The Fung Loy Kok Tai Chi Centre Landowner Appreciation Event

   

The CHBTC regularly chooses a landowner to honour by an appreciation event, usually a hike that passes through their property and a presentation ceremony.  This fall, we chose to honour the Tai Chi Centre in Mono.

While trying to find a mutually agreeable date this past September for our hike, Mary Biddulf, Coordinator of the Centre, suggested that the 5 hike organizers and their spouses come to the Gala Opening of their new 3 Religions Temple instead. The 3 faiths practiced there are Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.

We gladly accepted their invitation and were curious to learn more about the Centre. To officially open the $13 million dollar Quite Cultivation Centre, consisting of

 
mediation rooms, halls, accommodations and the magnificent new Temple, a 3 day celebration was planned featuring chanters, music and religious dignitaries from around the world culminating in the Gala Festival on September 8th.

It was a spectacular event to take in on that sunny and warm Saturday.  When we arrived, we were warmly greeted and assigned a guide who gave us an informative tour of the grounds, halls and of course the Temple.  As we walked through the Centre from building to building, the sights and sounds of celebration surrounded us.  Thousands of colourful Buddhist prayer flags danced in the wind above our heads and incense pots sweeten the air around us. Huge ancient drums pounded out a steady rhythm as the ceremonial dragon wound its way through the crowd,.  Later that evening, we were treated to a dinner in the brightly decorated meeting hall.  Paper lanterns, glowing red and gold hung above our table.  We could feel the excitement of a thousand participants around us at the tables with cheeses from Quebec, the laden buffet tables and the stage. 

During the after dinner activities, CHBTC president, Janice McClelland and Caledon Club BTA Rep, Peter Leeney took their turn on the stage.  Janice gave a brief description of the Bruce Trail and thanked the Tai Chi Centre for being generous neighbours and landowners in allowing the trail to cross their property, for permitting the Caledon Club to use their grounds as a staging area for our annual Thanksgiving End to End and for recently providing a meeting room for our hike leader training.  Janice and Peter then presented our framed appreciation certificate & gifts.
Even though the original intent of our involvement was to honour the Tai Chi Centre for their 17 years of being one of our Caledon Hills landowners, in the end we also came away feeling honoured to have been so warmly welcomed by the staff and volunteers to such an awesome event.  Thank you for inviting us.