Happy Friday, Durham. 👋
Big weekend ahead. The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation open their 28th annual Pow Wow to everyone on Saturday and Sunday, a Port Perry runner 🏃♂️ is about to finish a marathon a day for 14 straight days for Community Care Durham, and, if you know where to look 🦋, there are monarchs drifting through our own waterfront right now.
Toss in a 60th birthday party on the lake ⛵, and free outdoor movies, and this one is built for the whole family.
Pass the sunscreen. Let's go. 😎
Each week, the most important civic and community news from across Durham Region's eight municipalities, curated in one place.
This week across the region.
⚾ A big-league assist for small-town ball (Clarington)
Kendal Minor Baseball just landed a game-changer: a $50,000 Jays Care Foundation grant, championed by former Blue Jays pitcher and Durham's own Paul Quantrill, to upgrade the diamond at Harvey Jackson Memorial Park. Better everything for the kids who play there, and proof that where you grow up can still show up for you.
Town of Ajax
🏖️ A new reason to linger by the lake (Ajax)
Town Brewery's Paradise Beach Bar has opened along the Ajax Waterfront Trail near Paradise Park: food from Speak Easy Street Food, family-friendly non-alcoholic options, and new washrooms and accessibility upgrades. A pilot the town is testing, and a lovely excuse to stay for sunset.
City of Pickering
💪 You asked, you're getting it (Pickering)
New outdoor fitness stations are coming to East Woodlands, Alex Robertson, and Glengrove parks, chosen and funded through Pickering's participatory budget, where residents decide how a slice of city money gets spent. Free workouts in the fresh air, picked by the people who'll use them.
🥍 Lacrosse takes over Brooklin (Whitby)
The brand-new Fieldgate Sports Complex opens its arenas early, July 31 to August 9, to host part of the Ontario Lacrosse Festival, one of the largest youth lacrosse tournaments in North America with 500-plus teams. A first look at the complex, and a lot of proud parents.
📞 Faster help when it matters (Oshawa)
Durham's five fire services have gone live with Next-Generation 911, a modernized regional dispatch system run out of Oshawa and backed by $6.7 million from the province. Quieter good news, but exactly the kind you're glad is there.
Watch this video that gives you all the details on this new system.
Each week's Changemaker is a Durham Region neighbour who decided not to wait. They show the rest of us what's possible.
From a mobility scooter to 555 kilometres.
On July 4, Jp Horgan started running in Port Perry and didn't stop. Not a 5K, not a single marathon, but a full marathon every single day for 14 days straight. That's 555 kilometres in all, heading east from Port Perry through Peterborough and on toward Ottawa, then Montreal, with a finish line in Longueuil, Quebec. If you're reading this Thursday morning, he's crossing it right about now.
Here's what makes every step land. There was a time JP relied on a mobility scooter and took 33 pills a day. Movement felt impossible. He rebuilt himself one step at a time, and now he runs to prove something to anyone who feels stuck.
Movement felt impossible.
Now it's medicine.
He chose Community Care Durham on purpose. CCD is the quiet safety net behind thousands of our neighbours: Meals on Wheels, rides to appointments in wheelchair-accessible vans, friendly phone calls that break the isolation, caregiver respite, and mental-health support. Jp has lived those barriers himself, so every kilometre is aimed at helping someone else access the support to take their own next step.
He set a $10,000 goal and he's right on its heels.
Let's push him over.
Know a Durham Region Changemaker? Hit reply.
Good people, needed. One line, one link, one small yes.
🐾 Second Chance needs a hand (Pickering). For nearly 30 years, Second Chance Wildlife Sanctuary has taken in the cats nobody else would. With its long-time lease ending, the sanctuary needs help through the move: donations, supplies, and volunteers. If you've got room in your heart (or your home), start here. second-chance.ws
👔 Lend your skills to Oshawa's seniors (Oshawa). The Oshawa Senior Community Centres (OSCC55+) is looking for new board members to help guide one of the city's most beloved organizations. Applications close July 31. oscc.ca
👗 Clean out the closet for a cause (Ajax). From July 19 to 22, the Abundance Closet drive collects gently-used clothing, shoes, and accessories for newcomer families through the Durham Employment and Newcomer Centre. Drop-off at Palais Noir, 1949 Ravenscroft Rd; a public thrift day follows July 25. denc.ca
Run a Durham group that needs hands? Hit reply and we'll put the word out. 🙌
Your weekend, sorted.
