CELEBRATING 152 YEARS!
We meet at the Notre Dame Retreat House; 5151 Foster Road in Canandaigua on Friday, May 1, 2026. We are welcome to arrive early (3-5 PM) to enjoy the nature trails on the property. Our potluck dinner will be in the dining room (Please bring a dish to pass and serving utensils if needed. No need to bring your own place settings this year!). We will welcome Shelley Walker as our presenter after a brief annual meeting.
The Notre Dame Retreat House parking lot is located in front of the building. The trails meander around the east side of the building overlooking Canandaigua Lake. The dining area is on the south side of the building which requires some walking from the main entrance. Folks who require handicap parking are welcome to drive around the left side of the building to the chapel entrance (which is closer to the dinging area).
Here's our timeline: 3-5 PM – enjoy the trails and grounds / 5-5:30 PM – meet in the dining area with pot luck meal items / 5:30 PM – meal / ~ 6 PM – annual meeting / 6:15 – 7:30 PM – Presentation by Shelley Walker (open to public and those who can’t arrive earlier)
What a wonderful evening for the 30 people who gathered together to celebrate our 152nd year. Notre Dame was most welcoming and members had no trouble navigating from the entrance to the dining room by following the trail markers through the hallways. Our meal was DELICIOUS with all categories of foods from appetizers to desserts. A special thanks to Nancy Lynch and the Notre Dame staff for providing beverages, dishes and clean up!
Wow! Shelley Walker did a phenomenal job sharing how she navigates teaching high school science classes with the first objective of teaching students to "touch dirt". To keep us engaged she incorporated a BINGO game and gave us transplants that the students propagated as prizes.
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| Caleb honored us with an impressive fossil display. |
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| Thanks to the NDRH for their wonderful accommodations! |
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| The classroom greenhouse |
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| Shelley has several ongoing projects at the same time for her students |
Due to a rainy Friday afternoon, Laura headed back to Notre Dame on Saturday to wander the trails. Here's a link to the trail map. Printed trail maps may be available just inside the entrance doors.
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| Notre Dame entrance from the west |
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| trail heading east toward Canandaigua Lake |
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| looking north toward NDRH from the pond |
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| storms to the east |