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# Week of October 19–25, 2026
- URL: https://www.fromdurham.ca/week-of-october-19-25-2026/
- Published: 2026-10-19T14:13:41.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-19T14:13:41.000Z
- Description: Durham Region this week: a reader sends us to a pinball café in downtown Whitby, Oshawa's Food Truck Corral spins up the midway one last time, and Saturday turns into a region-wide Halloween dress rehearsal.
- Author: Arina Kharlamova
- Tags: Ajax, Clarington, Things to Do, Oshawa, Pickering, Scugog, Uxbridge, Whitby

Hey hi hello, Durham,

**Something new this week:** the Local Gem came from *you*. (Colour me thrilled.) 

Well, technically from Nick, who filled out the little "submit your gems" form at the bottom of this email and said, "you should totally go talk to these people." So because I've *also* been to this place, and it's *awesome,* now you get to meet them too. 

*Thank you, Nick.* 

(And *thank you to Ian* sent in his mind-reading show at Ocala Winery on Friday; it's under Scugog.) 

If you're reading this and thinking "I know a place," that link at the bottom is right there, and I read every one.

Meanwhile, Halloween is officially close enough that the costume debate in our house has entered its negotiation phase. (Last-minute pivots from "a dinosaur" to "a different dinosaur" are valid.) Saturday is the big warm-up: pumpkins, trick-or-treating, spooky swims and a wild-cat park after dark, all on the same day.

**BUT! Before you get into the deets,** I'd love to hear what you would like to see from me in the next few months — just tap to vote. Anonymous, no need to sign in!

What should we do more of?

One tap to vote. That's it.

[🧑‍🍳 Business or people profiles from interviews ](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2CHARO1RMpeOOoV7-1WCwb5XCRp4nNAura-3eZvD3rkpLhA/formResponse?entry.1010449495=Business+or+people+profiles+%28from+interviews%29&submit=Submit&ref=fromdurham.ca) [🍽️ Dinner party club ](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2CHARO1RMpeOOoV7-1WCwb5XCRp4nNAura-3eZvD3rkpLhA/formResponse?entry.1010449495=Dinner+party+club&submit=Submit&ref=fromdurham.ca) [🧶 Community gatherings for knitters, for walking buddies, etc. ](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2CHARO1RMpeOOoV7-1WCwb5XCRp4nNAura-3eZvD3rkpLhA/formResponse?entry.1010449495=Community+gatherings+%28for+knitters%2C+for+walking+buddies%2C+etc.%29&submit=Submit&ref=fromdurham.ca) [💡 Something else? Tell me ](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2CHARO1RMpeOOoV7-1WCwb5XCRp4nNAura-3eZvD3rkpLhA/viewform?ref=fromdurham.ca) 

Or just hit reply. I read everything.

## 🗓️ This week in Durham

**Ajax**

- 📚 Wed, Oct 21, 6:30–9pm — [Box Office Books and Brews: *The Housemaid*](https://ajax.ca/event/box-office-books-and-brews-the-housemaid/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Ajax Centre for the Arts, free. A book club with a screening attached, so you can finally settle whether the book was better.
- 🎤 Thurs, Oct 22, doors 8pm, show 8:30pm — [Ajax Comedy Club: Ashwyn Singh, The Imperfect Ally Tour](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ashwyn-singh-in-ajax-the-imperfect-ally-tour-tickets-1993496721357?ref=fromdurham.ca) — 60 Randall Dr, $25.
- 🎨 Fri–Sun, Oct 23–25 — [Rooted In Art: 60 Years Together](https://ajax.ca/event/ajax-creative-arts-presents-rooted-in-art-60-years-together/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Ajax Creative Arts marks 60 years, free.
- 🎃 Sat, Oct 24, 10am–2pm — [18th Annual Pumpkin Giveaway](https://ajax.ca/event/18th-annual-pumpkin-giveaway/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — free. Pumpkins, face painting and a hot dog BBQ, in support of the Jennifer Ashleigh Children's Charity.
- 🧠 Thursdays — trivia at Falcon Brewing · 🎤 Fridays — karaoke with Rob and Lorraine at the Ajax Legion.

**Clarington**

- 🐯 Sat, Oct 24, 4–8pm — [Prowl at the Park](https://www.instagram.com/gtawithsarah/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Jungle Cat World, Orono. The wildlife park after dark, in October. Your move, tigers.
- 🧠 Mondays — trivia at Chronicle Brewery · Tuesdays at 99 King (6:30pm) · Wednesdays at Tilted Glass · Saturdays at Critical Hit Gaming Lounge, Courtice. (You guys are big on trivia in Clarington, huh?)

