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The Victoria Folk Music Society, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Autumn Retreat Details,
Nov. 08–10, 2024

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• The Victoria Folk Music Society 2024 Autumn Retreat:
November 08–10, 2024 at George Pringle Memorial Camp, Shawnigan Lake, BC

What to expect and answers to other frequently asked questions!

CONFIRMATION

  • We will send a confirmation email to all registrants that supply us their email address. In the absence of an email address and with the help of Canada Post, we will do our best to send confirmation by surface mail.
  • If you sent in your Registration but have not received confirmation before November 4th, please email us at info@victoriafolkmusic.ca or phone 250-475-1355
  • Ride Sharing: we have a coordinator for that, and once you have registered, your confirmation letter will contain contact information.

THE RETREAT INCLUDES:

  Making music with friends old and new in a lovely rural setting
  Two nights accommodations, 6 catered meals, and snacks
  Workshops led by volunteers
  Lots of time and space for song circles and jamming

Here’s a link to a map and to Camp Pringle’s facilities webpage:
  Google map for Camp Pringle on Shawnigan Lake
  CampPringle.com / accommodations /

  • Check-in from 4:30 pm on Friday with dinner served at 6 pm
  • PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE ANY EARLIER THAN 4:30PM ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON!! If you beat the traffic and have time on your hands, West Shawnigan Lake Provincial Park is just next door, Mill Bay and Shawnigan Lake townsite offer coffee and other interesting shops to explore, and the nearby Kinsol Trestle Trail is truly spectacular!
  • Retreat schedule and Workshop schedules will be emailed and posted in a pre-retreat letter.
  • Cleanup and Checkout is by 2 pm Sunday.
  • Retreat schedule and Workshop schedule will be sent later this month in the pre-retreat letter.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

  • Rooms are heated with 2–6 beds each. All beds are single, some are bunk beds. All accommodations are first-come first-serve (except for special needs: see below). Be sure to check in with the registrar upon arrival and before heading to a room. (You may be asked to change rooms if you have not checked in first!) ABSOLUTELY NO CHECK-IN BEFORE 4:30 pm FRIDAY AFTERNOON!!
  • If you have special needs such as limited mobility issues, please let us know and an appropriate room will be reserved for you. Please note: Availability of special needs rooms are limited.
  • We will designate separate dorm-room areas for women and for men in Laura Butler Lodge. Some dorm-style rooms may be designated co-ed, depending on numbers of couples (If you know other couples who would want to room with you, why not plan ahead?) There are a limited number of two-person rooms in Branter Lodge which will be reserved for special needs and couples.
  • Showers and washrooms are on each floor of the lodges.
  • Laura Butler Lodge and Branter Lodge are quiet areas after 11 pm.
  • Spencer main halls up and down are available for late-night singing and jamming.

CAMP RULES:

  • Park in designated areas only.
  • No pets or alcohol permitted; smoking permitted only in designated outdoor areas
  • We can enjoy the beach but use of the dock or boating facilities is NOT PERMITTED. If you wish to launch a kayak or canoe, there is the provincial park right next door!
  • Camp Pringle is on a septic system, biodegradable items only down sinks and toilets.
  • Drop-ins are not permitted; registered, over-night participants only.
  • The retreat is a 100% volunteer-run event, so please consider helping out, especially with car-pooling, leading a workshop, and/or moderating a song circle or jam. All participants are responsible for leaving the camp clean at the end of the weekend. Please organize cleanup with your roommates.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

While public health orders may be long gone, COVID-19 continues to circulate widely along with seasonal colds and flu. If you fall ill or are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 or other contagious disease immediately before the Retreat, we ask that you DO NOT ATTEND the camp. Please let us know of your cancellation as soon as possible by email A partial refund may be available.

Many members of the Folk community are older or have health conditions that put them at increased risk of infection. Showing kindness and respect by staying home when you are sick, and keeping a safe distance and/or masking-up when in public settings goes a long way toward protecting vulnerable individuals. Your patience, understanding, and cooperation are all appreciated . . . immensely!

The VFMS Autumn Retreat is a Scent-Free environment. Some retreat participants suffer from severe sensitivities to various chemical-based or scented products such as shampoo, perfume, deodorant, air fresheners, and laundry products. We ask for everyone’s cooperation in not using such products at camp.

WHAT TO BRING:

  • Bedding, pillow. Note that all beds are single size and have a firm mattress with a thick plastic cover — extra padding might increase comfort.
  • Towel and personal toiletry items
  • Warm clothing — it is November!
  • Rain jacket or an umbrella — again, remember it’s November!!
  • Good shoes for getting around the camp — and perhaps hiking on the Trans-Canada Trail nearby. The Provincial Park next door is good for walks, too.
  • Flashlight
  • Musical instruments, tuner, songbooks, extra strings, perhaps a music stand, a recording device
  • Anything needed for a workshop that you’d like to attend
  • Your camera — and if you get some great shots, we’d like copies to make an album!
  • Comfort items: Small lamp or clip-on light to improve lighting in your room or the jamming spaces (a short extension cord could be handy, too)
  • Beverages will always be available in the dining hall: tea, coffee, herbal tea. Fruit juice is provided at breakfast, along with milk also available at lunch and dinner, but feel welcome to bring your own favourites along as well.
  • Fruit and other snacks will be available in the dining hall throughout, but you may want to bring your own ‘nibbles’ for between-meal munchies. Please also consider bringing potluck snacks to share at the Saturday Night Concert.
  • If you have special food needs that may not be met completely by the camp food, consider bringing some extra food that you can eat — there are cooking facilities (with cookware) available in Branter Lodge.
  • Chairs are available but you may want to bring your favourite picking chair or stool.
  • Ear-plugs — turns out even non-snorers snore!

DIRECTIONS TO CAMP PRINGLE
2520 West Shawnigan Lake Road, Shawnigan Lake, BC

50 minutes from Victoria
80 minutes from Swartz Bay (Swartz Bay is the ferry terminal when coming “from Vancouver to Victoria”)
Google map: Google.ca /maps/ etc. [map]

From Victoria: Head north on Hwy 1, about 25 km. Turn left onto Shawnigan Lake Road (13 km to the camp). Keep left onto West Shawnigan Lake Road (‘east’ Shawnigan Lake Road gets you there, but it’s a very long way around!) Turn right into Camp Pringle, just past West Shawnigan Lake Provincial Park.

From Up-Island: From Up-Island: Head south on Hwy 1. About 10 km south of Duncan, turn right onto Cobble Hill Road (The signs direct you to Cobble Hill). Travel to the end of Cobble Hill Road. Turn right onto Renfrew Road along the north end of Shawnigan Lake, then turn left onto West Shawnigan Lake Road and watch for the Camp Pringle sign. If you get to West Shawnigan Provincial Park, you’ve gone too far.

From Mill Bay: Take the Shawnigan-Mill Bay Road west from Hwy 1 to Shawnigan Lake Townsite (8km). Turn right on Shawnigan Lake Road continuing along as it becomes Renfrew Road at the north end of the lake. Turn left onto West Shawnigan Lake Road and watch for the Camp Pringle sign. If you get to West Shawnigan Provincial Park, you've gone too far!

• • •

We look forward to sharing a great weekend of music with you!

• • •

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