News

Happy New Year, Norway Bay! 

2025 is here, and it's time to start thinking about SUMMER! (Yes, we said it — summer in January... because we’re optimistic like that.) All your favourite programs are coming back and they’re going to be better than ever! No more worrying about deep-water swimming dramas or mysterious dock reconfigurations this year. We're here to make it smooth sailing all the way.

Stay tuned for updates on Swimming, Canoe/Kayak, Field Sports/Tennis, Arts & Crafts, and Theatre programs. We’ll post all the details you need — including info on staff positions and the application process — on the website, in your inbox, and over on Facebook. You won’t miss a thing (unless you're in the witness protection program... but even then, we’ll try to track you down).

Exciting News: We need a NEW Social Director! 

Yes, you heard right — the NBMA is looking for a superstar (or two) to take the reins this season. This role is all about fun, and if you love our traditional Norway Bay social events like the Kick-off party, Dance, Open Mic, and Bingo (to name just a few), then we want you! While almost all of these events have long-standing volunteer coordinators/organizers, we need someone (or a pair) to oversee the whole season, coordinate events and volunteers, and work with the rest of the Board.

Thanks to past Social Directors like Beth McGahern and Julia Hardie, we’ve got a solid foundation, but we still need someone to steer the ship and manage all social events. The Regatta Dance on the August long weekend cannot happen without a captain at the helm. Don't worry — we know everyone has busy lives, so sharing the role as Co-Directors is an option, just like the past couple of years. 

So, what does the Job involve? Here’s the scoop:

Kick-Off Party

• Decide on the theme and timing of the kick-off party, as well as alcohol/food/permits/music/volunteers.

Regatta Dance: The Regatta Dance on the August long weekend does require hands-on management from the Social Director(s). 

• Pick the band for the Regatta dance. The Start has been the fan-favorite for years, and they’re still ready to rock.
• Food. Decide if the Regatta Dance will sell hotdogs or other food.
• Budget: Be responsible for managing budget and P&L considerations.
• Get the liquor permit. Because let’s face it, what’s a party without a little... something to sip (Don’t worry, we won’t judge your shopping list.)
• Coordinate the setup and tear-down of the hall — and rally volunteers to make it happen (we have amazing people who show up every year, so you won’t be alone!).
• Collaborate with the Board to ensure everything runs smoothly — and tap into the wisdom of past Directors so nothing goes off the rails.

Other Events:

• Work with established event organizers and NBMA Board to help manage all aspects of events.

If you’re feeling the urge to give back (or just really love parties), this role is a perfect way to get involved and make a difference in our awesome community. Trust us, it’s fun, rewarding, and a great way to meet more of your neighbours — plus, you get to help make the Regatta Dance a reality.

Interested? Have questions? Want to chat about it? Reach out to Pat Byrne at patrickdbyrne@hotmail.com or (613) 302-2976. Or feel free to contact any of the other NBMA Board Members. 

Pat Byrne
President, NBMA

NBMA August 20th Update

We cannot even begin to fathom that our 2024 Summer is coming to an end, it seems as though it just started.

First, we want to thank all of our members, donors, program participants, community members, staff, volunteers, and Board of Directors - all of you - for your support, encouragement, and "can-do" attitude, it is and always has been YOU that make "Norway Bay" our special place, and bring smiles and joy to every event.

We had a great summer, and look forward to seeing you at our 2024 Annual General Meeting, which will be held on Saturday, August 31st at 10am, at Centennial Hall. 

Please bring your coffee, your smiles, and great ideas. We look forward to hearing your thoughts, seeing your faces, and moving forward towards 2025 together.

AGM - Saturday August 31st - 10am - Centennial Hall

Until then, we leave you with thanks.

NBMA Volunteer Board of Directors

NBMA August 2nd Update!

Hi Everyone!

Congratulations to Julie Brousseau and Team Canada on a strong 4th place finish yesterday in the Paris Olympics (4x200m relay).  Thank you also to the entire Brousseau family and everyone involved in the Watch Party yesterday! What a lovely community building activity and such a thrill!

This weekend we have many Regatta events, please see the attached calendars and Regatta Bulletin for more information.

2024 BULLETIN POWER POINT.pdf

SATURDAY AUGUST 3RD

NBMA Swimming Regatta, pier/beach area.  10am

NBMA Tennis Tournament, 9am start, please contact Pat Byrne for more info, text 613-302-2976 or patrickdbyrne@hotmail.com

NBMA Regatta DANCE: This Saturday at 10pm, we host the 2024 Regatta Dance, featuring our favourite band ever, The Start. The link to purchase advance tickets is below, and expires at 3pm Friday. Please state your name as well as your guests’ names in the comment section at checkout!

