Spend weekend indoors or out

Compiled by Casey Lessard

Still looking for something to do on the October 13th and 14th weekend? There’s plenty going on, whether you want to walk, run or drive.
Port Franks businesses are hosting the 4th annual Poinsettia Holiday Shopping Tour. Ten venues take part in this event to help you find unique gifts ahead of the holiday rush. Pull out our centre spread and take along our guide to the area and the businesses that are taking part. The tour runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Two of the stops listed on the map are part of the 26th annual Lambton Colour and Craft Festival, which takes place at the Thedford Community Centre and the Lambton Heritage Museum and runs at the same time, Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is a fundraiser for the museum programming and raises about $30,000 each year.
“The museum offers educational programs for students,” says event coordinator Gwen Watson, “and we preserve and interpret the history of Lambton County.”
“The festival started small,” Watson says, “and we’ve increased the number of vendors to over 100 crafts people. We opened it up to Thedford to accommodate the number of vendors we have.
“We have a wide variety of things. We have country decorating accessories, your wooden folk art, painted wood and that type of thing. We have Christmas decorations, jewelry, quilting, fused glass, clothing, food items, jams, dips and oils. It’s quite an assortment of products.
Downtown Thedford will also feature the Fall Fantasia, which is a combination of farmers’ market, bog and orchard produce, and sidewalk sale for the different stores in the village.
If you’re looking for a way to get some exercise, head to the Pinery for its annual Pinery Road Race. The event is in its 6th year and runs Sunday, October 14 with a children’s run at 9:45 a.m. and 5km and 10km runs for adults starting at 10 a.m. To sign up, visit: www.eventsonline.ca/events/grandbend_run/