It's been a long winter (except for those of you who went South) but in three weeks we are due to open for our 108th season.
On April 30th at the Cobourg Community Centre we will hold our Spring General Meeting. The meeting will start at 7.00 pm but registration for the new season will be from 6.30 pm. The 2015 membership fee is $165. Social membership is $10 - a reduction of $15 from previous years. Junior fees remain unchanged.
May 2nd will be the "clean-up day" when we will get the club house and the grounds ready for opening on May 9th. Please try and help on that day - the more members we have the quicker we will have everything ready for opening.
The Town has again approved the issue of 50 parking passes to the Club, for which we are very grateful. Parking restrictions take effect from the Victoria Day weekend so please check in with the office to get your pass from May 16th onwards.
Opening day is May 9th. We will hold a pot luck lunch at 12.00 followed by a jitney at 13.30. A tradition from past years will be restored in that Mayor Gill Brocanier will formally start the season for us by throwing the first bowl. Please try and come along, even if it's just for the opening bowl ceremony. Let's show the Mayor what a vibrant club we have.
You will probably be aware that the plans to demolish the existing equipment garage and storage shed and replace them with a new all purpose garage have passed the first hurdle in that the Town has approved a heritage permit for our plans. The next stage in that process is to finalize funding for the project and obtain a building permit. The intention is to apply for a Trillium grant.
The key to a successful club is membership. Membership of lawn bowling clubs across the Province has been falling over the years. We have been doing relatively well in that of the 10 Clubs in our District we have the third highest membership behind Oshawa and Pickering. However it is inevitable that we will lose members for various reasons this year and we need to replenish with new members. That is up to you! Talk to your friends, neighbours and relatives and encourage them to try out our sport. The big obstacle is getting them through the gates - once that's done they're usually hooked.
We have branched out into social media in an effort to get more publicity for the club and to try and get more members. We have a club Twitter account and a Facebook page. If you are already using social media please follow the club accounts and try and use it to get your friends interested in the club. If you are not using social media then please consider signing up for an account. I can offer some advice on getting started and am looking at the possibility of some instruction for club members who would like it.
Some good news on the financial front to start the new season. Our VP, Steve Haslam applied for and received a grant of $500 under the CIBC Employee Volunteer Program. This is in part being used to print new scorecards. Steve is pictured presenting President Louisa Arthur with the cheque.
Finally, if you haven’t already noticed, the shutters are off the club house and the greens were cut for the first time this week. The countdown has started!
On April 30th at the Cobourg Community Centre we will hold our Spring General Meeting. The meeting will start at 7.00 pm but registration for the new season will be from 6.30 pm. The 2015 membership fee is $165. Social membership is $10 - a reduction of $15 from previous years. Junior fees remain unchanged.
May 2nd will be the "clean-up day" when we will get the club house and the grounds ready for opening on May 9th. Please try and help on that day - the more members we have the quicker we will have everything ready for opening.
The Town has again approved the issue of 50 parking passes to the Club, for which we are very grateful. Parking restrictions take effect from the Victoria Day weekend so please check in with the office to get your pass from May 16th onwards.
Opening day is May 9th. We will hold a pot luck lunch at 12.00 followed by a jitney at 13.30. A tradition from past years will be restored in that Mayor Gill Brocanier will formally start the season for us by throwing the first bowl. Please try and come along, even if it's just for the opening bowl ceremony. Let's show the Mayor what a vibrant club we have.
You will probably be aware that the plans to demolish the existing equipment garage and storage shed and replace them with a new all purpose garage have passed the first hurdle in that the Town has approved a heritage permit for our plans. The next stage in that process is to finalize funding for the project and obtain a building permit. The intention is to apply for a Trillium grant.
The key to a successful club is membership. Membership of lawn bowling clubs across the Province has been falling over the years. We have been doing relatively well in that of the 10 Clubs in our District we have the third highest membership behind Oshawa and Pickering. However it is inevitable that we will lose members for various reasons this year and we need to replenish with new members. That is up to you! Talk to your friends, neighbours and relatives and encourage them to try out our sport. The big obstacle is getting them through the gates - once that's done they're usually hooked.
We have branched out into social media in an effort to get more publicity for the club and to try and get more members. We have a club Twitter account and a Facebook page. If you are already using social media please follow the club accounts and try and use it to get your friends interested in the club. If you are not using social media then please consider signing up for an account. I can offer some advice on getting started and am looking at the possibility of some instruction for club members who would like it.
Some good news on the financial front to start the new season. Our VP, Steve Haslam applied for and received a grant of $500 under the CIBC Employee Volunteer Program. This is in part being used to print new scorecards. Steve is pictured presenting President Louisa Arthur with the cheque.
Finally, if you haven’t already noticed, the shutters are off the club house and the greens were cut for the first time this week. The countdown has started!