Xmas Walk and Party (PURPLE PAW MEMBERS ONLY!)

Hi Gang,
It's time, once again, for our final event of the year ... our 5th Annual (!!!) "Victoria Small Dog Walk and Play Group" Xmas Party! 5 years! Wow, can you believe it?!

As we have the last couple of years, we'll be heading back to Goldstream Provincial Park for our party. The location works out really well for our group, for a number of reasons, including the fact that it is one of the best wind-protected sites in Greater Victoria. This is due to the sheltering influence of Mt. Finlayson, along with the other land masses that make up the Seven Peaks area that swings down and around Goldstream Park. During the windstorm that struck on the day of our party last year, those who attended were snug as a bug in a rug in our calm little respite.

As the event title says, this event is for PURPLE PAW MEMBERS ONLY to thank you for your kind and generous financial contributions to the group throughout the year.
(If you don't know what the Purple Paw Donors Circle is, see the About page of the Victoria Small Dog Walk and Play Group.)

Other things we like about Goldstream start with the large covered area with nice picnic tables. This ensures that if the day is wet, then we have a dry area to hold our festivities. In addition, we like that we can gather and stay warm around the fires we have started in the fire rings and wood stove. (Thanks to Marlene and Brian for providing the firewood!) The covered area has a modest outdoor kitchen area which is great for our setup of hot drinks, yummy Xmas treats, and more.

There IS a walk associated with this event. It's a shorter walk than usual, but still nice, and members often stop and take pictures at the waterfall just to the south of our party area. (Not "Niagara Falls". This is a different waterfall.)

After the walk, folks tend to settle in with a hot drink and some treats. You might want to throw a foldup chair in your car which you can grab if the weather is nice and set it around one of the toasty fires!

I'm still working on all the details of the event, but the main jist of the party remains unchanged...
1. Our walk will be from the Goldstream Park Welcome Center to Finlayson Arm Road, over the bridge and then down the short Bridge Trail. We'll walk along to the waterfall, take some pictures, and then turn around.
On the way back, we'll change our route slightly, as natural evolution has resulted in a portion of the trail next to the Goldstream Spawning Channel being given back to nature. However, we can still walk out to the Visitor Centre at the tip of Finlayson Arm. The full route is about 2.5 km of easy trails.
2. This year, there'll be a prize TABLE, rather than specific draws for certain prizes. If your name is drawn, just come up to the prize table and choose the prize you like best. I have fortunately been able to get some outstanding deals on some very nice prizes, so I'm looking forward to putting some smiles on some lucky faces.
3. Yes, we do in fact have Xmas collars for the dogs this year. Woo hoo! They're very festive! They're adjustable in size from 19 to 32 cm, so they should fit the neck of all but the very tiniest and very largest of our gang of dogs. Note: While these fun collars could probably be used for normal, everyday walks, I personally (and perhaps you too) would not want to. I prefer using a harness with Tidbit, so I'll certainly put a Xmas collar on her, but I would treat it as decorative, rather than functional.
4. As we do every year, I'll have a container of boiling hot water so you can make yourself a hot chocolate or a cup of herbal tea. There will be other great treats too, kindly supplied (or baked!) by members of our group!
5. The Xmas decoration angels (thank you Sara, Marlene, Brian) will hit our location at Goldstream before everyone arrives ... to infuse our spot with some Xmas spirit. Xmas tablecloths and centerpieces will adorn each of the picnic tables. And Marlene will be providing the Xmas music once again to complete the festive mood!
6. As mentioned earlier, we'll be bringing our own firewood for the fire rings and the wood stove. Please don't take fallen branches etc. from the undergrowth and put them on the fire, as this is not allowed.

Updates to follow as things begin to fall in place.