Morning. Yes, it's Wednesday. The Buzz caught a bug this week, so we're a day late, but we're back on our feet (err couch).
It's also Remembrance Day. Services start across Grey-Bruce this morning, and we've listed a few below if you want to be there at 11.
This week's Buzz is brought to you by Stay Grey Bruce. Hosting the whole family at Christmas and the house runs out of beds? Stay Grey Bruce lists cottages and chalets across the region, and you can filter for places that sleep 10 or 12. You book with the owners directly, and there are no booking fees.
Inside: tomato soup and grilled cheese in Owen Sound's River District, a chocolate shop that's a stocking stuffer stop, roller derby in Neustadt, and a hound who'd rather cuddle than hunt.
Let's get into it.
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Lest We Forget
Where to pause at 11 today
Communities across Grey-Bruce gather at their cenotaphs this morning. A few of the services:
Owen Sound: parade from the Royal Bank at 10:45, service at the cenotaph at 11
Port Elgin: parade from the Legion at 10:30, service at Cenotaph Park at 11, also livestreamed
Kincardine: indoor service at 10, outdoor at the cenotaph at 10:45
Walkerton, Tara and Ripley: cenotaph services at 10:45
Meaford: parade and service at the cenotaph, 10:30
Mildmay: cenotaph, 1:15 this afternoon
Most towns start between 10:30 and 11. Can't make it out? Stop wherever you are at 11 for two minutes of silence.
To every veteran, and to everyone serving today: thank you.
Top 3 this week
Here are our 3 favourite events happening this week
The Sound of Music — Friday, November 13 to Saturday, November 28 | 7 PM Fri, 2 PM Sat & Sun this weekend | Kincardine Arts Centre
The Kincardine Theatre Guild opens the von Trapps on Friday night, and the youngest, Gretl, is played by an 8-year-old from St. Anthony's School. Ten shows over three weekends. Tickets are $30.
Grey Bruce Roller Derby: Flannel Fallout — Saturday, November 14 | 5 PM scrimmage, 7 PM game | Neustadt Arena
Full-contact roller derby, in Neustadt. Skaters from across Ontario scrimmage at 5, then Grey Bruce takes on the Bombshell Battalion from Alliston at 7. Wear the flannel. It's $10 at the door, with vendors and snacks on site.
Fleetwood Mac Mania — Saturday, November 14 | 7:30 PM | Meaford Hall
A Fleetwood Mac tribute that's played for crowds of up to 18,000 is squeezing into Meaford Hall. Jenn Taylor does Stevie Nicks. Tickets are $56.69, and the balcony is stairs only, so call the box office for accessible seats.
Partner Spotlight
The whole hamlet of Formosa lights up for Christmas
Save the first weekend of December. Formosa Country Christmas runs Thursday, December 3 to Sunday, December 6, from 5 to 9 each night.
It's a drive-thru light show, so you stay in your vehicle and roll past the displays. The people who live in Formosa go big on their own houses too, so make sure you loop the whole town. This year's theme is Once Upon a Time and the Winter Olympics.
Go Thursday or Friday if you can. Those are the only nights with tours of the church, one of the oldest in the region and featured in the book The Stone Carvers.
Admission is a cash donation, and the whole thing runs on volunteers.
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!
559 events between now and Monday. Holiday markets are popping up everywhere, from Tobermory to Thornbury, and Port Elgin's Artisans Christmas Market at Maple Square Mall runs all weekend. Come From Away is still on at the Roxy, and the Kincardine Holiday Market runs Friday and Saturday.
It all lives on the map. Open it, find your town, tap a pin, see what's close. Same events, way less scrolling.
3 more worth getting off the couch for:
Owen Sound Attack vs Barrie Colts — Owen Sound, Wed, 7 PM. Something to do tonight.
Santa's Breakfast and Christmas Market — Sauble Beach, Sat, 8:30 AM-1 PM. Pancakes with Santa, now in its 28th year, plus keepsake crafts for the kids.
Tobermory Fall Festive Marketplace — Tobermory, Sat, 9 AM-3 PM, at the community centre.
Foodie Flash
Papi's Eatery & Lounge - Owen Sound
There's a restaurant in Owen Sound's River District named after a nickname the owner picked up in a restaurant kitchen.
"Papi" is Jonathan Gonzalez. He and his wife Melissa spent years working chain restaurants out on the east-side strip. In 2022 they opened their own place on 8th Street East. The pizza oven came from Italy and showed up just before opening day.
Melissa put it simply: "We're quality comfort food." Which is pretty much what November ordered.
Start with the tomato soup and three-cheese grilled cheese on house-made honey oat bread. The pull-apart monkey garlic bread comes with marinara for dipping. And the steak changes with whatever cut Moore's Meats sends over.
Cold night? This is the room you want.
Community Bulletin
Quick hits from around Grey-Bruce
Barton would rather cuddle than hunt
Meet Barton, a 5-year-old Walker Foxhound at the Grey Bruce Animal Shelter. He started out as a hunting dog, but it turns out he's a snuggler. He's friendly with people and other dogs, and he's looking for a home where someone's around most of the time. Hound experience helps. Call 519-372-1911 to meet him.
And Cici, last week's pup? Her adoption is pending.
Mildmay lights up November 27
Mildmay's Hanging of the Green is Friday, November 27, the night the whole town turns its Christmas lights on. The Bavarian Market opens at 5:30 in the Harley's Pub & Perk parking lot, and the parade rolls up main street at 7:40. Want a float or a booth? Sign up with the Chamber HERE.
Want your thing in next week's Bulletin? Reply to this email.
Hidden Gem of the week
Mill Creek Chocolates - Port Elgin
Back in 1997, a Port Elgin family started making chocolates by hand. They named the shop after the creek that ran past their childhood home.
Almost 30 years later, Mill Creek Chocolates has three shops, in Port Elgin, Owen Sound and Kincardine. It's still small-batch. Last week they posted a video of a fresh slab being cut into squares by hand.
People keep coming back to the free samples. One longtime fan says the smell hits you the second you open the door.
This is the time of year to go. Chocolate-dipped Sour Keys, Swedish Berries, Rocky Road Popcorn, chocolate snowflakes, advent calendars. That's a stocking, sorted. One planning note: a bunch of the holiday baskets already say sold out online, so walking in is your best bet.
Know a hidden spot that you want to share? Reply to this email and let us know!
Poll of the week
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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.
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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
P.S. Quick reminder of how the Buzz works: nobody pays to be a Foodie Flash or a Hidden Gem, ever. Those spots are earned, not sold. The clearly marked sponsor spots are what pay for the rest, and a couple open up every month. Winter is booking now. Want your business in front of 8,000+ neighbours across Grey-Bruce? Hit reply and I'll send you what's available.