Greetings Fiddlehead Members;
It has been a while since my last update and a lot has been happening at your club. Please read right to the end as there is lots of information contained.
December 1st is upon us – what used to be the official start of the holiday season, but now it seems to start even before Halloween. The club room has been decorated and we have a committee headed by Melanie Wood actively planning the Christmas Luncheon on Thursday December 15th beginning with a Meet and Greet at 11:00. Punch, soups, salads, rolls and desserts will be available, kindness of members who love to cook! Please join us for the festivities. In lieu of a gift exchange this year, the committee would like those attending to bring a cash donation to the Food Bank. With the high cost of living in Fredericton there are many of our neighbours who are struggling, A donation basket will be on the Director’s desk. Door prizes of free plays and free memberships will be drawn.
For those of you not in attendance we had an extremely successful Ed Griffin Memorial Luncheon and Game at the end of October. Thanks to Marg Routledge and her committee as well as Mike Wood for the very gracious talk about Ed.. $2,000 was collected that week which was presented to Hospice House by our Treasurer Mike Whelton. A huge thank-you to all who donated.
Our Educational opportunities are continuing. Lorna’s Mentoring on Wednesday morning is an overwhelming success. Come with your partner or by yourself at 9:30. Eileen is teaching Play of the Hand now continuing through December, then it is Defense starting in January. Both Lorna and Eileen’s contact information is on the Welcome Page of our Website if you would like more information from either of them. Sharon Cupples will be offering some workshops beginning in January. If there is a topic you would like her to cover please speak to her directly. We are very lucky to have these 3 ladies providing our members with these learning experiences.
The Sunday social bridge game has been cancelled, but Tuesday is still operating. Drew Steeves has taken over for Dave Baird while he is away this winter. If you have family or friends who play bridge and would like a night out please let them know about Tuesday evening at 6:30.
Our Facebook page continues to receive numerous views. Andrew Perry is doing a great job keeping the page alive and current. Please visit frequently, like and share as often as you can.
The defibrillator we bought a couple of years ago has now been brought back to the club. A new battery pack has been purchased and we will be offering training in the new year. The membership voted for this purchase so we hope that members will take the training so we can have at least 1 person per game who is familiar with its operation.
2023 Memberships are now available still at the bargain price of $20.00. There is a form on the website which can be printed and sent to Suzanne along with a cheque. You can e-transfer your membership fee to fiddlehead142@gmail.com The security question is “In what city if Fiddlehead Bridge Studio located? Answer: Fredericton.
Looking for a unique Christmas present for that hard to buy for person on your list. The prints that the late Joyce Dalton donated to the club are available for $5.00. These are unique sketches of all things New Brunswick. If you are interested please see someone on the Board or a Director.
With December 1st comes the need for 2 new people to sign up for the start up and clean up for our games on Monday and Thursday. It is not a big task but we do need 2 people to be sure the tasks get done, particularly Thursday clean up when we need to have the floors swept. Most of us have not put on our winter boots yet, but we are bringing in lots of dirt on the bottom of our shoes. Please wipe you shoes vigorously on the mats before coming into the bridge room which will help a lot to keep the grit down to a minimum.
Masks continue to be optional but encouraged. The board asks everyone to resume hand sanitation between each round. Remember if you do not feel well please stay home and if you have a cold but feel well, please wear a mask to protect those around you.
We are projecting a small loss for 2022, but with table numbers increasing lately we anticipate a brighter 2023.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and our Manager Carol Airst, I wish you the very best of the holiday season. We hope to see you at the bridge table whenever you can play. We thank those of you who have volunteered in any capacity during this past year. We need everyone to take a turn to keep our club going.
Sharon Nussey
President