**Oshawa**

- 🦇 Fri, Oct 23, 7:30pm — [Meat Loaf "Back Out of Hellowe'en" tribute](https://tickets.biltmoretheatre.com/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Biltmore Theatre (39 King St E), 19+. Two out of three ain't bad; all three is better.
- 😂 Fri–Sat, Oct 23–24, 8pm — [Yuk Yuk's Oshawa: Scott Faulconbridge](https://www.yukyuks.com/oshawa/show/scott-faulconbridge-42252?ref=fromdurham.ca).
- 🎡 Fri–Sun, Oct 23–25 — [Food Truck Corral closing weekend](https://www.instagram.com/foodtruckcorraloshawa/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — 2867 Bridle Rd. Midway rides Fri 4–7pm and Sat–Sun noon–7pm ($3 a ticket, 20 for $55, 40 for $100), plus $5 pumpkins Sat–Sun, noon–6pm, with proceeds going to the 151 Chadburn Air Cadets. Last call for food trucks until spring. 😢
- 🏊 Sat, Oct 24, 2:30–3:45pm & Sun, Oct 25, 2:30–4pm — [Pumpkin Plunge Fun Swim](https://register.oshawa.ca/OSHAWA/public/category/browse/PRPUMPKIN?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Saturday at Delpark Homes Centre, Sunday at South Oshawa Community Centre. Drop-in, and kids 3 and under swim free.
- 🦇 Sat, Oct 24, 6–8pm — [Halloween at the Harbour](https://oshawamuseum.org/whats-on?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Oshawa Museum, $7.50 ($5 under 5).
- 🧠 Wednesdays — trivia at BOND|ST Snack Bar and Torchbearer Taproom (7pm) and The Waltzing Weasel (8pm) · Thursdays at Bollocks Pub.

**Pickering**

- 👻 Thurs–Sat, Oct 22–24, 7pm — [Pickering Ghost Walk](https://www.pickeringmuseumvillage.ca/what-s-on/programs-events/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Pickering Museum Village (2365 Concession Rd 6), ages 12+. Word is these are selling out, and there's one more walk on Oct 29, so book soon.
- 🍂 Sat, Oct 24, 11:30am–3pm — [Fall Fling](https://www.instagram.com/p/DdZ9NkOPE32/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Millennium Square, free. Round two: train rides, a costume contest and trick-or-treating.
- 🎬 Sat, Oct 24, 6–10pm — [Spooky Movie Night](https://www.instagram.com/tododurhamregion/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Pickering.
- 🎃 Sat–Sun, Oct 24–25 — [Hallowe'en Fest](https://www.pickeringmuseumvillage.ca/what-s-on/programs-events/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Pickering Museum Village. Halloween in a 19th-century village, which is honestly the correct setting.
- 🎤 Tuesdays — karaoke at KCR Bar & Grill.

**Scugog**

- 🔮 Fri, Oct 23, doors 6pm, show 7:30pm — [PHENOMENA: Uncorked](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/phenomena-uncorked-tickets-1993469774759?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Ocala Winery & Orchards (971 High Point Rd), 19+. A comedy mentalism show from Ian Batterbury, with a guided flight of four Ocala wines at 7pm before the curtain.

⭐

****Reader pick:** Ian sent this one in himself (he's the one doing the mind-reading), and it's been touring Ontario for the past year. Seating is limited. Thanks, Ian. We'd guess you saw that coming. 🔮

- 👻 Sat, Oct 24, 1–4pm — [Boo-Seum](https://www.instagram.com/tododurhamregion/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Scugog Shores Museum Village, Port Perry.
- 🕯️ Sat, Oct 24 — [Candle Making at Kids Art Talks](https://portperrybia.ca/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — downtown Port Perry.
- 🧠 Wednesdays, 6:30–8:45pm — trivia at Old Flame Brewery.

**Uxbridge**

- 🌳 Sat, Oct 24 — [Steve Snoddon Mini Forest Planting](https://www.uxbridge.ca/explore-and-play/events/events-calendar?ref=fromdurham.ca) — free with registration. Plant a tiny forest; tell people you planted a forest.
- 👻 Sat, Oct 24, 4–8pm — [FRIGHT NITE](https://www.uxbridge.ca/explore-and-play/events/events-calendar?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Uxbridge.
- 🧠 Tuesdays, 7–9pm — trivia at The Second Wedge.

**Whitby**

- 🕹️ Every day — 8-Bit Beans, downtown Whitby. Full story in the Local Gem below, including a Chucky-themed pinball afternoon on Sun, Oct 25.
- 📚 Any day — [Free family passes to Jungle Cat World and Parkwood Estate](https://www.instagram.com/gtawithsarah/?ref=fromdurham.ca) — Whitby Public Library lends them free to Durham residents. A free day out, due back like any other book.
- 🧠 Tuesdays — trivia at Town Brewery (7pm) and Banter & Co (Brooklin).

