AlgomaTrad is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the celebration and promotion of traditional music, dance and arts that are part of our Canadian culture and heritage. The organiztion has been supported over its 10 year existence with grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Ontario Arts  Council, and the FreshStart! program from Heritage Canada.

A typical day offers four periods of workshops for instruments, song, dance and arts and crafts.  Additional spontaneous workshops also occur throughout the week during the afternoon break. Workshop schedules will be provided to registrants by the end of July so each camper can build their own schedule.  As well, there are scheduled times for camp gatherings, group singing, and recreational games, a trip to town or to the beach, weather permitting.  There is ample time to enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner while socializing with others.  For most days at the camp, evenings begin with a creative dress-up parade through the campgrounds, always popular with the young and the young-at–heart, followed by a short concert and then a dance.  Tune and Singing sessions occur at the same time in the Dining Hall.  A campfire song session is a feature at least once during the week. Spontaneity is encouraged!  Though we try to create a community where we watch out for each other, children are the responsibility of parents or caregivers when not in children’s workshops. We end the week with student concerts and a farewell dance. Campers are encouraged to stay over until Sunday morning and have breakfast together before they leave. Anyone interested in helping to set up on or before the camp or to tear down on afterwards, is more than welcome; please contact us and let us know.

The Algoma Music Camp (where AlgomaTrad takes place) features an old barn that has been converted to an acoustically superb concert and dance space. (30 years ago Julie’s brother Raymond, now an internationally recognized and award-winning cello and violin maker, spent long hours wearing out his knees varnishing the large stage/dance floor). The barn is still very much a barn, with light peaking in through cracks in the walls, so, yes, it is rustic, but beautiful. Music resonates without any outside interference because the site is rural among gently rolling hills. You might hear an occasional neighbouring cow, and most certainly some birds, but not much else besides the goings-on of the camp. Larger dance workshops, concerts and dances will be held in the barn. Below the main floor of the barn are a number of workshop rooms that will be used for appropriate workshop and rehearsal space.

The charming “Chicken Coop” and “Wind Shack” are large enough buildings to accommodate large classes. Other workshops take place in large tents that are scattered throughout the grounds. As we mentioned, the Dining Hall will also be available for arts and craft workshops and music and song sessions. If the weather cooperates – and this can be the nicest part of our summers up here – some of the workshops, especially those for young children, happen outside where there is lots of space to move around and enjoy the great outdoors.