Securing the Future of AlgomaTrad Heritage Arts

Work continues on our fundraiser campaign, which we ended up not releasing in December due to some issues with permits for the new septic system. Without the permit for the system, we can't obtain building permits for Dan's Hall or the new showerhouse. We were on a holding pattern with the Ontario Ministry of Environment who needed to respond to a hydrogeological study before giving us permission to submit the septic permit application. We are happy to inform our supporters that, with some prodding from our MPP, we have been given permission to submit the application, which will happen mid-March - the system design has been completed for over a year. Our fingers are crossed that the application approval won't take very long and we can start the system construction as soon as possible.

In the meantime, we have continued to be busy with planning and programming! While there has been some problems getting the new heating system for the Main Hall to work properly, we have been able to do a whole bunch of programming for the very first time at the AlgomaTrad Centre during the winter! And what a winter it has been with lower than average temperatures throughout December and January as well as TONS of snow. So, yes, a huge learning curve in plowing, shoveling, sanding, flood clean-up, and keeping a facility open in the winter, but we've had some wonderful happenings anyway!

• Community Dances - Starting in December we have held our all-ages contra/ceili/square dances monthly. The Main Hall has been full of happy and warm families and individuals bopping to called dances while listening to live traditional music.
• Our very first winter concert series began in January with the amazing fiddle/banjo duo Porch Couch and continued in February with the dynamic Eastern European/world music ensemble POLKY.
• The Main Hall was full of Scottish culture appreciators for the Robbie Burns Celebration at the end of January - bagpipes, Scottish song, highland dancing, and fiddling, as well as, yes, haggis and homemade shortbread!
• Thinking Rock Community Arts came to the Centre for a daylong program about Storytelling and Music for 15 lucky folks
• Julie and Pat, our Artistic Directors, have been busy offering their artistic direction experience to help design and implement a Francophone festival for the Centre Francophone Sault Ste Marie. This 3-day event , March 20-22, will feature traditional francophone culture including music and dance from across the spectrum from Quebec to Louisiana to Cameroon, learning workshop opportunities, heritage arts demos and culinary delights. The festival will culminate on the Sunday at the AlgomaTrad Centre with a Sugar Shack-themed brunch with local maple syrup, festival artists performances and a final Quebecois square dance.

We have also been working on preparing for the spring. Trees and shrubs have been ordered for the Forest Workshop, seeds have been ordered for the garden, and 3500 trees are going to be planted along the the seeps and ravines, thanks to support from the 50 Million Trees program.

Hopefully, the next time we report to you all we'll have more information about new infrastructure construction planned for the summer and the launch of our Secure Our Future campaign, as well as our summer programming plans!

Links:

• Upcoming Events & Programs at AlgomaTrad