Each year, the PineRidge Arts Council offers a new arts experience to visitors at Artfest. This year, thanks to the generosity of Enbridge Pipelines Inc., kids of all ages will be able to paint and decorate free wooden masks to take home. More than 80 artists will be displaying their work, assembled in Esplanade Park just behind Pickering City Hall.

Esplanade Park is booked for even more arts events this summer. The Esplanade Concert Series takes place Sundays at 2 p.m., starting in late June.

If that’s not enough arts for you, Driftwood Theatre Group comes to the park on July 31, for what is described as, “the greatest journey of love, adventure and the search for home ever told: The Odyssey.”

Pictured is “Mixer” by Amanda Fasken. Download My Durham Desktop to have other intriguing images of Durham Region delivered to your desktop. My Durham Desktop is a computer desktop calendar that serves up the beauty of Durham Region via visual art and photography every week. Each new wallpaper is accompanied by a pop-up window that informs you of local events and happenings.

On a hill in the rolling countryside, just five or six kilometres north of Uxbridge, the Thomas Foster Memorial commands attention. Its structure, inspired by the Taj Mahal, is built out of limestone, bronze, copper, marble mosaics and stained glass. It’s a beautiful venue architecturally, with very special acoustics.

The Foster Fridays program offers a chance to appreciate the interior detail and enjoy some local talent. Providing a donation at the door affords admission to shows every Friday through the end of October. Coming up tonight is guitarist Mike Thompson, who has three albums to his name, mixing his guitar with work on the dobro, harmonica, sliding guitar, pedal steel, lap steel and mandolin.

Photo courtesy of The Township of Uxbridge. Download My Durham Desktop to have other intriguing images of Durham Region delivered to your desktop. My Durham Desktop is a computer desktop calendar that serves up the beauty of Durham Region via visual art and photography every week. Each new wallpaper is accompanied by a pop-up window that informs you of local events and happenings.

Barbecues across Durham Region will soon be heating up the summer, with the scent of sizzling snacks in the air. This can only mean one thing: Ribfests are here!

Along with succulent food served hot off the grill, these local festivals are combined with carnival rides and games, live music, local vendors selling their wares and more. Indulge at the local Rotary Ribfest in your community.

Pickering
May 31 to June 2
Pickering Civic Complex

Bowmanville
June 7 to 9
Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex

Whitby
July 12 to 14
Victoria Fields

Oshawa
Sept. 6 to 8
LakeviewPark

Have any events to add? Leave us a comment below.

One of the perks of living in a region populated with rural areas and farmland is farmers’ markets! Shopping at a farmers’ market is not only a great way to get quality, fresh food, but it also helps to support local producers and the economy. 

Be sure to check out the farmers’ market in your area. Visit www.durhamfarmfresh.ca for even more farm-fresh information, and stay tuned for information on the new Durham Farm Fresh brochure (coming soon).

Clarington Farmers’ Market
Newcastle
905-987-1899

North Oshawa Farmers’ Market
Oshawa
905-728-8674

Oshawa Centre Farmers’ Market
Oshawa
905-686-6408

Pickering Town Centre Farmers’ Market
Pickering
905-683-7171

Port Perry Farmers’ Market
Port Perry
905-985-7565

Uxbridge Farmers’ Market
Zephyr
905-830-4521

Whitby Farmers’ Market
Oshawa
905-655-3440

Have any locations to add? Leave us a comment below.

The Ganaraska Conservation Authority is celebrating Migratory Bird Week with a guided and informative walk through the forest on May 12.

What a great way to celebrate Mother’s Day, by coming out to the Ganaraska Forest Centre to enjoy the fresh air in the hardwood forest, which is full of the sweet smells of spring, and the sounds of returning songbirds after the long, cold winter.

The forest floor will also be something to behold. It’s arguably the very best week or two for wildflowers, including trout lilies, trilliums, hepatica and jack-in-the-pulpit. The bloodroot pictured here got its name from the red dye obtained from its root and used by pioneers.

