Happy Monday, St. Catharines! ☀️
Welcome to the very first issue of The Garden City Catharines Digest — your new 3x-a-week guide to everything happening in the Garden City. No fluff, no politics, just what's actually going on in St. Catharines.
And what a week to start. It's going to be a hot one (we're talking 31°C), so we've packed this issue with splash pads, patios, basketball, markets, and everything in between.
Now, in today's edition:
🌡️ Your week-ahead weather
🚀 9 young entrepreneurs take over downtown TODAY
📅 Your Tuesday game plan (3 free things to do)
🏀 The River Lions are home this week — twice
🍽️ 4 local restaurants worth your money this week
🎨 Hobbies to pick up this summer in STC
📅 25+ things to do this week
— Goodness Afonughe
🌡️ This Week's Weather
Summer is showing off. Here's your week at a glance:
Monday: ☀️ 30°C — hot and mostly clear
Tuesday: ☀️ 31°C — the hottest day of the week
Wednesday: ☀️ 30°C — still cooking
Thursday: 🌤️ 29°C — slight chance of a shower
Friday: ⛅ 26°C — finally a breather
Bottom line: Almost zero rain all week. Get outside — and keep reading, because we found you plenty of free ways to cool off. 💦
🚀 9 New Businesses Debut Downtown — TODAY
Source: City of St. Catharines
The St. Catharines Enterprise Centre's Summer Company Showcase is happening this afternoon — your chance to meet the city's youngest business owners in one room.
Here's what to know:
When: TODAY, Monday, July 13, noon to 3 p.m.
Where: Wandering Spirits, 96 King St., downtown
What: 9 brand-new businesses launched by entrepreneurs aged 15 to 29
Who you'll meet: Laser engraving (Signature Cut), dog bandanas (Stitched Together), exterior cleaning (Prestige Pane Cleaning), landscaping (Dynamic D Landscaping), and more
Each founder received a $3,000 grant plus training and mentorship through the City's Summer Company Program
It's free to attend and products are available to purchase. Go support the next generation of STC business owners — and tell them the Digest sent you. 😉
/💛 Together with [Your Sponsor]! — This spot is reserved for a local business we love. Want your business in front of St. Catharines readers? Just reply to this email.
📅 Your Tuesday Game Plan (All Free-ish)
Tomorrow is the hottest day of the week (31°C!) — here's how to make the most of it:
1. 🚒 Hot Summer Nights — 4 to 9 p.m. St. Catharines Fire Services is bringing its ladder trucks to a different city park every week this summer — and turning the hoses into a giant splash zone. Kids cool off, learn fire safety, and it costs you nothing. Check stcatharines.ca for this week's park.
2. 🌭 Port Dalhousie Supper Market — 5 to 9 p.m. Food vendors, lake breeze, sunset over the water. Grab dinner at the market, then walk the pier or hit the Lakeside Park Carousel — still only 5 cents a ride. 🎠
3. 🏛️ Museum Open Late — until 8 p.m. The St. Catharines Museum & Welland Canals Centre stays open late every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday through July and August. Watch ships pass through the canal from the viewing platform. Admission is by donation — and it's air conditioned. Just saying.
🏀 The River Lions Are Home This Week — Twice
Source: Niagara River Lions / Meridian Centre
Your back-to-back CEBL champion Niagara River Lions have TWO home games at the Meridian Centre this week, and one of them involves Santa. In July. Really.
Here's what to know:
Thursday, July 16 at 7 p.m. — River Lions vs. Brampton Honey Badgers
Saturday, July 18 — Christmas in July 🎅 — the 3rd annual holiday theme game with Santa appearances, carollers, festive décor, and in-game surprises
Expect pyro when they hit threes, fireworks when they win, and Dunkin the mascot causing chaos
The regular season wraps up Sunday, July 26 with Fan Appreciation Night — only a few home games left!
🍽️ 4 Restaurants Worth Your Money This Week
🍷 Twenty — Downtown Casual fine-dining wine bar steps from the FirstOntario PAC. Intimate room, shareable menu, cocktails, and a Niagara-heavy wine list. Perfect pre-show or date night.
🍝 The Valley Restaurant — North STC Tucked-away trattoria near Niagara-on-the-Lake. Everything is made in-house — fresh bread, pastas, gelato. Fireplace, white linen, gnocchi that will change you.
🐟 Lake House — Lakefront European-Mediterranean, open 7 days for lunch AND dinner. Thin-crust pizzas, seafood paella, and their signature pecan-crusted salmon.
