Spring 2013 TBA Newsletter

April 26, 2013

Attachements: 2013 TBA Registration Doc | 2013 Dock Company Registration

President’s Message

Hello fellow Thunder Beach members! Well it is now mid April and winter has not decided to leave us yet. It has been a very long and snowy one here in southern Georgian Bay. Compare this year to last year, what a difference. Last March 17th some brave folks were swimming, this year the bay is still covered with ice (and no brave souls). We all hope that spring will be coming soon with great weather for all of us to enjoy. Your executive has been working hard to get the summer organized with new activities and old reliables. We have spent a lot of time to bring you fresh ideas and re-establish old favorites, all designed to re-invigorate the TBA summer experience. Take the time to read about our new revised children’s program, the re-introduction of the once very popular Beach Ball event, the changes to our golf event, that now includes and end-of- summer dinner and dance, the new section in our roster that allows our young members to advertise and showcase their skills, etc.. For any of our programs to be successful we need you to complete the required forms to register and participate to all we have to offer for the upcoming months. Also take the time to share the benefits of joining our association with any of your neighbours that may not be members today. We need everyone’s support to make this a memorable summer. See you at the beach soon! Louise O’Connor

Benefits of Thunder Beach Association Membership

The Thunder Beach Association depends on its membership to maintain the programs that truly makes Thunder Beach a unique and special seasonal community. Beyond putting on excellent programs for beachers of all ages, the TBA’s work is integral to ensuring our community’s safety and enjoyment at Thunder Beach. Last year approximately 75% of the people in Thunder Beach were members of the TBA. This year, we invite all our members to help us showcase the benefits of the TBA to friends and neighbours who are not currently members and help us grow our membership. The Association is involved in: Keeping Our Community Safe

• Interfacing with Tiny Township on municipal issues that directly affect you
• Marker buoys for swimming and boating safety

Summer Fun for All Ages

• July and August Field Days
• Community Event Nights and Dinners, with live entertainment
• The Children’s Camp, Playground, Movie Nights, and Events
• Baseball and Flag Football Leagues for the kids
• Annual Golf Tournaments, Tennis Tournaments, and Thunder Run (for the non-kids;)
• Our own Tennis Courts, with weekly drop-in for adults and lessons for kids

Keeping us Connected

• Online, though ThunderBeach.Org, including a new classified section
• Stay in connected in the off-season with our TBA Newsletters
• Get your name in the TBA Membership Roster

Tell everyone to join us and become a member today! TBA Executive

Membership Update

Wow, this year has gone by really quickly and we are once again planning our summer! Registration is now open on the website and we encourage you to register online. If you are not comfortable with that, you may print off a registration form from the site and you can mail it in or you may use the forms enclosed in your mailing. We strongly encourage you to register and sign up for the events early so you are not disappointed. Reminder once again this year, you must be a TBA Member in order to have a Tennis Membership at Thunder Beach. These courts are maintained by and provided for Thunder Beach Association Members only. NEW THIS YEAR!! We are calling all qualified Swimming Instructors, Tennis Instructors, and Babysitters. We are trying out a new section for the young members to advertise their availability for teaching swimming lessons, tennis lessons, or those who wish to babysit. If you would like to have your name and phone number in the roster for these services this summer, please email your information to me at susanwinter@rogers.com as soon as possible. You and your family must be a member of the beach association to participate in this and if you are under the age of 18, your parents must be in touch with me prior to us putting your name on the list. We will be going to print on May 25th for the roster. If you have changes, or are new to the beach or you would like to advertise in it, please have your information to me by that date to be sure to be included in the 2013 roster. If there were any errors or omissions from the roster last year, please be sure to correct it with your registration so it is accurate this year. Finally, every year we have advertisers who support our association by placing an ad in our roster. We encourage our membership to support those who support us. If you wish to advertise in our roster this year, please use the contact form found on the website or in your mailed package and send it along to me as soon as possible with your business card. The business card size ad is $75 or a double size is $150. Again, the May 25th deadline is for you as well. If you have any questions, or concerns about your registration this year, please feel free to contact me by email or phone at susanwinter@rogers.com 905 240-9227 or 705 533-0828 Susan Winter

