Hello ORLÉANS!

Welcome to the 7th edition of Orléans Connect.

It sure is starting to feel like maybe it’s time to dust off that BBQ 🍗 and dare I say it… begin to dream of spring and summer nights amidst good food, good drinks and great company in the old back yard?

While we dream of sunnier ☀️ days ahead, we unfortunately still have to get through some 🌧️ rainy weather as we finish off the month of April.

This week we voted 🗳️in the advance polls for the federal election and we were happy to see how many people were engaging in the democratic process. Elections Canada reported a record turnout for early voting with over 7.3 million Canadians already voting, a 25% increase over the 2021 federal election!

This week we’re debuting our new, and much-anticipated section… 🐱 “Pets of Orléans” 🐶. Scroll down to see our first featured local pet. Thank you to everyone who has already sent in photos of their fur babies, watch for your pets to be featured in the coming weeks. And if you haven’t yet… 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).

🥐 Finally, this week, we’ve got our 3rd 🍞 Orléans Food Spot 🍪 review (though we cheated a bit with the location) so make sure to give that a read below. ⬇️

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

Another busy weekend and week ahead in Orléans…

• 💚 Thursday April 24th - Head over to Juice Dudez from 7 PM - 11 PM for healthy drinks, delicious desserts and good times with DJ Rob.

  📍Juice Dudez, 4471 Innes Rd.

• 🥳 Friday April 25th - Head over to the Royal Oak Pub for an evening of Caribbean Island Vibes and Ath’s Birthday! Caribbean cuisine on the menu and tropical drink features! DJ Kwizz starts spinning the tunes at 10pm.

  📍Royal Oak Pub, 1981 St Joseph Blvd

• 👠 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 - 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

• 🎵 Saturday April 26th - SDBC Taproom Concerts presents Matt Luloff: An intimate evening of music with Matt, featuring selections from his five EPs, beloved Hearts & Mines classics, and a few rare covers. 8 PM. 🎟️ $20.

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

• 🐇 Sunday April 27th - Join Zoo Crew for a family fun Hands-On Animal Show! Tickets need to be pre-purchased to ensure a small group where everyone gets to touch animals if they want to.

  📍 South Fallingbrook Community Centre, 998 Valin St

• 🎵 Sunday April 27th - If you can’t make it on Thursday evening, there’s another option on Sunday! Head to Juice Dudez from2 PM - 6 PM for healthy drinks, delicious desserts and good times with DJ Rob.

  📍Juice Dudez, 4471 Innes Rd.

• 💬 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. 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.

  📍Orléans Brewing Company, 4380 Innes Road

• 🌙 Wednesday April 30th - Student Night Market at Sir Wil! Over 35 talented student creators will be selling their arts, crafts and other hand-made items in this unique craft show. Great opportunity to find a one-of-a-kind gift! 🕓 4 PM - 7 PM

  📍Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School, 1515 10th Line Road

• 🎶 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.

RECURRENT WEEKLY EVENTS

• 🚲 Every Sunday morning: Orléans Pedal and Play - a fun weekly family-oriented community bike ride, hosted by the Convent Glen Orléans Wood Community Association. RSVP here. 10 AM - 11:30 AM Kick off and meet at Des Voyageurs School Parking Lot

• 🎤 Every Sunday evening is Acoustic Open Mic Night at Moose McGuire’s! Sign up at 6:30 PM, Music starts at 🕖 7 PM📍Moose McGuire’s, 4025 Innes Road

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

  📍Moose McGuire’s, 4025 Innes Road

Do you have an event you want to see featured here? Let us know!

📰 News you should know about…

😢 Sadly, there was a fatal crash on Hwy. 174, between Canaan Road and Old Montreal Road, at approximately 9:50 p.m. Tuesday, April 22nd. (Orléans Star). Ottawa Police are looking for any witnesses to please come forward. Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the man who died.

ℹ️ Are you looking for community resources? Did you know that 211 is available by phone for those looking to speak to a friendly voice, or by text, online search, email or chat? Community Navigators provide referrals to services to connect people to the right supports and services. Explore the broad range of services and supports available locally.

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT 🔦

This week’s Orléans business spotlight is…. 🥁 …. BLACK WALNUT BAKERY - Located at 979 Cameron Street in Cumberland. Yes, it’s technically not in Orléans, but we love this place so much we definitely wanted to tell you about it.

This bakery boasts an incredible selection of breads, pastries, pies, soups and more! Black Walnut is a locally-owned family-business that recently went through a major upgrade and renovation while continuing to be popular among locals.

We visited Black Walnut last weekend and it’s the subject of our third Orléans Food Spot Review which you can read here. 🔗

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