Beaver Valley Probus Club

President's Message
Brian Cromie

As we welcome summer back to beautiful South Georgian Bay, your PROBUS Club is alive with activities and special events. Virtually every registered Activity has outings this month, on either land or water, outdoors and in; some 41 events were offered in May, and more than 20 are already on the calendar for June. This includes the many biking groups, hiking and rambling, golf at Tomahawk and the Annual Golf Tournament at Shelburne on June 18, Euchre, French conversation, dining opportunities, and a wide range of events like the Blue Mountain Film Festival, theatre in Penetanguishene, lawn bowling and more. You'll find all the details you need in the Grapevine, below.

Your Club is a purely volunteer organization, run by caring volunteers for the benefit of its 600 members. We become stronger and more vital as a group when members actively participate in its events. If you have ideas and suggestions that you think would benefit the Club or would be willing to contribute a few hours to assist any of the more than 30 Activity Groups, please speak to one of the leaders and get fully engaged in PROBUS. We will all be better for it.

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Membership
Pam Weaver & Kathy Mercer

As we approach our mid-year Membership review in August, we could use the help of all our members. If you or a member you know of, has moved out of the area or has found they have scheduling conflicts that prevent them from participating in PROBUS activities or who just wants to step away from PROBUS, let us know. We have a very large number of applicants on our Waitlist who are anxious to become active members of our club.

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June Membership Meeting

Date: Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Doors open: 1:00 PM
Meeting Begins:  1:30 PM

Speaker: Luigi Calabrese

Title: Trends in mobile devices, sensors and wearables, focusing on enabling seniors to age comfortably at home and privacy threats, hacking, and navigating the complexities of new Artificial Intelligence (AI) schemes to ensure seniors stay safe and empowered digitally.

Luigi Calabrese, President of Frontier Networks Inc., is a seasoned leader in the tech and telecommunications industry, providing internet and phone services to businesses across North America. With a focus on advocating for older adults, Luigi collaborates closely with law enforcement agencies in Canada and the USA, including the CSIS, the RCMP, and Homeland Security, to combat fraud and vendor abuse targeting seniors. Luigi is a sought-after speaker, renowned for his ability to demystify technology and engage audiences with humour, while entertaining and informing.

Book Exchange: The Book Exchange will be set up at the back of the room starting at 1 PM. Books should have a copyright date no older than 10 years.

Bring a Book, Take a Book. We ask that you exchange no more than 3 books at a time.

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Social Events 
Don Collins-Williams

June 12: Rock of Ages, King's Wharf - 2 tickets available due to cancellations
June 18: Golf Tournament - space available. Payment due by Friday, June 7
July 3: Lawn Bowling and BBQ - space available
July 18: Summer Picnic - Save the Date!
August 15: Billy Bishop Goes to War / lunch, Meaford Hall - space available

New Social Committee: Please welcome Susan J, Cheryl R, Sandy T and Mary Ann CW, who have volunteered to join me to make up the new Social Committee. With their help, we will continue to try to provide a varied and interesting array of social events for the Club. As always, your suggestions are welcome.

No-Shows: As a courtesy to your fellow members, if you have registered for a social event, and for whatever reason cannot attend—even if it is at the last moment—please notify the event leader (whose name will appear on the invitation and reminder). For most of our events, there is a waiting list, so someone can be brought in to take your place (and for a paid event, to purchase your spot from you).

Recently, we have had some no-shows that we were not notified about ahead of time, and it is unfair to those at the top of the waitlist to not get a chance to take their place. Thank you very much for your cooperation in giving as many of our members as possible, a chance to attend our events.

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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 2 tickets 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. 

Payment is now due: The link to pay has been sent out on June 3 to those who reserved. There are still spots available, so register soon! The deadline to register and pay is Friday, June 7. This year we are welcoming non-member guests to join, so bring a friend!

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Summer Picnic - July 18, 2024
Save the Date!

Our Annual Summer Picnic will be held this year on Thursday, July 18 at the Alpine Ski Club. Please join us for a fun afternoon of food, drinks, games, sunshine (hopefully) and fellowship. Invitations to register will be sent out next week!

Bocce Tournament—Volunteers Needed:

This year, we would like to revive a longstanding tradition by reintroducing Bocce to the picnic, but to do this we need some volunteers to help organize the games and teach members who would like to participate, but who have not played before. We will also need the equipment! If you are able to help with this, please contact Don Collins-Williams.

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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 trip:

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 Rushefsky Charland 

Spring has brought out the action and involvement in us. It is time to dust off the gear and get outside! Our activity groups are in full swing! Check out the activities listed on our website or at the bottom of our newsletter; watch for email invitations from the activity groups you have signed up for and enjoy! In addition to all of the 'action groups', you can keep your mind engaged with our book clubs and games or just enjoy the company of friends while dining. (Note: If you have not received email invitations from activity groups that you have signed up for this year, check your 'junk mail'. They may be there.) It is not too late to sign up for most groups.

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, Lucie Desjardins

The PROBUS Birding Activity group met twice in the last few weeks with several dozen members on the lookout for birds. One event spotted 28 different species while the more recent one saw 29, including several quite uncommon sightings. Now that the spring migrants have paired up and started to raise their young, birds will be harder to spot and our outings will be less frequent until fall migration begins. Photos: Please see the latest photos on our Birding Slideshow.

