Sample Articles - Volume 23, Number 1 (Spring 2008) Here's to spring!

Spring 2008 (gN/aN 23:1)

Here's to spring!

by Karen Grant

Sometimes I can’t believe I’m a naturist, given that I live in Alberta. As I type this, on a January night, we’re in the throes of 16-hour nights, with the mercury reading sometimes well below -30°. However, naturism is a lifestyle, the way we truly live, which the cold, dark, and snow cannot change.

I’ve read that some folks feel the real beginning of the new year is spring, with the re-awakening of the trees and the return to the light. In central Alberta, the contrast between light and dark is so great that I must agree!

Late last year I became the new President of the Federation of Canadian Naturists. I thank Stéphane Déschenes for his seven years of dedication and service as our Past President. I cannot hope to fill his shoes, because he often doesn’t wear any! I’ve been having a steep learning curve, but also have the wonderful support and camaraderie of the naturist community in Canada.

I continue to wear my other hat, that of the FCN festival co-ordinator. I remind everyone to mark the calendar for August 7 to 10, 2008. Our festival will be held at Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park. Along with the change of location this summer, we’ll see some changes in the festival format. Nonetheless, we hope to see some of our regular session leaders, such as the massage and meditation pair, Sonia and David, and our fire-spitting acrobat/clown, Michel Goulet.

We need you

If you’d like to lead a session this year, willing to share your thoughts and talents with us, please contact me or Michel Vaïs no later than April 20—and the sooner the better. Let’s hear from you, folks! (E-mail references are highlighted below.)

Festival attendees should arrange accommodations or a camping spot as soon as possible. The on-site motel rooms at Bare Oaks were full for the festival by last fall. However, please check with Bare Oaks for availability of other accommodations on the grounds. There are also motels and hotels in Newmarket, ten minutes away by car. Naturists are hardy and neighbourly: check too with your friends, see if you may share space with them, and make this a group effort. The more the merrier!

We’ll also have the youth portion of our festival this year. We may continue our tie-dyeing, volleyball, pudding toss, and sand castles and water games. I’ve heard that a session on mask making would be appealing, so I’ll ask our naturist artists if they will grace our faces and bodies again with their art.

I look forward to the naturist festival every year. It’s a major part of my family’s holidays. We Canadian naturists are so far apart, yet we are a close-knit community in many ways. I cherish the friendships I have made over the years and look forward to seeing you again this summer.

Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your questions and comments. Here’s to summer!