McMartin House
Most of our Activities for Seniors are once again underway. Welcome Back! More info under "OUR ACTIVITIES" tab. LOCATE
ACTIVITIES OFFERED AT McMARTIN HOUSE
McMartin House Membership is required. One $30 Annual Membership Fee permits a member to join any number of activities. Most activities have small charges each session to cover supplies, resources, refreshments etc.
THIS MONTH AT McMARTIN HOUSE:
All Our Activities that were active prior to Covid-19 restrictions are listed below along with their Activity Descriptions.
The Activities that are currently active are also listed in our Monthly Calendars.
There are two monthly calendar presentations. The First lists all our current activities except Yoga. Yoga is the largest current activity and has a separate Monthly Calendar.
McMartin House Activity Calendar One
McMartin House Activity Calendar Two YOGA
If you wish to join a Yoga Class, please note that you cannot simply turn up at the classroom door (as you may do with other McMartin House Activities). Please contact the Yoga Connection at (613)267-7148 for information and instructions on how to enrol.
ACTIVITY DESCRIPTIONS
ACTIVITY DIRECTORS: If you want to make changes to the description of your Activity, or to add information, please contact Brian Henderson, Web Master, by email at hlthtm@msn.com and leave your phone number.
PERTH COMMONS COHOUSING COMMUNITY is a group of seniors engaged in shaping how we will live in the coming years. Since the summer of 2015 we have been building a community of people committed to offering one another neighbourly friendship and support in either a shared building or a network of private dwellings. High among our priorities are a healthy, independent and sustainable lifestyle and active engagement in the world around us.
We meet the first Thursday of each month at 6:00 pm for a potluck supper and to keep in touch with one another through discussion and laughter.
For more information, please go to http://www.perth-cohousing-initiative.com or call Louise McDiarmid 613-264-8590 or Susan Samila 613-264-1196.
THE FRIDAY AFTERNOON BRIDGE CLUB meets in the Edna Green Room at McMartin House every Friday afternoon, officially starting at 12:30 P.M., to play social Bridge in a comfortable and friendly setting. In fact, many members like to get there an hour or two early and play Bridge with friends prior to the formal four hand bridge game competitions that start at 12:30.
There are five rounds of four-hand Bridge, with scores recorded for each individual and their partners at each table. The winners at each table rotate to the next table. There are small prizes for the persons with the highest individual score, the second highest, and the lowest. Prizes are also awarded for the overall winner for the year.
Kveta Privora and Joy Price, Activity Directors, report that the Friday afternoon Bridge group normally averages 5 or 6 tables of Bridge, and is growing with new members who join after attending “Teaching Bridge” sessions.
Members contribute $2.00 each Friday they play Bridge, to cover refreshments provided each session and the purchase of playing cards and supplies. These funds also cover an annual donation the group makes to McMartin House. Contact: Kveta Privora at 613-300-9502.
TEACHING BRIDGE “Teaching Bridge” sessions are offered periodically rather than continuously. When there is sufficient demand, sessions may be offered in the January to March period, each year. The goal of these sessions is to teach the fundamentals of Bridge while allowing players to gain experience in a friendly, informal and mentored environment. Those attending range from complete newcomers with no knowledge of Bridge to individuals with a pretty fair knowledge of how to bid and play, but who wish to gain more experience playing with experienced players who are willing to be helpful.
Kveta Privora and Joy Price, both excellent players (who play both duplicate and social Bridge), provide the instruction and expert guidance. Volunteers from the Friday Afternoon Bridge Club provide a core of experienced players, scattered among the tables, and assist with mentoring. A McMartin House Membership ($30) is required. Each player also pays a $2.00 per session fee. Text books and other resources are provided without additional cost. Sessions run from 1:00 to 3:30. Contact: Kveta Privora 613-300-9502. LinkToEasyBridgeProgram
THE FRIENDSHIP GROUP - The Friendship Group meets on Wednesday afternoons [1:30-3:30 P.M.] with the objective of learning crafts from each other in an informal, friendly social setting. Activity Director Sheila Marjoram reports that the group believes that friendship and fun are essential to learning and make important contributions to personal health. Newcomers are welcome to join the group and learn a craft of their choice while making new friends! Contact Sheila Marjoram at 613-267-2700.
