Get out and enjoy
Aylmer parks bursting with free outdoor activities
Greg Newing
With summer in full swing, a host of fun outdoor activities for all ages is happening in parks across Aylmer for the rest of July and August.
Parc des Cèdres will have a wide range of weekly activities. Dance workshops for children (2 to 6) will be every Wednesday at 10 am; stroller workouts are offered Thursdays at 9:45 am; and dance workouts for parents and babies will take place on Mondays at 10 am. Free Yoga classes are offered Thursdays at 9:00 am as well as Zumba workouts Fridays and Mondays at 6:30 pm (except August 18). Morning cardio for ages 50 plus is available 8:30 am on Mondays and Thursdays and evening group workouts for all ages take place on Wednesdays at 7 pm. “Katag” foam sword tag and “Kin-ball” games will also be open to everyone Fridays and Mondays in the afternoon at 2 pm. All of these activities are free and most will be offered regularly until the end of August.
The Cube Culturel will also be at Parc des Cèdres this year from 10 am to 8:00 pm August 15-18 and 4 pm to 8 pm August 19 and will feature a week of music, storytelling, performance art and other activities. A public picnic will also be held on August 19 at 3 pm and a family treasure hunt is planned for August 26 at 2 pm.
Rendez-Vous Interculturels will feature free song and dance performers from around the world at Parc de l'Imaginaire most Thursdays at 7:30 pm throughout the summer. Other concerts in the area include local band Norteño that will play free tango concerts August 6 in Parc Commémoratif, and August 12 in Parc des Cèdres at 7 pm.
Parc des Jardins-Lavigne will also host several activities this summer. Reading activities for 2- to 6-year-olds will be offered at 9:30 am, followed by a park picnic at 10:45 am on July 19 and 26. International dog day will also be celebrated with dog-training workshops and demonstrations hosted by the Aylmer Canine Club on August 26 at 9 am.
Parc Front will have basketball games every Wednesday at 6:30 pm and Partenaires du Secteur Aylmer will be holding a bubble-soccer match July 27 at 6 pm. (More information about bubble-soccer is on the Partenaires du Secteur Aylmer Facebook page.)
The Auberge Symmes Inn Museum also has a full line-up of summer events, including free outdoor concerts and guided visits July 23 and August 6, as well as the Ode à la rivière des Outaouais festival August 18-20 that will feature film screenings and interactive theatre performances. Gardening day-camps for children will be offered in late July and August. More information can be found at: https://symmes.ca/evenements-et-activites/.
The Old Aylmer Festival is also back this summer for the 10th year in a row. Market booths will be set up along rue Principale on August 19 and 20 with musical activities and other exhibitions over the whole weekend for everyone to enjoy
For more information on the hundreds of summer activities taking place across Gatineau visit: https://calendrier.gatineau.cloud/.
Photo caption: Children’s dance workshops in Parc des Cèdres. One of the many free outdoor activities this summer.
Photo credit: Ville de Gatineau
