Find out what’s Happening

Event: Ceramics Course – Seize the Clay
Blurb: Whether you are a beginner or someone looking to develop more skills, fuel the passion of working with clay. Wheel techniques will be taught through demonstrations and will include: cylinders, bowls and mugs. Decoration and glaze techniques will be explored and encouraged. One bisque and one glaze fire will be accomplished during this course. Develop a new skill or advance an existing one.
Time/Date: Wednesdays, 6pm-9pm, Feb 4-March 11
Location: Haliburton School of Art + Design: 297 College Drive
Link: https://flemingcollege.ca/school/haliburton-school-of-art-and-design/course-calendar

Event: Singing Course – Finding Your Voice
Blurb: Build vocal confidence for singing in modern styles, including pop, rock, jazz, and R&B. Participants will engage in various exercises to improve vocal strength, clarity, and expressiveness. This course will cover the fundamentals of voice production, breathing techniques, resonance, articulation, and vocal health, focusing on modern singing techniques. By the end of the course, participants will have developed greater confdence in their singing abilities and practical skills for performing contemporary music.
Time/Date: Wednesdays, 6pm-9pm, March 11 – April 15
Location: Haliburton School of Art + Design: 297 College Drive
Link: https://flemingcollege.ca/school/haliburton-school-of-art-and-design/course-calendar

Event: March Break Kids Camp – Wild About Clay
Blurb: Kids ages 5-9. Have fun making your own hand-built, one-of-a-kind masterpieces with clay. Explore a variety of hand building techniques such as pinching, coiling, and slab work as you create a variety of projects. With the wilds as inspiration, find natural objects to press into clay and create a sculpture of your favourite animal. It’s all about the joy and discovery of creating!
Time/Date: March 16 – 20, 9:00am-4:30pm
Location: Haliburton School of Art + Design: 297 College Drive
Link: https://flemingcollege.ca/school/haliburton-school-of-art-and-design/course-calendar

Event: March Break Youth/Teen Camp – Young Comedians
Blurb: Youth/Teen ages 10-16. So you think you are funny? Get ready to dive into improv games, comedy writing, and performance activities that spark creativity and confidence in a fun and supportive environment. Prepare for a week of laughs.

Time/Date: March 16 – 20, 9:00am-4:30pm
Location: Haliburton School of Art + Design: 297 College Drive
Link: https://flemingcollege.ca/school/haliburton-school-of-art-and-design/course-calendar

Event: Art Course – Painting the Winter Landscape
Blurb: Painting the Canadian winter landscape in season gives immediate access to spectacular light, form and colour. Without leaves, deciduous trees provide visible structure and important composition, while iconic evergreens shape the local narrative. Cold weather elements include the chroma of shadows on snow, the chill in the sky, icy cloud formations and the colour palette of the Group of Seven. Historic and contemporary artists such as Tom Thomson, William Blair Bruce, Lawren Harris, Doris McCarthy, Emily Carr and Kim Dorland will be presented and discussed. Haliburton provides the perfect location to develop this unique landscape. Create in real-time or from existing photos. The Sculpture Forest and views from HSAD windows provide a great deal of inspiration.

Time/Date: March 16 – 20, 9:00am-4:30pm
Location: Haliburton School of Art + Design: 297 College Drive
Link: https://flemingcollege.ca/school/haliburton-school-of-art-and-design/course-calendar

Event: Pottery Throwing Camp
Blurb: Intermediate/Advanced course: This is an opportunity to really focus on increasing your throwing skills. If you’ve ‘hit the wall’ in terms of being able to throw – more efficiently, bigger pieces, more consistently, looser pots, tighter pots – you will be encouraged and challenged to learn new throwing techniques, increase throwing skills, and practice, practice, practice. Throwing is a physical skill. It requires proper technique, good tools, and proper care of your body. Through a series of demonstrations, specific exercises, class discussions, inspirational videos, and lots of wheel time, you will elevate throwing skill, as well as develop a personal practice of pot-making. A pug-mill will be available to make reclaiming clay as easy as possible. While one bisque fire may be done to ease transport of trophy pots, it is not the intent of this course to cover glazing and firing. Also included is a smoke firing and a primitive firing in a downdraft barrel kiln. Please bring 2 dry, unfired, narrow-mouthed pots. A limber sense of humour and a willingness to cut pots in half will make the course much more enjoyable.

