Hello ORLÉANS!

Welcome to the 6th edition of Orléans Connect.

This week we’ve got our biggest slate of events yet! As we make our way into 🌱 Spring and ☀️ Summer, the events section will naturally fill out even more, so make sure to check out what’s happening this coming weekend and beyond.

🤝 HELP US GROW - If you have friends that you think would enjoy this newsletter, you can use the link below to share it with them. We’d be forever grateful if you did. 🙏

🐈🐕‍🦺 - In last week’s 🗳️ poll we asked you whether you’d want a “Pets of Orléans” section in the newsletter and the results are in! 26 of you said yes and 9 of you said no. The people have spoken and who are we to deny them?! You can submit a photo of your Orléans pet(s) by emailing it to: [email protected] and make sure to include the name of your pet(s).

🍕 Also this week week we’ve got our 2nd 🌯 Orléans Food Spot 🥗 review so make sure to give that a read below. ⬇️

Here’s what’s happening in Orléans over the next week…

There is a tremendous variety of events coming up in the coming weeks, check out the options below.

• ☯️ Have you ever wanted to learn Tai Chi? This spring, come out and try a Free Introduction to Tai Chi. No pre-registration required, just drop in! Remember to wear comfortable clothes and indoor shoes. This is a scent-free class. Continuing classes are being offered:

  • Every Wednesday and Friday (starting April 16th): 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM at the François Dupuis Recreation Centre, 2263 Portobello Blvd.

  • Every Tuesday evening (starting April 22nd): 7 PM - 9 PM at Aquaview Community Hall, 318 Aquaview Dr.

• 🐰 Saturday, April 19th - Bring the kids over to IndigoKids for an Easter LEGO Make and Take Event! Kids will build and take home their own Easter-themed LEGO creation. Ages 6+. Each participant must reserve a space - $5 participation fee. Participants will receive a $5 gift card for Indigo. Two time options: 11 a.m.-12 p.m., and 1 p.m.-2 p.m.

  📍Indigo, 2025 Mer Bleue Road

• 🪻Saturday, April 19th - Join Queenswood Heights Community Association for the Third Annual Spring Fling! Activities include a colouring contest, free face painting and free bicycle decorating! There will be hot dogs, cotton candy and Girl Guide cookies for sale. 🕚 11 AM - 2 PM

  📍 Queenswood Heights Community Centre, 1485 Duford Dr.

• 🎤 Sunday, April 20th - Every Sunday is Acoustic Open Mic Night at Moose McGuire’s! 🕖 7 PM

  📍Moose McGuire’s, 4025 Innes Road

• 🧠 Tuesday, April 22nd - Test your trivia knowledge at Moose McGuire’s Trivia Night - hosted every Tuesday evening! Specialty Taco and Margarita menu. Prizes for 1st and 2nd place teams. Pub Trivia starts at 🕖 7 PM!

  📍Moose McGuire’s, 4025 Innes Road

• 👠 Friday April 25th - Capital Tease Burlesque presents: Strut Burlesque at Stray Dog Brewery. Experience an unforgettable night where craft beer meets classic tease! Enjoy an evening of sultry dance, vintage glamour, and tongue-in-cheek humour - all while sipping on SDBC’s finest. Doors open at 🕖 7 PM. 🎟️ $20.

  📍Stray Dog Brewing Company, 501 Lacolle Way, Unit 4

• 😋 April 25th - 27th - Orléans PoutineFest 2025 AND the Orléans Buttertart Festival & Competition is coming soon! Poutine AND buttertarts?! What could be better? This event is the Original PoutineFest, featuring over 75 different kinds of poutine and Curdaliousness.

  📍Centrum Plaza, 255 Centrum Blvd

• 📚 Saturday April 26th - Local author Paula Quig has written two psychological thriller books, The Dark Place and Missing. Join her at Indigo Innes from 12 PM - 3 PM for a meet the author and book signing event!

  📍Indigo, 2025 Mer Bleue Road

• Saturday April 26th - 1st Cumberland Scouting Annual Fundraiser: All You Can Eat Spaghetti Dinner! Adults $20, Youth (ages 4-12) $14, and 3 and under FREE. Tickets available at the door. 4:30 PM - 7 PM

  📍Lions Maple Hall, 2552 Old Montreal Road, Cumberland

• 🧁 Saturday April 26th - 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Join the Daughters of Isabella for the FDI Charity Bake, Craft and Rummage Sale!

