PLAN YOUR WEEKEND
Summer weekends are for cutting loose, turning a corner and feeling the sun on your face. Here are seven things happening in and around Hamilton. Runs Local runners will want to join others along Hamilton’s beach strip Saturday mornings until October. A free weekly 5K timed run starts at the Lakeview building, 180 Van Wagners Beach Rd. Runners must preregister at parkrun.ca/beachstrip/ for a bar code. Bring the paper printout. Come out every Saturday at 8 a.m. Beer festival Food, drink, music and fun abound in Pier 4 Park this weekend. The Because Beer Craft Beer Festival is on Friday, 2 p.m. to midnight, and Saturday from 2 p.m. to midnight, and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sample a variety of craft beers. Enjoy guest speakers, a music stage, specialty food vendors and an awards ceremony for the homebrew competition. Ticket package prices vary from $19 to $54.99. Admission at the gate for a designated driver is $10. becausebeer.ca. Beer and ribs Ribs and beer, need we say more? The Ancaster Rib and Craft Beer Festival is this weekend at the Ancaster Fairgrounds. They boast some of the best barbecues in North America with more than 35 beers on tap. Games, vendors, kid zone, inflatables and more. Admission and parking are free. ancasterribfest.com Honda Indy Toronto Heading down the QEW? Make a note of road closures near the Exhibition grounds, including Lake Shore Boulevard West between Strachen Avenue and British Columbia Road. The event continues Sunday. Children 12 and under get in for free and ride GO Transit for free with an event-ticketed adult. Roses It’s a great time to visit the Royal Botanical Gardens’ newly rejuvenated Rose Garden in Hendrie Park. While wandering through this two-acre garden don’t hesitate to stop and smell the roses and explore their rich past. RBG admission is $18 for adults. Hours to Hendrie Park are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., 680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington. Farm Crawl Weir’s Lane Lavender and Apiary, Jerry’s Berries, Lotsa Hostas, Manorun, Chicabee Farm, Alpacas on the Eighth, Ridge Road Winery, Simplier Thyme, Hearts Content and West Avenue Cider House will open their doors, barns and fields Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Farm Crawl is a self-directed event where the participants drive from farm to farm. Tickets are $15; $5 for children aged five to 16; 905-6279208. Visit farmcrawlhamilton.ca Historic Garden Tours Enjoy an afternoon in the garden at Dundurn National Historic Site, 610 York Blvd. Costumed garden staff will take you on a tour of the castle’s gardens. Regular museum rates apply. Tours are Saturday and Sunday 12:30 and 1:30 p.m.
Compiled by Jennifer Moore, The Hamilton Spectator