{"id":38791,"date":"2026-08-27T16:01:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T20:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=38791"},"modified":"2026-08-27T16:01:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T20:01:35","slug":"best-of-community-set-for-spotlight-in-auroras-month-of-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/best-of-community-set-for-spotlight-in-auroras-month-of-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Best of community set for spotlight in Aurora\u2019s \u201cMonth of Culture\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Town Square will be a celebration of all the communities that call Aurora home as the Town celebrates a \u201cMonth of Culture\u201d this September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A collaboration between the Town of Aurora and its cultural partners, including the Aurora Public Library and the Aurora Cultural Centre, the program of activities promises dance and poetry, food and films, and commemorations both celebratory and poignant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program begins September 9 with an open studio session hosted by the Aurora Cultural Centre, and an interactive and hands-on session on Indigenous beadings and teachings hosted by the Aurora Public Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCulture includes visual arts, performing arts, heritage and history,\u201d says Nichole Campsall of the Town of Aurora. \u201cWe wanted to make sure that each of the different partners was touching on different types of experiences for the community. September includes National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, so each of us have been looking at what we have to offer and making sure that we [present] the community a well-rounded experience with something for everybody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the ways I like to think about culture is how people spend their time, where they go when they\u2019re looking to make memories and how they like to make those memories. I think we\u2019re uniquely positioned here [at Aurora Town Square] to become part of people\u2019s everyday lives and habits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Included within the Month of Culture program is the Town\u2019s annual Saturday Night Fever street party, which will take place on Yonge Street between Wellington and Mosley Streets on September 12, from 4 \u2013 11 p.m., featuring a celebration of all things country music. Also on for September 12 is a performance from the Tabriz Ensemble, representing the music and dance of Azerbaijan, from 2 \u2013 3 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Library continues its programming on September 14 with a screening of Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land. Hosted in partnership with the National Film Board, this presentation will take place from 6 \u2013 8 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On September 17, the Aurora Cultural Centre will host Laila Biali in concert, with her presentation \u201cJoni Mitchell & the Canadian Songbook\u201d at 7 p.m., followed on September 18 by a screening of Baz Luhrmann\u2019s 1996 classic Romeo & Juliet, which Aurora Town Square will host as part of its Flashback Film Series. Pre-film activities begin at 6 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. showtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Aurora Cultural Centre will showcase their newest artist-in-residence, Nancy Hallas, in studio on September 19 from 12 noon to 2 p.m., amid the colourful cavalcade that is the Town of Aurora\u2019s Multicultural Festival, which takes place at Town Park and Town Square from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be starting off the celebrations at Town Park, in partnership with the Aurora Farmers\u2019 Market,\u201d says Shelley Ware, Special Events Supervisor for the Town of Aurora, noting that the Town Park festivities will once again feature a Community Zone, where local organizations can reach new audiences. \u201cWe\u2019ll have eight different cultural dance performances showcased at Town Park back-to-back until 12.30 p.m. Then, starting at 12.30, we\u2019re outside at Town Square with back-to-back different cultural performances.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One such returning favourite is Chinese dance, says Ware, while the cultures of Spain, Mexico, Egypt, Brazil, Greece, and several South Asian cultures will take the stage as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBack by popular demand is the face-changing opera, which was wild last year, and we\u2019ll also get to wake up the dragon in a ceremony,\u201d she says. \u201cThroughout the building, we\u2019ll have many activations, such as face-painting, balloon-twisting, henna art, a caricaturist, crafts, and we\u2019ll also be celebrating food from around the world, offering three different foods each hour \u2013 nine different flavours within a three-hour time span.