Kitchener-Waterloo

Kate's 5 fun things to do in and around Waterloo region: Family Day weekend

It's Valentine's Day on Friday and Family Day on Monday, which means a fun winter long weekend. If you're not too busy shovelling snow, there are several events to enjoy like TriCon, a travellers tour of downtown Kitchener and music in downtown Guelph.

TriCon is on at TheMuseum or take an owl workshop at the University of Guelph Arboretum

People dressed as a storm trooper and Darth Vader from Star Wars with models of R2D2 and BB8 behind them
Don't be alarmed if you see stormtroopers in downtown Kitchener this weekend. There will likely be a few cosplayers at the fan event TriCon at TheMuseum. (Julien Lechacheur/CBC)

It's Family Day weekend, which means some offices, businesses and schools will be closed on Monday for the provincial holiday.

It's also Valentine's Day on Friday, which means local restaurants may be busy so call ahead if you plan to go out for dinner this weekend.

There is also more snow in the forecast, which makes it a good weekend for some sledding or skiing.

The Kitchener Rangers are on the road all weekend for three games.

The Guelph Storm have two home games: Friday they host the Oshawa Generals and Monday they're home to the Sudbury Wolves.

The K-W Titans basketball team has a home game on Monday, taking on the Jamestown Jackals. The game starts at 2 p.m. and stick around afterwards to get photos with and autographs from the Titan players.

If you're driving this weekend, here are some local gas prices:

TriCon

Saturday and Sunday

TheMuseum, downtown Kitchener

This fan event will feature all things pop culture, sci-fi, comics, anime and various artforms all in one place.

Special guests include Adrian Hough, the voice of Nightcrawler, and on Saturday only Alyson Court will be there. Court is known for shows like Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird and she was Loonette on The Big Comfy Couch. She's also voiced iconic characters like Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice), Jubilee (X-Men), and Claire Redfield (Resident Evil).

Get decked out in your best cosplay and join other fans for this event.

Critter Corner

All weekend

Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory

Get up close and check out some really cool animals and bugs like giant leaf insects, jungle nymphs, millipedes, and Bumble the Blue-Tongued Skink. This is in addition to all the butterflies normally found at the conservatory, which is a very warm place to enjoy during cold weather.

The Critter Corner is included in regular admission.

Owl Program

Saturday 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

University of Guelph Arboretum

Learn how to identify Ontario's owls as part of this hands-on workshop. Participants will learn about owl plumage, calls and behaviour, habitat requirements, migration patterns and owl folklore. Registration is required.

DTK Travellers Tour

Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Kitchener Public Library, main branch

This weekend is the start of a free four-week program to enjoy food, music, dancing, art and activities from various cultures and traditions without having to leave the downtown main branch of the Kitchener Public Library.

This weekend will focus on Europe. Then over the course of the following three weeks, there will be Asia, Africa and Caribbean and ending with Latin America.

Music Weekends

Saturday and Sunday starting at 2 p.m.

Downtown Guelph

There's more music this weekend in downtown Guelph. Saturday at 2 p.m. at Sonic Hall is the Down By The Point Records showcase with Harry Lee Follon and Ben Somer.

On Sunday, Mattie Leon performs at the Red Brick Cafe.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate Bueckert

Content producer

Kate has been covering issues in southern Ontario for more than 20 years. She is currently the content producer for CBC Kitchener-Waterloo. Email: kate.bueckert@cbc.ca