Taffy, Trains, World Record, You in?

Happy Spring Wednesday, friends!

Hope y'all had a good weekend full of fun. It's such a great feeling when there are family or friends around to do fun things with, makes it a little easier to walk through the hard stuff we can’t ignore.

The week ahead offers some timely reminders of that. Tomorrow is Vimy Ridge Day, a moment to remember the sacrifices that helped shape our home. And for those who celebrate, Vaisakhi marks the Sikh New Year, a beautiful reminder to begin fresh and look out for your neighbours.

Two days, one shared message. Let's carry it into the week.

Ride the rhythm with me.

with love,

your neighbourly goose

NB: All the cute pet pictures are in, yes all 66 of them (!!) I'm working on getting them up so y'all can admire and then vote for the cutest pet. Coming soon!

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RHYTHM IRL

This week, four astronauts broke the record for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth. One of them, Jeremy Hansen, born and raised in Ingersoll Ontario, became the first Canadian to ever reach deep space. Floating behind the moon, completely cut off from everything and everyone they knew, the crew named a crater after their commander's late wife, Carroll. It was Canadian Jeremy Hansen who made the announcement, voice breaking: "It's a bright spot on the moon. And we would like to call it Carroll." Commander Reid Wiseman put his hand on Hansen's shoulder. Then all four of them floated into a group hug. Mission control went silent for nearly a full minute.

At the farthest point any human has ever been from home, what came pouring out wasn't just wonder at the cosmos. It was love for each other.

Us here don't need to go to space to feel it that love. We just need to show up.

Speaking of which:

DINNER CLUB

We are two dinners in. 200+ people. New friendships, WhatsApp groups that didn't exist a month ago, and a room so alive you could feel it. All of it, right here in Waterloo Region.

Here's how it works. You take a short quiz and get matched with five neighbours you've never met. The morning of the dinner, you get your restaurant. You show up. No agenda. No judgement. Just a table of neighbours who, by the end of the night, are friends.

Spots for the next one are going fast.

Next Dinner: Thu, Apr 23 at 6:30pm | After Party: 8pm

COMMUNITY CLEAN UP

Apr 22 is Earth Day, and I'd love to do a community clean up of a public space collectively as a group. Good people, meaningful work, fresh air, and maybe some new connections made along the way. If you're in, let me know. And if you have a spot you'd like to see cleaned up, share that too. Enough interest and I'll get it moving.

C-RAVING SY-RUP

It's 1965. The very first Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. A youth group is selling pancake tickets outside Cale's Drug Store on a chilly April morning. By 10am, they're sold out. They run to Otto Men's Wear for more. Sold out again. Eventually they start tearing tickets in half and selling halves. Organizers expected 2,500 people. 10,000 showed up. That origin story tells you everything.

Sixty-one years later, the festival is still going strong. In its peak year, 66,529 people came through on April 1, 2000, earning an official Guinness World Record as the largest single-day maple syrup festival on Earth. All of this, in a town of 10,000 people.

It's my favourite festival, minus the numb-fingers cold. Stand-in-the-wind-debating-the-taffy cold. (You always get the taffy. That's not actually a debate.) But that's kind of the point: the festival is a sign of spring, even when spring is still just a rumour. Good news this year: April 11 is looking dry with a high around 10°C. You don't want to miss this, trust me.

Here's what you'll find: three vendor areas, a pancake breakfast at Lion's Hall from 7am, a Pancake Flipping Contest at the Woolwich Memorial Complex from 10am to noon, maple taffy pulled fresh on snow, and sugar bush tours to a working farm where you can see exactly how 40 litres of sap becomes one litre of syrup. That giant sap bucket in Gore Park? 168 gallons.

This year's featured syrup is from Maple Tap Farm, winner of the official syrup testing competition. Their syrup goes on your pancakes. Find their tent behind HQ, right next to the taffy booth, and grab a bottle for home. And stop by local artist Trevor Clare's booth, where his artwork tells stories of cherished memories and heartfelt experiences.

You can also ride the Waterloo Central Railway from St. Jacobs Farmers' Market straight into Elmira. Genuinely fun way to arrive. Bring cash. Dress in layers. Come hungry. Immerse in the goodness.

REGION THROUGH YOUR LENS

The golden hour doesn't get much better than this. A horse buggy makes its way home near St. Jacobs, just as the sun dips low and the sky lights up. With the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival happening this week, it's a good reminder that some of the most beautiful things about this region happen quietly, on the side of the road, if you're paying attention.

REGION’S RADAR (ICYMI)

Waterloo tech company raises $24.5M: Mappedin, a company that helps you navigate indoor spaces like malls and airports just got a big cash injection. They'll use it to grow their business and hire more people here. Details

Water infrastructure back online in Wilmot: Good news for residents, repairs to the Parkway water system are done and 60 litres per second of capacity is restored. Details

Fixing our roads: The region just announced a massive roadwork plan for spring-fall 2026, many other roads will get reconstructed. Expect lane closures and delays, but smoother rides ahead. Details

ROLL OUT ROOTS

House of the Week: this 1859 build is part of Cambridge’s Heritage Registry

New Work: Clinical Regional Coordinator, Oncology, WRHN

Volunteer: Volunteer Coordinator, Robin in the Hood Medieval Festival

Adopt a pet: Strawberry is totally real, tiny, full of love!

