It’s thanksgiving long weekend and families spent Sunday taking in much of what Ottawa has to offer. Amazing Autumn Weekends kicked off at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum with many family-friendly activities. “Lots of fun activities like, games and crafts to play. You can learn about pumpkins. You can, of course, see all of our animals, as per usual. We have our daily demonstrations in the barns as well. We also have baling demonstration on the weekends,” said Lindsay Stewart, education officer at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum. The museum also offers story times and recipes in their demonstration kitchen, but according to Stewart, the big attractions are the “spooky haunted house and our spooky barn.” Dawn Westwater and her family drove from Cambridge, Ont. to spend the long weekend in Ottawa. On Sunday, they decided to check out Amazing Autumn Weekends at the museum. “It’s little Lily’s birthday today. She’s turning eight, so we planned to come to the farm and just have some fun doing some outdoor activities,” said Westwater. The family spent the morning checking out the animals, doing spooky scavenger hunts and participating in activities. “I’m enjoying it pretty well. It’s a pretty nice day. I think it’s pretty fun. I’m enjoying it with my family and on my sister’s birthday. I’m glad to be here,” said Colin Clarkson, Dawn’s son. “Our family values supporting museums. These are important spaces. We’re really grateful to be able to come and visit them,” said Westwater. Autumn weekends will run every weekend until the end of October. Other families spent the day at the Lansdowne Farmers’ Market, hoping to find last minute Thanksgiving dinner decorations. “I’m going to get my daughter to bring her back because we’re going to choose the squashes and the gourds for our place settings on our table,” said Cynthis Ryan, who was at the farmers’ market. Ryan bought a garland to hang in her doorway to make her home festive. “It’s always guaranteed that there’s something great. And of all the holidays, Thanksgiving is obviously the time to find the bounty in the harvest,” said Ryan. Over in Navan, some families spent their weekend at the 3rd annual Robert Plante Greenhouses Thanksgiving Market. “We have over 200 different local vendors and artisans from all around the area. It’s a great event to get people in the Thanksgiving spirit and bring everyone together,” said Colin Matassa, manager of the Robert Plante Greenhouses. Robert Plante Greenhouses is a family-owned business and has been in operation more than 45 years. The Thanksgiving market features a wide array of vendors offering jewelry, candles, food, baked goods and more. “I came with the kids yesterday,” said Lionel Goussanou, who visited the greenhouse. “That’s why we came back to get some plants, some, garlic, some fresh, natural stuff.” “It’s beautiful. I love the market. There’s a lot to choose from. I like that it’s local, so you get to meet lots of local farmers and artisans. I love it,” said Jesslyn Colley, at Robert Plante Greenhouses. The Plante Greenhouses will host a holiday market in November and December.
