for vendors and guests. Anyone can come out and vend. Vendors will be selling VHS, dvd/BluRay, vinyl, comic books, toys, posters, t-shirts, video games, and much more." Youth Scavenger Hunt | Cambridge Farmers Market | Sat, May 30th from 9am-12pm | "Participants will explore different areas of the market, search for clues, complete fun challenges, and learn more about local vendors and fresh food along the way." Cambridge Kin Carnival 2026 | May 28th to May 31st | "Food trucks, rides, games, vendors & more! Get ready for an unforgettable weekend of fun, laughter, and family time at the Cambridge Kin Carnival 2026. Expect exciting activities, great food, and plenty of chances to make great memories. Don't miss out on the magic - see you there!" Grand River Buzz Upcoming Events Page | Major events happening in the region between now and the end of August Library Events Fun, family-friendly and free. Click below to see what's happening at your local branch this week!
Community Centres The region's community centres are excellent ways to access fun & affordable/free programs and activities. They have a ton of things to do for kids & teens, and they've got some great adult & senior programs as well! * none of these events are sponsored. that will always be made obvious if so. LOCAL NEWS Region of Waterloo: Making Decisions That Matter | Here's a list of the initiatives the region went over recently, and you can click here to read the full report on each one
City of Waterloo to take over Laurel Creek Nature Centre - CTV News These local brews are cool, refreshing and hopping with fruit - CBC News Water conservation bylaw returns May 31st - Region of Waterloo Former Preston Springs site listed for nearly $13M - CTV News Public meeting: Maryhill Road Improvements - Region of Waterloo High school students from across Ontario race electric cars in Waterloo - CBC News WEATHER ☀️ Mon, May 25th | HIGH 23° | NIGHT 12° | 10% POP 🌤️ Tue, May 26th | HIGH 28° | NIGHT 15° | 20% POP ⛅️ Wed, May 27th | HIGH 25° | NIGHT 11° | 40% POP 🌤️ Thu, May 28th | HIGH 20° | NIGHT 8° | 10% POP SPORTS 🥅 Kitchener Rangers (Memorial Cup)
⚾️ Kitchener Panthers | 1st (3-1)
* what other sports would you like to see included here? reply to let me know what you'd find useful! will be adding in soccer and lacrosse soon COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT Grand River Film Festival | May 27th to 31st | Calling all movie buffs! "Our 18th festival continues our tradition of bringing the best local, Canadian, and international features and shorts to Waterloo, Kitchener, and Cambridge. For 2026, GRFF will screen 5 feature films and 27 shorts across the Tri-Cities." Check out the schedule and purchase your tickets here. * do you know of any great causes or organizations doing impactful things throughout our community? Make sure to reply & share so I can feature them in an upcoming newsletter! FOOD & DRINK IN THE REGION Graffiti Market | 137 Glasgow St Suite 385, Kitchener | 4.3 stars across 1,626 Google reviews Told by them: "Whether it’s locally crafted dishes, commissions by local artists, limited product releases through our market, or even spitting out the odd mix tape—we have a refined palate for a lot more than just pizza. (Although our signature Detroit-style is where it’s at.) That’s because we always keep it real. With real ingredients locally sourced from our friends around the region—always fresh, never frozen. At the end of the day, we try to keep things as honest as our ingredients. The only thing we’ll sugarcoat for you is dessert. So, come keep it real with us. (Even if that means grabbing takeout in sweats. We don’t judge.)" Here's a raving, 5 star google review from Katarina earlier this year: "We had an amazing dining experience at Graffiti Market! Our server Adnan was extremely friendly, helpful by making suggestions when we were ordering our food. Most of us ordered pizza - he recommended getting the medium size so we could have some to take home. He was correct that deep dish pizza was an excellent choice, absolutely filling. We cannot believe how scrumptious the pizza was. I’m definitely coming back for it." You can check out their menu below & let me know what you think!
* this is not a sponsored placement, just came highly recommended. ads will always be made obvious if so. UPCOMING FUNDRAISER A Grand River Buzz reader, Susan, reached out about an upcoming event they're putting on and it looks like a great time! She started the Arts & Crafts Fair last year to give local artists and crafters a space to show what they do. And any leftover money after expenses goes to the youth group who are running a food booth fundraiser for a project.
RANDOM FACTS OF THE DAY The line between the two numbers in a fraction is called a "vinculum." While it just looks like a standard horizontal division slash, the specific mathematical term for the bar separating the numerator and denominator is a vinculum (which is Latin for "bond" or "tie"). Slugs have four noses. While they don't have noses in the human sense, slugs have two pairs of tentacles on their heads. The upper pair senses light and sight, while the lower pair is used for smelling and tasting. Because all four tentacles possess olfactory sensors, they essentially function as four independent noses. Slinkies were invented by accident by a naval engineer trying to stabilize ship instruments. In 1943, Richard James was developing a system of specialized springs that could support and stabilize sensitive marine equipment on rocky ocean waves. When he accidentally knocked one of his prototype springs off a shelf, he watched it "walk" down a stack of books and onto the floor, sparking the idea for the classic toy. THANK YOU! Wishing you the best week and see you Thursday 🐝 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. Just hit 'reply'. INFO STATION:❌ Had enough of these emails? No hard feelings, just tap this link to unsubscribe. 😩 Did someone forward you this email? And now you're wondering how to get in on the action? Tap here to sign up for yourself: grandriverbuzz.ca/signup 📖 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! 👋 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. 📢 Think someone you know would love this email? Forward this to them to spread the love. ❤️ 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.
May 28th, 2026 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! We're almost at the end of May, this year sure is flying by... Excited for what's to come over the summer, so many cool events going on! Make sure to check out the upcoming events page to start planning your future weekend fun. In today's email: some really fun, family-friendly events over the weekend Memorial Cup celebrations Belle goldfish memories (and why it's not just 3 seconds) & more Let's dive in 👇 -Ross at Grand River Buzz WHAT'S...
May 21st, 2026 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! Not sure if anyone loves the 'random facts of the day' each newsletter as much as I do! 😅 One of my favourite sections to put together... I love the three today, so make sure to check them out! And if you have some random fun facts? Let me know so I can share them in upcoming posts. In today's email: Watermelon lots of fun events for this weekend a sports update comedy show highlight & more Let's dive in 👇 -Ross at Grand River Buzz WHAT'S...
May 18th, 2026 Good Afternoon, Waterloo Region! Whoa, we got a hot one today... Perfect for the long weekend & much deserved. Hope you're enjoying the day & have your favourite cold drink in hand. In today's email: Memorial Cup update some local news updates the first barcode a must-try Mexican restaurant & more Let's dive in 👇 -Ross at Grand River Buzz WHAT'S HAPPENING General Live at Lunch | Carl Zehr Square, Kitchener | Tuesday's & Thursday's from now through August at 12pm | "Grab a...