On Saturday, the grounds of the Club d’Âge d’Or in Fort-Coulonge were packed with people for a fundraiser barbeque in support of renovations for the building. 

Organizer Rosalie Boucher explained that they typically pause their activities in the hall for the summer months, and the annual barbecue is a way of re-opening the hall for their fall and winter activities. 

“Every end of August we try to do our yearly barbecue to re-open the centre, because in the summer all the activities kind of stop and the hall is only rented for special occasions,” she said.

She judged the day’s efforts to be successful, as they had more than 100 people come through the doors. During the winter, the hall hosts a variety of activities, including the club’s sea pie suppers, and annual Christmas dinner. 

Boucher said that they aim to provide social activities for the community’s elders. 

“I run a mental health residence, I know how important it is to have social [activities] to do for people’s mental health,” she said. “It’s something that I do and like to do, it’s kind of a passion. I want the elderly to have something there, something good.”

Boucher, along with her brother Conrad Denault and fellow musician Pierre Graveline, provided the entertainment for the occasion. She said that she and her brother had started singing every Sunday night on Facebook and continued to bring the classic country tunes to their in-person gatherings.  

“Pierre’s mother used to sing with us when we were younger. She’s gone now but we always kept in touch with him,” she said. 

Boucher said that they had already raised more than $20,000 for renovations to the Golden Age Club’s interior for things like new floors and lights. She said that down the road they would like to purchase electronic doors for the building and invest in a heat pump, as their current setup is expensive through the winter.