November 28 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Nov. 28: Beckwith Craft Fair

Held in the Beckwith Public School gym, 1523 9th Line, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with over 40 exhibitors. Donations accepted for the Lanark County Food Bank. Info: 613.257.1539

November 7 @ 8:00 am – November 8 @ 5:00 pm

Nov. 7-8: Carleton Place Artists’ Open Studio Weekend

Local artists will open their studios for a sale and a chance to see them at work.

Info: 613.859.0100 (Jennifer)

Halloween in 2015 is Saturday, October 31

It is a day to mark the single night in the year when, according to old Celtic beliefs, spirits and the dead can cross over into the world of the living. Some people hold parties and children may trick-or-treat in their neighborhood.

Some people put a lot of effort into decorating their homes, yards and drives. They may even construct life-size replica graveyards or dungeons and invite people from the neighborhood to view their creations or hold a themed party. Other people may organize fancy dress parties for adults or children. Popular activities at parties include watching horror films and trying to make fellow guests jump in fright.

Many children go out to play trick-or-treat. They dress up as ghosts, witches, skeletons or other characters and visit homes in their neighborhood. They ring doorbells and, when someone answers, they call out “trick-or-treat”. This means that they hope to receive a gift of candy or other snacks and that they are threatening to play a trick if they do not get anything. Usually, they receive a treat and tricks are rarely carried out.

There are special types of food associated with Halloween. These include candies in packets decorated with symbols of Halloween, toffee apples made by coating real apples with a boiled sugar solution, roasted corn, popcorn and pumpkin pie or bread. Halloween beer, which is made by adding pumpkin and spices to the mash before fermenting it, is also available in specialist stores.

Children also take part in a long-standing Canadian tradition of “Trick-or-Treat for Unicef”. Pumpkin-carving contests, pumpkin art tours, a reading marathon, and symbolic Walks for Water are just a few examples of the educational and fundraising activities schools and children develop to help provide thousands of children developing countries with basic quality education.

October 31 is not a public holiday. Schools, organizations, businesses, stores and post offices are open as usual. Some organizations may arrange Halloween parties, but these do not usually disrupt normal affairs. Public transport services run on their regular timetables. If people are driving around the neighborhood in the late afternoon or evening, it is important to be particularly aware of children, especially those wearing dark costumes, who may be unfamiliar with traffic conditions.

Halloween has Celtic origins. In pre-Christian times, many people believed that spirits from the underworld and ghosts of dead people could visit the world of the living on the night of October 31. These spirits could harm the living or take them back to the underworld. To avoid this, people started dressing up as ghosts and spirits if they left their homes on October 31. They hoped that this would confuse the ghosts and spirits.

Thanksgiving Day in Canada is on 12th October 2015.

Thanksgiving Day in Canada has been a holiday on the second Monday of October since 1957. It is a chance for people to give thanks for a good harvest and other fortunes in the past year.

Many people have a day off work on the second Monday of October. They often use the three-day Thanksgiving weekend to visit family or friends who live far away, or to receive them in their own homes. Many people also prepare a special meal to eat at some point during the long weekend. Traditionally, this included roast turkey and seasonal produce, such as pumpkin, corn ears and pecan nuts. Now, the meal may consist of other foods, particularly if the family is of non-European descent.

The Thanksgiving weekend is also a popular time to take a short autumn vacation. This may be the last chance in a while for some people to use cottages or holiday homes before winter sets in. Other popular activities include: outdoor breaks to admire the spectacular colors of the Canadian autumn; hiking; and fishing. Fans of the teams in the Canadian Football League may spend part of the weekend watching the Thanksgiving Day Classic matches.

The native peoples of the Americas held ceremonies and festivals to celebrate the completion and bounty of the harvest long before European explorers and settlers arrived in what is now Canada. Early European thanksgivings were held to give thanks for some special fortune. An early example is the ceremony the explorer Martin Frobisher held in 1578 after he had survived the long journey in his quest to find a northern passage from Europe to Asia.

From the end of the First World War until 1930, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving Day were celebrated on the Monday closest to November 11, the anniversary of the official end of hostilities in World War I. In 1931, Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day and Thanksgiving Day was moved to a Monday in October. Since 1957, Thanksgiving Day has always been held on the second Monday in October.

Thanksgiving Day in Canada is linked to the European tradition of harvest festivals. A common image seen at this time of year is a cornucopia, or horn, filled with seasonal fruit and vegetables. The cornucopia, which means “Horn of Plenty” in Latin, was a symbol of bounty and plenty in ancient Greece. Turkeys, pumpkins, ears of corn and large displays of food are also used to symbolize Thanksgiving Day.

Our Haunted Heritage Storytelling Night

October 15 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Carleton Place & Beckwith Heritage Museum.

Our third annual night of scary ghost stories and tales of local hauntings!

Info: 613.253.7013 or cpbheritagemuseum@bellnet.ca

Meeting at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Hall, Potluck Supper 6 p.m. for 6:30 dinner.

Bring your own plate, cup, knife and fork, and your favourite dish to serve.

Join us for our next meeting Wednesday October 7 2015 at 7:00pm for Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging with Rebecca Craig. Rebecca is a licensed practitioner of Ikebana (Sagagoryu School) as well as an artist of traditional Japanese brush painting.

Everyone is welcome!

Please join us at 39 Bridge St. at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Hall (basement) in Carleton Place, ON. http://www.cphorticulture.ca for more information.

Oct. 10 2015 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Last Day of the Farmers’ Market

This day always comes sooner than you think.

This is the day that you stock up for the long winter or pick up some canning supplies.

Many of our vendors bring maple syrup, honey and preserves so be sure to stop by.

Info: 613.257.1976 or www.cpfm.ca

Full Moon Walk

October 27 @ 8:00 pm

Begins at 8 p.m. Find us behind the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum, 267 Edmund St.

Info: 613.257.1014 (Debby) or http://carletonplacecommunitylabyrinth.blogspot.com

Country Harvest Show
October 18 @ 5:30 pm

Come out for an evening packed with great Ottawa Valley Country Music.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $15.

Info: 617.253.5046 (Bob White)

A Tennessee Waltz
October 24 @ 6:00 am

Join the Carleton Place Sister City Committee for a dinner-dance to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the twinning involving Carleton Place and the city of Franklin, Tennessee.

The event will be held in the upper hall of the Carleton Place arena complex starting with a social hour at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m., entertainment (including live and silent auctions) and dancing until 1 a.m.

For complete details, including ticket locations, watch for newspaper advertising, posters and website information.

All proceeds to the Sister Cities Youth Exchange Program.

Info: 613.257.3822