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Happy lovely day friends,
Hope you are enjoying this short and sweet gorgeous weather. Perfect for gardening so I’m loving it. It is a full week of amazing things to do, one being a chance to be around an astronaut who's seen the whole planet from up, who will be in Kitchener. Chris Hadfield.
I look forward to seeing some of you at tomorrow’s dinner in Kitchener!
Now on to the rhythm, enjoy.
with love,
your friendly neighbourhood goose 🦆
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COUPLE O’ FRIENDS
Four dinners in, and one question keeps landing in my inbox: can we come as a couple? You wanted it, so here it is. The first ever Waterloo Region Rhythm Couples-only Dinner is happening Friday, June 19 in Cambridge, and most of you already said yes to the date, so consider this the formal invite.
I'm so excited to bring everyone over to this corner of the region. The businesses and owners are genuinely lovely humans who know how to host a good night. At the after-party you can dance with your new friends, or stick to talking if that's more your speed. The vibe will meet you wherever you are.
Because two is better than one. Because we all deserve friends always. Because friends come in all kinds of ways, and sometimes you want to make a couple of them at once.
Here's how it works (same as our regular Dinner Club, with one important tweak):
✦︎ Take the quick quiz: your interests, food preferences, and the kinds of couples you'd love to share a table with.
✦︎ Get matched with a few other Waterloo Region Rhythm couples based on your answers.
✦︎ Receive your invite the morning of the dinner with all the restaurant details.
✦︎ Show up Friday, June 19 at 6:30 PM. After dinner, everyone heads to a secret after party spot, revealed at the table.
The one critical thing for couples: when you sign up, click the Bring +1 button on the right side of the checkout screen. The default is a single seat, so if you skip this step you won't be counted as a couple, and the matching won't work the way it's supposed to. One click, that's all. Just don't forget it.
The one critical thing for couples: when you sign up, click the Bring +1 button on the right side of the checkout screen. The default is a single seat, so if you skip this step you won't be counted as a couple, and the matching won't work the way it's supposed to. One click, that's all. Just don't forget it.
See you and your favourite person there.
ROLL OUT ROOTS
House of the Week: This c1888 build in Cambridge is another good combination of 19th and 21st centuries
New Work: Outside Sales Consultant, Lifestyle Home Products
Volunteer: your home to be a safe space for kids when needed - Block Parent
Adopt a pet: Polly doesn’t want a cracker but a loving home, and a 🥕won’t hurt
RIDDLE ME
Astronaut Chris Hadfield is keynoting in Kitchener this Saturday. Which of these did he famously do during his time on the International Space Station?
Last week’s answer SCTV 90% got it right! And I do miss O’Hara, gone too soon.
RIFFS & RIBS
Somewhere tonight, a singer is sound-checking. A duo is tuning up. A whole band is loading in through the back door of kitchens kind enough to host them. 97% of you asked for a list of where to find them, so here it is. No cover. Just live music with food. How many are you checkin out?
WED MAY 27
White Rabbit (Waterloo) 8-11pm, Jon Knight & Conor Gains (blues, rock & roots)
Boathouse DTK (Kitchener) 7:30-9:30pm, Willow River Sessions (Irish Jam Session)
Ethel's Lounge (Waterloo) 7:30-10:30pm, live music
Willibald Farm (Ayr) 5-8pm, Matthew James (Australian alt, indie)
CONTRIBUTE TO THE RHYTHM
Friends, I'm honestly loving building this resource with you. There's something quietly powerful about a region this big feeling this small, about knowing the names of the people behind the places, about Wednesdays landing softer because you know what's coming.
All your support goes directly towards keeping Waterloo Region Rhythm alive and well. WRR will always be 100% free to read while being independently and locally written by someone with a goose mindset and who loves the region. Many thanks to you all - Pav
AT HOME IN THE REGION
Partner: Cheryl Goetz, Real Estate Agent, REAL Broker Ontario Ltd.
Last year Cheryl started an event series called IMPACT to help women in business learn from one another, get connected to others and make a positive impact not just on them and their business, but their community.
Her next event is happening on Jun 5 and the theme is ‘mindset in business’. It consists of a panel followed by speed networking complete with snacks and refreshments. Ticket proceeds go towards helping local families. If you are a woman business owner, side hustler or corporate girlie and want to create positive change...
ROAM & RAZZLE
Because there is so much to explore every-single-day.
