Dresden will be a hot spot this weekend with three major events taking place.
One of those events is the Summer Night Market, which opens at 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 27.
"The whole downtown is blocked off, but we fill it full of vendors," said co-organizer Moréna McDonald. "Obviously, the downtown stores are open late too, but then we also animate Jackson Park, which is a little bit different from those who've been to the Christmas Night Market. That's where we have music, food, and the pop-up bar."
The vendors at the market are selling all handmade items, plus there are a few produce vendors and there is also a lot of entertainment lined up.
"This year there's a double-lane slip-n-slide, and anyone of any age can enjoy it," said McDonald. "We also have Moss the Mushroom Fairy coming back, and actually we have four different music performers in two locations, one downtown and one in the park."
The Dresden Exhibition also opens on Friday, July 26 with the Tractor Pull at 6:30 p.m. followed by several new activities and events on Saturday.
"Top Shot Hockey, which is a whole bunch of interactive games in the arena," said Alicia Van Esse with the Dresden Agricultural Society. "We have flat track racing, which is dirt bikes and motorcycles on the horse track. And then we have interactive games for the kids in the grass area, as well as the exhibits in the old slots building, and the cattle show."
Finding parking in Dresden this weekend may be tough, but both groups have taken steps to help address that.
"Another thing that we added this year is a shuttle because the Dresden Exhibition is happening at the same time," said McDonald. "That's free as well. So if you want to go between the two events, you can just catch the shuttle bus. It will be picking people up at just about the entrance to Jackson Park."
The Summer Night Market has really grown since it started back in 2018.
"It's tricky because we can't really count how many people come through, there's a lot of different access points because it is a downtown. But it has certainly grown a lot over the years in terms of vendors, attendance, and just the support that we see online leading up to it. So it grows every year," added McDonald.
Emancipation Day celebrations are taking place on Saturday at Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
To stay up to date on the Night Market, visit https://night-market.ca/, or follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NMdresden.