This Month in Lambton - May 2025

The May 2025 edition of This Month in Lambton includes the following news, service updates, programs and events:

• Discover food science at Lambton Heritage Museum’s PA Day event Spoiled Rotten
• Summer Reading Challenge – Registration opens on June 14
• 2025 Household Hazardous Waste collection events
• Notice to residents and property owners regarding noxious weeds
• Living snow fence program
• Emergencies Lambton: Tornados
• Last Chance to submit entries for the Teen Photo Contest
• North Lambton Quilters’ Guild Quilt Show returns to Lambton Heritage Museum
• Oil Museum of Canada offers PA Day Event Sunny Side Up: Solar Energy
• Lambton County Archives concludes Preservation Lab series with workshop on digitization
• We Lend A Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes
• Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery exhibitions and events

Discover food science at Lambton Heritage Museum’s PA Day event Spoiled Rotten

Why does food spoil? Find out at the PA Day Event: Spoiled Rotten on Friday, June 6! Explore the feature exhibition A Taste of Science, on loan from the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum. Learn about the natural process of decay, the microscopic enemies that speed it up, and preservation techniques that extend the shelf-life of food.

Drop-in between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to take part in great activities. Join us for demonstrations at 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Meet four different germs (are they heroes or villains?), sort food packaging by how it preserves freshness, observe how decomposers break down food, and get crafty with exhibit-themed creations to take home. Regular museum admission applies.

Summer Reading Challenge – Registration opens on June 14

Kids, teens and adults can participate in the Summer Reading Challenge by registering on Beanstack, at any Lambton County Library location, or at the Wild Wonder Launch Party, beginning June 14.

After registering, children and youth ages 0-17 can visit the nearest Lambton County Library location to receive a registration kit, while supplies last. Registration kits contain an earth ball creation kit, instructions, stickers, an animal mask, and information about native plants with Anishinaabemowin translations. 

Wild Wonder Launch Party

Kick off the Summer Reading Challenge with a free event at Victoria Park in Petrolia on Saturday, June 14. Explore "Wild Wonder" with an exciting morning of birds of prey, crafts, a reptile show, inflatables, face painting, and more! 

In case of inclement weather, the event will be held at Greenwood Arena. Weather-related venue changes will be announced on the Library's Facebook page and LCLibrary.ca.

2025 Household Hazardous Waste collection events

Do you know how to dispose of items like nail polish, nail polish remover, household cleaners, or batteries? Although these may not be items we usually consider dangerous, they are considered household hazardous waste items.

You can bring your household derived hazardous waste to one of the upcoming Household Hazardous Waste collection events and it will be disposed of by experts, at no cost to you!

Household Hazardous Waste collection events will be held at Clean Harbors Canada, 4090 Telfer Road, St. Clair Township from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on the following dates for the 2025 season:

• Saturday, June 21
• Saturday, September 20
• Saturday, October 25

There will also be two mobile collection events held in 2025:

• Saturday, June 7 – Lambton College Parking Lot 11 (1457 London Road, Sarnia)
• Saturday, October 4 – Public Works Forest Depot (6958 Townsend Line, Lambton Shores)

These events are for household derived hazardous materials only. Commercially generated hazardous waste, including industrial and agricultural, will not be accepted.

For more information visit lambtononline.ca/hhw or call 519-845-0801.

Notice to residents and property owners regarding noxious weeds

The main purpose of the Weed Control Act R.S.O. 1990 is to reduce the impact of noxious weeds on the industries of agriculture and horticulture.  Primarily this act applies to agricultural and horticultural lands that generate income or other benefits to agriculture; this excludes lawns, gardens and private areas for personal enjoyment and leisure.

Under the Weed Control Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter W.5 Sections 3, 13, 16 and 23, you are requested to destroy all noxious weeds on your property.

In Urban Areas

Sections 3, 13, 16, and 18 do not apply to noxious weeds or weed seeds that are far enough away from any land used for agricultural or horticultural purposes, as they do not interfere with that use.

All properties within the County of Lambton are hereby requested to be in compliance with the Weed Control Act by June 3, 2024 and throughout the season.

Living snow fence program

The time for spring planting is here! Landowners and farmers - did you know the County runs a living snow fence program?

Living snow fences use standing rows of corn to help keep wind-blown snow off County roads, reducing the need for plowing and salting.

If you own land along a County Road and are interested in participating in the program, visit lambtononline.ca/snowfence to learn more about program requirements, compensation, and how to participate.

Emergencies Lambton: Tornados

Tornado season is upon us again. Often, these damaging storms can form with little-to-no warning, so be prepared.