2013 Social Events Update

We’re looking forward to the upcoming summer season and are hoping you will join us for the following three events! Please remember to mark these dates on your summer social calendar: Lobsterfest – Saturday June 29th Feedback from last years Lobsterfest indicated some discomfort with the number of attendees. We accommodated many last minute ticket purchases in order to welcome all interested members from our community. This year, we are hoping to cap our ticket sales at 180 to ensure enough space to sit comfortably. Please be mindful of purchasing your ticket on time in order to avoid disappointment! Get Lobsterfest Tickets » BEACH BALL – Saturday August 3rd Drum roll please…. Taking a page from our nostalgic past, the August event night will now be known as the BEACH BALL. This dinner/dance will bring back the spirit of our beloved Beach Ball with a delicious dinner to start. Volunteers are invited to take on the themed décor for this event and share the spotlight with our campers whose artful representations of beach life will be on display. Get Beach Ball Tickets » Golf Dinner and Dance, becoming End of Summer Dinner and Dance- Saturday August 17th The Golf Tournament will take place during the day at Midland Golf and Country Club and will include lunch. For the evening we will be merging into an end of summer dinner and dance that is open to the full community. Please join us to first honour our golfers during cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and then celebrate the end of summer with dinner, dancing and LIVE MUSIC to follow by Thunder Beach’s own … high energy & rock star swagger, Angela Penfound-Wilson & her band, ‘Kitty & the Boyz! Please come out for a rock’n good time! Looking forward to a great summer! If you have any questions or want to volunteer to help us, contact me at lauralogaridis@gmail.com PLEASE NOTE: Tickets are available to be purchased online and always sell out quickly. You’re encouraged to buy your tickets when signing up for your membership to ensure that you do not miss out. Reserved tables will be available for parties of eight or more. Laura Logaridis

Thunder Beach 2013 Tennis Season

As the weather warms up, for those of us that love the game and for those of us that are just beginning, Thunder Beach has already started to look at a season that encompasses the traditions of the past and ideas that will drive the traditions of the future. We will once again use the shoe tag system that we initiated in 2012 and as a part of your membership we will encourage the use of these for all members. We are just finalizing the dates for our annual tournaments. Once finalized, we will post all confirmed dates on the website. The maintenance of the courts continues to be a high priority. We want to make sure the once the season begins that the courts are ready. We are looking for volunteers who could assist us in preparing the courts for the season. This would include basic spring clean up on and around the courts, putting the nets up, preparing the boards etc. We can make it fun and with enough of us, it will not take up too much of your time (date to be determined). We would also appreciate your ideas, thoughts and feedback for this upcoming season matt.ducharme@sympatico.ca . It is important that we hear from you. Comments around better shading, walk on days, perhaps even tennis socials. Making this season an enjoyable one for all members is our ultimate goal but making you a part of the success will make it better for everyone. Matt Ducharme

2013 Children’s Program Update

Although the warm days of summer are still on the horizon, plans for the 2013 Children’s Program have been underway for sometime. This winter, every individual interested in a staff or CIT position with the Children’s Program was required to participate in the application process. Michelle and I then reviewed all of those applications, and granted interviews to candidates seeking the Head Counsellor position. After much time and careful consideration, and after tabling our recommendations with the Board of Directors, we are pleased to announce that Courtney Jones will be returning to Camp to serve as Head Counsellor for Summer 2013. After having served as Head Counsellor in 2008/2009, Courtney went on to work with the Canadian Coast Guard and to attain her Master of Education through the University of Toronto. We feel confident that the entire staff will benefit from Courtney’s leadership experience. While the choice of Head Counselor was by no means an easy decision, and we were blessed to have other qualified applicants, we feel we have made the best choice for the children of our community. We want to take this opportunity to express our thanks to all of those who applied not only for Head Counsellor, but for all staff and CIT positions. It is a testament to the strength of our community that we have so many talented young people wishing to return to Camp year after year. Michelle and I are confident that we have assembled an exceptional team to lead us through another successful summer at Camp. Michelle and I are excited to unveil some of the changes planned for this summer. To begin with, there will no longer be a staggered start separating Kids Camp/Junior Sports from Senior Sports Camp. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, camp will begin at 10:00 am and end at 12:00 pm for ALL CAMPERS. We feel this new schedule will streamline both the commencement and dismissal of camp, provide opportunity for creative multi-age programming and maximize the allocation of resources. There will also be changes to the scheduling of Tennis Camp on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Junior Tennis (for campers ages 9 and under) will take place from 9:30–11:00a.m.; Senior Tennis (for those 10 and Up) will run from 11:00–12:30 p.m. For our youngest campers (ages 3-4), who may not yet be ready to pick up a racket, we will be offering physical activities promoting motor skill development and hand-eye coordination on the hard top area at the clubhouse. This will run concurrently with Junior Tennis from 9:30 – 11:00. Please note that the Children’s Program will no longer be cancelled due to inclement weather on Tuesdays and Thursdays (tennis days). Programming will be made available to campers rain or shine. Should we experience a “rain out” on a Tennis Day, campers should observe the Tennis Camp schedule, but report to the Club House for indoor activities. While we will continue to welcome campers on an open enrollment basis, for your convenience as well as our own, we would like to encourage all parents to register in advance. Camp enrollment is available seasonally, monthly, weekly or daily. A season’s pass to camp is $210.00 per child. Enrollment for July (July 1st, up to and including Aug 2) is $125.00. The tuition for August (August 1st through 28th inclusive) is $100.00. The cost to attend camp on a weekly basis is $40/week. This year, in response to requests from families who only attend camp as part of extended weekends, we have developed a “Flexible Family Plan” which would allow 10 days of camp to be purchased at the advanced purchase price of $100.00 (a considerable savings over the daily rate.) These passes MUST BE purchased in advance (prior to June 15th), and may only be attributable to children within an immediate family whose names have been registered with us in advance. Attendance records for those enrolled through the Family Plan will be administered via a Master List governed by the Head Counsellor. These passes are non-refundable and non-transferable, so we advise you to review your summer schedules and plan accordingly. Register for camp online now. Once the Club House has been open for the season, we will be accepting donations of “gently” used children’s items, including but not limited to Board Games, Jig Saw puzzles, musical instruments, and sporting equipment. Ever mindful of our lack of storage space, we respectfully request that all donations be complete and in good working order. We reserve the right to refuse donations should we be overrun and no longer able to accept certain items. All of the information listed in this newsletter will be available on the Association’s web site. Camp scheduling information will be listed as part of the Children’s Summer Calendar which accompanies your roster. Feel free to contact us with inquiries or suggestions at palmerbates@hotmail.com or michelle.mourneau@hotmail.com Looking forward to a wonderful summer…see you at Camp! Michelle Morneau and Stephanie Bates Children’s Program Directors

