2025 MonSFFA Field Trip – Saturday, June 14

This post is to announce that MonSFFA’s members have chosen a new exhibition on knights and their times as our 2025 club field trip. Mark Saturday, June 14 in your calendars!

Reviewing some half-dozen options presented at MonSFFA’s recent May meeting, the subject of knights proved most popular and the exhibition garnered overwhelming support as this year’s field trip. This exhibition opens at Old Montreal’s Pointe-à-Callière museum, Montréal’s “Archaeology and History Complex.” The standard adult admission charge is $29, with various discounts available for seniors, students, etc.

Getting to the Museum

The nearest Metro station is Place-d’Armes; from there, it’s a 10 minute walk to the museum via rue Saint-Francois-Xavier. Also, the 50 bus, running along rue de-la-Commune, stops at the museum. Paid parking is available in the area, primarily in the Old Port.

MonFFen to Meet-Up at Museum

The date we have selected for our field trip is Saturday, June 14. Our plan is to meet in the museum’s main entrance lobby at 1:00PM (don’t be late!) and enter together at about 1:30PM. As always, each individual is responsible for their own entrance fee and any other expenses incurred, such as lunch or gift shop purchases. For any interested, we will make our way to a nearby restaurant after our visit to enjoy a post-field trip dinner.

Information on the Exhibition

“Delve into the heart of history with ‘Knights,’ a fascinating exhibition that stirs up the spirit of chivalry. From the battlefield to the royal court, this exhibition explores the various aspects of the life of knights,” reads the museum’s promotional text. The world of knights is fully explored, including “their training, their place in society, and their code of honour.” Exquisite examples of European weaponry and armour, sourced from Italy’s prestigious Museo Stibbert, are among the over 250 pieces on display, showcasing the skill of the period’s craftsmen.

Note that there are also other exhibits of interest at Pointe-à-Callière, including studies of Montreal’s founding and past, the history of the iconic  Dow Brewery, and an immersive and interactive family exhibition on pirates and privateers.

Museum’s Address and Contact Information

Address: 350 Place Royale, Old Montreal, QC, H2Y 3Y5

Phone number: 514 872-9150

Web site: https://pacmusee.qc.ca/en/

5) THANK YOU

We thank Joe Aspler and Keith Braithwaite for their efforts on this afternoon’s programming, and tip our hat to all of our contributing participants, along with everyone who helped to plan and run today’s meeting. Finally, of course, we thank all of you who joined us, both physically in the meeting hall and here on ZOOM; don’t forget to comment on today’s get-together (www.MonSFFA.ca).

6) NEXT MONTH’S EVENT:

During the coming couple months, the club will hold events outside of our regular Nouvel Hotel meetings. We will first embark upon a field trip next month, on Saturday, June 14, gathering at the appointed time and place, which were decided upon during the course of today’s meeting, details to be posted shortly, here on our Website—watch this space! We invite all MonSFFen, their families and friends to join us on our field trip.

7) SIGN-OFF

Thank you all for taking part today. We appreciate the enthusiastic involvement of our members, and we hope to see you all again next month on the field trip! Until that day, happy travels and keep well!

1) INTRODUCTION

Welcome to MonSFFA’s May 2025 meeting! The days are warming, the rains are falling, the are birds singing, the flowers, pushing through the earth, sunward, and the last of the Tempos have come down in neighbourhoods across the city: true signs of Spring!

Take note that we have again been moved into the “Faubourg” room by the hotel, in lieu of our usual “Maisonneuve” room; the Faubourg is just down the hall from the Maisonneuve.

As always, our out-of-town members can take part in today’s meeting via ZOOM from the comfort of their own homes. So do join us for a few hours of sci-fi fun! Today’s proceedings will be getting underway shortly.

To join our ZOOM-chat and take part this afternoon, see the instructions, immediately below (Item 2), to join in and participate online.

Our programming agenda begins at 1:00PM; the meeting will conclude at 5:00PM. This opening post has gone up 30 minutes before the meeting’s start time to allow folk to gather online at their leisure. A closing post will go up at 5:00PM to officially thank today’s presenters/discussion moderators, and to publish the date of the next MonSFFA event.

2) JOIN THIS AFTERNOON’S VIDEO-CHAT ON ZOOM!

