by Michelle Wachman, Volunteer Open House coordinator
The weather gods blessed us with sunshine on this fun-filled day, giving a carnival-like atmosphere to the Centre’s annual Open House on July 13. The over 400 people who attended the event could be seen enjoying the hands-on learning experiences that Le Nichoir and our wonderful exhibitors provided, making that all-important connection with nature.
The crafts and face-painting stations remained bustling throughout the day – the chairs were never empty. The volunteers may have been painting angry birds but there were certainly plenty of butterflies and happy faces too. I even saw a few grown-ups getting their faces painted!
Christopher Cloutier of the Morgan Arboretum led a parade of excited children and adults — binoculars and cameras in tow — on two successful bird walks. We were also very lucky to have local Hudson artist and author, Catherine McNamee, reading from her wonderful children’s books.
Thirsty? Delicious, freshly squeezed grapefruit and orange juice donated by Minus 40 foods was available for a mere 50 cents and sold by the lovely Hudson Girl Guides. Hungry? The guys in the BBQ pit were ready with your Hot Dog Trio thanks to the generosity of Hudson’s IGA Poirier et fils!
We even had great prizes at the raffle! Did you win?
Phew! Busy day for the kids – what better way to end it than in the shade, under a tree, having freezies and listening to a story? Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? It was.
A huge shout out to all of our wonderful volunteers and staff: your professionalism and commitment are truly inspiring. The event was a success because of you.
We would also like to express our gratitude to the Town of Hudson, and to all of our generous sponsors and media partners for their continued support.
On a personal note, I would like to express my gratitude to Susan Wylie, Executive Director of Le Nichoir for allowing me to be a small part of such a wonderful and worthy organization.
See you next year!