Beaver Valley Probus Club

President's Message
Brian Cromie

A cool wet April is slowly giving way to a warmer May, and with it, more PROBUS outdoor activities are now up and running. Ramblers are continuing each week, golf is weekly at Tomahawk, birders have been out several times, Nordic pole walkers are touring the area, and several of the cycling groups start up this month. Among the 12 outdoor activity groups that meet Spring through Fall, there are an astounding 637 member registrations. We are so fortunate that PROBUS members choose to embrace an active lifestyle here in the beautiful Beaver Valley.

It's never too late to sign up for one or more of these, so please join us for exercise and a great social time. Of course, the dining, euchre and money matters groups are active as well, among the dozen indoor activities catering to every interest. Lovely pink and white blossoms are about to grace the hillsides around Thornbury, marking the beginning of another season of the apples that make our valley famous.

Members can still register for an informative and highly impressive tour of the Blue Mountain Fruit Company on May 16, as well as the Blue Mountain Film Festival on May 30. And don’t forget our regular monthly meeting on May 28, when Prof. Mark Rector will speak on Canadian inventors and their marvellous technologies. Hope to see you there!

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Membership
Pam Weaver & Kathy Mercer

Reminder: For your convenience, the Membership table is staffed at every monthly meeting. Stop by to order a replacement badge, to pick-up an “Emergency contact card" with plastic sleeve and lanyard, or have your badge repaired. We’re here to help!  If you have any questions you can contact us at  membership@beavervalleyprobus.com

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May Membership Meeting

Date: Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Doors open: 1:00 PM
Meeting begins: 1:30 PM
Registration: Please register online to let us know if you will attend.

Speaker  Professor Mark Rector

Professor Rector is a published author, public speaker, and a recently retired Professor of Electronics Engineering with a specialty in telecommunications. He has written many articles, contributed to nationally published textbooks, and released his first book in 2018.

Mark will share his passion for inventions and enlighten us about several famous Canadian Inventors featured in his book OH CANADA Our Home Inventive Land.

50/50 Draw

Marie J. and Cynthia M. shared in the $227.00 pot at our April 23 monthly speaker meeting. Our 50/50 tickets are on sale at the beginning of each monthly meeting and during the 1st break. See Elaine or Hank Bouwman at the table at the back of the room.

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Social Events 
Don Collins-Williams

We had a very interesting tour of the Blue Mountain Fruit Company Facility in Thornbury, and have planned another tour on May 16. Those on the waitlist for the April tour will have priority.

There are still plenty of tickets available for the Billy Bishop Goes to War Musical, preceded by a lunch, at Meaford Hall in August.

Volunteers Needed: Would you like to be part of the Beaver Valley PROBUS Social Committee? We are looking for one or two more volunteers to help out. You can be part of the fun as we put together outings and events for the Club. Please contact Don directly if you are interested

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King's Wharf Theatre Event - June 12, 2024
Vicki Kellar

Fans of ’80s arena hard rock music will dig this awesomely hilarious musical comedy that wails with big chords, big hair… and an even bigger heart.

We have 1 ticket available—one of our members who registered can no longer attend. Please JOIN WAITLIST and contact Vicki Kellar for details.

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Annual Golf Tournament - June 18, 2024
Golf Tournament Organizing Committee

The invitations have gone out for the Annual Golf Tournament on Tuesday, June 18 at the Shelburne Golf and Country Club. This will be a 9 am Shotgun start, with registration at 8 am. The cost is $95 / person and includes 18 holes with a cart, followed by a lunch with prizes. 

Reserve Now—Pay Later: The invitation will allow you to reserve your place. The link to pay will be sent out to those who reserved on June 3. This year we are permitting non-member guests to join, so bring a friend!

