Published in The BANAR February 2000
The Community Hall is being well used by groups in Blackburn and is booked practically every evening during the week. There are some daytime blocks available and we are looking for programs that would be useful to the community. Regular users include Guides, Sparks, and Pathfinders. The Blackburn Youth Association holds monthly dances, chess tournaments, bazaars, and many other functions.
There are also two quilting groups that hold their meetings once a week in our hall and the Gloucester Bahal groups use it for their meetings on a regular basis. The hall is an excellent place for a private birthday party or team party and many Blackburn residents have taken advantage of this facility for family reunions, anniversary dinners, sleepovers and wedding receptions.
The City ran a daytime program during the summer on PD days and the Christmas break. They will be doing so again this year. They are also running a Yoga class on Mondays from 2:00 to 3:15 pm. Those interested in City programs should watch for announcements in the local newspapers, or call the City to get more information.
The BCA has purchased 25 card tables for use in the hall and a bridge group has started. This group meets on Tuesday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00 pm and is open to anyone who wants to enjoy an afternoon of informal bridge and relaxation. Bill Durning has offered to direct the play and we have had up to 13 players show up without any formal notification. Euchre evenings have also been very successful and are being organized on a regular basis. See page 7 for more information on the next Euchre evening.
Students at Emily Carr are working on the artwork commissioned by the Gloucester Arts Council. It will be a wall mounted mosaic of coloured tiles depicting life in Blackburn and be mounted on the south wall. Paul Graham of the RPB is investigating various designs for reducing the noise echoes and will likely have something ready shortly. The air-conditioning of the hall was included in the first draft of the budget and will be done this spring before the warm weather is upon us. This will make the hall comfortable 12 months of the year.