To take part in this afternoon’s meeting online, join our ZOOM video-chat, which will run throughout the next few hours. Simply click here and follow the prompts: This Afternoon’s MonSFFA Meeting on ZOOM

If you’re not fully equipped to ZOOM, you can also take part by phone (voice only); in the Montreal area, the toll-free number to call is: 1-438-809-7799. From out of town? No problem; find your ZOOM call-in number here: Call-In Numbers

Also, have this information on hand as you may be asked to enter it:

Meeting ID: 848 5184 6478
Passcode: 603289

3) MEETING THEME FOR MAY 2025

Meeting Theme: We will be discussing, during the course of today’s meeting, our annual club field trip, upcoming in June! We welcome your suggestions as to which museum, exhibition, or interesting locale to visit this year.

4) THIS AFTERNOON’S AGENDA

Today’s programming agenda is as follows:

1:00PM – Section 31 (Game)

How well do you know your sci-fi spaceships, aircraft, and vehicles? As a Section 31 agent, you will be required to covertly gather information on various of these as potential targets, and this afternoon, we will test your ability to correctly identify a few! 

2:00PM – The Cartoons of Tom Gauld: SF, Fantasy, Literature, and Commentary. And books!

We examine the art and humour of prolific cartoonist Tom Gauld, whose work covers a wide range: science, science fiction, fantasy, role-playing games, classic literature, politics, and more. Gauld happily combines different genres in a single cartoon. Vampire tropes… and modern politics; classic literature…and science fiction; fantasy…and the reality of television. Not only does Gauld love books, he also loves booklovers, and publishes in major newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian, The New Scientist, The New York Times, and The New Yorker.

3:30PM – Break

Club business, announcements, and raffle. 

3:45PM – Discussion and Planning for Club’s Summer Schedule—Field Trip, Summer Barbecue-in-the-Park, August “Fancraft” Workshop

We will showcase and discuss potential destinations for our annual club field trip, upcoming on June 14! Welcome from the membership are suggestions as to which museum, exhibition, or interesting locale to visit this year. Further, we’ll lay out our plans for the club’s annual Barbecue-in-the-Park on Sunday, July 13, and work out the details of our planned “fancraft” workshop/meeting on August 16.

4:30PM – Final Thoughts

We close the afternoon with final thoughts, questions, and commentary on today’s topics, or other subjects members may have to briefly share with the group. Your feedback, dear members, is always welcome!

5:00PM – End of Meeting

Please Note: While we strive to keep on schedule, we do, sometimes, fall behind a little, or find ourselves having to reshuffle the order of items on the agenda for one reason or another, or reschedule planned presentations/discussions. Therefore, please understand that all programming is subject to change!

The meeting officially begins at 1:00PM! Thanks for joining us today, and enjoy the afternoon!

MonSFFA’s next meeting is scheduled to take place tomorrow afternoon, Saturday, May 10, from 1:00PM to 5:00PM!

We will gather at our usual downtown meeting locale, Le Nouvel Hotel, 1740 René-Lévesque Ouest (corner St-Mathieu).

Out-of-towners, as always, may join our ZOOM-chat and take part in the meeting from the comfort of home!

On the Agenda:

The Cartoons of Tom Gauld: SF, Fantasy, Literature, and Commentary. And Books!

We examine the art and humour of prolific cartoonist Tom Gauld, whose work covers a wide range: science, science fiction, fantasy, role-playing games, classic literature, politics, and more. Gauld happily combines different genres in a single cartoon. Vampire tropes… and modern politics; classic literature…and science fiction; fantasy…and the reality of television. Not only does Gauld love books, he also loves booklovers, and publishes in major newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian, The New Scientist, The New York Times, and The New Yorker.

Section 31 (Game)

How well do you know your sci-fi spaceships, aircraft, and vehicles? As a Section 31 agent, you will be required to covertly gather information on various of these as potential targets, and this afternoon, we will test your ability to correctly identify a few!

and more…

Meeting Theme: We will be discussing, during the course of this meeting, our annual club field trip, upcoming in June! We’ll welcome your suggestions as to which museum, exhibition, or interesting locale to visit this year.

We’re looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our downtown meeting hall for this May 2025 meeting! Bring a friend! See you all there tomorrow, Saturday, May 10, 1:00PM-5:00PM!

