Hello,
On behalf of my fellow directors of the Association, I would like to sincerely thank you for your support of our activities over the course of our summer season. Admittedly it may be a little hard to remember the sun and warm breezes of summer as snowflakes portend an entirely more bracing season!
It was Hans’ brainchild that this year the Association make the Round Barn itself the focal point of our annual display. Visitors were welcome to examine the entire structure from top to bottom, read the texts, photographs, and mini-exhibits artfully arranged by Hans and Angèle on all 3 floors. Not often is a barn cleaned as thoroughly! Many hands helped here, with a special thank you to Ralf. There were over 1000 visits to the Barn on the 15 Saturdays from June 27th to the end of September. The vernissage was organized by Janine Sourdif and was very well attended by our members and the public. Bernard co-ordinated the volunteer roster, as well as filling in as a guide on three occasions. Gérard, came to the rescue twice, as did Francine Brassard. Our other guides were Karsten and Béatrice, Hélène, Christine Baudinet, Yolande, Hans, Angèle, Édith, Christian, and Jean-Louis. The GBMP secured the services of young Victor Gagnon from Mansonville, who proved to be a very effective and knowledgeable guide. Thank you everyone!
The display will be taken down soon to accommodate Hallowe’en celebrations. And Hans already conjuring plans for 2016.
More recently, teams of Association volunteers worked very diligently at our canteen over the three consecutive weekends of the Festival de Plein air at Owl’s Head. Beer, drinks, soups, chili, and BBQ sausage were served to several hundred people.
Our first thanks go to Fred and Lilian Korman, and their staff at Owl’s Head. We are grateful that Mr. & Mrs. Korman provide us each year with the space for our tents and tables, and allow us the use of the kitchen in the chalet.
Our Association’s team was capably headed by Janine, who worked diligently in the kitchen and at the BBQ for each of the seven days, while Jean-Louis managed the finances and manned the drink counter, helped by Richard on two occasions. Our counterparts from the Centre Ken Jones were David Stirling and Fiona Campbell. Many volunteer from the Ken Jones Center worked at the canteen, whom I thank on your behalf but will not attempt to name. Particular thanks go to Monique Sourdif, Janine’s sister, who returned to help again this year, and as well, to two young brothers, Loïc and Théo Goyette, whose help was much appreciated. Mrs Edmund Tobin, a distance member of the Association, kindly helped us out one afternoon when the lines were long and extra hands were needed. Édith, Thérèse, Janine, Wendy, Fiona, Carol, and Yolande generously donated a variety of tasty soups and vegetarian chili. Your delicious offerings were soon sold, leaving many pots and pans to wash each day!
The canteen at Owl’s Head requires much advance planning and coordinated effort. Many hands are needed to move supplies, carry beer, fill fridges and take away the recycling and compost to say nothing of food preparation and service itself. As always, many hands make lighter work…but the sustained effort given by Jean-Louis and Janine is worthy of our particular gratitude. Volunteer workers from the Association included Mayor Louis Veillon; Edith & Christian, Denise & Bernard, Yolande & Ralf, Hilary, Serge, Elaine & Howard; Karsten & Béatrice, Angèle Hébert and Jacques Marcoux.
This note is written in haste, however our gratitude is sincere. There is always a danger of forgetting the contribution made by someone whose name I may have inadvertently omitted. If yours is one of them, I do apologize. The error is mine.
When all the bills will have been paid, each Association will have earned close to $4,200 for our causes.
Thank- you everyone!
Sandra Jewett, President
October 2015
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