Members of Windsor’s Fogolar Furlan Club reunite ahead of ‘new chapter’

The Fogolar Furlan Club gathered over the weekend, celebrating its 65th reunion.

Members of a longtime Windsor club reunited Saturday at a time when its days at its storied home are likely winding down.

Past staff and Club members associated with the Fogolar Furlan Club gathered for a 65th-anniversary reunion.

Over the years, the club’s halls have become a place where Frank Perissinotti, the club’s vice president, has created cherished memories.

“Some of my earliest childhood memories are of this club. My dad was an early member, from the mid-1960s. I remember as a child coming here all the time,” Perissinotti told CTV News Saturday.

To his knowledge, the club had never previously hosted a reunion prior to this weekend.

A family-oriented event was held through the day, before an event for adults was planned for the evening, where they expected about 150 people.

“This goes back in many cases, generations of people that have come through this club, knowing that we were founded in 1961, and now you get to see people that you haven’t seen probably in a long time, and you get to reminisce about being here,” he said.

The reunion came ahead of a “new chapter” for the club on North Service Road.

Earlier this year, members voted to sell the property with plans to honour event bookings through the end of 2026.

Despite rumours, the club vice president said it has not yet been sold or even listed for sale.

“Officially, the club is not even up for sale. We know we will be putting it up for sale, but it will be sold before the end of the year,” Perissinotti said.

Once the club is sold, memberships and traditions will continue, but in a new form.

Growing up around the club, Roma Williamson, a member and the organizer of the reunion, has fond memories of regular picnics on the grounds.

Plans for a reunion came together after notice of the plans to sell, with the hope of rekindling those memories.

“That’s probably another reason why people are so excited about being here today. Because once it was, you know, put out that perhaps our building won’t be here any longer, we’ll have to go somewhere else, it became very emotional for a lot of people because that building has, let’s say, many ghosts in it,” she noted.

Opened in 1961, the Fogolar Furlan Club began as an effort to carry on tradition for families originally from Friuli in Northeast Italy.