Riverview Park Community Association (Ottawa, Ontario)

Author: Riverview Park Communications

  • Riverview Park Winter Carnival – Feb 8

    You are invited to the annual Riverview Park Winter Carnival for an afternoon of winter fun for all ages! This event will take place at Balena Park (1640 Devon Street) on Sunday, February 8th, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

    Enjoy skating on the outdoor rink, a variety of winter games for kids, a shoot-to-win contest with prizes, and opportunities for children to try cross-country skiing and snowshoeing thanks to the Ottawa Outdoor Gear Lending Library. Warm up by the campfire with chili, s’mores, and hot chocolate, and take time to meet neighbours and enjoy the outdoors together. Hot 89.9 will be on site as well as the Ottawa Titans mascot Cappy!

    Ottawa South Eco-action Network (OSEAN) will also have a booth, sharing info about their programs and giving away free native flower seeds. They will also have a drop-off box for the Lone Mittens program. So dig into your winter storage boxes and bring along any lone mittens you’ve been squirrelling away, hoping the match turns up. In 2025, volunteers matched 2,000 mittens and gloves and distributed them for free back to the community.

    We’re pleased to welcome back  Blair Court Community House to this year’s Winter Carnival. Their team will be on site to connect with residents and accept non-perishable food donations and monetary donations  in support of the local food bank, helping families in our community.

    We would of course be very happy with any donations; however, their current wish list includes:

    ·      Diced tomatoes

    ·      Whole tomatoes

    ·      Tomato sauce

    ·      Tomato paste

    ·      Canned corn

    ·      Canned mixed vegetables

    ·      Quinoa

    ·      Couscous

    ·      Coffee

    ·      Tea

    ·      Sugar

    Questions or interested in volunteering? Contact riverviewparkca@gmail.com.

  • Christmas Caroling / Chantons Noël

    A Caroling We Will Go!

    Please join the Riverview Park Community Association (RPCA) for a live outdoor Christmas Caroling evening on Friday, 12 December at 7 PM at Balena Park at 1640 Devon Street. Resident neighborhood musician Craig Cormier will be leading a fun sing-along evening of Christmas Carols under the stars. Enjoy sleigh rides, candles, a campfire, hot chocolate and smores for a wonderful start to the Holiday Season . All are welcome. If you are able, please bring a non-perishable food donation for the Blair Court Community House Food Bank. For a list of what they need most, visit https://blaircourt.ca/non-perishable-food-items/. Thank you to our steadfast partners for this event, notably our elected representatives Marty Carr, Ottawa City Councillor, the Honourable David McGuinty, Member of the House of Commons, and John Fraser, Member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario, as well as the Blair Court Community House and the southeast city church.

    Check out the event here

  • Pumpkins for the Planet in Riverview Park

    Just in time for Halloween, the Riverview Park Community Association (RPCA) is happy to announce that it is hosting two pumpkin collection sites: at 617 Bathurst Avenue and at 909 Hamlet Road, in partnership with the Ottawa South Eco-action Network’s Pumpkins for the Planet program! In the days following Halloween, RPCA volunteers will join OSEAN volunteers and other community associations to collect carved and intact pumpkins in Ottawa South and connect them with local farms and kitchens. In doing so, we all help to combat food insecurity while diverting pumpkins from the City compost facility and the landfill.

    Pumpkins can be dropped off at our local sites on November 1 and 2, but these collections sites will close at 3:00 pm on Sunday, November 2. Please remove all decorations and non-edible additions before donating pumpkins. Things like toothpicks, candles, melted wax, tea lights, staples/pins/paperclips/pipe cleaners, plastic glitter are dangerous for people, animals and equipment. Donated pumpkins should only have edible decorations, and paint used should be washable.

    The Alta Vista Community Association is hosting five sites for people to drop off pumpkin donations this year, including one on Sunday morning at their Kids’ Halloween Party in Alta Vista Park. All the pumpkins are gathered at Pumpkin Alley in Ernie Calcutt Park near Mooney’s Bay before they make their way to farms and food centres. You can join the Riverside Park Community Association, Brookfield Community Cupboard and OSEAN there for Pumpkinfest from 1:00-3:30 on Sunday, November 2. Find out more, including an updated map of all sites on OSEAN’s website.

  • 2025 RPCA Annual General Meeting – October 22

    Meeting materials posted on the website at the following Event link for the AGM.