Know the difference between “Watches” and “Warnings”

Environment and Climate Change Canada issues weather watches and warnings, in Canada.

Tornado Watch: issued when conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms with one or more tornadoes.

Tornado Warning: issued when a tornado has been reported; or when there is evidence based on radar, or from a reliable spotter that a tornado is imminent.

Pay attention to outdoor conditions:

Watch for:

• Thunderstorms that grow steadily worse with heavy rain, extreme thunder, and lightning.
• Large hail
• An extremely dark sky, sometimes highlighted by rotating green or yellow clouds.
• An eerie calm at the end of a severe storm.
• A rumbling sound, like a freight train, or a whistling sound like a jet.
• A "wall of white" coming toward you.

If a tornado threatens:

Tornadoes can last minutes or hours with winds speeds ranging from 64 to over 500 km/h. If a tornado strikes:

• Don’t wait until you see the tornado to get inside.
• Once inside, take shelter immediately, preferably in the lowest level of a sturdy building.
• If you don’t have a basement, go to the centre of an interior room.
• Stay away from corners, windows and exterior walls and doors.
• If you can’t get inside, lie flat in a low-lying area such as a ditch and cover your head with your hands.
• Don’t go under an overpass or a bridge – you’re safer in a low, flat area.

For more information on preparing for severe weather this summer, visit EmergenciesLambton.ca.

Last Chance to submit entries for the Teen Photo Contest

The deadline to submit photos for the Teen Photo Contest is Sunday, July 6. Participants aged 13 to 18 can submit up to five photographs based on this year’s theme, “Stories in Focus.”

The Teen Photo Contest is brought to you by Lambton County Library, the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery (JNAAG), and Lambton College. Category and grand prize winners will be announced on Saturday, July 19.

North Lambton Quilters’ Guild Quilt Show returns to Lambton Heritage Museum

The North Lambton Quilters’ Guild Quilt Show returns to Lambton Heritage Museum this summer, kicking off with a special opening weekend from Thursday, June 19 to Sunday, June 22. Enjoy a vibrant display of stunning quilts and textiles, browse the quilters’ garage sale and vendor booths, and enjoy light refreshments for sale in the tea room from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.

After the opening weekend, a selection of quilts and textiles will remain on display at the Museum until August 31. Regular museum admission applies during the opening weekend and for the duration of the exhibition.

Oil Museum of Canada offers PA Day Event Sunny Side Up: Solar Energy

Discover the bright side of life at the Oil Museum’s PA Day event on solar energy! Drop in on Friday, June 6 between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to explore how we harness the power of the sun to generate electricity, where we can find passive solar energy, and how plants rely on sunlight to grow. Get hands-on with fun activities like making a sun print with cyanotype paper, completing a sun-themed scavenger hunt, building a solar fan tower, and planting your own sunflower or tomato to take home! Regular museum admission applies.

Lambton County Archives concludes Preservation Lab series with workshop on digitization

Don’t miss the third and final session in the Preservation Lab series – Digitization – on Wednesday, June 18 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Lambton County Archives. This workshop will explore how digitizing archival documents can increase accessibility while protecting the original documents from further damage or loss. Archives staff will guide attendees through best practices for scanning and preserving documents and photos. Space is limited and registration is required. Secure your spot by visiting lambtonmuseums.ca/archives-calendar.

We Lend A Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes

Lambton Heritage Museum is proud to have contributed research to We Lend A Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes, a documentary revealing how 40,000 young women worked on Ontario farms during World War II when male laborers left to fight overseas. These remarkable students, aged 16 and older, filled critical agricultural gaps from 1941-1952, forming bonds of friendship while supporting the war effort in what many later described as "the best of summers."

Get your ticket to the premiere screening at Sarnia Library on June 12 at 7:00 p.m. to discover this inspiring local chapter of courage and determination. Tickets are available at welendahand.ca.

Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery exhibitions and events

Current exhibitions

Guided Tour of Futures

Thursday, June 12 at 7:00 p.m.

Join us for a 45–60-minute guided tour that blends fascinating facts with playful exploration, offering new insight and perspectives on the artwork. Our knowledgeable guide will lead you through the exhibition for a deeper, more engaging experience. Register at jnaag.ca.

Art & Ideas: Historical Storms in Lambton County with Nicole Aszalos

Thursday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m.

Join Nicole Aszalos, Archivist / Supervisor at Lambton County Archives for this free program to learn about Lambton’s historic storms, including the Great Storm of 1913 and the Sarnia Tornado of 1953, in connection with the Storm Watch exhibition. Register at jnaag.ca.