Matlock Recreation Club

December 12, 2009 was the date of this year's Christmas Dinner & Dance. We had a terrific turnout of around 90 Matlock and area residents to enjoy fellowship, assorted libations, some amazing food and dancing to wear it all off. Hats off to Darlene Muron, the MRC's multi-talented treasurer, who chaired our planning committee for this event and even made the table centres. Everything looked marvellous, and the event went off without a hitch. And thanks again to the gals at Joan's Catering of Fraserwood for the terrific turkey dinner. Everything was delicious! If you missed the event this year, plan to attend next year. The tickets go quickly because it is an amazing deal (tickets were $20 each this year) and is loads of fun. Here are some faces you might recognize, and from all of us at the Matlock Recreation Club, have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

Saturday, December 5th was an exciting day at the Matlock Rec Centre when Mr. & Mrs. Claus appeared with two of their elves to reward good Donnottar children with some pre-Christmas treats and hopes for delivery of much-wanted gifts on Christmas Eve. Local dignitaries were on hand to help serve up a terrific pancake and sausage breakfast. A craft table was available to amuse the kids and a draw was made for a handmade gingerbread house. Large and small children alike were entertained by Santa's antics! Fun was had by all! Tell your friends about this blog and share the joy!

The Volunteer Appreciation Dinner held on Nov 7th was amazing. We had a total of 49 people come out and enjoy fellowship and a terrific meal catered by Joan's Catering of Fraserwood. Didn't get invited? Don't worry. You'll have plenty of upcoming events to volunteer for. Only members who volunteer a significant amount of their time over the course of the year get invited to this highly coveted event. Love Joan's food? Then be sure to get your tickets for the Christmas Dinner & Dance to be held at the MRC on Saturday, December 12th from 5:30 p.m. until 1 am. Joan will be providing turkey and all the trimmings for a magnificent meal. Tickets are just $20 each (this barely covers the cost of catering) and are available from any board member. Cocktails at 5:30; dinner at 6:30. Get your tickets early as we will only have 150 available for this fabulous festive event. Final numbers will be provided to the caterer one week before the event, so no tickets will be avai

If you were at the Matlock Rec Centre on Sept 19th, you will have enjoyed a terrific show put on by the Sisters of the Holy Rock. Don't let the name fool you. The "Sisters" are big on fun and small on religion. A good time was had by all. A few pics to remind us until next time ...

We'd like to remind you that November 21st is our 3rd Annual Craft & Bake Sale from 10 am until 3 pm. Arrive early to avoid disappointment, as the most coveted offerings always go fast! We still have room for a few more crafters, so if you or someone you know produces hand-crafted goods, we'd love to have you take a table. Cost is $20 per table plus a donation of goods for our silent auction. We only have a limited number of electrical outlets and wall spots, so please register asap if you need an electrical hook-up or desire a location against the wall. Come to Matlock on Nov 21st and do your Christmas shopping. You're bound to find something for everyone on your gift list. Call Darlene at 389-3593 for more information. See you there!

The terrible weather today couldn't dampen our spirits and all who faced the rains enjoyed fellowship, coffee and donuts at the MRC for our First Annual "Hi Neighbour Day." Thanks to Frank Ursel for organizing the event and congrats to Debra Leitch who won the lovely fire-pit. Pictured above: Left, Frank Ursel looks on as quilter-extraordinaire, Sharon Litzenberger, draws the winner of the fire-pit. Centre photo: Card-making experts, Peggy & Darlene discuss card styles. Card-making takes place at the MRC every second Monday at 7 pm. Call Darlene at 389-3593 for details. Top Right photo: The 2009 board of the MRC: Front L to R: VP Marilyn Roy, Secretary Georgeanne Schau, President Bev Stevens, Jean Picklyk. Behind L to R: Frank Ursel, Treasurer Darlene Muron, Helen Gouzecky, Don Alexander, Doreen Pendgracs, Kate Roed. Our next big event is the Sisters of the Holy Rock (SOTHR) on Sept 19th. Call Darlene at 389-3593 for tickets. It's almost sold out, s

Don't forget we are having our 1st Annual Hi Neighbour Day in Matlock on Saturday, August 15th from 1-3 pm in the Matlock Rec Centre. This is an indoor event, so it will happen -- rain or shine. We will have 8 tables highlighting all the different events and activities that we have at the Matlock Rec Club. Are you interested in walking and fitness, crib, whist, card making, quilting, or bingo? Are you interested in talking out a membership to the Matlock Rec Club, purchasing one of our great new cookbooks or buying tickets to the Sisters of the Holy Rock event on Sept 19th? How about getting in on the draw for the fab fire pit that we'll be drawing for? Tickets are just $2. Regardless of your interests, please drop in and say Hi. All our board members will be on hand to welcome you, listen to your suggestions and ideas, and treat you to a coffee and donut. See you on Saturday. Rain or shine.

If you live in Manitoba, I strongly urge you to drop by the Ponemah Arts Centre at 300 Railway Street in Ponemah before the end of August. You'll not only have the chance to meet the lovely Betty Jackson, you'll have the chance to donate to Palliative Care in the NE Interlake, and vote for your choice in the Most Artful Bra fundraising event. There are 5 categories to vote for: Best in show, most creative, most amusing, most outlandish and prettiest. My friend, Margaret and I had a blast looking at the amazing creations. Be sure to go around the entire display at least three times as you'll be surprised at what you've missed each time around. These are a just a few pics to show you what's in store ...