  📍Parish Hall, St Joseph Church at 2757 St Joseph Blvd.

• 🎵 Saturday April 26th - SDBC Taproom Concerts presents Matt Luloff. Join us for an intimate evening of music with Matt, featuring selections from his five EPs, beloved Hearts & Mines classics, and a few rare covers. As the frontman of the award-winning local band Hearts & Mines, Matt has captivated audiences with his heartfelt songwriting and dynamic performances. Join this special acoustic show for an unforgettable night of songs and storytelling. 8 PM. 🎟️ $20.

  📍Stray Dog Brewing Company, 501 Lacolle Way, Unit 4

• Sunday April 27th - Come out for an afternoon exploring life’s big questions on death and dying at Death Over Drafts: Crafting Connections Over Conversations that Matter. This gathering focused on an often taboo topic promises a casual, approachable and engaging expeirence, with games like “The Death Deck” to kick off the conversation. Whether you’re looking to share stories, reflect, or connect with others in the field, come check it out! 4 PM - 6 PM

  📍Stray Dog Brewing Company, 501 Lacolle Way, Unit 4

• 🎼 Tuesday April 29th - Come check out Music Bingo! Looking for something fun to do? Be warned... this is NOT your grandma's kind of Bingo! Every 2nd Tuesday, Orléans Brewing Company hosts an evening of HITS and giggles, with Christina from Shine Karaoke. Prizes to be won. Fun to be had. Memories to be made.

  📍Orléans Brewing Company, 4380 Innes Rd.

• 🎶 Friday May 2nd - The Cumberland Community Singers presents “Show Tunes” at the Orléans United Church. CCS will share a selection of show tunes from popular shows, such as Joseph and the Technicolor DreamCoat, The Sound of Music State Fair, among others. Tickets can be purchased in advance online for $20, or $25 at the door. 🕢 7:30 PM

  📍Orléans United Church, 1111 Orléans Blvd.

• 🛍️ Saturday, May 3rd - Blackburn Hamlet’s Community Garage Sale will happen, rain or shine, from 8 am to 2 pm. Hamlet residents do not need to register or sign up – simply put out a table and join in! As in previous years, an unofficial map of participating houses will be created. If you would like your house to be included, please reach out by email.

📰 News you should know about…

🗳️The federal election is coming up soon - Election Day is Monday, April 28th. Advance voting is taking place from April 18th-21st.

• For more information about where your local polling station is, who the candidates are, and what you need to be able to vote, explore the Elections Canada website here.

• Meet the candidates running in Orléans in the 2025 federal election. (CTV News)

🌎🌍💚 Help out by participating in one of the local Cleaning the Capital Gatherings!

• ♻️ Monday April 21st - Vista Park Cleanup Day - meet under the gazebo! Gloves and garbage bags will be provided. 1 PM - 3 PM 🌱

  📍Vista Park, 720 Vistapark Dr.

• ♻️ Saturday April 26th - Join the The Convent Glen-Orléans Wood Community Association Environment Committee for the 3rd annual Cleaning the Capital Event on April 26th at the Golden Fries parking lot from 9 AM - 12 PM! 🌱

  📍6505 Jeanne D’Arc Blvd N

💗 Volunteers Needed to Support the Blackburn FunFair! 💗

The Blackburn FunFair is looking for volunteers to help out with the event - held June 6th - 8th. Whether you’re a student looking for volunteer hours, a local business wanting to support the community, or someone who loves to help out, there’s a role for everyone!

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Helping with the FunRun

• Assisting with the Dog Show

• Sponsorship and donor outreach

• Supervising inflatables

• SmartServe-certified beverage service

• Book storage

• Food prep and delivery

• General event support

If you’re interested, email [email protected] to learn more and sign up!

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT 🔦

This week’s Orléans business spotlight is…. 🥁 …. MAMA ROSA PIZZERIA - Located at 375 Des Épinettes Ave, this small, but beloved pizzeria has a solid selection of take-out food options worth trying.

We visited Mama Rosa this week and it’s the subject of our second Orléans Food Spot Review which you can read here. 🔗

The pizza is definitely a notch above most of the pizza we’ve tried in our 8 years of living in Orléans and we’ll definitely be coming back to try out some of their other food options.

If you haven’t discovered this food spot yet, make sure to drop by for a visit and tell them Orléans Connect sent you.