  • October 5, 2025 – Community Fall Social and Fundraiser

    Come join us at the Riverview Park Community Association’s 2025 Community Fall Social and Fundraiser.  Meet your neighbours and support Matthew House Ottawa and the RPCA.  The evening includes dinner, door prizes and a silent auction.  Check out the Event for more info and to purchase your tickets.

    Matthew House is a local non-profit organization that provides shelter, furnishings, and community to refugees and those transitioning to permanent housing.  The RPCA works to build community and advocate for residents of Riverview Park.

    This is a critical fundraiser for the RPCA, a not-for-profit, volunteer-driven organization representing the civic interests of our community.  Net proceeds from this event, together with annual membership fees allow your community association to re-invest in our community, cover basic operating costs, host community-building events like the Winter Carnival, Summer Carnival & Movie Night and Holiday Caroling, and maintain and operate some of our community’s ice rinks. 

    The annual membership fee is $20 per person and covers your membership through September 30, 2026. Membership to the RPCA offers many direct and indirect benefits, including: a voice in your community and its activities, a vote at the RPCA’s Annual General Meeting (and any Special General Meetings), opportunities to connect with our elected representatives, and discounts to local sports teams like Ottawa Titans baseball games.

    Location: O’Brien’s Roadhouse (Industrial at Russell)
    Date: October 5
    Time: Doors open 5PM; Dinner 6PM

  • Summer Carnival & Movie Night – August 23

    Please join us for a Summer Carnival and Movie Night at Balena Park (1640 Devon Street) in the heart of Riverview Park on Saturday, 23 August at 6:30 PM. Enjoy fun for the whole family. There will be games, freezies, popcorn, a campfire, and a screening of the Disney movie Moana 2 (movie will start at 8 PM). Please bring your own chair or blanket, as well as a food item for the Blair Court Community Food Bank. Rain date is next day at the same time. The Riverview Park Community Association, the lead organizer of this event to build stronger ties between neighbors, acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa through its civic engagement fund and thanks its many donors.

  • Riverview Park @ Ottawa Titans Baseball

    We are pleased to confirm that the Ottawa Titans have provided Riverview Park Community Association with a discount for the whole 2025 season, using promotional code RPCA25. This provides the following prices: Club is $15+tax, On-Deck is $11+tax. Please come out and support our local team. You can purchase tickets on the Titans website: https://www.ottawatitans.com/tickets

  • PorchFest is back on June 21-22, 2025

    ? Hey Music Lovers — Porchfest is Back for 2025! ?

    After the amazing vibes of last year’s inaugural event, we’re thrilled to announce that Porchfest is returning to Riverview Park on Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22, 2025!

    The Riverview Park Community Association (RPCA) is once again bringing the neighborhood to life with the sounds of live music — right from our very own porches, driveways, and front yards! Riverview Park is packed with incredible talent, and we can’t wait for you to hear it.

    ? Where: All around Riverview Park — check out the map

    Porchfest is a fun, relaxed, and family-friendly event where musicians of all ages, styles, and experience levels are welcome.

    ? This Year’s Lineup: (as of Friday, June 20, 9 am)

    1. Heliara – Indie Rock

    2. Winchester Warm – Indie Rock

    3. Rea Williams – Acoustic Folk/Rock

    4. The Back Pedalers – Original Music

    5. Altered Egos – Roots, Blues, and Folk

    6. Craig Cormier – Folk, Original

    7. The Under Ground – Folk, Pop, Country

    8. Main Street Revival – Roots, Rock

    9. Ineson – Rock

    10. Atypical – Acoustic Rock Covers

    11. Jaroslav Zenchuk – The Great Balena Avenue Singalong

    12. Not Yet Men – Classic Rock, Jam Songs

    13. Desiree Abbey – Classical Music

    14. Spencer Scharf & CindyG – Rock, Blues, Country

    15. GWMusic – Contemporary Acoustic with Gospel Roots

    ? Know a musician? Love live music? Spread the word! Share the event on social media, tell your friends, and invite your neighbors to grab a lawn chair and soak up a weekend of great tunes, good company, and community spirit.

    Porchfest isn’t just about music — it’s about celebrating the creativity, connection, and character that make Riverview Park such a special place to call home.

    Got questions? Reach out anytime at president@riverviewparkca.com.

    Let’s turn up the volume and make Porchfest 2025 one to remember!

