Last night was another fun night in Cherry Valley as euchre loving residents from across the county gathered for the Athol Rec Committee’s Euchre Tournament.
Participants enjoyed the “progressive” format, pot luck snacks and friendly conversation.
Congratulations to our crowned winners:
Euchre Champion: Paul
Most “Going Alone”: Andrea
Perseverance: Emily
Thank you to Athol Rec Committee member, Nancy, for planning this fun event.
If you have an idea and interested in partnering up, email us at atholrec@gmail.com.
Our inaugural euchre tournament is shaping up to be a fun event for euchre enthusiasts of all abilities from all corners of the county.
We will be playing a progressive tournament, which means players will be assigned partners are random, and will switch partners after every game. The top scorer of the night taking home the first prize trophy!!
Saturday November 4th
Doors open at 6:30pm, Games start at 7:00pm
Athol Townhall – 1685 County Rd 10
Suggested donation of $5 per person at the door (all money goes to towards Athol Town Hall Revitalization)
Light snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided, but we would appreciate shareable snacks by participants
All skill levels welcome
To register, send an email to atholrec@gmail.com, or, if the night of you are interested in joining us, walk in’s welcome.
We are super excited to be hosting Breakfast with Santa on Saturday December 9th, and we are looking for your help.
What to help with set up? Cook? Serve? or clean up? Let us know.
Email us at atholrec@gmail.com or call or text 613-403-3293
Do you have high school youth in the house? This is a great opportunity for them to snag their volunteer hours.
Are you a local business or community group and looking to support this event? Reach out today!
Event is 9am – 11am, Saturday December 9, located at Athol Town Hall in Cherry Valley.
This event will be free for families to attend thanks to the amazing support from County Kids Read, Guernsey Farms, and Councillor Branderhorst’s long time friend, Santa.
Put what you’re not wearing into the hands of someone who will?
Find new treasures without spending money?
Make new friends and keep textile waste out of landfills?
We are taking the Cherry Valley clothing swap on the road! Join us and our friends of the Picton Rec Committee for a joint clothing swap.
Join us on Saturday, October 28th for a clothing swap!!
Picton Town All – 2 Ross St Picton (accessible friendly)
Drop in between 9am – 12pm
Free to attend
All bodies, identities and ages are welcome
Swap Guidelines
Wash and dry all items beforehand. No underwear unless they are in unopened packaging.
When deciding what items to bring, think quality over quantity. Not sure if an item in your wardrobe qualifies to be swapped? Ask yourself, “Would I give this to my best friend?”. If not, leave it out.
If you’re not interested in swapping and just want to donate clothing, we request you donate directly to those organizations.
Bring your own shopping bag
Have fun!!
This event is brought to you by an Athol resident who reached out to partner with the Athol Rec Committee and Picton Rec Committee. If you have an idea and interested in partnering up, email us at atholrec@gmail.com.
Athol Day, returning in a new imagined way, held at the picturesque Cherry Valley Lions Memorial Park, was a day to remember! From the moment the event started, families, friends and neighbours came down to enjoy the plethora of activities we had organized. It was a free event with a suggested donation of $5 upon entry for all the activities and BBQ the Athol Recreation Committee had provided.
We also sold raffle tickets for the opportunity to throw pies in Athol Councillor Sam Branderhorst and Athol-South Marysburgh School principal Heather McMaster’s face. All proceeds from the suggested donations and raffle tickets will go to improvements to Athol-South Marysburgh school yard, that will not only benefit the school but the community as well.
There was something for everyone. Kids and adults alike were awed by the amazing tractors from C.S Raistrick and Wierstra Farms. A mega slide, obstacle course, Jousting pad and cactus shooting gallery inflatables kept kids busy. Not to the mention the impressive face painting and balloon animals! We also had some friendly competition with County Cooperage’s barrel tossing game, Escape Camp Picton’s puzzle game and a mobile Axe throwing trailer by County Axe.
Jeremy Kelly played an earlier set and a highlight of the day was the performance by the county’s own Isabella Hoops AKA Kiki the outrageous. She entertained kids and adults alike with her hoops and afterwards taught them a few of her tricks.
A couple of other highlights of the day were the Dog Show and Pie Eating Contest. Judging for the Dog Show was done by a handful of students from Athol South-Marysburgh school with 13 categories to judge, including longest tail, largest ears and biggest dog which went to Monty the dog. Athol’s Best went to Louis, and his brother Archie took home Best Trick, both new additions to the community! Congrats to the all the dogs and their owners for a successful show.
The Pie Eating contest turned out to be quite competitive with all 3 categories filling up just before taking place. The first kids’ category winner was Magnus who did the most amount of eating of all three! He even asked if he could enter round two. The second kids’ category winner was Damien, and Russell took the adult category! Congrats to all who won and participated! Apparently, it’s a lot harder than it looks.
We are super pleased at how our 1st Athol Day was received. What truly made Athol Day special was the unity and solidarity of the community. Businesses from the area came forward as sponsors, providing resources and prizes for our various activities. Local volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure the event ran smoothly, and residents of all ages joined in the festivities, contributing to the vibrant atmosphere. There were close to 400 ppl who came out to enjoy the day and have some fun together!
We are also very excited to announce that the many attendees that generously donated to our cause helped raise $2,019.00 for improvements to Athol-South Marysburgh school yard! If you missed coming out to Athol Day and would like to donate to Athol-South Marysburgh school please use the following link: https://donate.stripe.com/bIYeXa8N97HF3GEfYY
Athol Recreation Committee and Athol-South Marysburgh School cannot thank the greater community enough for your generous support of the school and community. We look forward to doing it again next year!
