For the last few months, I had been missing the get togethers that my local hobbyists were having pre-pandemic. 2-3 times a year we had our big live shows, and scattered throughout the year we had small events like swap meets. Since my show, Toronto Live, comes first in the annual lineup and it is usually in April, the 2020 show was cancelled. It was a domino effect affecting all of Ontario's model horse hobby. Suffice to say, none of us have really gotten together since 2019. On my birthday last year, I reached out to my local hobby with a proposal:
"Many of our American and International hobby friends have been doing this for a very long time, and I feel that us GTA area Region 11 people are getting a little too distanced from each other. We don't see each other until a show or a TPPC meeting, and I really think we need to spend more time with each other! So I am introducing the Region 11 (GTA) dinner circuit!"
The goal of the dinner circuit was to meet every month or so in one of three regions; Guelph, Downtown/ Central, or Scarborough area. This Dinner Circuit was all set to start sometimes in 2021 when the pandemic evaporated and everyone's lives went back to normal... but it's 2021 now and there is no end in sight. Although my idea was met with roaring success, there was no way anyone could meet under these circumstances.
With Zoom Prepping parties taking place globally, Erica Ferguson and I agreed that we too would forgo our annual traditions and move it online. It also made me think back to my September Dinner Circuit proposal, so I reached out to my local hobbyists again with a slightly modified plan:
"I posted before about getting together for dinner, and there is no better time to get together than during a pandemic!! Many of our local group is participating in NaMoPaiMo, and even if you're not I welcome you to chat about your newest purchases, model horse plans, and what you are working on! Grab some dinner and your project and pull up a chair for a Zoom Party for our locals! Zoom link will be posted when we go live! You will have to download Zoom if you don't already have it. Hint hint I plan to do a dinner party every week during the month of February."
And meet we did! Some came for prepping, some came for dinner, and others just came for conversation! Thanks to my father who let us use his business web conference software, our affair started at 7:30pm and went until midnight! We checked in on each other, had dinner, talked Breyerfest, real horses, cats, horse genetics, and more! It was so refreshing to see everyone again, even if it was digitally! I howled at my own horrible jokes and prepped some micros that I honestly didn't think I would get to until 2022 NaMoPaiMo... they just weren't on my radar quite yet.
The participants were: Victoria W. Krentz, Ashley Bellisle, Eric Yeh, Janine H, Helen Vanos, Brooke Southgate, Erica Ferguson, Beth Peart Weekes, Neena Bickram and myself!
Dinners that were officially served:
Lemony shrimp risotto & fanta jello
A full roast beef dinner with all of the trimmings
A salmon loaf with cream peas (a 1951 recipe) with Russian salad on the side & almond icebox cookies
Ashley wins the unofficial award for being on first and staying to the end! Some drifted in and out of the party but it was so great to see each other! There are more local hobbyists and some expats that didn't participate! I hope that they will join our second party February 1st!
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