RAINBOW LINE DANCING - Sunday - 11:30 until 1 PM The Rainbow line dancing group invites all members of the human spectrum to join us for an hour of fun and exercise. The music is varied, some country, some pop and some good old rock-n- roll. The laughter is contagious. Our group is at a beginner level, but newbies are welcome. There is always space on the dance floor for one more. Contact Kari Cunningham: karidot@aol.com
LINE DANCING - The Line Dancing Group is a well-established group with an enthusiastic membership of up to three dozen dancers, with the number declining a bit when their snowbirds depart for the sunny south. Line dancing sessions begin each year on the Monday after Thanksgiving mid-late October (Check the Events Calendar) and run each Monday (except holidays) through to about the last week in March. Class sessions run from 9:30 to 10:30 A.M. (Beginners' Group) and from 10:45 to 11:45 A.M. (Intermediate Group). Classes are $3.00 each.
This activity emphasizes the great value of Line Dancing to the health of the dancers. It is “good for the body and the memory. It adds years to your life, and life to your years!” The music and dances that the leaders use with the group include the waltz, cha—cha, polka, samba, and rhumba as well as country and western. New members are welcome.
SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING Scottish Country Dancers meet every Friday morning (from 9:30 to 11:30 A.M.) to learn new dances and have fun. Simone Crabb of Perth and Tony French of Maberly, experienced dancers, generously donate their time to prepare and teach the programs. Simone and Tony have been part of the Brockville Scottish Country Dance Group for years, and have also danced in several areas, including Ottawa, Black's Corners and Watson's Corners.
Scottish Country Dancing is done to lively jigs and reels, or to slower strathspeys. Since the dancing is done in soft dance shoes or dance slippers, the group meets in the upstairs boardroom at McMartin House with its beautiful hardwood flooring. Our members are a happy, easygoing group, able to laugh at their own mistakes, or to appreciate the beauty in a dance well performed by all. Scottish Dancing is also a fun way to exercise the brain, the toes and everything in between.
On the left, above, we help celebrate the 70th Wedding Anniversary of a special couple of members. In the photo on the right, we pause for a group photo. In the photo below, we get back to dancing. We begin our year in September and finish in April, with a luncheon at the end. We welcome newcomers, young in spirit, male and female, who would like to join our happy group. Contact Simone Crabb at 613-264-2767 or send an email to Simone at graeme.crabb@gmail.com
THE STAMP CLUB -
Are you a stamp collector or interested in becoming one? Then the Perth Stamp Club is a place you need to visit! Whether you collect stamps, covers, souvenir sheets, cancels, or maybe you collect a specific country, or a special topic, this club is for you.
We are a small group of enthusiastic philatelists. We love to look at stamps, talk about stamps and share our hobby with others. If you want to learn about stamps or to share your interest in stamps please join us.
We meet at McMartin House on the second and fourth Wednesday evening of the month from September to June.
For more information please contact Susan Murray at: drmurray@magma.ca
YOGA - Wikipedia defines Yoga as the physical, mental, and spiritual practices which originated in ancient India as systems helping the individual to attain a state of permanent peace. Since the 1980s, yoga has been popular as a system of physical exercise contributing to fitness.
The gentle Yoga courses offered at McMartin House encourage stretching and body movement through basic postures. They offer adapted postures and the use of props and other aids to allow all senior students to participate as they feel they are able.
Jill Dunkley leads one McMartin House group in selected exercises every Tuesday afternoon from 2:00 to 3:30 P.M. and Nancy Williams leads another every Thursday from 10 to 11:30 A.M. The Level 1 Thursday Class does not do yoga “on our hands and knees”. The chair is an option for part or all of this class. Contact info@yogaconnectionperth.org or phone 613-267-7148.
