8 fun things to do on P.E.I. this last weekend of July

It's already the end of July and you haven't been swimming yet? Get your trunks on and get in there!

And when you're done, have a snack at some of the food trucks or dairy bars that pop up across P.E.I. in summer, and take in some entertainment.

Here are but a few suggestions, from east to west across P.E.I.

1. Northumberland Fisheries Festival

The 39th annual Northumberland Fisheries Festival is back, with headquarters at the Northumberland Arena in Murray River, P.E.I. It started Tuesday and runs until Sunday. 

There will be log rolling, rubber-boot throwing, live entertainment, a parade, a petting zoo, a vehicle show and shine and lots more. 

A fishermen's challenge Saturday afternoon is a fun-to-watch race that involves rope-coiling, trap-stacking and lobster claw banding. 

For more info and a complete schedule, check out the festival's Facebook page. 

2. Chocolate Festival

Celebrate the introduction of chocolate on P.E.I. 286 years ago — it's purported to have been brought to what was then Isle St-Jean by Jean Pierre Roma, a wealthy merchant from France. 

The Roma at Three Rivers site, a not-for-profit historical attraction run by local volunteers, is having a chocolate festival with a meal Friday night ($30) and a family day Saturday with chocolate demonstrations, chocolate treat-making, pony rides, boat building and more. 

More info on the festival's Facebook page. 

3. J.P. Cormier, Rachel Beck at The Trailside

J.P. Cormier plays the Trailside Café in Mount Stewart, P.E.I., both Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets are $30 and the show starts at 8 p.m. Find Friday tickets here and Saturday tickets here. 

On Sunday see P.E.I. singer-songwriter Rachel Beck who's promoting her debut solo album Reckless Heart, along with Elise Besler of Halifax who is promoting her new album Truth. Show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $20 — find them here. 

4. Pride Week

Pride Week in Charlottetown is wrapping up this weekend with the P.E.I. Pride parade through downtown Charlottetown at 1 p.m. with parade marshals Demona DeVille (Josh Borges) and Whatshername (Nicholas Whalen). When the parade ends there's a Pride in the Park Celebration — a free all-ages party at Rochford Square.

Saturday night from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Pride PEI hosts its annual dance party featuring RuPaul's Drag Race Glamour Toad Ginger Minj. Everyone's encouraged to dress in white with a dash of pride colours. 

Tickets are about $30 for the dance, about $60 with a meet and greet with Ginger Minj. Find tickets here. 

5. Crapaud Exhibition

The annual Crapaud Exhibition begins Friday in Crapaud, P.E.I., with a free community barbecue at the exhibition grounds followed by a concert by Fiddlers Sons starting at 7 p.m. Admission for the concert is $12, preschoolers get in free.  

Saturday is exhibition day with judging of sheep, rabbits and poultry and a horse and pony show. There are booths in the rink, blueberry pie and potato peeling contests. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children ages six to 11, and kids under five get in free.  

Sunday the western horse show starts at 9 a.m. and the draft horse pulls at 1 p.m. Admission is $5, kids 11 and under get in free. 

For more information, check out the exhibition's Facebook page. 

6. Great Scot! in Summerside

Great Scot! is a new original stage production at the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts in Summerside, P.E.I. 

Expect lots of pipes, drums and tartan in this show "that celebrates dynamic Scottish heroes, warriors, nobility and scholars through music, dance and song," its Facebook page says. 

The show was written, directed and co-choreographed by Shelagh O'Brien. Musical director is Peter Gallant. 

Great Scot! plays Sunday at 2 p.m. and Monday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 for adults, $38 for seniors and students, and $31 for kids 14 and under — find them here, along with all the show's dates. More info on Facebook. 

7. Behind the Panels

Comic book art is at the centre of a new exhibit called Behind the Panels at the Eptek Art and Culture Centre in Summerside, P.E.I. this summer. It features local professional comic book artists.

The exhibit runs till Oct. 5 and admission is by donation. 

The site is open Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays noon to 5 p.m.

8. Suzy Bogguss at Harbourfront

Sunday hear country music star Suzy Bogguss at the Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside, P.E.I.

Bogguss is from Illinois and has been recording for almost 30 years, scoring a string of top-10 singles with country radio staples like Outbound Plane, Hey Cinderella, Letting Go, and Aces. She has platinum and gold records and more than three million sales.

Tickets are $49 each and can be found here. 

More P.E.I. news