Stay tuned for more events coming up in the next few months by following us on Facebook and Instagram!
(Photos submitted by community members and borrowed from CountyLive.)
Have you ever wanted to show off your impressive eating skills? The Athol Day Pie Eating Contest is your chance to do just that. Whether you love pie or just being competitive this contest is for you! Sign up today! See registration form for competition details.
Calling all dog lovers!
Think your dog is the best trickster, the most stylish, or so lovably quirky? This event is about celebrating the bond we share with our four legged friends!
Sign up and show the community what you or your dog are made of!!
See registration form for competition details.
Prizes will be awarded for winners in all categories in both competitions! Participating in these exciting events is easy and a fun way to get to meet others in the community.
For more information, please contact us at atholrec@gmail.com
After a long hiatus, Athol Day is making it’s big comeback, and it’s bringing all the fun, food, and community spirit you’ve been missing. This time, it’s not just about having a blast – we’re also rallying together to raise money for sprucing up our schoolyard. Get ready to laugh, eat and make a difference, all in one awesome day!
There’s some serious fun for everyone! We’ve got a barrel ball game from the County Cooperage and a puzzle box table from Escape Camp Picton. There will be inflatables – a mega slide, a 30 foot obstacle course, a two person joust and a four in one game. We’ve also got balloon animals, face painting, axe throwing and tractors to check out. Not to mention an exciting line up of live entertainment including Athol Musician Jeremy Kelly, and County performer Kiki Totally Outrageous! Do you like a healthy competition? Sign up for the Fun Dog Show and Pie Eating Contest! Check out the stage schedule below for details.
Who can resist the smell of a sizzling BBQ? Athol Day’s got your cravings covered. From juicy burgers to yummy hotdogs, and even a tasty vegetarian burger. Grab a plate, share a table and enjoy some great food and company.
Have you ever wanted to throw a pie in someone’s face?!? Now is your chance! There will be a raffle to win the opportunity to throw a pie in the face of our Athol Councillor Sam Branderhorst or our school’s principal Heather McMaster.
Here’s the heart of the matter: we’re not just having fun – we’re making a real difference. The Athol Rec Committee is passionate about bringing this event back and making it as accessible to the community as possible. This is a free event, but there is a suggested donation of five dollars per person. The money we raise from the donations and the raffle, will go straight to making our schoolyard better. We not only want a safe and awesome place for our kids to learn and play but hopefully one that the whole community can enjoy. Every dollar you spend is a step towards that goal.
So, get those calendars out and mark the date – Athol Day is on its way, Sunday August 27th 2023 from 11am – 3pm. Let’s laugh, play, eat, and make some memories.
The Strawberry Social came back to a huge fanfare with about 150 in attendance. Even the Mayor made an appearance to share in the festivities. Delicious baked goods came from all over the County. Strawberries from Laundry Farms and icecream from Slicker’s.
Thanks to the local Celebrity Bakers who provided all types of baked items including gluten-free and vegan: PECish Bakery, Honey Pie Hives and Herbs, Zest Kitchen Shop, Karlo Estates Winery, Creekside Cafe, Lilac Lane B&B, Miss Lily’s, Darlings and Jan’s. Big thanks to Sarah, Pastry Chef at the Royal for her donation of a chocolate cake which was raffled off raising $152. Congrats to the winner Tangela Martin of Hillier.
Big thanks to our community bakers: Ramesh Pooram, Mike Trites, Lauri Osselton, Dini Terpstra, Bonnie Robson, Debbie Green, Sabrina Baverstock, Michelle Guernsey, Cath Collins, Wilma Ross, Elaine Marshall and the Cherry Valley WI.
Big thanks to our event organizers Glen and Susan Wallis and the entire rockin’ Athol Recreation Committee of Alison Kelly, Stephanie Cressman, Robin Snip, Jeremy Larter, Ramesh Pooram and Nancy Cherwika and Sam Branderhorst our Athol Councillor and the Cherry Valley WI.
Thanks to our strawberry hullers: Mike Trites, Janet Davies, Gaby Cole, Cath Collins, Jeremy Larter, Nina-Marie Lister, Bruce Dowdel, Donna Kaye, Jeremy Guth & Stephanie Cressman.
Huge thanks to those who helped out in every area with a special call out to Cath Colliins and her daughter Katie and Stephanie Cressman.
Sorry If we missed thanking someone!
Please note all profits from this event will go back to support other upcoming events and the “put the front door back into the hall” fund.
See you next year for another Strawberry Social.
Past Chair Glen Wallis received a nice surprise by being presented with the Phil Dodds Award for 2023 for his many years of community service in Athol through the Recreation Coimmittee and throughout the County as the founder of Food to Share.
THE PHIL DODD’S award.
The late Philip Dodds, nicknamed by those who knew him as ‘Mr. Prince Edward’, joined the Picton Gazette at the age of 18 as a reporter in 1924 and retired as the editor of the paper 42 years later. He was an active supporter of service clubs, events and organizations and is well-known for his promotions of the Picton Fair for more than 20 years.
He is also the editor of the book Athol, Stories of a Township and its People During the Past 132 Years. The book is an invaluable account of local Athol history available for all to read at the library in Picton. He is buried in the Cherry Valley cemetery.
The Phil Dodd’s award is awarded each year to a person who goes above and beyond in supporting and volunteering in their community.
The Athol Recreation Centre 