RIDDLE ME

Who am I?

I fall but never hit the ground with pain,

I'm cursed on weekends, loved by grain.

I bring the rainbows, fill the creek,

Waterloo knows me well this week.

Last week's riddle was harder than I thought. But there's no riddle 🙂 Liz Tauvette, Becky Daniels, Maureen Rau, and Valerie Miller 🙂 can't crack! You've officially earned bragging rights and the strongest trivia team we've got so far.

Think you've got it? First five correct answers get a shoutout next week.

ROAM & RAZZLE

Know of or organizing an event. Add details here to be considered for WRR.

FEATURED EVENTS

THU, APR 9

Live Music: Jazz and blues vocals from Madeleine Peyroux, an intimate storytelling set (all ages) 8pm, Kitchener ♿️ tix

Talk: How centring migrant voices can improve migration policy, with speaker Linda Adhiambo Oucho (all ages) 12:15pm, Waterloo tix

Social: salsa and bachata, then open social dancing until 10pm (19+) 6:15pm, 24 King St N, Waterloo info

Sports: outdoor screening of Leafs vs. Senators, bring lawn chairs and blankets (all ages) 7pm, 64 Grand Ave S, Cambridge

FRI, APR 10

Live Music: Tribute to Foreigner and Journey with arena rock hits from Foreign Journey (all ages) 8pm, Kitchener ♿️ tix

Comedy: Stand-up showcase hosted by Rusty Nail Comedy, featuring Jesse Singh (19+) 8pm, Kitchener tix

Fitness: Gentle yoga session followed by a guided rosé wine tasting at Puddicombe House (all ages) 7pm, New Hamburg tix

Food: Wine, craft beer, cocktails, cooking demos, and live music at the KW Wine & Food Show (all ages) 5pm, Kitchener ♿️ tix

Social: Friday night dance party with DJ, no cover, stairs-only access (19+) 9pm, Cambridge info

SAT, APR 11

Community: Spring wreath and seasonal craft sale by the Morningside Adult Community Craft Group (all ages) 10am, New Hamburg info

Food: Wine, craft beer, cocktails, cooking demos, and live music at the KW Wine & Food Show (all ages) 12pm, 4pm, Kitchener ♿️ tix

Workshop: Hands-on braiding and ponytail techniques for parents, caregivers, and grandparents, includes one drink (all ages) 1pm, New Hamburg tix

Sports: Roller derby double header: Tri-City Juniors vs Simcoe Juniors at 5pm, Tri-City Storm vs Bay Street Bruisers at 7pm (all ages) 5pm, Kitchener tix

Improv: Fully improvised scenes and games with Tri City Improv (all ages) 8pm, Waterloo tix

Live Music: Country video dance party all night with DJ Rob Da Selekta (19+) 8pm, Waterloo ♿️ tix

Comedy: Stand-up showcase hosted by Rusty Nail Comedy at TWH Social (19+) 8pm, Kitchener tix

Live Music: New Order and Duran Duran tributes Factory and Blue Silver (19+) 8:30pm, Kitchener tix

SUN, APR 12

Community: Open mic poetry night at Pink Crow Cafe, performers and listeners welcome (all ages) 7pm, Waterloo tix

Circus: Aerial arts showcase featuring student and staff self-choreographed acts plus the production AQUARION (all ages) 2pm, Kitchener ♿️ tix

Festival: Fibre arts showcase featuring quilts, guild demos, and the Grand River Quilt Project (all ages) 10am, Waterloo tix

Sports: outdoor Raptors game screening, rain or shine with overflow at Foundry Tavern (all ages) 6pm, 64 Grand Ave S, Cambridge

Family: drop-in seed planting and art-making afternoon at KWAG (all ages) 1pm, 101 Queen St N, Kitchener ♿️ tix

MON, APR 13

Film: Exit 8, a Japanese psychological thriller set in an endless subway corridor (all ages) 7pm, Waterloo ♿️ tix

Workshop: Make two soy wax candles and a 6-pack of tea lights at Nesters in the Gaslight District (all ages) 6:30pm, Cambridge tix

TUE, APR 14

Food: Whisky walk through Uptown Waterloo with tastings, food pairings, live music, and a historical reenactment (all ages) 6pm or 8:30pm, Waterloo tix

Talk: Native plant gardening and how it can restore our connection to nature, with author Lorraine Johnson (all ages) 6pm, 256 King St E, Kitchener ♿️ tix

WED, APR 15

Theatre: Murdoch Mysteries episode "Murder in F Major" on the big screen with a live KWS orchestral score, hosted by Yannick Bisson (all ages) 7:30pm, Kitchener ♿️ tix

Sports: outdoor screening of Leafs vs. Senators, bring lawn chairs and blankets (all ages) 7:30pm, 64 Grand Ave S, Cambridge

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