Children's Baseball: "Batter Up!"

Thunder Beach Youth Baseball: Tuesday July 2 to Friday July 19th. Games will be played on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 4:15. All players between 6 and 15 are welcome. No experience necessary (It has been years since anyone struck out!). Register your child online. Volunteer coaches please contact Doug Jones: djones000@sympatico.ca or 705.533.2385 or 519.884.4359 Doug Jones

Annual Thunder Beach Volleyball Tournament

The Annual Thunder Beach Volleyball tournament will be back this year, after a one year hiatus. We are looking forward to a strong return on Saturday July 20th 2013, with some fun new changes. There will be more details to follow later, but the most important change is that players will no longer be asked to sign up in teams. Signup will be done individually and teams will be picked at random. This will add a whole new dimension to the tournament and has been inspired by the smaller tournament pulled together by the Butler family last year in order to keep up the tradition of the Tawny tournament. So save the date for July 20, 2013 and stay tuned for more details! Tyler Richard

We need your help to keep our assets safe!

Our clubhouse is bursting at the seams and we need a place to store both our old and new assets. The TBA Executive has reviewed their options and have agreed to move forward with adding storage space to our facility .This additional storage would allow us to reconfigure what we keep inside the clubhouse. This would now include the storing non-perishable foods, bought in bulk twice a summer (as a cost savings measure) for our children’s programs, storing of board games and craft items for the new activities that will take place on tennis rain days, and the storing of videos for our weekly movie night, etc. The items that will be moved to the new storage include: - all sporting equipment including the progressive tennis paraphernalia - all tables and chairs which often get exposed to the elements (when not being used) which reduces their lifespan - all event decorations which are only used three times a year - maintenance items (ladder, buckets etc.) The research we have done recommends the use of a “pre-fab” structure which allows it to be non-permanent. Many such structures are available on the market. A dedicated committee will be setup to manage the process of obtaining and setting it up. Since no money has been set aside for this in our 2013 budget, we are requesting your help to raise funds for this new storage facility. We would appreciate your donations by June 1, via the donation button below or by cheque payable to TBA (Storage Funds) and mailed to Anne Hardcastle-Roebuck 33 Glenrose Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4T 1K3. The estimated cost is $12,500.00. We are anticipating having our new storage in place for our July 1 Field Day, depending on the success of our fundraising efforts. Thanks for your usual continuous and generous support.

