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Sing-along Café Thursday, September 24th, 2026

My September and School playlist grows anytime I hear something about the fall, or school, or new beginnings. I recently added Dolly Parton’s Here You Come Again, and today I added her Coat of Many Colors. I love it when I learn about things that were always there but I never looked. One of the greatest things about these Thursday afternoons is the way we listen to each other and easily switch to different songs or stay to linger on some songs or artists. I have my lists and always come with a loose plan of what I want to focus on, and ideas about which songs people might like, but going off on a tangent is always fun and fruitful. One unexpected tangent brought us to Pinterest a propos of the recipes for my treats. I was surprised by the realization that I do the same thing with Apple Music that I do with Pinterest. I make little collections and keep adding to them, playlists and ‘boards’ working the same way.  Another tangent led to Bridgerton. You Belong to Me by Taylor Swift is...
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Sing-along Café Starting September 24th

 New poster: Get Comfortable With Singing
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Singing is a Miracle- Or Should Singing be Common, Expected?

I saw this post on Facebook and thought about it quite a bit.  It says "Singing is a miracle. It has been called the most complex coordinative act that a human being is ever called upon to perform" , and it's signed Dan Marek.   At first, it felt good, but then it didn't. Singing is a miracle. Yes! But, singing maybe should be no big deal. Everyone can sing. Babies sing before they can talk, and little ones can even sing a melody perfectly when you sing it in a different key and when you change keys. There are lots of examples of singing being something like walking, a thing that we can all do. It's a miracle like walking is a miracle then.  Check out the Wikipedia page on Singing.  There's so much information about formal singing and pedagogy. This is something that irks me, the idea that singing is something that requires instruction, and the focus is on the singer as a professional, performing for the enjoyment of spectators. (The article is also Eurocentr...
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First Free Concert of Summer 2026 at Riverwalk Commons July 9

I'm planning to go to the first of the summer concerts at Riverwalk Commons in Newmarket on Thursday nights. There is a tribute band doing Elton John and Billy Joel songs. Lots of songs I can sing along with ;-) I hope to find some of my singing friends there.  There's also a concert in Aurora tomorrow, Wednesday evening. It's a good one: The Beresfords. They did an amazing Taylor Swift concert a couple years ago that had all the little girls believing the singer was TS herself. I'm not planning to go, but I could probably be talked into it... I've listed all the Aurora and Newmarket free concerts in my York Region Community Choir Calendar. Here's a link: YRCC Calendar Link I just saw on Facebook that there are concerts on Tuesday nights in East Gwillimbury and they have a market too, from 4-9. The Civic Centre is on Leslie at Mt. Albert Road (and south of Mt. Albert/Farr if you're coming from the west). The band tonight looks really good. I'm having a s...
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Trinity Folks, Sing and Dance with me Pride Weekend 2026

There will be music; there will be dancing, and joy, and excitement, and pride.  Saturday, June 13th is the York Pride Festival, and the highlight is the Pride Parade which passes by our church on Main Street.  Sunday, June 14th will be our Affirming Anniversary Service, led by the Affirming and Inclusivity Team, of which I am Chair.  Trinity’s Pride Parade Participation 2026          The parade is scheduled to start at 4:00pm and end around 5:30pm. Marchers assemble starting at 3:00. Hospitality table is to be set up around 2:00, and tear-down is at 6:00. Thousands of people (25,000 estimated) will be in Newmarket for the Pride Festival, and they will pass by our church on Main Street. Every year we have been a welcoming presence on our lawn. I'm so proud of my church! Let’s show them that we are a welcoming Affirming church! And, it’s a prime location for watching the parade. Come join us! Please come and see me (Renate) a...
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Sing-Along Café is Closed for the Summer- See you in September!

 
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Sing-along Café Thursday, June 4th, 2026

A lovely afternoon in lovely company ending a lovely season of singing together! It was so nice that the air conditioning was good and strong. I had prepared a no-bake treat, date brownies. They're made of dates blended with peanut butter and cocoa, a little flour and cinnamon and then pressed into a muffin cup, then topped with melted dark chocolate with a little butter. Frozen briefly and kept cold in the refrigerator. Yum! Little clementine oranges, nice and cool were also perfect for a hot afternoon.  Summer is coming and it's already hot outside, time for pools and cottages and slow afternoons on the porch or deck. Summer activities often feel like an escape, a vacation even for a few hours. Love was a good theme for our last time together for the season. One of the themes of love songs that we encountered in the past and noticed again today was that the world sometimes disappears when you're with your lover. Just being together can be an escape. Love can take you away...
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