Get yours now for $20 and save $5 off the “at the door” price!

https://norway-bay-municipal-association.square.site

SUNDAY AUGUST 4TH

NBMA Long Distance Swim, Scobie House Beach, 10am registration, 10:30am start.

NBMA Awards and Airbands competition, Centennial Hall, 6pm. 

FRIDAY AUGUST 9TH

BINGO NIGHT 6:30PM. This is an annual fun event! Donations of prizes are needed and much appreciated. Any gift cards, new items, or anything fun may be donated. Please contact Katie Loftus (wonderbound67@hotmail.com) to donate! 

SWAG!!

The Norway Bay Swag store is still open, with a pretty good selection of items remaining. All inventory is live, and available for immediate pick up in The Bay!

If you have ordered, please text Christine at 613-286-8711 to set up an appointment time for pick-up. Items will be picked up at 159 River Rd. Please bring your own bag, be on time, and please bring your confirmation email when you come to collect your order. Thank you!

If you'd like to order, all items are live on the website, please visit https://norway-bay-general-store.myshopify.com/

THURSDAY JULY 25TH

OPEN MIC NIGHT. Thursday, July 25th at 8pm! Doors open at 7:30pm with our performers starting at 8pm.  If the weather is nice, we will be outdoors on the basketball court.  In the case of rain, the event will take place inside Centennial Hall.  Please bring a chair (if you wish), bug spray, and cash for admission and drinks/snacks.

For those who wish to perform, performers must be at least 15 years of age and are encouraged to bring their own instruments. Registration for performers will take place on-site around 7pm.  If you wish to register prior to this time, feel free to reach out to Marc - contact information found below. 

Admission charge will be paid on-site as you arrive and will be $10 for those 16 years of age and older, and kids younger than 16 are free. There will be a cash bar (alcoholic and nonalcoholic) with the addition of debit/credit machines. Snacks, pop and water will be $2 each, beer $5, wine and coolers $7, although we prefer cash. Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Anik Bedard at anikb@msn.com or Marc Richard at richama99@gmail.com.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all soon for a nice evening under the pines with music from our local artists! 

FRIDAY JULY 26TH

FAMILY FIELD DAY - 3:30-5pm Come out and join us for a fun family style volleyball adventure at the park! 

MUSICAL THEATRE PROGRAM 6:30pm doors - Norway Bay’s Musical Theatre Program is proud to invite you to our very own adaptation of Frozen at Centennial Hall on Friday, July 26. Doors open at 6:30 PM and the show will start at 7:00 PM..

We will have a silent auction featuring many valuable items donated to us from community members such as the following:

• Ottawa museum family passes
• Personal training session with Val Thompson
• Private Tutoring sessions with Miranda
• A live wreath from The Little Hill
• A 50 dollar gift card to Jolie Folie Boutique
• a 50 Gift card to Bistro Mexciana
• Art workshop with Missy Fraser
• Gift card to Ariane's Garden Make sure to bring cash and come early to place your bids!
• Much more!

We will also be selling chips, candies, water, pop, and juice boxes so please bring cash to purchase (2 dollars each). 

"Let it go" and come on out and celebrate the hard work our youth have done this summer to entertain you and support the arts in Norway Bay! Pay what you can at the door!  All money will go towards supporting programming for the NBMA.

A big thank you to our director Amy Harris and instructors Miranda Blair, Ruby Maloney, and Sam Dunn.  

REGATTA WEEKEND #2 - THIS WEEKEND

SATURDAY JULY 27TH

Long distance run, Centennial Park, 9am

Field day, Centennial Park, 10am

SUNDAY JULY 28TH

NBMA Triathlon, public beach 10am

THURSDAY AUGUST 1ST

NBMA 1ST ANNUAL TRIVIA NIGHT All Tables have been sold. A huge thank you for supporting this event!!

SATURDAY AUGUST 3rd

REGATTA WEEKEND #3  - Swim competition 10am

NBMA ANNUAL TENNIS TOURNAMENT - 9am start with all details to follow.

NBMA ANNUAL REGATTA DANCE, 10PM: Our favourite band THE START is back! Purchase tickets in advance or at the door. Doors will open at 10:00. NEW this year Chantal from My Way will be selling gourmet pulled pork sandwiches!

SUNDAY AUGUST 4TH

Long Distance Swim, Scobie House Beach, 10am registration, 10:30am start

NBMA Awards and Airbands, Centennial Hall, 6pm

FRIDAY AUGUST 9TH

BINGO NIGHT  Bingo Night - Friday August 9th at 6:30. This is an annual fun family event. Donations of prizes are needed and much appreciated! 

