Ontario Sunrisers 2023 Spring Rally

The Ontario Sunrisers LTV Chapter held their Spring Rally at Green Acre Park in Waterloo, Ontario, from Tuesday, May 23 – Friday, May 26. In total, 26 LTVs registered to attend, including three attending their first Rally. We arrived on Tuesday and had a check-in process followed by a meet and greet session with prize draws and a potluck appetizer get-together by the pond. That evening we had a campfire with a very large ring of people, which gradually got smaller and closer to the fire as the night proceeded.

We had coffee, pastries, and fruit by the pond on Wednesday morning. At 10:30 am, 17 bicycle riders started on a 24-kilometer trail and bike lane ride (thanks to Sharon and Phil for planning the route) through the University of Waterloo grounds and into downtown Waterloo.

We stopped to see the historic Brubacher house built in 1850 by John E. and Magdalena Brubacher, who were Mennonites from Switzerland and Pennsylvania. They lived in the house with their 14 children until the early 1900s. Our next stop was the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery to see some amazing art pieces. We had a lunch break by Silver Lake in Waterloo Park and then took the bike lanes along King Street to see the historic downtown area of Waterloo, followed by a different bike trail route back to the campground. In the afternoon, a smaller group of bikers did an 8-kilometer ride on the trails closer to the campground.

That evening we had a catered dinner in the recreation hall by Kennedy Catering. We had apple bourbon chicken, two salads, roasted potatoes, and vegetables. After dinner, several game tables were started, with Bid Euchre and Catch Phrase being popular.

Thursday morning was a little cold at 1 degree Celcius, but we had a nice blue sky for the RV, and group shot photos. As people had their coffee, we did a show-and-tell discussion where people brought along unique items they had purchased for their LTVs. This was a big hit as people brought very useful items that we could now add to our shopping lists.

Our next activity was to travel to the St. Jacobs Farmers Market–Canada’s largest year-round farmers market, where the favorite item was to get apple fritters, followed by beer flights at Block Three Brewing in St. Jacobs. Next, we walked down the street to The Village Biergarten for lunch on the patio. When we arrived back at the campground, the Canadian Geese had moved in and done their “business” all over our group campsite. We were entertained when the campground staff came with their yard boss machine to clean up the mess so we could hold our question-and-answer session. That evening we had another campfire and cooked some smores.

Friday morning was 2 degrees Celcius so we decided to have another campfire so it was warmer for chatting and having coffee. We said our final goodbyes and were happy that everyone seemed to enjoy this rally at Green Acre Park in Waterloo; we’ll return to this campground in the future. Our Fall Rally will be in Wiarton in late September, but until then, safe travels wherever your LTV takes you.

Written by: Joel Smith