50+ Community Program, February 2025
Welcome to the homepage for the AlgomaTrad 50+ Community Program 2025, supported by a Senior Community Grant from the Government of Ontario! Keep scrolling for information about all the exciting programs coming up in February, and stay tuned for more in March! People of all ages are welcome to participate in all programs.
Click here or on the image for an interactive version of the February 2025 calendar!
*** Some events require registration! Be sure to contact us or fill out the registration forms to reserve your spot!***
Irish Tune Session, Wednesday, February 05, 6:30-9:30pm @ Ije’s Place, Desbarats
Join us at Ije’s Place, 4 Lake Huron Dr, Desbarats, for an Irish Tune Session, led by fiddler Raymond Schryer! The session will start out slow at 7pm, then pick up the pace and wrap up at 10. If you don’t play any tunes, come and listen!
Square Dance Basics & More, Thursday, February 06, 2-4pm @ Old Town Hall, Richards Landing
Are you new to dancing, or a little rusty? Julie Schryer will be leading a beginner drop-in dance workshop, where you can learn the basics of waltz, squares, polka, and two-step! All welcome!
A second workshop will be held the following Thursday, February 13, at the Johnson Township Community Centre Hall, Desbarats.
Wool Felting w/ Mireille Gagnon-Moes, Tuesday, February 11, 1 – 4:30pm @ the Desbarats United Church
Mireille Gagnon-Moes will lead a beginner-friendly wool felting workshop where participants will have the opportunity to learn basic wool-felting techniques and be guided through a felted “fantasy flower” project .
Click here for more info! Registration required! Spaces are limited.
*FULL* Basketweaving w/ Heather Pepper, Thursday, February 13, 10am – 1:30pm @ the Desbarats United Church,
Join us at the Desbarats United Church to learn some basics of basketweaving with Heather Pepper! Participants will have the opportunity to create two small projects and learn new skills.
Click here for more info! Registration required! Spaces are limited. This workshop is FULL. If you’d like to be added to a waiting list, or be contacted about future workshops, please email tori@algomatrad.ca or call 705-943-9127. Thanks!
Square Dance Basics & More! Thursday, February 13, 2-4pm @ Johnson Township Community Centre, Desbarats
Are you new to dancing, or a little rusty? Julie Schryer will be leading a beginner drop-in dance workshop, where you can learn or review the basics of waltz, squares, polka and two-step. All welcome!
Another dance basics workshop will be held at the Old Town Hall, Richards Landing one week earlier, Thursday, February 06.
Old-Time Dance – Thursday, February 20, 2-4:30pm @ Johnson Community Centre, Desbarats
Join us for an afternoon old-time dance at the Johnson Township Community Centre Hall (1 Cameron Ave, Desbarats). Our featured musicians for this dance will be the Don & Lyn Duo, with caller Donna Bisson! All welcome, beginner-friendly.
If you’d like to learn some dance basics ahead of time, or brush up on your skills, be sure to check out the Square Dance Basics workshops, February 06 & 13 (see above).
Mixed Media Art w/ Isabelle Michaud – Sunday, February 23, 10am-1:30pm @ the Blind River Curling Club
Create multi-layer mixed media art, exploring plant and mineral-based inks and tracing techniques, with guidance from Isabelle. This workshop will provide participants with unique options to personalize their artwork, with opportunities for integrating traced images (old photos, illustrations from books, etc.) with personal significance, into the art practice.
This workshop is French-English bilingual, which means that if you speak one or both languages, you’ll have no trouble participating! The mixed-media workshop is open to anyone ages 9+ and is beginner-friendly.
The workshop will be followed by a Song Sharing Circle with Les Anges in the afternoon (see below).
Click here for more information about the workshop and Isabelle! Registration required! Space is limited.
Song Sharing Circle w/ Les Anges – Sunday, February 23, 2-5pm@ Blind River Curling Club
Drop in for an afternoon of song-sharing at the Blind River Curling Club! Les Anges will lead in with a few songs, and invite participants to share too. The workshop will feature francophone music including chansons à répondre. All welcome, no registration required.
The Song Sharing Circle will be preceded by a Mixed Media art workshop w/ Isabelle Michaud in the morning (see above).
Click here for more information about the song circle & Les Anges!
Stay tuned for more events and workshops coming up in March 2025! More information posted soon about:
“Stories in the Wood”, Sunday, March 02, Legion Hall, Richards Landing, 1:30-5:00pm with Errol Caldwell, Rick Thomas, Steve Willoughby, Steve Dyni, Frank Belleau, and more. An afternoon in honour of trees, we’ll celebrate the beauty, diversity and functionality of wood through the work of these individuals. Our invited artists/craftspeople/makers will share their passion for wood, and talk about their process of transforming wood into works of craft or art that nurture us, feed us, provide aesthetic beauty in our lives, and even transport us over water. All are welcome to come enjoy this informal, inspiring afternoon, and, if you are a maker, please bring along a piece of your own hand-crafted wood projects/creations so that we can all see what you are up to!
Old Time Dance, Wednesday, March 05, 2PM, Legion Hall, Richards Landing, with Ezeee Country, caller Donna Bisson, and fiddler Raymond Schryer. Free, all welcome.
Mary Anderson, Celtic harpist and textile artist, Thursday, March 06, 1:30PM Bruce Station Hall – concert and presentation. Participants encouraged to bring their own textile work to share stories, journeys, and techniques. Free event!
Soft Pastel Art Workshop w/ Taimi Poldmaa, Tuesday, March 11, 1-4pm, Trefry Centre, Richards Landing – limited space registration required! All welcome, no experience necessary
Plus arts workshops, more song and tune sharing, a 50+ Program Culminating Celebration and more!
Stay tuned!
