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Time: Saturday May 3rd, 2025, 4:00pm – 6:00pm

Meeting Place: Kitchener Market – Just Outside Front Door

Walk Leader: Tess

This will be the 4th time KW Hungry Minds has hosted a walk through Kitchener downtown area. We talk about the changes that we see – new buildings and businesses as well as the ones that we see are now missing. We talk about how we feel about the change, how it has impacted our interaction with the city, and what we see on the horizon for the future. Everyone welcome to come and share their point of view and experience.

If you can’t make it on Saturday, we are repeating the walk on Sunday. The conversation is sure to be different on each day, so feel free to come to both.

When: Saturday May 3rd, 2:00 – 2:30 pm

Meeting Point: Front Entrance McDougall Cottage, 89 Grand Ave S, Cambridge

Walk Leader: Michelle Bartlett

McDougall Cottage, a c.1858 granite and limestone labourer’s home, is located in downtown Cambridge in the historic factory district on the banks of the picturesque Grand River.

This cottage was home for more than a century to two families of hardworking Scots, the McDougalls and the Bairds. Today the Cottage serves as an interpretation centre celebrating Cambridge’s strong Scottish heritage.

Check out the Galt Horticulture Society/Ferguson Cottage Tour from 1:00-1:30 pm followed by The Cambridge Sculpture Garden Tour from 1:30-1:55, right before this walk. All walks are a few meters from each other.

When: Friday, May 2nd 2025, 5:00pm – 6:00pm

Meeting Point: Abraham Erb Grist Mill, Waterloo Park

Walk Leader: Hannah Gardiner

Waterloo Park sits at heart of the city—physically connecting neighbourhoods, local universities, and cultural institutions. This walking workshop invites participants to imagine new ways of connecting with one another in this public space. Along the route, we will discuss ongoing efforts by community members and local groups to bring people together in public parks. The walk will end with open conversation, giving participants a chance to connect and share ideas with one another. This walk is perfect for those passionate about the cultural vitality of our local parks. All ages are welcome. This Jane’s Walk is made possible with support from 8 80 Cities’ Ontario Community Changemaker’s program, which is funded through the Balsam Foundation.

When: Saturday May 3rd, 2025, 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Meeting Point: 50 Kent Ave (“Thrift on Kent”), rear parking lot

Walk Leaders: Rose Barcarse and Geoff Martin

Join us on an engaging, fully accessible, 1.5km tour exploring four key spots along Schneider Creek and learning about the creek’s fascinating histories and possible futures.

The original Chonnonton trail into this region – later called Mississauga Rd, then Mill St. – followed the stream up from the Grand River. In the 19th century, Schneider Creek became the sewage drain for waste from Berlin’s many factories and tanneries, and for the past 90 years, it has managed stormwater for the City of Kitchener.

But now a kilometer of Schneider Creek is about to undergo a significant transformation. The City is planning to “re-naturalize” the confluence of Shoemaker and Schneider Creeks, remove the cement channel and re-meander the creek through former brownfield and industrial lots. What might this project look like, and what would this new Schneider Creek greenway need from city residents?

When: Sunday May 4th, 2025, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon

Meeting Point: 60 King Street East, Kitchener

Walk Leader: Divya Dhingra

Walking through downtown Kitchener, one comes across many curious sites and pieces of public art. Join us on this leisurely walk, where echoes of the past linger in brick and stone. We begin near the site of the city’s first town hall and market, tracing the imprint of early settlers through the streets of old Berlin. Along the way, public art and architecture reveal stories — tales of growth, identity, and transformation etched into the city’s urban fabric.