5 Things You Need To Know For August 14, 2026

August 14, 2026 5:44 am Published by Chris McLeod

_{August 14th is the 226th day of the year. There are 139 days remaining until the end of the year.}

Couple of farmers markets in C-K this weekend.

The Wallaceburg Farmers Market is open 8 a.m.-noon in the municipal parking lot on James St. It runs bi-weekly until October.

Ridgetown will host a Farmers Market Saturday 8-noon. The market will be held is Main St. every Saturday until Thanksgiving.

Wrapping up our week of astronomical events with one last spectacle- Venus!

This weekend you should be able to see the moon dangle just below venus in the night sky.

The planet next inward from Earth, and the brightest planet in Earth’s sky will be shining in the west after sunset. Hard to miss, Venus is exceedingly bright and will penetrate the bright evening twilight.

It’ll remain visible in the evening sky through October, 2026 making the period between now and then one of the best times of the year to view Venus.

Donors are needed!

There’s a blood donor clinic tomorrow at the Portuguese Canadian Club 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

No walk-in appointments are available. Book your appointment at Blood.ca, call 1-888-2-DONATE or use the apps.

If you’re unable to donate this week, the next clinic locally will also be at the Portuguese Canadian Club Tuesday.

The Chatham Maroons are getting ready to hit the ice again with an action packed weekend, giving you a chance for your first look at the 2026-27 team.

On Saturday the team will be hosting its Main Camp at Thames Arena from 10am-5pm. Season tickets will be available from 10am-1pm along with merch available for purchase.
Then on Sunday you can come out to Thames Campus for the Maroon vs White Game. Puck drop is 2:30 pm and tickets are $5 cash only.
The Maroons home opener is set for September 13, 7 pm at Memorial Arena.

Twenty-three years ago today at 4:11p.m. 50 million people lost power in the northeastern United States and Ontario.

It was the worst blackout in North American history.

A series of failures in Ohio triggered the blackout. A system monitoring tool was not working, then a generating unit tripped off in an overloaded portion of the grid, and then overheated transmission lines began sagging into overgrown trees and tripping.

By the time officials realized the system was in jeopardy, it was too late to intervene and the collapse sent unsustainable loads into neighbouring jurisdictions.

Most places restored power by midnight (within 7 hours), while full power in New York City and parts of Toronto wasn’t restored until August 16th.