We had one nice week and spring said "that's enough." It's back to winter jackets and scraping windshields. Cool.
Good news is there's plenty of reasons to get out anyway. One of Canada's top restaurants is right here in Grey County, maple syrup season is still going strong, and Southampton is doing a wine and cheese crawl down Main Street this weekend. Not a bad lineup for a cold week.
Let's get into it.
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Top 3 this week
Here are our 3 favourite events happening this week
Southampton Wine & Cheese Fest — Saturday-Sunday, April 11-12 | Main Street, Southampton
The 2nd annual fest is back. Eight tastings across Main Street on Saturday, featuring Ontario wines you can't get outside the wineries. Grab your tokens and map at Re:mind General Store and work your way through town. Sunday has a wine barrel demo, seminar, and elevated tasting. Tokens need to be purchased in advance.
Roast Beef Dinner Fundraiser — Saturday, April 11 | 5 PM-Midnight | Ripley Arena (upstairs)
Roast beef dinner, live music from Local Anesthesia and Adam Cousins, and a cash bar. All in support of the Ripley Curling Club. Show up hungry. Tickets are $60.
Docs on Ice — April 9-11 | Meaford and surrounding areas
Over 800 doctors from across Ontario trading scrubs for skates. North America's largest physician-only charity hockey tournament, running since 1983. This year's proceeds go to Events for Life, a local charity running life-skills programs for adults with special needs.
BONUS PICK - This one is taking place about 500 feet outside of Bruce County..
Belmore Maple Syrup Festival — Thursday, April 9 & Saturday, April 11 | Belmore Community Centre
56 years and still going. Scratch-made pancakes served all day. Thursday 8am-2pm, Saturday 8am-6pm. Live music, craft vendors, maple products both days. Saturday adds kids' entertainment and a pub that opens at 10am. Adults $18, kids 6-11 $9, under 5 free.
Sponsored Spotlight
Carrick Food Market
If you haven't stopped by Carrick Farm Market yet, you're missing out.
It's the retail storefront of Greenock Food Collective, tucked between Walkerton and Mildmay on Concession Road 14. Founded by two Bruce County guys who grew up on family beef farms right here in the area.
They do custom butchery, house-made sausage, local beef, pork, poultry, and lamb. Plus produce, pantry staples, and prepared meals you can grab and go.
And here's the new one. They're now cooking hot meals for lunch on Saturdays. We're not exaggerating when we say they are to die for. No menu, just whatever goodness they are cooking that day.
Whether you need to stock up the freezer or just want a reason to drive out on a Saturday, this is the spot.
Want to partner with GB Buzz and get in front of 5,000+ local readers? Click HERE. Fair warning. We're picky.
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
The Gate - Flesherton
There's a 40-seat restaurant inside a 150-year-old building in Flesherton. And it was just named one of Canada's Top 100 Restaurants and a Top 10
Best New Restaurant in 2025.
The Gate is run by chef Jonathan Gushue and Jennifer Belanger. It's casual Mediterranean with a Grey County backbone. Local farms supply the ingredients. Everything is made in-house. The bread, the sausage, even the ice cream.
The menu changes daily based on what's in season, so every visit is different.
It's dinner only. And with just 40 seats, you'll want to book ahead.
If you haven't been yet, this is your sign. One of the best restaurants in the country is a short drive from your door.
Hidden Gem of the week
Holstein Maplefest at Love's Sugar Bush
This one's been going for 30 years. And if you haven't been, this is the weekend.
The Holstein Maplefest is back at Love's Sugar Bush on Saturday April 11 (9am-4pm) and Sunday April 12 (10am-3pm). You hop on a hay wagon and ride into 40 acres of working sugar bush. And the grounds alone are worth the trip. It's beautiful down there.
Once you're in, there's all-day pancake breakfast, maple taffy on snow, sheep shearing, blacksmith demos, woodcarving, log sawing, and more. It's the kind of day where you show up for an hour and leave three hours later with a bag full of maple butter.
The whole thing is run by the Egremont Optimist Club. Admission is $10 for adults, free for elementary kids.
Love's Sugar Bush is at 392098 Grey County Road 109 in Holstein. Their maple syrup, butter, and sauces have won awards across North America.
Stock up while you're there.
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Poll of the week
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Catch you next Tuesday with a fresh batch of local events, hidden gems, and small-town surprises.
Stay curious,
— Cody & The GB Buzz Team