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Georgian PROBUS Travel Group
Gloria Thompson

For PROBUS members, family and friends who would like to travel with local people and create new friendships—GPTG, your travel group—is proceeding with the following 2 trips:

Circumnavigation of Newfoundland:  June 16 - 27, 2024. For those who love learning, small ship travel, and unique experiences. We still have space with no single supplement and a group discount. Please contact Brenda Chapman at Marlin Travel 705-444-1161 with any questions.

Norway Coastal Voyage: September 17 - 27, 2024. From Bergen to Trondheim. We would really like some more people to join this wonderful trip! Most of the members booked on this trip are travelling early, to experience the fabulous train program from Oslo to Bergen...then taking the train back from Trondheim to Oslo. For more information please contact Gloria at 705-429-9455.

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Activity Groups Update
Ilene RC 

With the warmer weather, more spring and summer activities have started, or are going to do so soon. Money matters and golf has started and members have been out birding a few times already. Cycling is about to begin, as is hiking. The new art group is also meeting soon. If you haven't signed up for your favorite activity group, there is still time to do so. Below are reports from various activity groups—you may find something that appeals to you. We can assure you that you will get the most out of your PROBUS club if you participate. Enjoy!

Please make sure you register ONLINE for the activities in which you are interested.

There is a step-by-step video on "how to sign up" for Activity Groups. Click on the red arrow to view!

If you need any help with passwords or sign-up, please contact our web team at our email address: help@beavervalleyprobus.com

Birding
Brian Cromie

The Birding Activity Group met twice in late April, and despite cold weather, strong winds and snow at times, 25 members came out to the Clendenan Dam to welcome back our early spring migrants. All told, we spotted some 21 different species over the two visits, a good start to another exciting season with our fine feathered friends. Click to see the Birding Group Photos!

Bridge anyone?
Don Collins-Williams

Would anyone be interested in forming a PROBUS Bridge Activity Group? I have had a couple of enquiries, and suspect that we have a lot of bridge players out there!! If so, please send Don Collins-Williams an email at doncw127@gmail.com. If there is an enthusiastic response, I will see if we can get some co-leaders together, and give it a go!!

Challenging Canoeing & Kayaking
Karen Thompson, Liz Goodall

Hello canoeing and kayaking enthusiasts. It is almost time to put the canoes and kayaks in the water. As soon as the temperature climbs, we will be scheduling our first outing in May. In the meantime, check your equipment and get ready for our first day. See you soon. 

Casual Dining with Friends
Sallie Kedwell, Shellie Smith

Our dinners on April 25 were a success. As we had several gals attending on their own, and for a bit of a change, we tried a ladies night dinner and by all reports it was a fun evening. Going forward we’ll be planning our regular dining event for May 23rd and look forward to welcoming both our regulars and some of the new members who have joined our group. Just a reminder for your future planning, we always arrange our dinners and summer picnics for the fourth Thursday of the month. Our December cocktail party is usually arranged for one week earlier to avoid the holiday rush. Looking forward to welcoming you soon.

Dining Around Town
Hank Bouwman

Invitations for our Wednesday May 15 Dinner at 5 pm at Match Casino Restaurant in Wasaga Beach were sent out on May 1 to those members who have signed up for Dining Around Town. It’s not too late to join us—just go on-line to the Dining Around Town Activity Page to sign-up. Please see our future dining dates below:

Monday, June 17: Family Style Dinner – Marilynne Restaurant, Markdale
Friday, August 16: Annual Pizza Party – Justin’s Oven, Kimberley
Wednesday, September 18: Buffet Dinner – Walter Falls
Wednesday, October 16: Dinner - The Huron Club, Collingwood
Wednesday, November 20: Luncheon – Katherine’s Chateau, Collingwood

R.O.M.E.O
Bill McMurray

We had a big turnout for our April lunch and look forward to our May 8 lunch at the Corner Cafe. 