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE:

Welcome to Summer 2024 - it's been an interesting Spring, to say the least.

With some amazing volunteer efforts over the past two months, we as a Norway Bay Community have managed to come through this looking pretty good, at least in my somewhat biased view.  We've got a brand new dock configuration for swimming setup, and while I know it's not what we're so accustomed to seeing, it proves that teamwork is always the winning solution! And I think it's fair to say that how we rallied, and what have as a community built - is making people feel pretty comfortable that things are going to keep going forward, and what we all cherish in terms of the Norway Bay traditions are still solid and moving ahead.  And not to mention that all the other programs - Field Sports, Tennis, Basketball, Pickleball, Theatre, Canoe, Regatta, etc are all still happening too. The kids (and let's be honest that's why most of us are reading this) will adapt quickly and let us know pretty quickly what we need to tweak.  The initial feedback has been very positive and we are very ready to adjust as necessary as the season moves forward.  This is a big change, but we now know it will work!  

So as I look at the bigger picture, this year so far has certainly presented some unforeseen challenges, both in terms of the obvious Pier access, but also in terms of the uncertainties around all the program activities that depend on it, and the inevitable time constraints that dealing with addressing those questions has imposed on all of us at the NBMA.  We all feel grateful that with the tremendous support of the whole community, we have in place what we need, and are moving forward with all the swimming and all other programs.  But I want to let people know that many of those challenges still impact us, and will for the next while.  I was quite worried when the announcement about the Pier came out and feared that we would not be able to continue with what I see as our primary mandate:  to provide the children of Norway Bay with a fun, SAFE, and enriching environment in which to learn and grow.  We have, and will continue to do that - thanks to your help!!.  But as most of you know, that is not just an NBMA goal - that is a Norway Bay Community goal.  And I would like to call on the community to help us ensure that we can continue to fulfill that responsibility.  

With the combined impact of three very significant realities, namely the residual results of the pandemic, the closure of the Pier (and associated uncertainty around availability) and the ongoing inflationary impacts on costs - staff wages but also other elements like supplies, insurance, utilities and others, we as an NBMA organization are truly feeling the pinch.  As a team, the NBMA Board has worked very hard to trim costs, streamline programs and activities, and re-visit many of our activities, and have made a lot of progress on these fronts. However, the reality is that many people that weren't certain if programs would be available had to make alternative arrangements, and so our registrations are down from past years.  Early results seem to show that they are starting to pick up, but not to where we need them to be.  I don't have to remind any families out there about the concurrent inflation's impact on everyday costs.  The NBMA is feeling the same pain.  

So as we move forward in this most interesting 2024 season - one that is going to be memorable for a lot of great reasons - I am asking the Community to acknowledge both the efforts and importance of the NBMA and its activities.  We have already had a very successful Kick-Off Event (the Chili Cook-Off event), and have several more coming including the Golf Tournament and the Trivia Night (please see below).  But we need more.  I would respectfully ask that if anyone in Norway Bay was thinking of perhaps making a donation, or volunteering to help us, that this would be a great time to act on that.  We want to be able to continue to grow, and at the same time be able to respond properly to the whatever is in store.  Perhaps that's some necessary upgrades to Centennial Hall (such as the washrooms & kitchen facilities, the ventilation and the entire structure), perhaps the inevitable investments we will need to make to accommodate the new Pier configuration as it evolves, perhaps simply to be better able to exploit what we have - such as shade structures at the swimming docks, or the tennis/pickleball court.  But we'll need your help to be able to do that.  

As President, I am (respectfully) asking that if any of you can help us out, this would be very appreciated.  Below is a link to donate to the NBMA, which would be much appreciated - and allow us to continue to provide the experience that all of our children want.  Thank you VERY MUCH in advance.  

Link to donate: click here

Warm regards,

Pat Byrne, President

SWAG POP-UP STORE:

Hello everyone, due to some unexpected and extremely unfortunate hiccups, this year's Norway Bay Swag Store is a mini pop-up version featuring a fun new 2024 graphic, reminding us that "happiness comes with currents", especially the current in our beloved river.

All stock is live on the website and when an item is out of stock, it is no longer available. We have tees (long and short sleeved), tank tops, and hoodies for both kids and adults, as well as some new fun baseball caps! 

We hope to have a better store for you next year and appreciate your ongoing support.  Please remember that all proceeds go to the NBMA and that this is a fundraiser.

Please visit the store and purchase your Norway Bay items now!  

No shipping is available, all items are "Porch Pick Up" beginning mid-July.

https://norway-bay-general-store.myshopify.com/

SOCIAL EVENTS UPDATE:

Saturday July 13th: Fourth Annual Norway Bay Golf Tournament 

We invite all members to attend the NBMA 4th Annual Golf Tournament and Lunch on Saturday July 13th. This fundraising event will consist of a four-golfer per team best-ball format. Lunch will follow. If you wish to attend only the lunch that will also be an option. 