Please Note: While we strive to keep on schedule, we do, sometimes, fall behind a little, or find ourselves having to reshuffle the order of items on the agenda for one reason or another, or reschedule planned presentations/discussions. Therefore, please understand that all programming is subject to change!

The latest issue of MonSFFA’s News bulletin, Impulse, is now available for viewing or download!

Click here: ImpulseMay2025(OnlineVersion)PDF

This May 2025 edition, and past issues of Impulse can also be viewed or downloaded via our Website (www.MonSFFA.ca); visit the Impulse page.

This issue promotes the upcoming May club meeting (this Saturday, the 10th), outlines the club’s 2025 summer schedule and reports on our presentation on “Ssssnakes in SF&F” at the club’s April get-together.

Enjoy your issue of Impulse! And we hope to see you at our upcoming club meeting, Saturday, May 10, 1:00PM-5:00PM.

MonSFFA’s next meeting is scheduled to take place this Saturday, May 10, from 1:00PM to 5:00PM!

We will gather at our usual downtown meeting locale, Le Nouvel Hotel, 1740 René-Lévesque Ouest (corner St-Mathieu).

Out-of-towners, as always, may join our ZOOM-chat and take part in the meeting from the comfort of home!

On the Agenda:

The Cartoons of Tom Gauld: SF, Fantasy, Literature, and Commentary. And Books!

We examine the art and humour of prolific cartoonist Tom Gauld, whose work covers a wide range: science, science fiction, fantasy, role-playing games, classic literature, politics, and more. Gauld happily combines different genres in a single cartoon. Vampire tropes… and modern politics; classic literature…and science fiction; fantasy…and the reality of television. Not only does Gauld love books, he also loves booklovers, and publishes in major newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian, The New Scientist, The New York Times, and The New Yorker.

Section 31 (Game)

How well do you know your sci-fi spaceships, aircraft, and vehicles? As a Section 31 agent, you will be required to covertly gather information on various of these as potential targets, and this afternoon, we will test your ability to correctly identify a few!

and more…

Meeting Theme: We will be discussing, during the course of this meeting, our annual club field trip, upcoming in June! We’ll welcome your suggestions as to which museum, exhibition, or interesting locale to visit this year.

We’re looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our downtown meeting hall for this May 2025 meeting! Bring a friend! See you all there this Saturday, May 10, 1:00PM-5:00PM!

Please Note: While we strive to keep on schedule, we do, sometimes, fall behind a little, or find ourselves having to reshuffle the order of items on the agenda for one reason or another, or reschedule planned presentations/discussions. Therefore, please understand that all programming is subject to change!

MonSFFA’s next meeting is scheduled to take place this Saturday, May 10, from 1:00PM to 5:00PM!

We will gather at our downtown meeting locale, Le Nouvel Hotel, 1740 René-Lévesque Ouest (corner St-Mathieu).

Out-of-towners, as always, may join our ZOOM-chat and take part in the meeting from the comfort of home!

On the Agenda:

The Cartoons of Tom Gauld: SF, Fantasy, Literature, and Commentary. And Books!

We examine the art and humour of prolific cartoonist Tom Gauld, whose work covers a wide range: science, science fiction, fantasy, role-playing games, classic literature, politics, and more. Gauld happily combines different genres in a single cartoon. Vampire tropes… and modern politics; classic literature…and science fiction; fantasy…and the reality of television. Not only does Gauld love books, he also loves booklovers, and publishes in major newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian, The New Scientist, The New York Times, and The New Yorker.

Section 31 (Game)

How well do you know your sci-fi spaceships, aircraft, and vehicles? As a Section 31 agent, you will be required to covertly gather information on various of these as potential targets, and this afternoon, we will test your ability to correctly identify a few!

and more…

Meeting Theme: We will be discussing, during the course of this meeting, our annual club field trip, upcoming in June! We’ll welcome your suggestions as to which museum, exhibition, or interesting locale to visit this year.

We’re looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our downtown meeting hall for this May 2025 meeting! Bring a friend! See you all there on Saturday, May 10, 1:00PM-5:00PM!

Please Note: While we strive to keep on schedule, we do, sometimes, fall behind a little, or find ourselves having to reshuffle the order of items on the agenda for one reason or another, or reschedule planned presentations/discussions. Therefore, please understand that all programming is subject to change!