🦫 A September Mix: Culture, Colours & Community

Hey there, Townshippers

September’s hitting its sweet spot — cool mornings, golden afternoons, and just enough excuses to pack your weekend with good things. From line dancing by the lake in Magog to the Townshippers’ Festival in Lennoxville, it’s a perfect mix of colour, community, and a little countryside charm.

So grab your flannel, mark your calendars, and let’s see what’s cooking this week. 🍂👇

Stand on the banks of the Niger River in Stanstead-Est and you can hear the future—water rushing through a narrow gorge where a new community trail is taking shape. The Massawippi Foundation and the Municipality are partnering on a footpath to Burroughs Falls, with an opening targeted for 2025.

Why here? In 2023, the Massawippi Conservation Trust (MCT) and Stanstead-Est signed a conservation servitude to protect the land around the falls, a 55.17-metre cascade with deep cultural and ecological value. The move followed the town’s 2021 purchase of the former Hydro-Québec site to create a public park.

For hikers, the new link promises a fresh viewpoint within a growing regional network. The Massawippi Trail in Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley already offers 14 km of free, dawn-to-dusk paths; a 5.3-km extension opened last fall. Expect the Burroughs route to feel wilder—closer to the river, history, and the roar.

For Stanstead-Est, a small, farm-rich municipality, a signature trail can be a gentle economic nudge: more weekend wanderers lingering for u-pick seasons and roadside stands, more reasons to add the valley to a Townships day trip. (Think berry stops like Bleuetière l’Or Bleu when in season.)

For the watershed, careful access is stewardship in action. Formal trails concentrate foot traffic, protect sensitive habitats, and turn casual walkers into regular donors and volunteers. If you want to help, start by keeping an eye on the Foundation’s Trail News for the opening date, chip in via the Donate page, and consider conservation volunteering through Appalachian Corridor, a long-time partner of MCT.

What to know now: the falls area remains in development—respect closures and signage until the route officially launches. When it does, we’ll share parking, wayfinding, and a low-stress loop to pair Burroughs Falls with a stop on the Massawippi Trail for a full, family-friendly day out. Until then, this project is a reminder that the best windows onto our landscape are the ones we build together. Find out more online 👉 massawippi.org

🍂 Mont Sutton Fall Festival — Sat–Sun (daytime) — Mont Sutton: Opening weekend for colours, chairlift rides, hiking, MTB, the giant zipline and family zones. Expect free outdoor “Musical Saturdays” and “Jazz Sundays” at the base plus tastings with the Wine Route. Activities like disc golf and kids’ obstacle zones run all weekend; chairlift/zipline operate on weekends only. Buy lift/zipline tickets online to save and skip lines. Weather-dependent for lifts and some programming—check same-day updates. Details 👉 montsutton.com

🤠 Magog Country — Fri 5–11 PM; Sat 12–11 PM; Sun 11 AM–4 PM — Pointe Merry, Magog: A lakeside country dance + music takeover with Québec’s biggest outdoor dance floor. The weekend mixes line-dance workshops, DJs, a mechanical bull, food trucks and evening light shows. Saturday night features a Shania Twain tribute set. Affordable day or 3-day passes; kids welcome (ear protection recommended for evenings). Bring layers—nights get cool by the water. Details 👉 evenementsmagog.ca

🎉 Townshippers’ Festival — Sat, Sept 20, 9 AM–5 PM — Centennial Park & Speid St., Lennoxville: A big, free, family-friendly community day celebrating the region’s English-speaking culture—live music, artisans, food trucks and activities for all ages. The opening ceremony hits at 11:30 AM in Centennial Park, with programming running steadily from morning to late afternoon. Streetside booths + kids’ zone make it easy to graze, browse and play between sets. Details 👉 townshippers.org

🚲 Les 100 à B7 (Gravel Ride) — Sat–Sun, 7 AM–5 PM — CNCB, Bromont: A friendly, non-competitive gravel weekend dreamed up by Olympian Lyne Bessette. Saturday leans family-friendly with 25–50 km routes; Sunday sends longer riders out on 75–100 km loops over rolling Townships roads (feed zones are famously tasty). Start/finish hub is the National Cycling Centre—expect a festive vibe, beer and bites post-ride. Registration required; spectating at the base is free. Rain-or-shine; pack layers for cool morning starts. Details 👉 centrenationalbromont.com

🍻 Waterloo Beer Festival — Sat, 12–9 PM — Place du Centenaire, Waterloo: One-day, free-entry craft bash with 15+ Quebec microbreweries, meads, local spirits and food kiosks. Live music and a family-friendly atmosphere make it easy to linger. Tasting glasses/tokens sold on site; bring ID and a reusable water bottle. Downtown location = easy bike access via nearby trails. Outdoor event—moves fast if it drizzles, but most kiosks are tented. Details 👉 createursdesaveurs.com

🎽 Coaticook’s Color Run raises $14,480 for families: Held Saturday, September 13 at Parc Laurence, the Course colorée des familles brought together 159 runners and about 30 volunteers. All proceeds go to the Maison de la famille de la MRC de Coaticook to support local programming. It was a fun, low-barrier way to give back, mark it for next year if you want a family-friendly run close to home. Source 👉 Le Progrès de Coaticook

🧾 Sherbrooke held free secure paper-shredding day (Sept 14): The city’s annual Opération déchiquetage ran Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1255, boul. Queen-Victoria (Défi Polyteck lot). Residents could safely dispose of sensitive documents on site. This is a practical way to reduce clutter, prevent identity theft, and recycle paper, watch the city’s channels for the next edition if you couldn’t make it. Source 👉 Ville de Sherbrooke

🏛️ Austin unveils a renovated Town Hall: After seven months of work, Austin officially opened its expanded and modernized Hôtel de ville on Saturday, September 13. The $3.6 M project added a 400 m² second floor, revamped the ground floor and basement, and created a new council chamber, two consultation rooms, and a multipurpose community room with catering counter. The project received $2.67 M from the MAMH’s municipal infrastructure program. Source 👉 Ville d’Austin

🏗️ Magog invests in its downtown core: At its September 15 council meeting, Magog approved a series of projects to improve public spaces and infrastructure in the city center. The three-year plan includes rebuilding a stretch of rue Principale Est between Saint-Joseph and Prospect, upgrading lighting at Parc de la Baie-de-Magog, and completing the second phase of work on the Marais de la Rivière-aux-Cerises footbridges. Funds are also set aside for boat launch management and planning around Hydro-Magog’s redevelopment vision. Source 👉 Radio-Canada

🏡 Estrie strengthens at-home recovery after hospital stays: The CIUSSS de l’Estrie–CHUS is rolling out new measures to help older adults safely return home after a hospital stay. The initiative includes quicker follow-ups, standardized fall-risk assessments, and home adaptations such as grab bars or loaned equipment when needed. Health teams will also ensure smoother transitions between hospital units and CLSCs so families know who to contact. Source 👉 Radio-Canada

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The leaves are just starting to change. What’s first on your fall list?

Hit reply and cast your vote — we want to know! 👀

And just like that, another week in the Townships all wrapped up. Between beer fests, gravel rides, and big community wins, it’s clear this season is already off to a strong start.

Thanks for hanging out with us — we’re glad you made it to the end. Got a fall bucket list item you’re tackling first? 🍎🥾 Reply and let us know, we’d love to share a few in next week’s issue. Until then, keep cozy and keep curious.

- The Eastern Townships Now team 🦫