Euchre 1
Elaine & Hank Bouwman

Our next Euchre 1 tournament will be on Tuesday May 14 at 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm at The Far Hills Clubhouse in Thornbury. Our April 9 tournament was enjoyed by 30 members (7 tables) with Viv A. taking home bragging rights with a score of 51 after 56 hands played.

Intermediate Euchre
Elaine & Hank Bouwman

We have reserved The Far Hills Clubhouse in Thornbury for the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 1 – 4 pm. Our next Intermediate Euchre tournament will be on Tuesday May 14. Yvonne P. claimed top spot for the afternoon on April 9 with a score of 27 after 28 hands played.

Euchre Lessons 
Elaine & Hank Bouwman

11 of our members just graduated from 5-week euchre refresher sessions and will now join the Intermediate Euchre group that plays on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at The Far Hills Clubhouse in Thornbury. Congratulations to the group and have fun. 

Ramblers
Nancy Dixon

We had the most Ramblers for our walk on the Meaford Georgian Trail to date. I am certainly enjoying meeting all of the new members who have joined our group. We will have a few special adventurers soon. Will keep you posted.

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Registration and Website Tips

1. General:

• Please do not forward an invitation to someone else. The invitation is specifically for you and if someone else uses it, they will register you and not themselves.
• Invitations are only good for 7 days. The link to register expires in 7 days. After that you will be prompted to login with your password in order to register. So it is always best to register promptly!

2. Meeting Registration

• Click “YES” if you are attending. You should receive a confirmation email within minutes. If you don't receive this email then you were not successful in registering. Please try again!
•  Do not click “MAYBE”. It doesn’t tell us anything of value, and you won't get a reminder notices or any additional invitations. If you aren't sure if you will attend or not, just do not respond!
• Click “NO” if you are not attending. You will not receive a any further notices to register for this event

3. Confirmation emails: Keep these emails as you may need them in order to cancel your registration. If you made any selections (menu choices etc.) during registration, they will be noted there for future reference. For many activities and events, directions or other important information is also included in the confirmation emails.

3A. Cancellation from Confirmation Emails: Instructions to cancel are often included in your confirmation email. It will look something like this:

• Click here to access this Event 
• Click on the link that says "Already registered"
  You must be logged in to the Beaver Valley PROBUS Club website to see the "already registered" link. If the "Already registered" link is not there, it means you need to login.
• Click on the "Cancel Registration" button

3B. Cancellation Instructions from the Website:

• Sign into the Beaver Valley PROBUS Club website. 
• Click on the yellow “ACTIVITIES” button 
• Click on the activity that you want to cancel and scroll down to the event date that you want to cancel 
• Click on “Already registered” link (next to the “Register button”) 
• Click on the “Cancel registration” button 

Please Note:

Activity leaders are not able to cancel your reservation—you need to do it yourself. But as a courtesy, please let the organizer know directly if you are having trouble cancelling.

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Photo Corner
Eclipse photos shared by Ilene RC

See the all new, wonderful collection of photos in our 2024 Spring Slideshow!

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The Master Gardener’s Corner
John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

Click on the image to see what you need to be doing in your Garden in May. There is lots to do, now that Spring is finally here!

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In Memorium

Harvey Wormald passed away at home on April 30. He and his wife Penny joined our club in 2015 and were very active in Hiking, Biking and Dining Around Town. Harvey previously volunteered on the Management Committee as Speakers Chair and as a non golfer, ran our Mini Putt event for 2 years. Our sincere condolences go out to Penny and all their family.

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Support Group
Lucie Desjardins, Maureen Lalonde, Mary Ann Collins-Williams

Do you know of a BVPC member who is having a difficult time (health issue, accident, hospitalization, loss of partner, etc.) and would benefit from receiving a card or a call from our team? If so, please let us know. We will be happy to follow up and/or get in touch with them. 

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The Last Word
Shared by Nancy Dixon

Kind  hearts are the gardens; Kind thoughts are the roots;  Kind words are the blossoms;  Kind deeds are the fruits. Anonymous

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