Photo by Kristin McCrea. Download My Durham Desktop to have other intriguing images of Durham Region delivered to your desktop. My Durham Desktop is a computer desktop calendar that serves up the beauty of Durham Region via visual art and photography every week. Each new wallpaper is accompanied by a pop-up window that informs you of local events and happenings.

Whitby’s Doors Open event on May 4 features 13 locations, with a combined age of more than 900 years. Not all the sites are historical—for instance the state-of-the-art Abilities Centre, with its unique curved roof, was opened as recently as 2012. By contrast, the James Rowe house was built in 1856 for Whitby’s first mayor.

For Camp X fans, Lynn Philip Hodgson, the noted author of Inside Camp X and Dispatches from Camp X—and an expert on the history of the camp and its activities—will  guide Doors Open visitors on a 90-minute walking/hiking tour of the site of this Second World War spy training camp. Camp X tours take place within Intrepid Park, 2008 Boundary Rd. Whitby.

As with every Doors Open event, admission is completely free.

Pictured is “Trafalgar’s Canon” by Paul James. Download My Durham Desktop to have other intriguing images of Durham Region delivered to your desktop. My Durham Desktop is a computer desktop calendar that serves up the beauty of Durham Region via visual art and photography every week. Each new wallpaper is accompanied by a pop-up window that informs you of local events and happenings.

Inspired by generations of local artists, art is abundant in Durham Region. With studio tours, art shows and festivals, the month of May boasts a full palette of events to celebrate our creative culture. All these events and more are included in our May e-newsletter. Read on and get inspired.

The Oshawa Art Association is holding its 45th annual Juried Art Show at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery from May 2 to 19. The awards ceremony and official reception are free to attend, and will take place on May 2.

Studio tours are taking over Durham Region, with local artists opening their doors and welcoming you to experience art and culture first hand. The weekend of May 4 and 5 features the Lake Scugog Spring Studio Tour from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Oshawa Spring Studio Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pictured is artist and Port Perry resident Ronald Peter.

On May 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Esplanade Park will come alive with music, dance, crafts and singing, along with children’s art areas and artist demonstrations. Artfest on the Esplanade is a free event that includes more than 90 artists from across the province, who show and sell a fantastic variety of original art creations. Pictured is artwork from Amanda Fasken.

Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival is an annual event featuring more than 1,500 Canadian and international artists and photographers, exhibiting at more than 175 venues throughout the GTA. SilverStone Gallery will be the only local stop for this Toronto-based photography show, taking place from May 4 to 26. Pictured is “Cal and Pal,” captured by local photographer and Ajax
resident Jacqueline La Frano.

The Victoria Day SpeedFest, running May 17 to 19, will get Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s 2013 season underway, with the thundering stock cars of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Camping has always been a popular part of the experience (with general and RV camping available) for all of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s major event weekends, starting on the Victoria Day long weekend.

For 10 years, Scugog Island Cruises has offered the premier Port Perry cruise experience. Locally owned and operated, Scugog Island Cruises is well-placed to make your cruise event a success. This year’s first public cruise takes place on May 11, just in time for Mother’s Day.

The townships of Uxbridge and Scugog are providing two self-guided tours of various horse facilities in beautiful north Durham on May 25 and June 2, respectively. If you have ever stopped to watch horses frolicking in a field, or wondered what it takes to be an Olympian, these tours are for you! Enjoy hands-on experiences, musical rides, and personally meet former and present-day Olympic competitors, such as Michele Mueller (pictured above) from the 2012 London Olympics.

The Ontario Regiment Museum will be hosting its first Tank Saturday of 2013, on May 11, which will feature an M60 Patton Main Battle Tank being put through its paces. The event begins at 10 a.m., with the Patton running at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The museum boasts the largest collection of operational military vehicles in Canada, and houses a large display of weapons, uniforms, medals and more, dating back to 1812.