We had a super Canada Day in Matlock. The turnout was great -- as was the camaraderie, food and activities. Welcome to all our new (and renewed) members who joined up on July 1st. It's terrific to have you onboard, and we welcome your help, your comments and suggestions. In addition to a super Silent Auction with original wood carvings by our own, Frank Ursel, there was also some terrific baking available in the bake sale. I bought the "Eatmore Slice" which was a steal at $4. Plan to get there early next year in order to get the best picks. We're now gearing up for the Hi Neighbour Day on August 15th. Mark your calendars and plan to attend. It's a great way to find out about everything that happens at the Matlock Rec Club. It's also a great way to meet more people in the community. We still have a few tickets available for the Sisters of the Holy Rock Performance on September 19th. Contact any member of the board for tickets. See you soon and enjoy the rest o

Do you have a membership in the Matlock Recreation Club (MRC)? An active/current membership? If not, have we got a deal for you! On July 1st, we will be having our annual Canada Day celebrations. A day full of fun activities for the whole family. And if you are a paid-up member of the MRC, you will receive your dinner on Canada Day for free! That's our way to encourage membership and to thank our members for their support. Memberships will be sold for $10 each at the hall on Canada Day, and membership cards will be issued. We're looking forward to welcoming you onboard. Membership dues are important to our bottom line and being able to providing you and the community with great programming all year. There are lots of terrific activities on Canada Day to entertain you. Here's the line-up: Opening Ceremonies with free cake and coffee: NOON Bake Sale opens at 12:15 pm. Hot dogs ($1.50) and canned drinks ($1) available for purchase at 12:15 pm. Taped music staring at 1 pm. Crib

Summer has finally arrived in Matlock!  Hallelujah!  Which reminds me. The tickets for the Sisters of the Holy Rock are almost all gone. If you want to go and still don't have tickets, call Darlene at 389-3593. She may still be able to get you in. It's a steal at $12 per person.  For more info, see:   http://www.sistersoftheholyrock.org/ We're looking for volunteer cooks to help with the car rally on July 11th. If you'd like to help, call Adam or Ann at 389-5611.  We have a fabulous patio fire bowl that we are selling tickets for as a fundraiser. The draw will be held at our "Hi Neighbour" Day on August 15th -- just in time for those cooler fall nights that will eventually find us.  The fire bowl is on display at the hall and tickets can be purchased on Friday nights during bingo and other hall events. Good luck!    

Things are moving along nicely with the new season and plans are well underway for all this year's exciting events. Our new cookbook will be ready for purchase at the July 1st celebrations at Matlock Community Hall. The price will be $10 each and they will make great gifts -- for yourself, your friends and your loved ones. Tickets are going fast for the Sisters of the Holy Rock. If you don't already have your tickets, call Darlene at 389-3593 or Ann at 389-5611 now to avoid disappointment. Are you utterly creative? If so, contact Betty Jackson at 389-5682 or click on the link for the Dunnottar Station to learn more about the local "Artful Bra 2009" promotion that she is coordinating in order to raise funds for NE Palliative Care in Gimli. We are so fortunate in this community to have so many creative people working together to make this a better place. Hats off to Betty for leading the Artful Bra event in our area. It's going to be a hoot. Viewing and voting for y

The new brochures will be out by May long weekend. You can pick them up at Chambers Store and other local hot spots. We are working on lots of great events for the upcoming season. See an update of the full listing in the April 19th post. Here is the latest news: * We have a large safe (black Teller's Desk style) for sale. $100. Call Bev at 389-4340 for more info. * We received 7 entries for our bursary fund. The winner will be announced on June 25th. * We are seeking advertisers for our Matlock & Area cookbook. If you would like your business listed, please contact Helen at 389-3217. The price of a listing is $10. Deadline May 21st. * Hall rentals are being handled by Frank Ursel at 641-1660. Cost for up to 250 people with 2 bartenders included is $650. Cost for up to 150 people and one bartender is $550. If you'd like to rent the hall for an event with no alcohol, a reduced rate of $200 is available (clean-up included.) If you clean the hall yourself, rental is $100. Cal

Thanks for all the positive comments we have been receiving about the blog. We have now added a "links" department in which we will link the Matlock Rec Club's blog to other informative or relevant sites about the area. You'll now find links to: - a government site giving extensive factual info about Donnottar; - the old Dunnottar Station Museum;  - the Artists' Wave Tour and - the Whytewold Emporium, a local favourite place to go for wood-fired pizza, freshly made crepes, gardening supplies, jewellery and fresh garden produce during the summer.   We have also added the ability to subscribe to our blog posts either by your choice of feeder or e-mail. Just click on the "subscribe in a reader" icon at the top and it will let you choose your preferred option. Stay tuned for more updates, and please continue to spread the word around about our blog.

Greetings Everyone and Happy Spring! The board of directors of the Matlock Recreation Club are happy to welcome you to our new blog serving the communities of the Village of Dunnottar (Matlock, Whytewold, Ponemah) and northern portion of the R.M. of St. Andrews. Dunnottar is located along Highway 9 approximately 63 km (42 minutes) north of Winnipeg. We have a beautiful swimming beach at Matlock, several stores and restaurants and plenty of smiling faces to welcome you. We also have a variety of recreational events at the Matlock Community Hall (located at 77 Matlock Road at Grant Street) the base for our activities. The schedule of special events for 2009 is as follows: July 1st- Canada Day celebrations July 12- Car Rally August 15 - First Annual "Hi Neighbour Day" September 19 - Sisters of the Holy Rock November 21 - Craft & Bake Sale December 5 - Breakfast with Santa December 12 - Christmas Dinner More information on each event will be post