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Happy Wednesday, Thunder Bay! Sun early, a rumble of thunder possible later — and plenty in between. In today's issue: a First Nations–owned hotel is coming to the airport, Sleeping Giant's best-loved beers get a second life under new owners, seniors at Vickers Manor are going without meals as the building's clock runs down, and a Food Network star flew in just to try a Persian. Plus this week's events and tonight's free waterfront concert. ☀️
In this Harbour Beat Issue…
🏨 A First Nations-owned hotel is coming to the airport
🍺 Sleeping Giant's beers get a second life
🍽️ Vickers Manor residents left without meals
🎂 A celebrity chef flies in for a Persian
Trivia: What is the shortest war in recorded history — and roughly how long did it last? (Answer at the bottom!)
Your week-ahead guide to Thunder Bay. ✅ A warm stretch with a few showers threading through it, and a big August long-weekend festival to close it out. (Regional fires are still burning, so a wind shift can change air quality fast — outdoor events have been cancelled before, so check with the organizer before you head out.)
Wednesday, July 29
JUL 29 · Live on the Waterfront — Pop, Soul & R&B night — 6–9 p.m. · 📍 Marina Park Festival Area (outdoor) · Free · Dirty Blonde at 6, Avery Raquel at 7 and Thunder Bay's own Preston Pablo headlining at 8, plus food trucks and artisan booths · 📅 Add to Calendar
JUL 29 · Thunder City Speedway Race Night — 6:30–10:30 p.m. · 📍 3250 Highway 130 · Dirt-track racing across five WISSOTA classes, from Modifieds to Hornets · 📅 Add to Calendar
Thursday, July 30
JUL 30 · Border Cats vs. Duluth Huskies — Whiskey Jacks Night — 6:35 p.m. · 📍 Port Arthur Stadium, 425 Winnipeg Ave · First of two straight home games against Duluth to close out July · 📅 Add to Calendar
JUL 30 · Midnight Market at Goods & Co. — from 7 p.m. · 📍 Goods & Co. Market, 250 Park Ave · A one-night indoor shopping party with local vendors, pop-up food and live entertainment · 📅 Add to Calendar
Friday, July 31
JUL 31 · Evil Dead: The Musical — 8:30–11 p.m. · 📍 NV Music Hall, 228 Red River Rd · Chainsaws, demons and a splash zone — the cult horror-comedy staged by local student directors (also runs Saturday) · 📅 Add to Calendar
JUL 31 · Christmas in August — Friday through Monday · 📍 Thunder Bay KOA Holiday, 162 Spruce River Rd, Shuniah · A long-weekend campground party with a BBQ, pancakes and a bubble “snow” Bubblepalooza · 📅 Add to Calendar
Saturday, August 1
AUG 1 · South Core Roar 2026 — 10 a.m.–11 p.m., and again Sunday · 📍 Fort William Business District (outdoor) · Free · The city's biggest car, bike and music festival: 100+ classic and custom cars, a Bike & Shine, live bands to 11 p.m., Indigenous and multicultural performances, a strongman contest, kids' zone and food trucks · 📅 Add to Calendar
Sunday, August 2
AUG 2 · Family Art Days — 1–4 p.m. · 📍 Thunder Bay Art Gallery, 1080 Keewatin St · Free · Drop-in, all-ages art activities plus a wander through the current exhibitions — no experience needed · 📅 Add to Calendar
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✅ ALL CLEAR — NO WEATHER ALERTS IN EFFECT
Environment Canada has no watches, warnings or air-quality statements posted for Thunder Bay for Wednesday. Two things to plan around: the UV index hits 8 (very high), and there's a risk of an afternoon thunderstorm.
⛅ Wednesday, July 29 — Thunder Bay
27°C
Humidex 31 · Overnight low 14°C
Sunny start · 30% chance of afternoon showers · UV 8 (very high)
A morning to get outside in. Wednesday starts sunny — after some early fog patches burn off — and stays that way into early afternoon before clouds mix back in with a 30% chance of showers and a risk of a thunderstorm later in the day. Expect a high of 27°C, Humidex 31, and a UV index of 8 (very high), so hat and sunscreen from late morning on. The shower chance lingers into the evening — worth a glance at the sky before you set up a lawn chair at Marina Park — with fog patches returning overnight and a low of 14°C. Thursday looks much the same at 27°C, then Friday cools to 22°C with a 60% chance of rain before the long weekend brightens up. Full forecast and any new alerts at Environment Canada.
A First Nations-owned hotel is coming to the airport
Airport officials announced Tuesday that a 107-room Cambria Hotel will be built on land next to the terminal, with construction starting this summer and doors opening in September 2027. It will be 90 per cent First Nations owned, led by Rideout Developments, and will carry a four-storey First Nations-themed mural on its exterior. Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation Chief Clayton Wetelainen, whose community is the majority shareholder, framed it as filling a real gap: “Thunder Bay has become a true hub for First Nations commerce, education and health care and the shortage of quality accommodations will be addressed by this first-class facility.” It's also the Cambria brand's first location in Canada. Expect a restaurant and bar, fitness space and conference rooms.
Sleeping Giant's beers get a second life
Four months after Sleeping Giant Brewing Company announced it was closing for good, southern Ontario's Original Gravity Beverage and Hospitality Group has bought the brand — and is bringing Northern Logger and White Out back. The catch: the Thunder Bay brewery isn't reopening. Production moves to the company's Muskoka facilities, though chief strategy officer Chris Fuoco says re-establishing local brewing is part of the longer-term plan. The recipes aren't changing — the team worked through them with former employees, down to the grains, hops and carbonation. “Our goal is we don't want anything to change,” Fuoco said. Beer should be back on local taps first, with LCBO, Beer Store and grocery shelves to follow in the fall. Co-founder Andrea Mulligan said several buyers came forward, but none were more invested in keeping the legacy intact.
Vickers Manor residents left without meals
Conditions at Vickers Manor deteriorated sharply this week. Monday evening's supper service simply didn't happen — residents came down to a closed kitchen with no explanation. Roughly 20 to 30 residents rely on meals included in their rent, and staff have been paying for food out of their own pockets to fill the gap. Dining room server Zoe Cunnington, often the only server on shift, described garbage rooms so full they're spilling into hallways and a kitchen sitting near 27°C with the chiller still not right. A former maintenance worker has started a GoFundMe to feed residents. The city urged tenants on July 13 to find somewhere else to live before mid-August; utilities are set to be shut off Aug. 18, and the building is listed for sale at $18.9 million. Newswatch has asked the city, the health unit and building management for comment.
A celebrity chef flies in for a Persian
For years, Duff Goldman — of Ace of Cakes and Kids Baking Championship — kept spotting Thunder Bay on flight-tracker maps and thinking it sounded like a cool place. On a three-day break from filming in Toronto, he finally booked the flight. He spent Tuesday morning hiking Kakabeka Falls, grabbed an ice cream at the Shake Shoppe, and started the day with a Persian — which won him over enough that he was wearing an “I Love Persians” t-shirt by the time Newswatch caught up with him. His verdict: “delightfully chewy… it just felt more homemade, just a little more oomph; a little meatier.” Twenty-four years after opening his Baltimore bakery, he still sweeps the floors there. His advice, offered freely: “The secret to life — it's enthusiasm.”
Meme of the Day
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Trivia answer: the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896 — about 38 minutes. On the morning of August 27, 1896, a dispute over who would rule Zanzibar led British warships to open fire on the sultan's palace at 9:02 a.m. The Zanzibari flag came down before 9:40. Guinness World Records still lists it as the shortest war ever fought.