Good morning, Chatham-Kent. That rare orange lobster found in Chatham has a new home lined up, a former Catholic school in south Chatham has finally sold, and it's a packed Saturday downtown with Pride and two other events. Here's your Saturday. 👇
⛽ Gas & ☀️ Weather
Weather: Environment Canada has issued a weather statement flagging a wet weekend across parts of southwestern Ontario. Expect a high near 24° with about a 40% chance of showers through the day, dropping to around 15° overnight with more rain. Sunday looks cooler and wetter still — 21° with a 60% chance of showers. Bring an umbrella if you're heading downtown for Pride or the craft fair.
🦞 Major Story — Chatham's One-in-30-Million Lobster Is Headed to Ripley's Aquarium
Remember Pumpkin? The rare orange lobster discovered in the seafood department at Chatham's Real Canadian Superstore earlier this week now has somewhere considerably better to go than a dinner plate. Staff arranged for Ripley's Aquarium of Canada in Toronto to take him in.
Orange lobsters occur roughly once in every 30 million — about 15 times rarer than the better-known blue lobster. Superstore employee Sylvia Smith told CK News Today that in her 40 years, it was the first orange lobster she'd ever seen.
Why it matters to CK: It's a small story, but a genuinely nice one — staff could have quietly sold him and nobody would have known. Instead a Chatham grocery store made some calls and got a one-in-30-million animal a permanent home in one of the country's biggest aquariums. Not a bad week for CK.
🏫 Major Story — Former Georges P. Vanier School Sold for $1.6M, Deal Closes Monday
The former Georges P. Vanier Catholic School at 20 Cecile Avenue in Chatham has been sold. St. Clair Catholic District School Board trustees approved the $1.6 million sale to Conseil scolaire Viamonde — Ontario's French-language public school board — at a special board meeting on August 10. The transaction is scheduled to close this coming Monday, August 24.
Vanier was the board's last remaining surplus property following the reorganization of Catholic education in Chatham, which consolidated St. Joseph, St. Ursula and Vanier students into new facilities.
Why it matters to CK: Empty schools are a familiar sight in a lot of Ontario communities, and they tend to sit for years. This one found a buyer who plans to keep it in educational use — and a French-language board expanding its footprint in Chatham is a meaningful signal about demand for French education locally.
📰 Today's Quick Stories
🏖️ All but one CK beach safe for swimming. Only one of Chatham-Kent's seven public beaches tested high for E. coli this week — the other six are clear. Public Health notes water quality can shift quickly with weather, waves and runoff, so it's worth checking conditions before you go. Read on CK News Today →
🎨 Chatham artist joins the Ward 7 race. Penelope Duchesne has entered the council race for Ward 7, hoping to represent northeast Chatham. Read on CK News Today →
🖌️ CK Can Jam returns next week. Street artists from around the world descend on downtown Chatham for the third annual mural festival, running August 23–29. The murals stay up year-round. Details at ckcanjam.com →
🏒 Maroons GM on Beyond the Headlines. The latest episode of CK News Today's podcast features Richard Santos, GM of the Maroons, ahead of the new season. Listen on CK News Today →
📚 Chatham library hosting a writers' café. The library is inviting local writers to network at an upcoming community café event. Read on Sydenham Current →
🙏 New weekly recovery support meetings in the region. Catholic in Recovery, a faith-based support group for those working through addiction and compulsive behaviours, is meeting Mondays at 7:30pm at Holy Family Catholic Church. Read on Sydenham Current →
🏛️ Province announces new municipal funding measures at AMO. Ontario unveiled new funding measures for municipalities at this week's AMO conference in Ottawa, where CK's mayor and six councillors were in attendance. Read on Sydenham Current →
🚨 Chatham man charged after neighbour's tires slashed. Police have charged a Chatham man following an incident in which a neighbour's tires were slashed. Read on Sydenham Current →
🚔 CK police briefs — Friday, August 21. A 42-year-old Chatham man was charged with assault, forcible confinement and uttering death threats following an alleged history of intimate partner violence. Two separate impaired driving arrests were also reported. Full briefs on CK News Today →
🗓️ Today in Chatham-Kent
🏳️🌈 CK Pride Parade & PrideFest — parade 11am, festival noon–4pm. The parade steps off at 11am through downtown Chatham, with PrideFest vendors and community displays running until 4pm on Harvey Street. CK's biggest 2SLGBTQIA+ celebration of the year.
🛒 Ricco Cash & Carry Grand Opening — 10am. 496 Riverview Drive, Chatham. The new bulk grocery and restaurant supply store officially opens its doors to the public.
🎨 Handmade Crafts & Vendor Fair — 10am–4pm. Tecumseh Park and Downtown Chatham. Handmade crafts, artisan goods, and food trucks — final weekend day is tomorrow.
🌿 Rondeau Provincial Park — Self-Guided Mindful Hike, 10am–3pm. Tulip Tree Trail, free with park day-use entry. A good rainy-day-adjacent option with an indoor Visitor Centre.
Tomorrow: CK Can Jam kicks off downtown, plus "Hop to It" kids' program at Rondeau (10:30–11:30am) and the final day of the Handmade Crafts Fair.
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