🍺 Kilt & Clover — Port Dalhousie The Lock Street institution since 1997. Classic pub grub, patio season in full swing, and yes — it's the home of the legendary frozen chicken chucking competition.
Been to any of these? Hit reply and tell us your go-to order — best answers get featured Friday. 🍴
🎨 Pick Up a Summer Hobby in STC
Looking for something new this summer? All of these are happening right here:
🧘 Yoga in the Park — Outdoor yoga sessions at Lakeside Park in Port Dalhousie. Mat + lake view = instant zen. Find sessions on Eventbrite.
🏺 Pottery & clay — Thursday Clay Club at Queenston Pottery and Friday clay studio sessions with local sculptors. Get your hands dirty.
🚴 Bike the Welland Canals Parkway Trail — Flat, scenic, and you can watch ships pass through the locks along the way.
🥾 Hiking — Short Hills Provincial Park and the Bruce Trail are both in your backyard. Go early to beat the heat this week.
🏊 Swimming — The City's outdoor pools (Lion Dunc Schooley, Port Dalhousie, Lincoln Park) and the Kiwanis Aquatics Centre are open for the season. Info at stcatharines.ca/pools.
🍇 Winery experiences — Henry of Pelham and 13th Street Winery run tastings and experiences year-round, minutes from downtown.
🎂 STC Turns 150 — Don't Sleep on These
St. Catharines is celebrating its 150th anniversary all year. Two easy ways to join in this week:
The Museum & Welland Canals Centre is open late (until 8 p.m.) Tuesday–Thursday all summer, admission by donation
Mark your calendar: The Harriet Tubman 175th Anniversary Arrival Commemorative Walk happens Saturday, July 25, starting 10 a.m. on James Street downtown — a powerful piece of STC history
📅 Everything Happening This Week (July 13–19)
MONDAY, JULY 13
🚀 Summer Company Showcase — Wandering Spirits, 96 King St., noon–3 p.m. (free)
💦 Splash pads open daily 10 a.m. — Bogart St., Catherine St., Lester B. Pearson, Secord Woods & West Park (free)
TUESDAY, JULY 14 ← hottest day, plan accordingly!
🚒 Hot Summer Nights — fire truck splash zone at a city park, 4–9 p.m. (free)
🌭 Port Dalhousie Supper Market — 5–9 p.m.
🏛️ Museum Open Late — until 8 p.m. (by donation)
🎠 Lakeside Park Carousel — open daily, 5¢
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15
🏛️ Museum Open Late — until 8 p.m.
🏊 Free-swim schedules at City pools — stcatharines.ca/pools
THURSDAY, JULY 16
🏀 River Lions vs. Brampton Honey Badgers — Meridian Centre, 7 p.m. 🎟️
🧺 Farmers Market — Market Square, 91 King St., 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
🏺 Thursday Clay Club — Queenston Pottery
🏛️ Museum Open Late — until 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, JULY 17
🎵 Live music at Niagara Artists Centre — 354 St. Paul St. (lineup)
🎨 Friday clay studio session — sculpting with local artists
SATURDAY, JULY 18
🏀 River Lions: Christmas in July 🎅 — Meridian Centre (Santa, carollers, in-game surprises)
🧺 Farmers Market — Market Square, 7 a.m.–2 p.m. — 60+ vendors this season, the market's biggest ever
🎶 Music in the Square — live local performers at the Market, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. (free)
👶 Market Discovery Table — kids' craft + local food fun, 9:30 a.m.–noon (free)
🎵 Live music at Niagara Artists Centre
SUNDAY, JULY 19
🚴 Bike or walk the Welland Canals Parkway Trail — watch the ships come through
🏖️ Beach day — Sunset Beach or Lakeside Park Beach (it'll still be 26°+)
🎠 Carousel + ice cream in Port Dalhousie — the classic STC Sunday
ALL WEEK
💦 Splash pads daily from 10 a.m. (free)
🏊 Outdoor pools + Kiwanis Aquatics Centre open
🍇 Winery tastings at Henry of Pelham & 13th Street Winery
That's it for today, St. Catharines!
You're one of our founding readers — thanks for being here from issue #1. Know someone who'd love this? Forward it to them — it's the single best way to help this newsletter grow.
Let's chat again on Wednesday! 👋
— The Garden City Digest
P.S. — See something happening in STC we should know about? A new restaurant, a hidden gem, a community event? Just hit reply. We read every email.'
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