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Island Lake Conservation Area hosting Seniors Day event on June 3

May 28, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Joshua Drakes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Seniors from across Dufferin County are encouraged to spend a morning outdoors at Island Lake Conservation Area during a dedicated Seniors Day on Wednesday, June 3, which offers free admission and a full slate of accessible activities.

Organized by the Friends of Island Lake in partnership with conservation area staff, the event runs from 9 a.m. to noon and is designed to help older adults discover – or rediscover – a major natural asset sitting just across Highway 10 from Orangeville.

Event organizer Jane Lightle said that the event is one of many activities run by the Friends of Island Lake to boost community engagement and get people outside.

“It’s one more activity that we’re trying to do to encourage seniors to get out into nature and appreciate Island Lake in our community,” she said. “It’s a real collaborative event between the Friends of Island Lake and the staff here. The volunteers, along with the staff, work really well together.”

Volunteers and staff have been working together on the program since at least 2017, with the goal of giving seniors an easy, welcoming way to enjoy nature close to home.

Entertainment will be centred around the amphitheatre stage, where local ukulele groups, including the Ukuladies & Ukuladdies, are scheduled to perform alongside visiting groups from Fergus and Orillia.

The program also features line dancing from Chartwell Montgomery Village, along with a chair yoga session led by Taylor from GoYoga, offering participants low-impact options to get moving and stay active.

Lightle said that accessibility is a core focus of the event.

“It’s going to be free admission for 65-plus and a companion through the gatehouse,” she said. “We actually have three of our senior centers  bringing groups by their shuttle, and then we’ll provide a shuttle from the parking lot over to the amphitheatre where the performances will be.”

For those looking to see more of the site, wagon-ride tours will travel to the Memorial Forest, a feature many seniors appreciate for its natural setting and reflective atmosphere.

Light refreshments will be available on-site, supported by longstanding event sponsors who have backed the Seniors Day for several years. Additional sponsorship from Avalon and Chartwell Montgomery Village helps the Friends of Island Lake raise funds for trail repairs and other conservation projects at the site.

The event will proceed rain or shine, with organizers hopeful for clear skies after past years where weather and air quality have posed challenges. With fun performances, interactive activities, prepared food and refreshments, the Island Lake Seniors Day promises to be a fun opportunity to get out and get moving.

Alongside promoting Seniors Day, the Friends of Island Lake group continues to recruit new members, host trail donation days, and support other community events to keep Island Lake active, accessible, and well-used by local residents.

For more information on Friends of Island Lake, go to https://cvcfoundation.ca/about-us/friends-of-island-lake.

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