BALGONIE – “When is the last time you tried something for the first time?”
A great question, and for those new to nudism, July 12 is the perfect time to embark on that adventure. Green Haven Sun Club, just east of Balgonie on Hwy. 10 is holding their annual Bare as You Dare Walk for Diabetes on Saturday, providing an opportunity to check off a bucket list item while raising money for a good cause.
“I don’t know when I found a nicer group of people than what I’ve encountered here at Green Haven, and I’ve just really been enjoying it,” said one recent new member. “It’s just an all-around good experience.”
The fundraiser itself is an optional 2.5- or five-kilometre non-competitive walk/run on the grounds of Green Haven Sun Club beginning at 10 a.m. with a barbecue to follow. First-time visitors are free to enter the grounds, but there is a $25 fee to participate in the walk.
After the Diabetes Walk, organizers have an afternoon of outdoor games planned, plus a pulled-pork supper starting at 5 p.m. This year, a special seminar will be held by representatives of Women In Nude Recreation, a group that encourages and supports women through body acceptance and empowerment.
The Green Haven Sun Club is Saskatchewan’s only AANR-affiliated nudist club and has been around for 52 years. Nestled in a forest of green, it’s a family-friendly place known for its welcoming atmosphere.
“People are really welcoming,” said Maggie, who first visited Green Haven last year with her partner, Glenn. In 2024, the couple were planning to travel on a nude cruise when Glenn suggested spending time at Green Haven first to see if Maggie was comfortable with being nude in public before investing in the trip.
“Glenn, being the rational person that he is, said, ‘well, it would kind of suck if we spent all that money and you got on a cruise and then you decided you didn’t like it’,” she recounted. “So then that’s when he said, ‘why don’t we go out to Green Haven and see if you even like it first of all’. That was last August when I first came out, and I loved it.”
Glenn had visited Green Haven previously several years ago and was happy to learn that the safe and welcoming atmosphere he enjoyed then remained. Now, one year after Maggie’s introduction to the club and Glenn’s reintroduction, the couple became members and have a seasonal site.
The membership at Green Haven keeps the club functioning through volunteer maintenance efforts and even simply through annual fees, which go toward improvements at this oasis on the prairie. A main topic of discussion during their last AGM revolved around expansion as more sites are needed to meet their growing numbers. Currently, there are more than 70 members at Green Haven Sun Club, with new folks always welcome.
With facilities including a heated pool and a clubhouse large enough to accommodate social functions such as dances, it’s no wonder visitors quickly turn into members.
All they needed to do was venture into unknown territory and try something new.
