(Via Canadian Heritage) Head down to Parliament Hill one night this summer for a one-of-a-kind sound and light experience of Canadian culture and history, presented by Canadian Heritage. Northern Lights recently began its fifth and final year on the hill, bringing to life in spectacular detail the people, events and milestones that shaped Canadian history. ...

The Canadian War Museum. (Photo/Harry Foster) (Via the Canadian War Museum) The Canadian War Museum is proud to celebrate visual journalism by presenting the winners of the prestigious World Press Photo Contest. The World Press Photo – Exhibition 2019 features 157 outstanding large-format photographs reflecting current events, social issues, and natural phenomena of global importance. ...

Strawberry Season. Big, beautiful, juicy strawberries wherever you look. Photo by Lydia Bociurkiw. Ottawa is surrounded by farmland, and many of the farms offer pick-your-own berry facilities. Strawberry season in Ottawa typically starts in late June / early July. ...

Carol Gimbel performs #1000Strings in Toronto for the 2015 INTERsections Festival. (Photo via Awesome Ottawa) July’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Carol Gimbel to support a mass participatory concert in Wellington West, as part of Chamberfest. “Young musician, avid amateur, seasoned pro, and enthusiastic concert attendee – all are welcome at #1000Strings,” says Carol. ...

Ottawa has four major public beaches that are open for most of the summer. Add to that more than 50 wading pools and 9 outdoor public pools – and there are plenty of ways to keep cool. When winter arrives, you can head inside to one of the 20 public swimming complexes. ...

We call it “The Elders of Council.” A free phone app called FaceApp has recently taken over the internet. If you spend five seconds on Twitter you’ll probably see someone using it to add about 50 years to their face with the power of a neural network. ...

Ottawa City Hall (Photo/Devyn Barrie) Say what you will about Kanata South Coun. Allan Hubley, but the man is efficient. He not only smeared a respected reporter last week, but in doing so also debased himself and embarrassed our city and the rest of council. ...

An O-Train vehicle at Mooney’s Bay Station on the Trillium Line. (Photo/Devyn Barrie) The City of Ottawa has advised of some upcoming service disruptions for the O-Train Trillium Line, for both annual track maintenance as well as to accomodate provincial highway work. ...

The National Capital FreeNet’s cookbook. (Photos/Devyn Barrie) The other day I was doing some work in the Algonquin College library (great place and with low traffic during the summer!) and found some racks of books they had retired and were giving away. ...

A firefighter cooling down at Richardson Side Road fire. Photo courtesy of Ottawa Fire Services. Here’s a list of businesses and public places in Ottawa that have air conditioning, and are free, or low-cost. Add your suggestions to the comments below. ...