    ?❤️ RPCA Social Committee

    Schedule (revised Friday June 20, 9am)
    Note each schedule is for a different area of Riverview Park.

    If you would like to check out some of the performers, here are links to their material:

    Heliara Heliara | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree

    Cindy Goldberg San Francisco Bay Blues – Spencer Scharf and Cindy Goldberg


    San Francisco Bay Blues – Spencer Scharf and Cindy Goldberg

    www.craigcormier.com

    Countdown 2 Earplugs             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEqfaLbGsa4

    Countdown 2 Earplugs             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnKb1dpyQBY

                                                             Instagram.com/countdown2earplugs

    Main Street Revival     Main Street Revival – Old Love (Live at the Bronson Centre Music Theatre)

    Main Street Revival – Old Love (Live at the Bronson Centre Music Theatre)

    Ineson’s album that came out in February https://open.spotify.com/album/5sImbuSvliaCraFve7WetX?si=Is9xTZ-VTpm0JT_-Ol7wyw

    Check out Atypical on Facebook and SoundCloud!

    https://www.facebook.com/share/1FH7j21R2N

    Please see link to Winchester warm’s band camp, with most recent release “Belle Attente” . We will also be playing new material from our new upcoming album.  Also an old video from our days as a duo. 

    https://winchesterwarm.bandcamp.com/music

    WINCHESTER WARM – Up In The Belfry

  • Cutest Cat and Dog of 2025

    The results are in for the second annual Riverview Park  Cutest Cat and Dog Contest, put on by the RPCA with prizes donated by the employees at Pet Valu Trainyards.  Eighteen dogs (including two Mollys and two Teddys )and eleven cats were entered in the contest.  Over 225 votes were cast and the contest raised over $600  for the Ottawa Humane Society (surpassing the goal of $500 that the RPCA contest organizers set).  Many thanks to all who entered and voted (and to Cass and the crew at Pet Valu Trainyards). A common refrain we heard was that  it was very hard to choose just one cat or dog – given all the cute/handsome/beautiful candidates.   

    The  dog who received the most votes was Molly E.  She is a 4-year-old tri-coloured basset hound who lives with Lyn Ewing and her husband, Robin. Lyn says that “ our kids have grown up and live far away, so Molly is our baby now.” She was entered by Lyn’s friend, Mary Moncrieff.  

    Molly’s  feline counterpart is Legolas aka “Gus”, a three-legged rescue cat who is approximately nine-years old and whose “owner” is Eve  McGurrin. (Eve has just recently added a second rescue to her furry family: another three-legged cat named Mazy. “Two cats, six legs, endless love “ according to Eve’s father Tim.)

    More details about the winners have been provided below  by their “owners.” (Some people say that cats have servants and not owners.)

    “Molly has lived her whole life in Riverview Park. Molly is quite a character. She is very smart, strong willed and  loving. She is a friend to both cats and dogs (and pretty much everyone she meets. Molly likes to visit neighbours, new and old.

    Eve’s  father Tim says “Legolas/Gus is “the sweetest cat ever and might just be the fastest cat on three legs in the neighbourhood. Eve fell in love with Gus from the moment she saw him at the Humane Society six years ago. Despite clear signs of abandonment and trauma, he was very affectionate, and the match was made. Gus is happy to sit on my lap while hockey is on. His street smarts have faded – he rarely swipes food from our plates or from below the table anymore – but any loud noise will still send him scurrying under the closest bed.”

  • Easter Egg Hunt

    Saturday April 19th, 2025 – morning – see timing details below

    Hop on over to Balena Park for the Riverview Park Easter Egg Hunt!

    The Riverview Park Community Association is egg-cited to bring some springtime fun to the neighbourhood with our annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 19th, 2025 — come rain, shine, or even snow!

    Here’s how it all cracks open:

    • 9:15 AM – Parents arrive to hide 10 plastic eggs per child (peanut-free treats inside, please)
    • 10:00 AM – Kids hop into action to find 10 eggs each. Keep an eye out for a few golden eggs hidden with special prizes!

    Location: Balena Park, 1640 Devon Street
    Washrooms will be accessible.

    To keep things safe and fun for every bunny, please consider non-candy goodies like stickers, temporary tattoos, or erasers. If you’re bringing candy, make sure it’s pre-wrapped and allergy-aware.

    We can’t wait to see you there for a hopping good time!