Canoeing & kayaking
Kirby Philp, Lucie Desjardins, Glen Downey

We kicked off our season with a great paddle on the Beaver River on May 29. It was a beautiful calm sunny day. We saw a beaver, turtles and several types of birds along the way. Check out our most recent photos. We welcome members to join us for our next paddle at Lake Eugenia on June 12.

Challenging Canoeing & kayaking
Liz Goodall / Karen Thompson

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 June. 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 May get-together was on May 23 at four different homes, hosting a total of 33 guests. Our next gathering will be on June 27 at various hosts homes, in groups of 6, 8 or 10. We are planning full group picnics in the summer on July 25 and August 22. All in all things have been running smoothly with the assistance of our volunteer hosts. 

Dining Around Town
Hank Bouwman

Invitations for our Monday, June 17 Dinner at 5 pm at Marilynne’s Restaurant in Markdale were sent out on June 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

The next R.O.M.E.O. lunch will be on June 12 at The Red Door Restaurant in Meaford. Invitations will go out shortly to those who are signed-up for the Activity Group.

Euchre Update
Elaine & Hank Bouwman

Our Intermediate Euchre and Euchre 1 group has grown to 70 members. We have booked a second play date each month starting in June in order to accommodate everyone. We will play on the 2nd Tuesday of the month and the 3rd Thursday of each month at The Far Hills Clubhouse in Thornbury.

Euchre 1
Elaine & Hank Bouwman

Our next Euchre 1 tournament will be on Tuesday June 11 at 6:30 pm and Thursday June 20 at 1:00 pm at The Far Hills Clubhouse in Thornbury. Our April 9 tournament was enjoyed by 36 members (9 tables) with Jean K. taking home bragging rights with a score of 53 after 56 hands played.

Intermediate Euchre
Elaine & Hank Bouwman

Our next Intermediate Euchre tournament will be on Tuesday June 11 at 6:30 pm and Thursday June 20 at 1:00 pm at The Far Hills Clubhouse in Thornbury Christine F. claimed top spot for the afternoon on May 14 with a score of 44 after 48 hands played for the 1st. group. Susan G. claimed top spot for the afternoon on May 14 with a score of 27 after 32 hands played for the 2nd group.

Mah jongg
Judy Smith

Our group is enjoying the convenience of playing Mah jongg at the Far Hills clubhouse. We are contracted with the condo board until the end of 2024. Our members have agreed to a $10 fee to cover the cost of replacing future card tables as needed. (Mah jongg members who paid through Euchre are not asked to pay again.) Game days are the 1st /3rd Tuesdays of the month - 1:30 - 3:30 PM. Email Hosts are assigned for coming game days; they will send out reminder emails to all active members. Introductory/Training sessions will still be held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, as needed, in the instructor's home. We will continue playing Mah jongg throughout the summer months. New participants are always welcome. 

Ramblers
Nancy Dixon

Thanks again to all my Ramblers who walked the Georgian Trail with me, looking at the lilacs and clocking in over 7 kilometers.  Our recent walk was a Mystery Walk, starting at the Old Mail Road in Griersville. The Old Mail Road at Griersville is one of the only remaining Pioneer Roads in its original state.  I convinced our Ramblers to follow me to look for the old Euphrasia and St. Vincent side road, currently not travelled but still indicated on the map. Unfortunately, the road was too muddy to continue—so next time Ramblers—we will continue our search. All are welcome to try our group out for our next adventure.

Recreational Cycling
Mary Ann Collins-Williams, Ilene Rushefsky Charland, Mary Jansen

We had a glorious sunny day for our first session. The bike ride started at the Craigleith Depot where the wonderful scent of lilacs filled the air. From the Depot we cycled 16 km to the intersection into Collingwood and back. On our return we all went to Mary Ann and Don's chalet for rhubarb muffins, cookies, and coffee while sitting on the sunny deck. It was a fun morning. The first Monday in June was perfect weather for our Session 3 bike ride. A group of us cycled 25 km. from Meaford to Thornbury and returned. A few of us enjoyed the social conversation over a nice lunch at The Leeky Canoe Pub in Meaford. For the summer we are planning cycle routes around Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, the rail trail to Stayner and possibly near Leith and the Tay Shore Trail. We are open to any suggestions and would encourage members to lead us on their favourite cycle route. 

Ski Legends
Chris Mifflin

Registration for 2025 Legends Ski Trips is now open! PROBUS Ski Legends is running 2 ski trips in 2025: 

• Sun Peaks BC (7 nights), February 2 - 9,.Only 10 spots left!
• Banff/Lake Louise (7 nights), March 2 - 9. Stay in the fabulous Chateau Lake Louise and Banff Springs Hotel! 

For the latest information, download the trip flyers and get the registration links, please check the Legends website: https://probusskilegends.ca/2025. All participants must be PROBUS members as well as members of PROBUS Ski Legends—Legends Membership cost is $50 per year.

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Photo Corner
Shared by Lucie Desjardins

See the rest of the wonderful collection of photos in the 2024 Birding Slideshow!
See also the latest Canoeing & Kayaking photos, Hiking photos, Nordic Pole Walking photos, May meeting photos, Blue Mountain Fruit Tour photos and more.

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Humour Corner
Shared by Hank Bouwman

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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 June. There is lots to do, now that Summer is here!

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Support Group
Lucie Desjardins, 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

'The more you use your brain, the more brain you will have to use.'
G. Dorsey

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