Darling White Lake Centre

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Strawberry Social

What better way is there to pass a steamy summer afternoon than with fresh strawberry shortcake, enjoyed in the air-conditioned comfort of the Darling White Lake Centre.

About 100 of your friends and neighbours did just that this past Saturday, raising $545 for the Renfrew Hospice. Your executive committee also did their bit by waiving the rental fee for the event, which brought the total donation to $645.

A special thank you goes out to Jacqueline Cairns and her many helpers who made this such a successful event.

Saturday, May 20, 2023

A few avid gardeners

A few avid gardeners braved the rain to enjoy the plant exchange event at the Centre Saturday morning.

Organised by local volunteers there was lots on offer including a wide variety of plants, some door prizes, and a well-supplied coffee and snack table (The brownies were delicious!).

After all the exchanging there remained a few unclaimed garden specimens that will be planted in the Centre gardens once the rain stops.

Thanks to Nora and Natalie for organizing the event, and the other volunteers who helped out. And thanks to the White Lake Kitchen, Nicholson's in Pakenham, and 5 Span Feed and Seed, also in Pakenham, for the door prizes.

Time to get planting!

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Only 4 more sleeps....

... until the Spring Plant Exchange on Saturday, May 20, at 10 AM. There is no cost, but a $2 facility user fee will be collected, proceeds going towards maintenance of the Darling White Lake Centre.

Reconnect with neighbours and returning snowbirds while getting some new plants to feed the ~~forest rats~~ deer this summer.

There will also be door prizes donated by 5 Span Feed and Seed, White Lake Kitchen and Nicholson’s.

All the details are in the flyer.

So pot up those unwanted plants and bring them out on Saturday. You never know what you might get to take home in return.

Monday, May 8, 2023

Busy day at the Centre

Well it was a busy day at the Centre today as 15 or so volunteers undertook a complete spring cleaning. While one group worked cleaning the building inside and out, another group was busy cleaning up the surrounding forest and trails of winter, derecho, and ice storm damage. After a couple of hours of pretty intense labour by all involved, tools were downed and the group gathered for lunch. (Awesome chili Brenda!) By 12:30 PM everyone had packed up, leaving the Centre all prettied up for another year. (Except for the gardens, which, although they look beautiful already will be the subject of a future work effort.)

Thanks to all who volunteered and came out to help!

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Spring clean-up May 8

As predictable as April showers and May flowers is the annual spring clean-up. And the Darling White Lake Centre is not exempt. So, on May 8, starting at 9 AM, an intrepid crew of cleaner-uppers will be tackling the inside of the building, while a second, equally intrepid, crew will be taking on the winter damage to the woods surrounding the Centre. All this work will, of course, be followed by a free lunch to thank all the worker bees for their efforts.

And we are looking for volunteers. If you can help out, send us an email at DarlingWhiteLakeCentre@gmail.com and tell us whether you'd prefer to work indoors, or out among the black flies. (Don't forget your OFF!)

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Spring Plant Exchange

Members of the community have organized a spring garden plant exchange at the Centre. This is a great opportunity to come out and meet your neighbours after a long, cold winter, and trade a few plants to refresh your summer garden. This event will be happening Saturday, May 20; all the relevant details are in the attached flyer.

Plant Exchange Flyer

Monday, April 17, 2023

Crafting group is back!

Jean Blackburn and Debbie King are planning another Crafting day at the Darling White Lake Centre. This time the project is making a 5x7 inch pop-up card. The cover has a space to write what you are celebrating (Birthday, Anniversary, Mother's Day, etc.). When the card is opened a sunflower pops up.

Date is Thursday, April 27, from 1-3 PM. Cost is $7.00 which includes the $2.00 hall fee, the rest going to materials.

Space is limited so you need to pre-register. If interested contact Debbie King at debbieking.lily@gmail.com.

Rentals

The Darling White Lake Centre is available to rent for special events, meetings, family get-togethers, small commercial activities, and so on. The following facility user fee schedule applies.

Rentals

For private (i.e. not open to the public) or commercial events not requiring the use of the kitchen, the fee is $100 per calendar day (or part). The rental fee is $150 per calendar day (or part) if the kitchen facilities will be used in support of the event. For any event expecting more than 60 attendees the rental fee will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

All rental applications must also include a $500 damage deposit to be applied to any damage and/or additional cleaning of the Centre resulting from the rental.

Prior approval of the Executive Committee is required for any rentals. The rental fee and damage deposit must accompany any application and can be tendered in cash, by cheque, or via etransfer to DarlingWhiteLakeCentre@gmail.com.

NOTE: If alcohol is to be served/available at the event, the renter MUST obtain a Special Occasions Permit (here) and provide a copy to the Executive Committee no later than 1 week prior to the event. Failure to do so will result in the reservation being cancelled. Both the approved Rental Application and the SOP must be posted at the Centre during the event.

For a copy of the Rental Application, click here. To see photos of the main room and kitchen, click here.

Public activities

Community events that are open to the public, such as euchre, yoga, coffee hub, general meetings, etc. are charged $2 per person per event.

The Centre is to be left in a clean condition with all interior and exterior elements in the same condition as they were found. Should that not occur additional cleaning and/or damage charges may be levied.

The organizer(s) of any public event/activity must complete a DWLC User Agreement prior to commencing any such activity. For a copy of the User Agreement, click here.

Executive Committee

The Darling White Lake Centre (DWLC, or "the Centre") is owned by the Township of Lanark Highlands and is managed by an Executive Committee consisting of volunteers from the local community.

The Committee operates under By-Law 2023-1853 (here) and in accordance with the policies and procedures contained within its Operating Guidelines (here).

Current members of the Executive Committee are:
Brian Cairns, President
Brian Needham, Vice-president
Patrick Kelly, Treasurer
Brenda Guiney
Karen Cairns
Larry Paquette
Jacqueline Cairns
Sandy Geier

The Executive Committee meets on a regular basis. The meetings are posted on the Centre's calendar, and are open to the public. Minutes of past meetings are available here.

Any member of the Executive Committee can be reached at: DarlingWhiteLakeCentre@gmail.com.

Events Calendar