Oyen and District Seniors Report: First Pot Luck of 2026

By Beth Symes

Ten people gathered for the first Pot Luck of 2026 at the Oyen and District Seniors Centre. We enjoyed a delicious meal with a variety of main course dishes and one dessert. Apparently, everyone was thinking of all the sweets and desserts eaten over the holiday season! Two more people came to take part in the meeting. Beth presented the minutes to be adopted as read, and Lynda presented the financial reports for November and December. (No meeting was held in December.)

Comments from both members and guests who attended the Christmas Banquet on December 10 were very positive. The meal, which was prepared by the parents of an Oyen Minor Hockey Team, was judged to be delicious. The young hockey players did an excellent job of assisting with coats, seats, and later serving drinks and food. Members at the meeting thanked Heather White for her excellent role as MC for the evening, and Shirley Foot for organizing the entertainment. She had arranged for Delbert Pratt to recite some selections of cowboy poetry. That was followed up by musical selections performed by Clark Huston and Lisa Gould. The banquet was a fundraiser for minor hockey, so the proceeds from the tickets have been forwarded to their team association.

Following that, we had a discussion of items of Old Business. For a number of months over the past year, there has been work on updating the bylaws for the Association. There was a motion that the updated bylaws be accepted. Motion carried, so updated bylaws will be printed and placed in file. A second business item that was updated was the approval of a grant from CFSA. An error that had been made regarding the updating of Directors at the last meeting was also corrected.

Recreational activities in the Oyen Seniors Centre are resuming after the Christmas season. Floor Curling takes place on Wednesday afternoons at 1:00 PM. Pickle Ball is being played on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM. Crafting continues on Tuesdays beginning at 10:00 AM. The first Fun Night in the new year is taking place on January 30 at 7:00 PM. If you are seeking a new activity in this New Year, we welcome you to come at any of these times for any of these activities. If you have questions, please call Beth at 403 664 2462 or Lynda at 403 664 0908.

As we moved into New Business in the meeting, a further possible day of recreation was discussed, with other seniors from senior groups in surrounding communities being invited to join us for a time of games and recreation later in the year. We will discuss this further at the February meeting. We also had a discussion about the practical issue of garbage pickup from our building. Dave will be picking up the garbage, or arranging for someone else to do it if he is away.

Rental of our kitchen facilities was also clarified. The cost of renting the kitchen is $150. (If the kitchen is not part of the rental agreement, the kitchen will be locked.)

The next Pot Luck and Meeting will be held on February 4, at the Recreation Centre at 6:00 PM.

We invite new members. If you are 50+, we would welcome you to join us.