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One such local culinary offering will be a corn roast, hosted by the Optimist Club of Aurora, which will feature condiments \u2013 \u201ccob-diments,\u201d says Ware \u2013 highlighting how different cultures season the popular field-fresh treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about tempting your tastebuds and taking them on a journey,\u201d says Ware, adding some additional attractions will include a belly dance and Bollywood dance workshops, an exhibition of Chinese art, including calligraphy, and more. \u201cOur three options per hour might be a main, an appetizer, and a dessert from specific cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To illustrate just how international the roots of Aurora residents are, event participants will be invited to leave their mark on three large maps, one to mark where your grandparents came from, one to show where you have travelled to, and the other, places around the world that are still on your bucket list to visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community will continue to be in focus on September 20 when the Town hosts Doors Open Aurora 2026, including an activation by the Aurora Public Library, entitled \u201cFrom Pages to Performance: Celebrating Culture Through Music, Dance & Spoken Word.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try to avoid a culture clash on September 26 with, perhaps, the busiest day of the Month of Culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Activities begin at 9 a.m. with Crit Club, followed at 10 a.m. with Silly Billy, and a fall artist-poet gathering, all hosted by the Aurora Cultural Centre. At 2 p.m., the Aurora Public Library will host its Harvest Moon: Mid-Autumn Festival from 2 \u2013 4 p.m., and, at 7.30 p.m., the Town will host the Yacht Rock Show at Aurora Town Square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallery Yoga and Sound Bath will be a great way to start the day on September 27 from 10 \u2013 11 a.m. at the Aurora Cultural Centre, followed from 2 \u2013 4 p.m. by Arab Voices in Canada: The Soul of the East, at the Aurora Public Library, and on September 28 from 7 \u2013 8 p.m., when the Library hosts a visit with author Monique Gray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also on September 28, from 6.30 \u2013 8 p.m., the Aurora Museum & Archives will host a special Museum Monday session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese programs are so fun to run,\u201d says Michelle Johnson of the Aurora Museum & Archives. \u201cMuseum Mondays is fantastic because we get all different ages coming through and some really interesting discussions as we meander through the galleries and connection space for hours. It\u2019s a bit of a slower pace and we get a lot of time to really get to know participants and what they are interested in and what brought them to the museum. Each person gets a chance to have a really thorough discussion with us, which is lovely, and we learn a lot, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional Museum activities include a Photo Digitization workshop, which helps families preserve their memories \u2013 everything from \u201cslides, to scrapbooks, to tin-type photos,\u201d says Johnson \u2013 and share their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closing out a Month of Culture will be a series of events designed to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30. Events include two film-screenings hosted by the Aurora Public Library \u2013 Nechako and Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man \u2013 while the Town of Aurora hosts its annual gathering at Aurora Town Square\u2019s outdoor space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program will begin at 5 p.m. with hands-on learning focused on the Seven Sacred Teachings: Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, and Truth, with a ceremony and community gathering beginning at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis ceremony and community gathering focuses on remembering the children who did not come home, honouring Residential School Survivors and their families, and acknowledging the lasting impacts of residential schools on Indigenous communities,\u201d say organizers. \u201cIt is an opportunity to come together in reflection, learning, and understanding as we recognize the truths of our shared history and the importance of meaningful reconciliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe ceremony will be led by Anishinaabe Grandmother Kim Wheatley, Elder Pat Floody, and Ancestral Knowledge Keeper Raiden Levesque, who will share teachings, reflections, and guidance throughout the gathering. Community members are invited to participate in this respectful and welcoming space that encourages learning, connection, and a commitment to reconciliation. Together, we honour the past, reflect on the present, and work toward a future built on respect, understanding, and meaningful relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a full roster of events related to Aurora\u2019s Month of Culture, visit www.auroratownsquare.ca\/monthofculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Town Square will be a celebration of all the communities that call Aurora home as the Town celebrates a \u201cMonth of Culture\u201d this September. A collaboration between the Town of Aurora and its cultural partners, including the Aurora Public Library and the Aurora Cultural Centre, the program of activities promises dance and poetry, food and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":38793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general_news","category-headline_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-a5F","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-03 17:42:05","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2026-08-27-02.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38791"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38794,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38791\/revisions\/38794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}