April 25 to May 4
Steel Magnolias
St. Francis Centre, Ajax

May 1 to 7
Youth Week
Various venues in Pickering  

May 2 to 3
55+ Lifestyle Show
Ajax Convention Centre, Ajax

May 3
The Mamas and Chicks Spring Show
Quality Hotel, Oshawa

May 3
AC/DC: Back in Black – Classic Albums Live  
Regent Theatre, Oshawa

May 4 
Doors Open Whitby
Various locations, Whitby

May 4 
Fab Four
Class Act Dinner Theatre, Whitby

May 4 
Hip Hop in the Park
Diana, Princess of Wales Park (Skate Park), Pickering

May 5 
Durham Potters Guild Spring Show and Sale
Ajax Kinsmen Heritage Centre, Ajax

May 5 
Annual Spring Art Sale
226 Centre St. N., Whitby

May 10 to 20  
Quilts on Quaker Hill: Quilt Show
Uxbridge Historical Centre, Uxbridge

May 11   
Durham Youth Orchestra Spring Concert
Hebron Christian Reform Church, Whitby

May 11
Heritage Showcase
Oshawa Public Library (McLaughlin branch), Oshawa

May 11   
Motley Crue
General Motors Centre, Oshawa

May 12
Mother’s Day at Treetop Eco-Adventure Park
Treetop Eco-Adventure Park, Oshawa

May 15
Victory Gardens
Oshawa Public Library (McLaughlin branch), Oshawa

May 18 to 20
May Long Weekend at Treetop Eco-Adventure Park
Treetop Eco-Adventure Park, Oshawa

May 19    
Jillian Michaels
General Motors Centre, Oshawa

May 22 and 29
Pedals and Throttles Show and Shine
City Hall parking lot, Oshawa

May 23     
Lecture Series: Author John McKenty on the History of the CCM Co. and the Bicycle
Uxbridge Historical Centre, Uxbridge

May 24      
AfterGlow Trio CD release concert
St. Andrews-Chalmers Presbyterian Church, Uxbridge

May 25       
A Musical Odyssey
St. Francis Centre, Ajax

May 25
Lite Lunch Cruise
MV Woodman Ship, Scugog

May 28
Thunder from Down Under
Class Act Dinner Theatre, Whitby

May 30 to June 2
Brooklin Spring Fair
Brooklin Memorial Park, Whitby

May 31 to June 2
Pickering Rotary Ribfest
Pickering Civic Complex, Pickering

Browse through the Durham Tourism 2013 event calendar for a full listing of community events. Durham is brimming with exciting attractions and events—from live music, art exhibitions, festivals and sporting events, there’s something for everyone.

Share your organization’s event on the Durham Tourism event calendar. Post your event for free.

From the Waterfront Trail to the rolling hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine, Durham Region offers excellent routes for cyclists of all ages. For route details and a list of nearby bike-friendly businesses, visit durhamtourism.ca and download the 2013 Durham Cycle Tours map.

Easy to install and compatible with any screen size, the 2013 My Durham Desktop is available to download for free at www.durhamtourism.ca.

Please note: the approximate file size of the program is 75 megabytes, and is compatible only with Microsoft Windows at this time.

Spring studio tour season is upon us, with the Durham West Studio Tour this weekend. Thank goodness for a reason to get outside that doesn’t include raking leaves! Certainly this image by Iwona Dufaj will make you want to get in the car and head west.

Dufaj always sketched and experimented with different media, as well as with surreal imagery; using materials like toothpaste and onion skin to create texture. Currently she has developed her own exclusive technique using a combination of Venetian plaster, linseed oil and oil paint on canvas.

Pictured is “Julia Fin—Healing” by Iwona Dufaj. Download My Durham Desktop to have other intriguing images of Durham Region delivered to your desktop. My Durham Desktop is a computer desktop calendar that serves up the beauty of Durham Region via visual art and photography every week. Each new wallpaper is accompanied by a pop-up window that informs you of local events and happenings.