Thursday Oct. 23, 2025
 
Search


e-Edition
Oct. 23, 2025

e-Edition
9 octobre 2025



 




REAL ESTATE LISTINGS

 



Natural Health Tips
Last updated Sept. 29, 2025





Upcoming events


SAVED BY THE BELL 90s DANCE PARTY at St. Peter High School on Charlemagne Blvd. featuring DJ Mace, DJ Kam and DJ Bounce from 7 p.m. to midnight. Must be 19+. ID required at the door. This is a fundraising event hosted by the St. Peter High School Parents Council. For advance tickets visit eventbrite.ca.

CUMBERLAND FARMERS MARKET from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the R.J. Kennedy Arena in Cumberland Village with 85 local farmers and vendors ready to showcase their freshest produce, handmade goods, and unique finds.

SDBC TAPROOM CONCERT SERIES presents the band Sunny Spot live and in concert at the Stray Dog Brewing Company, 501 Lacolle Way in the Taylor Creek Business Parks. Advance tickets $15 available at straydogbrewing.ca.

E-WASTE DROP OFF at St. Matthew High School, 6550 Bilberry Dr. from
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Members of the public can drop off anything with a plug or battery.

90s HITS MUSICAL BINGO 7:30 p.m. at the Orléans Brewing Co. 4380 Innes Rd., next to McDonalds. Hosted by Shine.

TRIVIA NIGHT from 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday night at the Royal Oak Pub Orléans. Free to play. Prizes for the winning team! The Royal Oak Pub is located at 1981 St. Joseph Blvd. near Jeanne d'Arc. For more info visit facebook.com/ RoyalOakPubsOrleans.

OYSTER NIGHT every Wednesday from 6-9 pm at the Orléans Brewing Co. Two types of oysters served with lemon, Tobasco, horseradish, salt and mignonette. The Orléans Brewing Co. is located at 4380 Innes Rd., next to McDonalds.

ORLEANS FARMERS MARKET every Thursday from 11 am to 4 pm in the parking lot at the Ray Friel Recreation Centre on Tenth Line Road. Shop the freshest seasonal produce, meat and dairy, baked goods, prepared foods, crafts and more while getting to know the folks who grew and made it.

 

 

 

 

Navan Fair honours 30th anniversary of 50-Horse Hitch
By Fred Sherwin
Aug. 14, 2025

It’s been 30 years since the little town of Navan entered the annals of the Guinness Book of Records when a group of farmers banded together to do something no one else had ever done – hitch up 50 Clydesdale horses to a wagon and drive them 3.5 kilometres through the village.

Wyatt and Willard McWilliams pose together during an event at this year’s Navan Fair marking the 30th anniversary of the 50-Horse Hitch which took place on Aug. 13, 1995 and witnessed by more than 40,000 spectators. STAFF PHOTO

The famous 50-Horse Hitch was a year in the making. First dreamed up by Navan farmer Willard McWilliams to mark the 50th anniversary of the Navan Fair, the 50-Horse Hitch would require the cooperation of 18 Clydesdale owners and the cooperation of dozens more in the fabrication of five groups of reins, each stretching 180 feet long.

In the lead up to the big day, Willard and his son Wyatt organized a series of three practices – two involving 18 horses and one involving 30 horses – along with fellow lead organizers Denny Brown and Sam Dagg.

It wasn’t until the big day on Aug. 13, 1995 that they attempted to hitch up all 50 horses. It took two hours to prepare all of the horses and hitch them all up. The formation consisted on 12 rows of four horses each lead by two horses, Tony and Duke.

The team left the Navan Fairgrounds and turned right on to Delson Road. They then followed Delson around to Trim Road and turned right before taking a left on to Forest Lea Drive.

After going the length of Forest Lea, the team turned right onto Smith Road and marched down Smith and Colonial Road to Delson before returning to the Navan Fairgrounds.

An estimated crowd of 50,000 people descended on the little village of Navan to witness the historic event. It would be a site that Wyatt McWilliams would never forget.

“When we turned the corner on to Smith Road and just seeing all the people. I’d never seen anything like it. It was just a sea of people,” recalls Wyatt, who developed a rare disease in the years afterwards that robbed him of his sight. “That’s a memory I have kept with me all these years.”

Interestingly enough, the McWilliams never intended to set a record, it was the Fair’s organizers who checked with the Guinness Book of Records people and found out the old record was 48 horses. It was only a coincidence that the 50th anniversary 50-Horse Hitch entered the record books.

The anniversary of the 50-Horse Hitch was celebrated in the Myers Barn at this year's Fair, with a model replica of the historic event, press clippings from the original event, the actual wagon that was used and several vintage wagons donated by Navan farmer and vintage wagon collector Glen Edwards.

The display was sponsored by Myers Orléans, the Friends of the Mer Bleue, Sure Print and Graphics, Waste Connections and Gabriels Pizza.

 
 
Entertainment

  Sports


OST production of Anne of Green Gables a joy to behold

Shenkman unveils Matinée Café and World Music lineups

Lots to see and do at the Shenkman Arts Centre during the month of June


Mer Bleue kicks off inaugural season with a win over St. Pete's

East end teams win five Eastern Ontario Soccer League titles

Cumberland Panthers sweep weekend games against South Gloucester

 

Commons Corner


 

Queen's Park Corner


 

Local business

  Opinion

 


DYNAMIC FOOT CARE CLINIC: The first step to pain free feet

 

LOUISE CARDINAL CONCEPT: Interior design consultant

 

BLACKBURN SHOPPES DENTAL CENTRE: Committed to providing a positive dental experience

 

 

 


VIEWPOINT: When it comes to public transit, Canada is a third world country

 


Vanxiety_life #15: Navan’s vanlifers complete cross-Canada odyssey

Sections
  Services
Contact information


www.orleansstar.ca
745 Farmbrook Cres.
Orléans, Ontario K4A 2C1
Phone: 613-447-2829
E-mail: info@orleansstar.ca

 

OrléansOnline.ca © 2001-2019 Sherwin Publishing