Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Peterborough Museum & Archives, Butterfly Run and Community Futures Peterborough

PTBOCanada is delighted to be running the Business Beat columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…

Business Beat: Dinosaurs, Community Events, and Entrepreneurial Success in Peterborough

The prehistoric era may be long gone, but dinosaur-sized excitement is still stomping through Peterborough.

The blockbuster “Carnivorous Dinosaurs” exhibit at the Peterborough Museum & Archives continues to draw crowds and will run until March 22. The exhibit features life-sized skeletons of theropods like Tyrannosaurus rex and Allosaurus, along with touchable fossil replicas and bilingual interpretive panels that bring the prehistoric hunt to life.

Since opening last fall, the exhibit has welcomed a steady stream of visitors, including many families eager for a winter adventure. Recent events, such as the packed Dinosaur Story Time and Craft session, showed just how popular the attraction has become with kids and dinosaur enthusiasts alike. Admission is a suggested $20 donation per group, and visitors can catch the exhibit at 300 Hunter Street East during March Break before these Mesozoic giants disappear for good.

But that is not the only local event that is encouraging residents to take part in a meaningful community tradition.

The Butterfly Run returns for its 10th anniversary on April 26 at Millennium Park. The annual event raises funds for bereavement and family health programs through Greater Peterborough Health Services Foundation and Your Family Health Team Foundation.

Participants can choose from several ways to take part, including a 5K run or walk, the 1K Kids Fun Run, or the free Memorial Walk. Virtual participation options are also available. Registration is now open, and anyone hoping to receive an official race shirt is encouraged to sign up by April 6.

Meanwhile, new entrepreneurs are making strides in the business community.

Community Futures Peterborough recently wrapped up its NEXT Program—short for New Entrepreneurial eXploration Training—which helps individuals explore business ownership after job loss or career transitions. The first 2026 cohort saw seven participants complete the program after attending workshops on business planning, cash flow management, marketing, and participating in a final Pitch Day.

Graduates include Kari Walmsley of Kari’s Glass Works, Ryan Douglas of Hilltop Land Clearing, Steve French—also known as The Plant Guy, Lori Alexander of ALT Accounting, Peter Falconeri of Side Hustle Apparel, Yomi Olaoye of MantaHQ, and Sara O. Shahsavari of Borderless. The program aims to help turn fresh ideas into viable businesses, strengthening the local economy in the process.

Residents interested in learning more about the program or supporting these new ventures can visit Community Futures Peterborough online for additional details.

And finally, if your business or community event deserves a moment in the spotlight, the Business Beat team wants to hear from you. Send your information to businessbeatptbo@gmail.com and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition.

That’s the Business Beat for this week.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.