Attention Residents Of Windsor Essex & Chatham Kent, Get Ready For A Good Time This Summer
Summertime is eagerly anticipated by most residents in this area and we know everyone is eager to let the good times roll.
The warmer weather and longer days seem to invigorate individuals to participate and celebrate the season. Summer is now in full swing, which means there are plenty of special events and festivals for everyone to attend in Windsor, Essex County, Pelee Island and the Municipality of Chatham Kent.
The month of August is filled with events, and several in September 2024. In this article for Biz X magazine, we include a variety of the larger events scheduled, but please note this is not a complete list of everything happening throughout the region. (Note: you can see more listings of other daily events on the Biz X Events Calendar).
As always, we try to ensure all information is up to date; however, things can change.
Activities or performers can be deleted or added, with minor adjustments to times, so it is best to check the websites mentioned in each section or their social media pages prior to attending, to be certain everything is still a go.
We hope you can get out to each event profiled or as many as possible this August and September. So get your calendars out and read on . . .
Boot Hill “Country” Jamboree, August 1 To 5, 2024
Boot Hill “Country” Jamboree is a once-a-year country music and camping festival held every Civic Holiday Weekend.
This year’s event is the 16th celebration taking place at 15722 Turin Line in Bothwell, Ontario. It begins at 9 a.m. Thursday (when the Camping Gate opens) and runs through to 4 p.m. on the Monday.
On Thursday night, there is “Fun” Karaoke by Music Central for the early arrivals. The Jamboree includes music on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well as camping for five days.
This year’s entertainment features Steven Lee Olsen, Aaron Goodvin, Jason Benoit and Lemon Cash and The Story of the “Hag” — Merle Haggard, performed by Jess Lee.
Raquel Cole, Buck Twenty, Kerosene Creek, One Ugly Cowboy, Big Tobacco & the Pickers, the Fugitive Band and Greg Zalesky Band round out the list of performers for the weekend.
This is an all-ages event (however, the target is those over 40 and those with grandchildren) and there are also a variety of food, display and retail vendors in the Viewing Area.
Adult and youth weekend passes are available, along with single day passes, one night with overnight privileges, and children under the age of 10 are free to attend! Pricing varies, from the weekend at $163.72 to $225 at the gate; an individual day is $57.22 to $75 at the gate.
Owner/Promoter Vicki Radford explains: “This event takes place for the love of country music and camping. The community benefits, as not all people camp out, some visit motels, cliental regularly visit grocery stores, gas stations, beer and liquor stores.”
Emancipation Celebration Dinner & Dance, Friday, August 2, 2024 & Saturday, August 10, Walter Perry Emancipation Golf Classic
The Emancipation Celebration Dinner & Dance is held at the Hellenic Cultural Centre (3052 Walker Road, Windsor) with doors open at 6 p.m.
The event is hosted by the Amherstburg Freedom Museum and this year’s celebration marks the 190th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Canada. Jazz Age Jubilee — the theme for the 2024 event — invites guests to dress in their finest 1920s’ themed cocktail or semi-formal attire, to complement the evening’s festivities.
Through the night, guests can enjoy dancing, a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction, and an award ceremony, posthumously honouring the life and legacy of E. Andrea Moore, a pillar of the community, with the Legacy Hero Award.
As one of the museum’s major fundraisers, this celebration of Emancipation Day has run for over 30 years — it is open to all ages, and helps keep the museum operational year-round. It also supports Black history education for students nationwide.
This year’s dinner is generously sponsored by LiUNA!625 and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
Amherstburg Freedom Museum Assistant Curator Dr. Lorene Bridgen-Lennie indicates: “The Emancipation Gala is in celebration of August 1, 1834, which is the date of legal emancipation of those enslaved in Canada. On that day, anyone who touched Canadian soil was legally free from bondage, which included those who escaped enslavement in the United States. As a result, Canada became a safe haven for the brave men and women who risked everything for freedom. It is for this reason that the Museum celebrates this significant event.”
Join them for an evening of dinner and dancing, with musical entertainment provided by Trading Places — it’s an event you won’t want to miss! For more details and to purchase your $75 ticket, visit the Events page online.
As well, on Saturday, August 10, the Museum hosts the annual Walter Perry Emancipation Golf Classic with an 8 a.m. shotgun start at the Coachwood Golf & Country Club in McGregor.
Tickets are $150 (includes golf, cart and meal) and can be purchased online. (donations are also accepted).
The Annual Hogs For Hospice, August 2 To 4, 2024
For the past nine years, Leamington has hosted the Hogs for Hospice three-day Motorcycle Rally at the beautiful Seacliff Park on Lake Erie.
The annual weekend event begins on the Friday at 5 p.m. and ends on the Sunday at 5 p.m. Usually, around 20,000 attend the whole event with 5,500 concert goers each night.
Hogs for Hospice raises funds for the Erie Shores Hospice in Leamington. Over $3.7 million has been raised for the local hospice and healthcare!
The weekend long party has something for everyone to enjoy, including the best organized Registered Ride in Ontario, a Freestyle Motocross Show; Custom Bike Show, Bike Rodeo, vendors onsite, a Beer Garden, a Non-Denominational Church Service and a Pancake Breakfast.
Epic concerts are also a big attraction.
On Friday evening guests can be wowed by the musical talents of Priscilla Block and Justin Moore in the Country Night celebration. Rock Night follows with Stone Temple Pilots performing, with special guest Quiet Riot as the opening act on Saturday evening.
With over 70 million albums sold, Stone Temple Pilots (STP) roared on to the scene in 1992 with their raucous debut, Core. A breakout success, the album peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart and dominated radio waves with hits like Sex Type Thing, Wicked Garden, and the Grammy-Award winning smash single, Plush.
STP quickly distinguished themselves as a band beholden to no trend. Boasting the inimitable riffs of guitarist Dean DeLeo, the propulsive rhythm section of bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz, and the charismatic baritone of frontman Scott Weiland, STP ruled airways, video playlists and charts alike, over their legendary career.
In 2020, the band released their eighth studio album — Perdida—the second album with new lead singer, Jeff Gutt.
The STP performance is sure to get all in the region amped up!
Keep in mind, all ages are welcome at the entire Hogs for Hospice motorcycle rally; however, for the concerts and beer garden, guests must be 19 years of age or older. Concert pricing starts at $45 for lawn tickets (the pit area is sold out) and are available online only at: HogsForHospice.com (no tickets are sold at the door).
Admission to the park is free. To participate in the four hour organized ride on Saturday, August 3, the cost is $30 for a single rider (online pre-registration is encouraged; however, you may also register during the event at the Headquarters Tent).
As Brian Cornies, of the Hogs for Hospice Board of Directors recounts: “Hogs for Hospice began with the vision of creating a single event that could raise enough money to cover the operating costs of the Erie Shores Hospice. That vision brought a community together and created a movement. On the Civic Holiday weekend everyone comes together: volunteers, businesses, government, community groups, churches, EMS, Fire, Police, and the general public. The result is an incredible, feel-good weekend that showcases our beautiful community and accomplishes the goal of funding the Erie Shores Hospice so they can continue to serve local families with compassionate, dignified, end of life care.”
COVER STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 18 OF THE JULY/AUGUST ISSUE.