---

## **Planning ahead?**

- 🕹️ [Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Trivia](https://www.8bitbeans.com/?ref=fromdurham.ca), Thurs, Oct 29, 7pm, 8-Bit Beans, Whitby. $5 a person, teams of up to four, costumes encouraged.
- 😂 [Yuk Yuk's Oshawa](https://www.yukyuks.com/oshawa?ref=fromdurham.ca): Amateur Night (Oct 29), then Shannon Laverty (Oct 30–31), 8pm.
- 🧪 [STEAM-O-WEEN at IDEA Lab Kids](https://app.lexaclass.com/classinfo/zrn19zvjqn5e?ref=fromdurham.ca), Sat, Oct 31, noon–2pm, Whitby, $40 per child. Drop-off monster slime and spooky plushies, in costume. Registration required.
- 📸 [Pay-What-You-Can Halloween Portraits](https://mailchi.mp/05fe0fe15a5e/pay-what-you-can-halloween-portraits-on-october-31st?ref=fromdurham.ca), Sat, Oct 31, noon–3pm, Cedar Park, Ajax, from $5\. Quick costume portraits from Christella Luna Photo Co.; bring a non-perishable for the food bank if you can.
- 🫖 [Victorian Gothic Tea](https://www.pickeringmuseumvillage.ca/what-s-on/programs-events/?ref=fromdurham.ca), Sat, Oct 31, Pickering Museum Village.
- 👑 [Crown Lands](https://tickets.biltmoretheatre.com/?ref=fromdurham.ca), Fri, Nov 6, doors 7pm, Biltmore Theatre, all ages.
- 🎄 [Whitby Christmas Market](https://www.instagram.com/tododurhamregion/?ref=fromdurham.ca), Nov 13–14.
- ❄️ [Durham Winter Market](https://www.instagram.com/durhamdivasevents/?ref=fromdurham.ca), Sat, Nov 28, 1–10pm, Pickering High School (180 Church St N, Ajax), free.

---

## 📍 Local gem: 8-Bit Beans (Whitby)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/41/97410f95-6cd0-4d8b-891b-bcd80ad956dd/content/images/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-19-at-9.41.43---AM.png)

This one came straight from the inbox. Nick sent in [8-Bit Beans](https://www.8bitbeans.com/?ref=fromdurham.ca) through our submissions form and called it a great "third place": not home, not work, just somewhere you like being. He also called it the only pinball-and-arcade bar-café he knows of outside Toronto, run by "a great group of people." That's a strong pitch, Nick.

It sits at 100 Brock St S, at the four corners of downtown Whitby, and it's been there since 2019\. There are nine pinball machines, retro and modern, and more than 40 arcade cabinets, starting from '80s and '90s classics. The bar does coffee (including the café's own flavoured roasts, with names like Taste Invaders and Shell Shocked), plus beer, cocktails and small bites: PB&J, grilled cheese, beef patties. It's not a 19+ spot, so kids are welcome any time (parents are asked to use judgment after 8pm), and per Nick it gets lively on Friday and Saturday nights. There's a lot on the calendar, too. Drop-in pinball league runs Tuesdays at 7pm, a "Hi! I'm Chucky! Want to Play (Some Pinball)?" afternoon is on Sun, Oct 25, 1–5pm (tickets required), and Simpsons Treehouse of Horror trivia runs Thurs, Oct 29 (more on that in Planning ahead).

💚

****Why it's worth your time:** it's a coffee shop that works for a Saturday morning with the kids and a bar that works for a Friday night with friends, and there's a high-score board to keep you coming back. 

---

## 👨‍👩‍👧 This weekend, with littles

- 🍂 Sat, Oct 24, 11:30am–3pm — [Fall Fling](https://www.instagram.com/p/DdZ9NkOPE32/?ref=fromdurham.ca), Millennium Square, Pickering. Free train rides, a costume contest and trick-or-treating: a dress rehearsal for the 31st.
- 🎃 Sat, Oct 24, 10am–2pm — [18th Annual Pumpkin Giveaway](https://ajax.ca/event/18th-annual-pumpkin-giveaway/?ref=fromdurham.ca), Ajax. Free pumpkins and face painting.
- 🏊 Sat–Sun, Oct 24–25 — [Pumpkin Plunge Fun Swim](https://register.oshawa.ca/OSHAWA/public/category/browse/PRPUMPKIN?ref=fromdurham.ca), Oshawa. Drop-in, and 3-and-unders are free.
- 🎡 Sat–Sun, Oct 24–25 — [Food Truck Corral](https://www.instagram.com/foodtruckcorraloshawa/?ref=fromdurham.ca), Oshawa. Midway rides and $5 pumpkins on the corral's last weekend.

## Before you go — something with a deadline

- 🎻 Fri, Oct 23, 10am — tickets go on sale for [Rock Orchestra by Candlelight](https://www.tributecommunitiescentre.com/events?ref=fromdurham.ca) (May 6, 2027, Tribute Communities Centre). Yes, it's in May. Candlelight shows sell out, and future-you will be thrilled.

---

Know a hidden gem (or just an obvious, but well-loved rock) in Durham Region I should feature, profile, or talk to? 

[Submit your Durham gems](https://tally.so/r/lb20yX?ref=fromdurham.ca)

Talk soon, Arina from Whitby