🪶 The MSIFN Pow Wow (Scugog Island)
The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation open their 28th annual Traditional Pow Wow to everyone this Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19. Gates at 11 a.m., Grand Entry at noon both days, at the Pow Wow Grounds, 22521 Island Rd. Expect the drums, dancers in full regalia, and Indigenous artisans and food. All are welcome. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids 12 and under, and free for seniors 65 and over (cash preferred). A couple of respectful notes: no pets, and follow the MC's lead on when to stand and when to hold off on photos. Here’s an oldie but a goodie: The Pow Wow 16 years ago!
⛵ Whitby Yacht Club turns 60 (Whitby). Saturday, July 18, the club opens its gates at 701 Gordon St for a free, all-day 60th birthday: live music, a vintage car show, a bouncy castle, face painting, an art show, on-water fun, and an evening Parade of Lights. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Click image above to watch the video. wyc.ca
🛕 Chariot Fest in Pickering (Pickering). ISKCON Durham's 2nd annual Chariot Fest rolls into Esplanade Park on Saturday, July 18, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.: a colourful chariot parade, music and dance, and a free vegetarian feast for all. Free admission. ISKCON Durham
And the summer regulars roll on: the Port Perry Farmers' Market Saturday morning, free Thursday-evening concerts in Oshawa's Memorial Park, plus the town concert series in Whitby, Ajax, and Pickering. 🎶
New in the neighbourhood.
🥞 Ontario's first Applebee's + IHOP combo (Ajax). Two classics under one roof, the first dual Applebee's/IHOP in the province, opens July 28 at 155 Kingston Rd. The first 100 guests at the 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting get free pancakes (redeemable weekly for a month). insauga.com
🥗 Heal Wellness (Whitby). The fast-growing smoothie-and-bowl spot opened a new Whitby location on July 11 at 370 Taunton Rd E, beside Farm Boy. Fresh, fast, feel-good. healwellness.ca
The week in good news.
📚 TD Summer Reading Club. Durham's libraries are running free, themed weekly kids' sessions all summer. Check your branch's calendar and keep the little ones reading.
🎬 Movies in the Park. Free outdoor movie nights are back: Ajax screens GOAT on July 24, and Pickering plays Cool Runnings with live music on July 25. Bring blankets. ajax.ca · pickering.ca
🥾 Tuesdays on the Trail. Free guided nature walks continue July 21, with an August 18 session alongside Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue. Gentle, family-friendly, and a nice way to meet the outdoors.
Gold Point Wildlife Reserve, Oshawa · Illustration: Durham Life
A jewel hiding on the Oshawa waterfront.
This one isn't an event, it's an invitation. Tucked at the southwest corner of Stevenson Rd S and Philip Murray Ave, Gold Point Wildlife Reserve is 16.7 hectares of coastal wetland, meadow, and winding trail, and it's an officially designated migratory butterfly stopover, a genuine rest stop for monarchs on their long journey south. Mid-July into September is peak season, so right now the milkweed is doing its quiet, important work. Watch for the big monarch perched atop the welcome sign, then walk the trail and take it all in. You owe it to yourself. Bring the kids and see how many you can count.
Funny how it all rhymes this week. Jp Horgan ran 555 kilometres to prove your next step is always bigger than you think. The Mississaugas of Scugog Island open their circle and invite the whole region in. A sanctuary asks for a hand, and a ball club gets one. None of it waited for permission. It just started, one step, one drumbeat, one small yes at a time.
That's the good season. Go be part of it.
Until next week.
This is Durham Life.
Be good. Do Good. ❤️
MiKe Dee
Publisher
Durham Life - Local Media that Inspires
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Covering Durham Region's 8 municipalities: Ajax · Brock · Clarington · Oshawa · Pickering · Scugog · Uxbridge · Whitby