Beaver Valley Probus Club

President's Message
Brian Cromie

February was a wonderful month as we inducted over 80 new members into the club, hosting many of them at the New Members' Luncheon. These members can now join the rest of us in electing our Executive Officers for the Management Committee for the coming year and participate in the brief Annual General Meeting on March 25 via Zoom. Later that same day, they can attend the Activity Fair at the Beaver Valley Community Centre to learn more about the many club activities they can sign up for. There is more information on each of these events elsewhere in this newsletter and on our website.

March marks my final meeting and message as your Club President, and I want to sincerely thank each of you who have supported the club over the past year and made it not only the largest PROBUS club in the world, but also the very best. Thank you for your support.

Management Committee—Volunteers Needed 
Brian Cromie, President

Management Committee Openings:
Treasurer: We are still looking for a new Treasurer, as Lynn steps aside to allow more time for involvement in the Activity groups, while George continues as Assistant Treasurer. The Treasurer should have some experience in finance, bookkeeping or a related field. If you are interested in the role, please get in touch with me as soon as possible!

Membership 
Pam Weaver & Kathy Mercer

Welcome Luncheon for New Club Members.
Prior to the monthly February meeting, a special luncheon was held to welcome the newest members of our club. On February 1, 81 individuals joined our club, and many were able to attend this event. Several members who joined the club last summer also attended. This luncheon provided an excellent opportunity for the new members to get acquainted with our Management Committee and to meet fellow newcomers. It was a wonderful way to begin their membership journey. Thanks to everyone who helped make this a successful event. We look forward to seeing these new members thrive and contribute to the continued success of our club.

Annual General Meeting - Tuesday, Mar 25 @ 11:00 AM

This year's AGM will be held on March 25, 2024 at 11 AM. It will be an online meeting using Zoom, lasting only about 30 minutes. An invitation will be emailed to our members ahead of time, with instructions on how to join this brief online meeting.

We kindly ask that all members vote online to elect our officers, to accept the 2024 AGM Minutes and the 2024 Annual Financial Statements. Check your email on March 18, 2025 for instructions on how to vote. Voting closes on March 24, 2025, the day before the AGM. To view the timeline for the AGM and current nomination for our offices, please go to our 2025 AGM webpage.

Please note that in the early afternoon following our AGM Meeting, we will be holding our Annual Activity Fair in the Beaver Valley Community Centre between 1:30 and 3:30 PM. This is in place of a regular members’ meeting. There is more information on this important event elsewhere in this newsletter.

Activity Fair — Tuesday, March 25 @ 1:30 - 3:30 PM
Ilene Rushefsky Charland - Activities Convenor

The Annual Activity Fair will take place at the Beaver Valley Community Centre on Tuesday, March 25 beginning at 1:30 PM. Come and browse the tables and find out about the 30+ activity groups that you can join. This is your opportunity to ask questions about the activities. Sign-up for the activity groups is online only, and begins in the afternoon of March 25, immediately following the Activity Fair. 

**NOTE: you must sign-up again online for any activities this year—even if you were signed up last year, or this year before March 1, 2025.**

Check out all the activities on our Activities webpages and be ready with your questions before you attend! We have several new Activity Groups, and it is not too late to create more new groups—if you are willing to volunteer!

National Canadian Film Day
Denise Rand and Kirby Philp

This will be the third year that we celebrate National Canadian Film day at our April Meeting on April 22, 2025. We had a great response to our survey with over 200 responses helping us choose this years movie.

And the winner is... 'You are here. The come from away Story!'  Enjoy. 

Social Events 
Don Collins-Williams

March 26: The first 'Cooking with a Chef' event is full, and we are organizing a second event. Those on the event waitlist will have the first chance to register.

March 30: The Board Games Afternoon events in January and February were a lot of fun, so we are planning one more on Sunday, March 30!

September 5: Save the Date. We are planning a good old-fashioned 'Dinner and Barn Dance', on Friday September 5, complete with a caller and fiddler. No experience necessary. Just plan to come for a really fun evening, and be ready to kick up your heels!

Georgian PROBUS Travel Group
Gloria Thompson

We have several exiting trips planned for this year and some already in the works for 2026.  Remember all members, friends and family are welcome to join. 

We are planning a Morocco tour for April 2026, including camel rides, desert tents, the Atlas mountains and beach. More info coming soon!

We are also considering other exciting trips, such as biking in Croatia, a STAR CLIPPER sailing week (either in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean), or a repositioning cruise across the Atlantic under glorious sails. We would love to hear what destinations you’re interested in. At a meeting last week, a gentleman mentioned he’d like to visit the 4 Stans – we understand that! Is anyone else interested? Another person suggested a river cruise in Europe. Let us know your thoughts!

Below is more information about our trips this year!