Time/Date: March 23-27, 9:00am-4:30pm
Location: Haliburton School of Art + Design: 297 College Drive
Link: https://flemingcollege.ca/school/haliburton-school-of-art-and-design/course-calendar

Event: Art Course – Brushworks: A Weekly Painting Series
Blurb: Discover the joy of oil painting in this beginner workshop where no experience is needed. Bring your curiosity as you demystify this historic medium by exploring how oil paint behaves, how to handle it confidently, and key essentials like fat over lean, safe clean-up, and proper storage. Working from a still-life setup, you will learn the foundations of value, color mixing, composition, and expressive brushwork with oil Paint. By the end, you will feel comfortable with the materials, inspired by the process, and ready to keep painting.

Time/Date: Wednesdays, March 25 – April 29, 6pm – 9pm
Location: Haliburton School of Art + Design: 297 College Drive
Link: https://flemingcollege.ca/school/haliburton-school-of-art-and-design/course-calendar

Event: Ceramics Course – Soft Slap Cup Workshop
Blurb: This workshop is a fun introduction to working with soft slabs of clay to create a one-of-a-kind drinking vessel. Demonstrations will include hand-built construction techniques, impressed patterning, and a variety of surface possibilities. This workshop is open to all skill levels and offers a variety of cup forms to explore. All work will be fired, glazed with a clear glaze and ready for pick up within 3 weeks of the workshop. Open to all levels.

Time/Date: Saturday March 28, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Location: Haliburton School of Art + Design: 297 College Drive
Link: https://flemingcollege.ca/school/haliburton-school-of-art-and-design/course-calendar

Event: March Break Youth/Teen Camp ½ Day – Photoshop Warhol Portrait
Blurb: Youth/Teen ages 10-16. Create your own Andy Warhol style portrait as you learn the basics of photoshop. Discover how to use effects, layers, colour modes, and blending options to make artwork in an iconic portrait style that you will print off and take home.
Time/Date: March 17 – 20, 9:00am-12:00pm
Location: Haliburton School of Art + Design: 297 College Drive
Link: https://flemingcollege.ca/school/haliburton-school-of-art-and-design/course-calendar

Event: March Break Youth/Teen Camp ½ Day – Intaglio Printing
Blurb: Youth/Teen ages 10-16. Explore a modern take on a traditional printing technique as you engrave and etch into a plexiglass plate. Learn a variety of print making shading techniques and use a printing press to transfer your favourite artwork into multiple prints.
Time/Date: March 18 – 20, 9:00am-12:00pm
Location: Haliburton School of Art + Design: 297 College Drive
Link: https://flemingcollege.ca/school/haliburton-school-of-art-and-design/course-calendar

Event: March Break Youth/Teen Camp ½ Day – Virtual Reality Sculpting
Blurb: Youth/Teen ages 10-16. Explore the world of sculpting in virtual reality. Using the Meta Quest 3 VR headset, experience first person sculpting and building in a digital environment by hand. Finished sculptures and models can optionally be 3D printed and picked up at a later date.
Time/Date: March 19 – 20, 9:00am-12:00pm
Location: Haliburton School of Art + Design: 297 College Drive
Link: https://flemingcollege.ca/school/haliburton-school-of-art-and-design/course-calendar

The Power of Therefore

Who: Helen Parker

Tickets: $15/person

Helen Parker is a film and television producer and a screenwriter. She is in the 2% club. That’s the 2% of screenwriters whose work is licensed in Hollywood. Her aim of a Hollywood Oscar nomination is lofty but to even get this far, Helen’s extraordinary career needed a driving force. Helen calls it the “Power of Therefore”.

We all know the value of setting and achieving goals – but why is this rarely enough? When one action triggers another action – the therefore effect kicks in.

Helen’s incredible career has taken her to: 17 countries, she has filmed in Moscow with the elite hockey players of the 72 Summit series as a guest of Putin, had tea in Buckingham palace with the Royal family, flown test flights in new planes (filled with water ballast) with Qantas pilots in France, been to Peace Keeping Zones with the Australian military, filmed in three prisons, interviewed three Prime Ministers in the Prime Minister’s office. Helen has flown 250 hours in helicopters – doors off while filming, mustered cattle in the Outback, interviewed mafia members, she swam in crocodile infested waters and was given exclusive access to Red Bull’s Formula One garage and pit crew during an F1 grand prix event (Team Weber).