THU, MAY 28
Carnival: Opening day of the 75th annual Cambridge Kin Carnival with rides, food, and family entertainment (all ages) 5pm, Riverside Park, Cambridge tix
Community: Pub trivia, door prizes, and a charity update from Education 4 Change (all ages) 7pm, Waterloo tix
F&B: Block Three on tap and Los Rolling Tacos kick off R+T Park's beer-garden season (all ages) 2pm, Waterloo info
Talk: Hugo and Nebula-winning sci-fi author Robert J. Sawyer on The Downloaded 2, in conversation with Marcel Gagne (all ages) 7pm, Kitchener info
FRI, MAY 29
Festival: Grand River Film Festival is here, three-day run of shorts, Canadian, and international films, Cambridge tix
Festival: 60th annual New Hamburg Mennonite Relief with food, the plant tent, kid zone, and a community hymn sing (all ages) all day, Wilmot info
Market: Handmade goods, local art, and live sets from Mike & McLeod and Mandippal in Waterloo Public Square (all ages) 5pm, Waterloo info
Music: Live cover bands rip through Big Shiny Tunes 1-3 at The Union (19+) 6pm, Kitchener info
SAT, MAY 30
Community: Central Frederick's neighbourhood garage sale printed maps available day-of (all ages) 8am, Kitchener info
Community: Volunteers help fix broken clothing, jewelry, books, and household items (all ages) 9:30am, New Hamburg info
Dance: Country line-dancing night with Urban Cowboy (all ages) 7pm, Kitchener tix
Family: Youth scavenger hunt with challenges and prizes at the Cambridge Farmers Market (all ages) 9am, Cambridge info
Family: Climb on police cars, fire trucks, diggers, train rides, a petting zoo, popcorn, BBQ (all ages) 10am, Kitchener tix
Festival: KW Writers Alliance connect readers with local authors, vendors, Family Story Hour from 2:30-3:30pm (all ages) 2pm, Waterloo info
Music: 10th Kitchener Electronic Music open mic with a Synthesizer Petting Zoo where you can try out the gear (all ages) 6pm, Kitchener tix
Music: KW Orchestra celebrates 2026 Kiwanis Competition Winners with orchestral masterworks (all ages) 7:30pm, Waterloo info
Party: Annual Central Frederick porch party, dozens of porches host musicians, wander Hohner Ave (all ages) 3pm, Kitchener info
Party: 5K rave-run through Uptown Waterloo with glow necklaces, DJ leaders, and rest stops along the way (all ages) 8:30pm, Waterloo tix
Party: Surf, garage-rock dance party with Vox Confidential, Thee Growlits, more (19+) 6:30pm, Kitchener tix
Party: Post-punk, dark wave, industrial, EBM, metal dance party at Boathouse DTK (19+) 11pm-2am, Kitchener tix
Talk: Astronaut Chris Hadfield delivers a keynote and audience Q&A (all ages) 7pm, Kitchener tix
Tour: Guided walk through heritage gardens, covering heirloom plants, wild edibles, pollinators (all ages) 10am, Kitchener tix
Workshop: Guided sculpture garden tour, lecture, design for your own yard (all ages) 9:30am, Cambridge tix
SUN, MAY 31
Workshop: Waterloo Potters' Workshop open house, live handbuilding, wheel-throwing demos (all ages) 10am, Waterloo info
Music: Music in the Park (all ages) 6:30pm, Woolwich info
Film: Award-winning documentary tracing one Palestinian family's history, vendor, local-org booths on site (all ages) 1:30pm, Kitchener tix
Tour: Walking-tour festival pairing magicians with comedians across Uptown Waterloo (all ages) all day, Waterloo tix
MON, JUN 1
Community: Grand River Pride kicks off Pride Month create, raise a community Pride flag together (all ages) 5:30pm, Cambridge info
Show: 2026 Year-End Performance at Centre In The Square (all ages) 5:30pm, Kitchener tix
TUE, JUN 2
Dance: Outdoor K-Pop dance workshop in Waterloo Public Square with 3Dz Dance Studio (all ages) 7pm, Waterloo info
Film: Coming-of-age drama about a high-school football player, on Benjamin Howard's life (all ages) 7pm, Cambridge info
WED, JUN 3
Theatre: Drayton's staging of Agatha Christie's whodunnit on a remote island (all ages) 2pm, St. Jacobs tix
Theatre: Humorist Neil Aitchison on his final farewell tour, folksy humour, political satire (all ages) 2pm, St. Jacobs tix
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