Tuesday, January 03, 2006

2006 Walk Schedule, A New Beginning of Fun & Friendship

Walking, Swimming,Biking,x-c skiing/snowshoeing make up the four Volkssport Events



May I wish you all a belated Happy New Year and hope that you have all had a Very Merry Christmas.

On behalf of All Club Members may I Thank Lucy Nardini for opening up her home for a very successful Christmas/end of the Year Party! Great Company and a Wonderful Host,
Thank You very much.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for supporting the club throughout this past year as well as keeping this organization going as long as we have, each and everyone of you has participated as often as you can and this has been most appreciated. Many of us lead very busy lifestyles and are unable to participate at every walk event, so again thank you for coming out as much as you posssibley can.(where is all this leisure time we were supposed to have, as promised with the invention of the automatic washing machine or the computer or when retired?)

Last year (05) I made it known that I would like to step down as the president of this club, though I was not giving up as an interested volkssporter or Island Hopper. That has not happened, the annual meeting failed to select a new president, therefore for all purposes related to the Canadian Volkssport Federation I will retain the title; However within the club I will be the Chairmen (chairperson) or Coordinator, for the lack of a better word, The Walk Committee and any Special Events, Barb And Cal Thistle will continue to Chair the Ways & Means Committee, Elsie Buck will continue with Finances & Membership; other committee members will be confirmed shortly including one or two "at large members" (not to be confused with Large Persons). A meeting of the new board will convene in the near future and hopefully before the first volkssport event of 2006.

All club members who are involved as contacts for the Year Round Events will be called upon to continue their good work, please check the "walk box" in your area at least once a month or more, please let me know if you need supplies, such as Paper, Pens, stationary, maps, directions etc. I will look after Louisbourg until Shirley Pettigrew recovers from her accident. Coordinators should and can modify the routes as they see fit, I have changed the trail in Glace Bay several times throughout the years to keep up with local changing conditions within the community. Club members are asked for their input as well, your suggestions are important as we advertise these walk events throughout the IVV.


The 2006 schedule has been sent out in a newsletter and distributed at the last walk events for 2005, if you do not have a copy or know someone who needs or would like a schedule please contact me and I will be happy to send it out, if you did not get the schedule by mail please inform me of your address; I continue to update the club list at every opportunity and Cal Thistle maintains a phone list to remind members of our upcoming walk events.

All the Guided Walk Events for 06 appear on the schedule, unlike in previous years where we published a separate schedule for Celtic Colours, (including our plans for a weekend in Cheticamp in July and our 3rd Celtic Colours Walks) have been approved by the CVF. A brochure with further plans for Celtic Colours will be produced in order to attract more visitors as we had this past October and we will produce a separate flyer for the activities we plan in Cheticamp as well.

On Monday 02 January Ann and I spent the day travelling to Baddeck, North Sydney, Sydney, Louisbourg and returned to Glace Bay to replace all of the 2005 Year Round Event Slugs with the 2006+ which means you can now place the 2006+ in your distance and events books as soon as that feeling of wanting to get a new stamp overwhelms you before the spring comes.

Remember you can place the distance stamp in your Distance Book as many times as you want to register for the walk. The Event stamp can be placed in the book only once with the + sign between 01 Jan and June 30th, 2006.
The Year Round Coordinators are reminded to remove the + sign on or after 01 July 2006 so that club members can once again stamp their Event Books once more between 01 July and the end of the year. The money envelopes should be picked up by the YRE coordinator for each "Walk Box" and/or the Treasurer Elsie Buck. All club members can note the amount of completed envelopes in the boxes and inform the Treasurer or YRE Rep.

The Canadian Volkssport Federation (CVF) has instituted Lighthouse Walks across Canada for 2006.

Lighthouse Walks will be Year Round Events (YREs) or Seasonals (any type);

Walks must pass lighthouses that were or are the responsibility of the Canadian Coast Guard;

Lighthouse walks will be identified in Footpaths/Sentiers 2006;

A fee of $3 will be charged at time of application;

Application will be made to the CVF office;

A lighthouse pin and documents will be sent to the walker at time of application;

There will be Three Award Levels:

Any 6 lighthouse walks - Certificate as Assistant Lighthouse Keeper

8 lighthouse walks, with at least 2 from each coast - Certificate as Lighthouse Keeper

12 Lighthouse walks, with at least 4 from each coast - Certificate as Superintendent of lights.

The Louisbourg And Baddeck Walks have been designated as "Lighthouse Walk Events" and there is now a minature lighthouse symbol within the "stamp block" as you will see the next time you do this event.

Hope to See you all at the Next Event

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