Helen’s first career goal was to get a job in ABC TV in the national newsroom which she did at age 19… against thousands of applicants. That role lit a flame and therefore opened doors to extraordinary adventures and a life of learning that Helen shares with corporate teams and associations.

The Community Sound/Drum Circle is open to all.  Get in tune with yourself and others at Rails End Gallery every Thursday at 6:30 pm for an hour of discovery, relaxation, and joy.    What you can expect: Take a seat, pick a drum (or bring your own). Playing begins and continues for several minutes as everyone relaxes.We take a short break. Words may then be exchanged, but sooner or later someone says “Let’s drum” or just begins to play and we’re off on another round of sound.    Come out and experience an endorphin boosting participatory hour of sound at Rails End Gallery and Arts Centre.

Rails End Gallery members are always free, guests and drop-ins by donation.

Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, 6 to 9 p.m.

Come and join us for a Family Skate Party at the Dorset Ice Palace with music, a campfire and hot chocolate.

Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Pancake breakfast at the Dorset Recreation Centre, hosted by the LOB Holler Social Club

Adult: $10
Child (5 years and under): $5

Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, 10:30 to 11 a.m.

Snowball Parade on Main Street, followed by opening ceremonies with the town crier and local dignitaries.

Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Snowball presents a wide variety of activities including horse-drawn wagon rides, Great Canadian Lumber Jack shows, wildlife caller, chainsaw carver, face painting, cardboard toboggan races, a hockey shoot-out, inflatable axe throwing, maze, conservation officer outreach trailer, a silent auction and more!  We are excited to announce that we have brought back by popular demand three Birds of Prey Shows. In between shows, you can take a virtual dog sled tour, visit Amanda’s Exotic Animals and enjoy some great food!

Make sure to stop by the Emes Family Maple Syrup booth and try some maple taffy.  There are outdoor Activities for the Children and a colouring contest.

Don’t miss this fun-filled day!

The Dorset Heritage Museum will be open from 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, 6 p.m.

Snowball wraps up with Hockey Night in Dorset on Saturday evening at the Dorset Ice Palace on Main Street across from the Dorset Recreation Centre. Come out and cheer on the teams (Dorset vs. Lake of Bays) playing for the Dorset Cup!

Rails End Gallery’s annual members exhibition, is called Arts and Science. This group show brings together new work by over 50 Gallery members who approach art-making through curiosity, experimentation, observation, and thoughtful process.
Rather than illustrating science directly, “Arts & Science” looks at how artists and scientists often work in similar ways: asking questions, testing ideas, paying close attention, and learning through making. Visitors will find work that feels investigative, playful, precise, intuitive, and sometimes unexpected. Together, the exhibition offers a snapshot of how artists in this region are thinking about the world — how ideas take shape, how materials behave, and how knowledge can be built through creative practice.
Arts and Science continues Rails End Gallery’s long-standing tradition of presenting exhibitions that highlight local talent while inviting broader reflection and conversation.
The exhibition is open during regular gallery hours at Rails End Gallery in Haliburton

Admission: Free | Donations welcome

The Minden Hills Cultural Centre Foundation is hosting a family-friendly community event featuring the 3rd Annual Archie Stouffer Elementary School Student Art Exhibition in the Agnes Jamieson Gallery, hands-on nature-themed arts and crafts at Nature’s Place, and a special interpretive program by local entomologist Basil Conlin with insect specimen display cases exploring the relationships between insects, humans, and the environment.

Visitors can also bring skates to enjoy the Dawson Hamilton Outdoor Memorial Rink in the centre of the Heritage Village (weather permitting), with chili and hot dogs provided by the Minden Rotary Club; all activities are suitable for all ages, admission is by donation, and no pre-registration is required.

The Community Sound/Drum Circle is open to all.  Get in tune with yourself and others at Rails End Gallery every Thursday at 6:30 pm for an hour of discovery, relaxation, and joy.    What you can expect: Take a seat, pick a drum (or bring your own). Playing begins and continues for several minutes as everyone relaxes.We take a short break. Words may then be exchanged, but sooner or later someone says “Let’s drum” or just begins to play and we’re off on another round of sound.    Come out and experience an endorphin boosting participatory hour of sound at Rails End Gallery and Arts Centre.

Rails End Gallery members are always free, guests and drop-ins by donation.