Location: The Astra Estates (Norway Bay Golf Course)

Time: Check-in will begin at 9:00am with a shotgun start at 9:30am sharp.

Lunch: Lunch will be served at 11:45am. 

We look forward to hosting you for an action-packed day of friendly golf, good food and fun!

Registration is limited to 72 golfers so we encourage you to get your teams signed up as soon as possible.

To register, please email bethmcgahern@bell.net or julia.hardie@ocsb.ca to ensure all golfers are in their desired groups.

We will once again have four categories of registration depending on whether someone is a Norway Bay Golf Club Member: Junior (16 & under) Member, Junior Non-Member, Adult Member & Adult Non-Member. 

The cost of golf and lunch is $60.00 per person ($45 if you are a member of Astra)

Lunch only: $30.00 (per person). 

TO REGISTER FOR THE GOLF AND/OR LUNCH, PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM. PAYMENT WILL BE COLLECTED SEPARATELY.

~~~~~

MEMBERSHIPS:

Please remember to renew your NBMA membership by going to www.nbma.ca

Reece Bastien will be at the park handing out Membership Placards during field sports on the evenings of Tuesday, July 9th, Monday, July 15th and Monday, July 22nd.

NBMA Spring 2024

Hello NBMA Community:

We hope everyone is doing well and is gearing up for spring. It looks like winter is back here in Norway Bay as we’re getting snow again!! But spring is certainly on its way, and with virtually no snow and very little ice, we expect an early season this year.

I’m sure most everyone is aware of the rather unfortunate news regarding the pier. The engineering report received by the Municipality (based on testing and evaluation done in the late fall) has confirmed worst fears – the Pier has been deemed unsafe for use, and more importantly unsafe to attach docks to (either our own NBMA swimming docks, or the Bristol municipal boat docks on the other side of the pier). As a result, we have been VERY busy trying to figure out alternatives to be able to provide ‘deeper water’ swimming programs and activities. More about that below.

But the good news is that ALL other NBMA programs are moving ahead, including the beach-based elements of the swimming program. We are certainly a bit behind in our communications, as the pier activities have taken up a lot of our time, but we are very excited to announce that the summer jobs will be posted by Thursday March 21st; with the full timetable for applications, interviews and hiring also posted at that time. So please stay tuned for those, and certainly let anyone else you interact with know that those are coming – and that importantly there will be no changes to the other programs!

As for the ‘deeper water’ elements of the swimming program, the NBMA is working closely with Bristol staff and council to determine what, if anything, can be set up to facilitate deeper-water swimming program activities in time for this summer season. Bristol staff and council are still trying to understand what can and cannot be done without impacting safety and liability restrictions.  We hope to have specific announcements very soon, but until we can confirm what might be configured (and when), and whether that could be used to facilitate a safe and effective environment to teach the necessary swimming programs, we are unfortunately unable to commit to any specific deep water swimming. 

Please be patient, as we recognize the impact this delay has on children hoping to enroll in these programs, parents trying to coordinate summer plans and potential instructors anticipating employment this season.  As soon as we get confirmation one way or the other, we will communicate immediately with our NBMA community.  These are certainly extraordinary circumstances, and not something we had expected - but still certainly something that we need to get clarity on as soon as possible. 

I want everyone to know that the NBMA recognizes the critical importance that the summer programs play in many people’s plans, and as such are doing everything we can to try and preserve as much as we can with those longstanding and very loved activities. Our first – and primary – responsibility is to provide a safe, open and fun experience for both children in the programs and the instructors and Supervisors of those programs. Rest assured that as soon as we can assure a safe and effective environment for the swimming program, we will communicate that to everyone within Norway Bay. Please be patient and thank you in advance to everyone for your understanding (and help) in making these unexpected changes to these longstanding cornerstones of the Norway Bay experience.

For questions about the pier, boating and fishing, please contact the Municipality of Bristol (http://bristolmunicipality.qc.ca). 

For questions about NBMA programming, please reach out to me, Patrick Byrne, my contact details can be found below.  However, please know we don't have many answers right now, please be patient and stay tuned, we will communicate everything the moment we have news.

IMPORTANT DATES:

All NBMA jobs will be posted on Thursday March 21st on the NBMA website (www.nbma.ca).

A Zoom based online job fair for all those interested in a summer job will be held the evening of March 25th. Details will be emailed and posted. 

Thank you,

Pat Byrne

NBMA President

patrickdbyrne@hotmail.com