TBA Executive

TBA Website Update

As you can see, we've given the Thunder Beach Website a bit of a facelift. After three years with the old design and a shopping cart and classifieds system that was starting to give us problems, it was time for an overhaul. I would like to thank everyone for their patience during the rebuild process - I know folks have been anxious to use the website, particularly to post classified ads for cottage rentals. The good news is the new system is more user friendly and you can get started right now! You can also renew your TBA Membership online and register for events, children's programming and tennis in the TBA Shop. And if you haven't done so already, make sure you sign up for TBA email updates in the sidebar at the top. We've also gone ahead and created a Thunder Beach Facebook page to make it easier for the TB community to interact and share photos, information and resources with each other. So head on over there and click 'Like'! If anyone has any questions about using the new website, please email me at mark [at] markmac.ca Mark Macdonald

FOTTSA Update

The TBA has been receiving updates from Federation of Tiny Township Shoreline Associations (FOTTSA) regarding the issue of the water levels of Georgian Bay and has attended the FOTTSA board of directors meeting, as a guest. John Philpott, who was named as our representative for FOTTSA last year at the TBA annual meeting, was asked by the FOTTSA BOD a few days after he attended their last meeting to join as a board member. After discussions with the TBA Executive, John will be appointed as a director of FOTTSA in the coming weeks to ensure that the TBA is gaining all benefits it can from its membership with FOTTSA. FOTTSA continues to work with Mary Muter of the Sierra Club in spreading awareness on the issue of the decreasing water levels and strategizing to compel the relevant government agencies to act. The President of FOTTSA, Paul Cowley and Mary Muter, recently spoke to the issue on TVO’s The Agenda. More information is also available on the Sierra Club website and here. If you are concerned with this issue, please sign the online petition, and you can also make a tax deductible donation on this site to the Great Lakes Section of the Sierra Club. You can also donate by cheque to: Sierra Club Canada Foundation One Nicholas Street, Suite 412B Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 7B7 Please indicate in the note section of your cheque that it is for the “Great Lakes Section”. Funds are being raised to continue the scientific research of McMaster University into the ecological harm caused by the increased outflow down the St. Clair River, including the considerable decrease in the amount of wetlands where fish spawn. This research involves a significant annual financial commitment, which is entirely donation dependent. Every donation helps! Paul Cowley, the President of FOTTSA, has been appointed of a director of Restore Our Water Levels International Inc. (“ROW”), which is a newly formed non-for-profit with its office in Michigan. The Chair is Roger Gauthier, a retired hydrologist who worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Great Lakes Commission. ROW is retaining a US environmental lobby group to lobby the US congress and executive to install sills on the St. Clair river to slow the outflow. FOTTSA and a representative of the TBA also attended a Town Hall meeting on the issue. In attendance from the area were the all of the mayors (Midland, Penetang, Tiny and Tay), the majority of the councilors and approximately 200 homeowners and business. The mayors across Southern Georgian Bay are organizing themselves, along with the Aboriginal Community, in a group called the Huronia Economic Alliance or HEA. The purpose of HEA is to compel the government of Ontario and the Federal government of Canada act on the issue. Apart from the water levels issue, FOTTSA has kept the Thunder Beach Association informed numerous municipal issues that may affect Thunder Beach. A full summary of these issues can be found in the next issue of the Tiny Cottager, which is FOTTSA’s newsletter. If anyone has any concerns regarding municipal issues, you can email John Philpott at jsphilpott@gmail.com. FOTTSA is also currently involved in fundraising efforts for the Georgian Bay General Hospital and the Wye Marsh. Information on the needs of the Georgian Bay General Hospital can be found here. TBA members are encouraged to submit articles to the Tiny Cottager, if they so desire. You can email any article ideas to Linda Andrews at lindajanea@sympatico.ca. The FOTTSA Annual General Meeting will take place at 10:00 a.m. at the Midland General Hospital on June 22, 2013. TBA members are encouraged to attend. John Philpott

Thunder Beach Dock Co., Interim Report, March 15, 2013

Greetings to all Thunder Beach Gas Dock Members! Hopefully everyone has survived the winter and is looking forward to great boating during the summer months. We are certainly looking forward to another busy summer on the Gas Dock. Let’s hope the water levels don’t drop too much! We will be open for business on the May 24 weekend, and on weekends throughout June. Regular hours of operation (weekdays and weekends) will resume on July 1. Subject to demand, we will operate on the basis as last summer, i.e., reduced hours of operation during the week in order to provide for extended service during the weekends. We are also looking for two or three staffers – please contact Kathy Mihaichuk if you are interested. Lastly, boaters who would like to rent docking space are invited to contact Bill McNamara at (416) 216-3918. Please do not forget to renew your Dock memberships for 2013. The membership fees are an essential component of the Dock’s financial viability. Please do not forget to renew your Dock memberships for 2013. The membership fees are an essential component of the Dock’s financial viability. We look forward to seeing you on the water! John Burns Mike Mihaichuk Bill McNamara

Sympathies

L. David Roebuck Passed away on Thursday April 11, 2013 at his home of pancreatic cancer. Beloved husband of Anne Hardcastle-Roebuck. Loving father of Michael and Adam. Memorial donations can be made to the L. David Roebuck Memorial Fund c/o Benjamin Foundation 3429 Bathurst Street Toronto M6A 2C3 or www.benjamin.ca