• Rideau Canal Cruise (September 6 - 12, 2025) —almost sold out!
• Italian Indulgence Tour (October 4 - 16, 2025) 
  We’re still looking for more people to join our small-group Northern Italy tour in October, when the weather will be perfect. The tour includes many meals, truffle hunting with a farmer, cooking demonstrations, distillery visits, and more. You’ll also visit beautiful destinations such as Assisi, Perugia, the Tuscan hills, Florence, Lucca, Portofino, Barolo, Lake Orta, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Lake Molveno, Trento, Verona, and Venice. It’s a fantastic trip, and the best part is experiencing it with other Probus members. For details, check out the flyer above or contact Brenda at 705-444-1161.
• Agawa Canyon Fall Tour (September 30 - October 3) This trip will take us north via Manitoulin and return through Sudbury. Stay tuned for more details and pricing!

Activity Groups Update
Ilene Rushefsky Charland 

We also hope to see you all at the Activity Fair on March 25!  Check out the different Activity Groups then sign-up online after the fair! 

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

Dining Around Town
Hank Bouwman

Invitations for our Wednesday, March 19 Luncheon at The Dam Pub in Meaford were sent out on March 1 to those members who have signed up for Dining Around Town. Remember you will need to sign-up again for the upcoming season via the Dining Around Town Activity Group webpage in order to receive the invitations!

Future Dining Dates:

• Wednesday, March 19 @ 12 noon Luncheon – The Dam Pub, Meaford
• Wednesday, April 16 @ 5 pm Dinner - Copper Blues Bar & Grill, Blue Mountain Village 
• Thursday, May 8 @ 5 pm Dinner – Walter Falls Inn
• Wednesday, June 18 @ 5 pm Dinner – Mylar & Loretta, Singhampton
  
  

Euchre 1 & Intermediate Euchre
Elaine & Hank Bouwman

Monthly tournaments are now being held on the second Tuesday afternoon of each month in the downstairs Great Hall at St. George’s Anglican Church, 166 Russell St. E., Clarksburg. There is ample parking, an elevator and a spacious room. Invitations are sent out on the first of each month.

• Upcoming Tournament: Tuesday, March 11 @ 1 PM
• High Scores February 11:  Euchre 1 - Chris P.  Intermediate – Marcel F.

Casual Dining With Friends
Sallie Kedwell

Our next Casual Dining event will be on Thursday, March 27 and we’ll return to 'dinners only', to be held at our volunteer hosts homes at 6:00 pm. The Blue Jays 2025 Home Opener is the same date so hopefully we can accommodate the end of the game if necessary! We’ll leave it up to the hosts to change the start time by a half hour or so if that seems like a good idea.

Our January and February mix of same day lunch or dinner get togethers went well and we enjoyed both lunch and dinner events - many thanks to our winter hosts. Hopefully it will have stopped snowing by our March event!! 

Mah jongg
Judy Smith

The Mah Jongg Activity Group will now meet at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 281 on Marsh Street, Clarksburg on the 1st Tuesday of each month and at St George's Anglican Church on Russell St, Clarksburg on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. We are grateful for the use of these facilities and are happy to support these community pillars with a token donation each game day. We play the American version of Mah Jongg, using the National Mah Jongg League's Rules. It is interesting to learn the different "House or Table Rules" that our member's encounter when playing with other local Mah Jongg groups. Other groups play for points and/or money which adds a level of pressure to the game. We still play just for fun! But NMJL Rules Always Trump House or Table Rules. Recently one of our newer members declared Mah Jongg with an extremely difficult Singles and Pairs hand - she was not allowed to take any discarded tiles and could not use any jokers. Congratulations to Jane L. for having the courage to go for it! Stop by our table at the Activity Fair to learn more about this fun game of strategy, skill and luck!

Ramblers
Nancy Dixon

Thanks again to my seven brave Ramblers for joining me on Friday, February 21, as we trudged along the sideroads and not-so-cleared sidewalks. Everyone was surprised by how warm they got during our walk. Join us for the next walk around Thornbury Harbour looking for swans!

R.O.M.E.O.'s
John White and Louis Charland

About 20 Retired Outstanding Men had lunch at the Corner Cafe.  It is always nice to see old friends and newcomers. Conversations varied widely but our epic winter seemed to predominate. Our next lunch will be March 12 at the Alphorn Restaurant in Craigleith at noon.

Snowshoeing
Ilene Rushefsky Charland

Our snowshoe outing at Kolapore South was led by Bruce K. Participation was good, and Bruce led us through a lovely trail that he and Val maintain. It was a lovely trek through the woods, with a few ups and downs on the 4+ km trail. Thanks to all who participated, especially to Bruce for leading us.

Recently, a small group enjoyed the Nipissing Ridge trail, just off Grey Rd. 19. This was a more leisurely trek through the woods, alongside a frozen, snow-covered creek. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

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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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In Memoriam

David Plank: David passed away February 18, 2025.  David, along with his wife Beth, has been a member of our PROBUS club since 2001. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to Beth and their family.

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The Last Word
Shared by Nancy Dixon

Never make major decisions, when you are in the midst of a storm!
David Collins