Lauren Margison and Melissa Stephens in concert.
Canadian soprano Lauren Margison takes the stage in Minden, Ontario, for a genre-spanning recital of classical, jazz, and pop favourites.

Equally at home with Puccini and jazz standards, this versatile artist has collected top prizes from multiple international competitions and is an alumna of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio and Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal.

She has landed leading roles in La bohème, Otello, Carmen, and Pagliacci with companies such as Opéra de Montréal, VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert, and Staatstheater Mainz. Her impressive range has led to performances across North America for Opera Ontario, TD Toronto Jazz Festival, Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, Cincinnati Pops, and more. Praised for her “beautiful lyric soprano with the ideal timbre for Mimi” (Ludwig van Toronto), don’t miss your chance to hear Canada’s own singing superstar, Lauren Margison!

Admission: $20 – tickets haliburtonfolk.com

Join us for a special double bill featuring Angie Hilts and Jenie Thai, two outstanding singer-songwriters sharing an intimate evening of raw, acoustic music. Expect heartfelt songs, powerful storytelling, soaring harmonies, and beautifully crafted performances from two artists who know how to hold a room. This will be an honest, stripped-down night of music you won’t want to miss.

🎟 Tickets: $20
🌐 Tickets available at haliburtonfolk.com

The Literary Arts Roundtable brings you Verse in Harmony – Poetry and Music in the Afternoon |

Feb. 24, 1 pm. Castle Antiques, Haliburton | Local Writers and Musicians invite you to participate in this special event as part of February Folk Fest | Come early for lunch. Stay later for conversation. 

The Telling Our Stories Speakers Series, in cooperation with the Haliburton Highlands Healthy Democracy Project and with the support of Places for People, has planned a “pop-up” presentation in advance of this year’s Municipal Election. Dave Meslin author of Teardown: Rebuilding Democracy from The Ground Up, will be our guest speaker.

2026 is an election year for Haliburton County and we’ll have the opportunity to elect our municipal councils in Minden Hills, Algonquin Highlands, Dysart et al and Highlands East. Local elections present an incredible opportunity for local residents to make their voices heard about important issues such as housing, conservation, health services, economic development, road safety, tax spending and more.

Sadly, the vast majority of citizens don’t tend to participate. Municipal voter turnout is often below 30% and the 2022 elections in Haliburton even saw some positions “acclaimed” – which means there was no election at all.

Dave Meslin has spent the last 25 years researching and experimenting with ways to boost civic participation, especially at the local municipal level. Through stories, Dave will remind us why it’s important to get involved: Not just to vote, but to get engaged earlier as a volunteer or even as a candidate! Dave’s ideas and proposals will help us build a culture of engagement in 2026, across the County.

An Acoustic Meditative Journey with Marcia Mandel

For thousands of years, cultures worldwide have harnessed the power of sound to create community. During this immersive 1-hour session, you will be gently “bathed” in waves of restorative sound created by a beautiful array of instruments, including, drums, wooden flute, chimes, voice and the exotic quartzophone. Each tone and vibration will be chosen, in the moment, to create an acoustic, meditative journey.
As the room fills with resonant, heavenly harmonies, you will be invited to rest, release, and feel renewed.

Please bring: a pad or yoga mat to lay on, blanket, pillow, eye mask, journal, water bottle

When: February 26, 6:30 – 8 pm

What: 1 hour sound journey, followed by approx. 30 min for journaling or meditation

Fee: PWYC – $20 suggested

Maximum # of participants: 10

Register by email to Info@railsendgallery.com attn: Laurie

About Marcia Mandel:
As an explorer of the human spirit, Marcia Mandel has studied with Masters from around the world in various forms of energy healing, including Reiki, meditation, sound work, Qigong, and breathwork. She is known for the magical way she weaves the many into One, leaving clients refreshed, renewed and warmly nourished.

Music in the Round is an intimate, songwriter-focused concert where artists take turns sharing songs, stories, and the moments behind the music. Performed in the round, this format creates a unique sense of connection — not just between the artists, but with the audience as well.

Join us Saturday for an afternoon of heartfelt performances featuring Thom Lambert, Christina Hutt, and Randall Ellsworth. Expect original songs, collaborative moments, and a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere that celebrates craft, creativity, and community.

Whether you’re a devoted music lover or just curious to hear great local songwriting up close, Music in the Round offers a chance to slow down, listen deeply, and experience music in its most human form.

Tickets: Available online
Hospitality: Snacks and beverage for audience