Happy Friday, Chatham-Kent! Here's your 5-minute recap of the week that was — the stories, the good news, and everything you need for the weekend ahead. Let's get into it. 👇

📉 Some genuinely good news: new Statistics Canada figures show Chatham-Kent's crime severity dropped significantly over the past year — a welcome trend for the community.

🎟️ Riders giving back. The Chatham-Kent ATV Club wrapped its annual Poker Run and donated $4,000 to Ashley's Place, a Tilbury not-for-profit. Read on CK News Today →

👶 One in a million. A Chatham mom is celebrating the arrival of exceptionally rare "mono-mono" twin girls, born July 23. A lovely bit of local joy this week. Read on CK News Today →

🌟 Support pays off. A group of Chatham-Kent kids with ADHD had their summer elevated thanks to an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant supporting a local learning program. Read in the Chatham Voice →

🍒 Summer in full swing. Cherryfest and Sidewalk Days drew big crowds again this year despite the heat — a reminder of how good a CK summer weekend can be. Read in the Chatham Voice →

🎨 Calling all artists. Eye4Art, the biennial juried art show, has opened its call for submissions through August. A great chance for local creatives to get their work seen. Read in the Chatham Voice →

🦇 Worth knowing: a bat tested positive for rabies in Blenheim. Health officials are reminding pet owners to keep vaccinations current and to steer clear of wildlife. Read on CK News Today →

🏛️ A piece of local history. The original cornerstone of Chatham-Kent's first animal shelter is now on display — the last surviving piece of the old building, replaced in 2019. Read on CK News Today →

🗳️ Showing up matters. As council terms wrap, two CK councillors — South Kent's Anthony Ceccacci and North Kent's Rhonda Jubenville — posted perfect attendance in open council sessions across their full four-year terms. Read on CK News Today →

🕯️ Our thoughts this week. Police are investigating a fatal crash at Walpole Island First Nation, after a vehicle left River Road and entered the St. Clair River. Read on CK News Today →

A couple of bigger stories from earlier in the week, in case you missed them:

🚗 A tragic start to the week. A 57-year-old Chatham man died following an overnight two-vehicle collision on Queen's Line early Sunday. Police closed the road for several hours while the Traffic Management Unit investigated. Our condolences to his family. Read on CK News Today →

🚨 Major drug bust in Wallaceburg. Police charged nine Wallaceburg residents with a long list of drug-related offences following a raid on a King Street property on Wednesday — one of the larger enforcement actions in the area recently. Read in the Chatham Voice →

If you do one thing this weekend, make it this. Starting Saturday, August 1, Matthew and Gail Whitney open the sunflower fields at Puddleford Tree Farm in Kent Bridge — and it's for a cause close to a lot of hearts here in Chatham-Kent.

Now in their sixth year, the Whitneys grow the fields each summer as a fundraiser for the CK Alzheimer Society Day Program, which provides meaningful programming for participants and much-needed respite for their caregivers. To date, they've raised over $17,000 for the cause — every dollar donated.

Here's how it works: walk the rows, take all the photos you like, and cut your own sunflowers to take home. Admission is just $5 per vehicle, and cut stems are $1 each. The fields are open 10am–8pm daily for roughly two weeks, weather and blooms permitting.

The Whitneys keep everyone posted on bloom conditions through their social pages, so give them a follow before you head out: Facebook · Instagram

A beautiful afternoon, a photo the whole family will love, and every dollar going to a cause that touches so many CK families. Hard to beat that. 💛

It's one of the busiest weekends of the CK summer. Here's where to go:

🌻 Puddleford Sunflowers. See our full spotlight above — opens Saturday in Kent Bridge.

🎨 Erieau — Art on the Boulevard (Sat, Aug 1). Artists and makers line the boulevard in the lakeside village of Erieau.

🛒 Grand Ave Market — Grand Opening (Sat, Aug 1). A brand-new local market opens its doors in Chatham. Worth a look if you like supporting new small businesses.

🏁 Buxton Speedway Double-Header (Aug 1–2). Late Model Shoot-Out racing all weekend long.

🎵 Alice Armstrong, Live Blues (Fri, July 31). Catch live blues at the Old Czech Hall in Dresden tonight.

🕊️ Emancipation Day (Sat, Aug 1). A meaningful day in our region's calendar — fitting, given Chatham's history as the "Black Mecca" and a northern terminus of the Underground Railroad.

Mark your calendars, Wallaceburg — the Antique Motor & Boat Outing (WAMBO) is back the weekend of Aug 8–9. Antique cars, classic boats along the Sydenham, and tens of thousands of visitors downtown. We'll have the full rundown in next week's briefing.

Quick one before you go — we're always trying to make CKNow better, so we want to hear it straight from you. Right now you get our Friday briefing, but how much Chatham-Kent news do you actually want landing in your inbox? No wrong answers — your vote helps shape what we do next. 👇

We've launched Wallaceburg Local — a dedicated weekly edition just for Wallaceburg and the surrounding area, covering the news, events, and happenings close to home. This week's edition covered new affordable housing, your council candidates, and more.

Did you know we post daily? Every day at cknow.ca you'll find What's Happening Today — gas prices, weather, and what's on around Chatham-Kent, updated all week long.

That's a wrap for this week. Enjoy the sunshine, get out to the sunflowers, and we'll see you next Friday. ☀️

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