Morning. The forecast's calling for some rain, the patios are sulking, but the calendar's still loaded.
One thing first. The Dinner Club response last week was wild. We were not ready for that kind of inbox, in the best possible way. We're heads down putting it all together right now and we'll have the details out as soon as they're locked. Thanks for being patient.
This week: Southampton's oldest restaurant (1852, briefly a temperance house, still pouring), a Paisley soap shop that's been making soap by hand since 1987 and grows the herbs out the back, and we're launching something new for the summer that involves burgers, bee scores, and you.
Let's get into it.
Do you have an event coming up that our readers should know about? Submit your local events HERE to be featured in upcoming editions.
Top 3 this week
Here are our 3 favourite events happening this week
Kincardine Cheesecake + Taco Fest — Saturday-Sunday, June 13-14 | Victoria Park, Kincardine
Tacos and cheesecake in the same park. Two foods that have nothing to do with each other, served at the same festival, which is the kind of pairing we're here for. Brand new this year, downtown Kincardine. Saturday 11am to 5pm, Sunday until 4pm. Bring an appetite and a designated dessert eater.
Fleetwood Mac Mania — Saturday, June 13 | 7:30 PM | Roxy Theatre, Owen Sound
The Roxy hosts a Fleetwood Mac tribute Saturday night. Dreams, Landslide, The Chain, Go Your Own Way, the whole catalogue. Roxy fills these tribute nights fast. Grab tickets ahead.
Ripley Legion Burger Night — Friday, June 12 | 5-7 PM | Ripley Legion, Ripley
The Ripley Legion is firing up the grill Friday night. Speaking of burgers, you'll see why we like this one when you scroll. Two-hour window, 5 to 7. Bring a friend with strong burger opinions.
Help us find the best burger in Grey-Bruce
Here's the deal.
We're spending the summer eating burgers. For science. For you. Mostly for us.
The Buzz Burger Hunt. You nominate. We taste. We rank. The winner gets crowned in the Labour Day issue.
Send us the burger you'd send a friend to. The most-nominated spots make the shortlist. Then we hit the road through July and August and post the reviews on our Facebook page as we go. Each one gets a Buzz Score (1 to 10 🐝) and a Wildcard label ("Most Likely To Ruin Your Shirt," that kind of thing).
The full ranking drops in the Labour Day email.
A few rules so this doesn't get weird:
One burger per person. Pick the one.
Local spots only. The kind you'd send a friend to. No chains, no franchises, no hard feelings.
No bias points for your cousin's place.
Burger has to be on the menu right now. No "they used to do a great one in 2014."
The bee scores are final. The Wildcard labels are forever.
Nominations close Tuesday June 30 at midnight.
Full Weekly Calendar
Community Calendar
Our Community Calendar covers Grey & Bruce Counties. It’s a large area, so if we missed an event we are sorry, we will do better next time!
Our Community Calendar was getting a bit too enthusiastic. Turns out stuffing a week’s worth of local fun into one email makes for a very long scroll.
So we’ve given it its own space! Click the button below to check out the full lineup of events this week.
Foodie Flash
Walker House - Southampton
There's a restaurant on Southampton's main street that opened as a hotel in 1852, spent part of its life dry, and is still pouring today.
The Walker House started as a crown land grant in 1852 and cycled through four names before the Walkers settled it in 1915. The Royal Hotel. The Masonic Arms. The Central Hotel. And for a stretch, the Temperance House. That last one is why it took until 1938 to land a liquor licence, and why the bar they built when it came in was horseshoe-shaped and gender-divided down the middle.
The Walkers ran it three generations. Mary and Robert took it over in 2013 and have been running it ever since. It's now the oldest still-running
restaurant in Saugeen Shores.
Two things people order over and over. The crab cakes. Maryland-style, lightly breaded, chipotle dip on the side. And the blackened pickerel, which is the summer move. Local lake fish, pan-seared in their house spice rub, finished with a mango cucumber salsa. The house gravy is good enough they sell it on its own as a three-dollar side.
Friday is prime rib night. The kind regulars circle on the calendar. Sells out fast, so plan around it.
There's a pub side, a dining room, and a back patio tucked under a huge tree that does most of the work on a hot afternoon.
Patio season's on. This is one of the good ones.
Hidden Gem of the week
Elora Soap Company - Paisley
There's a soap shop on Paisley's main street that grows its own herbs out the back and has been making soap by hand since 1987.
John and Karen Kimpel started it in Elora. Three years later they packed the whole operation up to Paisley and moved into a century building on Queen Street North, in the heart of Heritage Village. Same family, same address, 38 years and counting.
The recipes are all-natural and the ingredients are short. The herb garden sits out behind the shop. Bars, balms, bath products, lotions, all of it made on site.
The rest of the building runs as a gallery for 20-plus other local artisans. Crafts, gifts, the kind of things you can't get at a chain. It's the kind of stop that turns a quick errand into an hour.
Know a hidden spot that you want to share? Reply to this email and let us know!
Poll of the week
What did you think of this weeks edition?
Thanks for spending a few minutes with us.
If one of today’s events sparks a little adventure, hit reply and tell us how it went, we love hearing your stories.
Forward the Buzz: Know a friend who’s always asking, “What’s happening this weekend?” Pass this email along and help them get in the loop.
Catch you next Tuesday with a fresh batch of local events, hidden gems, and small-town surprises.
Stay curious,
— Cody & The GB Buzz Team