So who are we?

The group was started in 2002 by a local pipe smoker, Eric Mathurin. It was a chance to see if others had any knowledge or experience to share with respect to pipe smoking. The numbers grew, meetings were held, and things ballooned from there. Some great times were had, and we even attracted some impressive guests to our meetings, such as pipe carver Philip Trypis and representatives from Brigham Enterprises (as well as contributions from Cornell & Diehl, PipesWorld.com and The Ottawa Cigar Emporium). But with Ottawa's implemented smoking ban, the club took a heavy hit. Without indoor locations to gather and enjoy a pipe and each other's company, we were left to the mercy of patios and Mother Nature. Numbers and interest dwindled, but the club stayed alive. Slowly, it moved to a small group of friends who whoudl gather monthly at someone's house to... well... enjoy a pipe and each other's company.

Recently, two of our longstanding members, Father Eric Melby and Eric Mathurin, have had to move out of Ottawa and we found our numbers quite diminished, but we could not let the pipe go out. So having taken over a point of contact (I hessitate to take on the term of "president"), it was time to get the word out. Flyers were put up, local shop owners were approached, and the message board came back to life.

What is OPC's goal? Why are we doing this?

Okay; so that's two of the W's in one shot, but bear with me. Our goal: to have fun amongst new friends and enjoy our hobby. In short, to enjoy a pipe and each other's company. The real "what" of the club depends on all of you: our small group of friends have done some interesting things, but we want to expand it amongst new members and share in the fun. I've already arranged for discounts for our members at a few local stores, and am working on getting even more if possible. We're looking at holding "theme" nights, or events of lack of a better term. Things like bulk blending (this is your chance to try and make that perfect smoking mixture); jarring (yup, some tobacco does get better with age—like a fine wine); we can look into pipe carving; road trips to other shops like Blatter and Blatter; maybe even the Chicago Pipe Show next year. And if the numbers and interest are there, we may go as far as commissioning club pipes. The possibilities are there—now it's up to you on what you want to see come out of our club.

When does the OPC usually meet?

We have no set schedule, and member's are welcome to arrange small events whenever they like with the help of our calendar that you all have access to on the Yahoo group site. In fact, I encourage you all to take an active role in organizing any sort of event. I want you all to feel that this group really is for all of us. So far, we try and keep our meetings to at least once a month, but as it's been a small group so far, we've just worked out the dates between ourselves. Now that our numbers are growing, we're going to look into standardizing this (for example, every 2nd Thursday of the month).

Where does the OPS usually meet?

Now this is the question. Summer was easy: pastios are everywhere and golf courses abound. Fall will be managed with covered patios like the one at Stout Bros and East Side Marios, but winter is fast approaching. In the past, a few of our members who are allowed to smoke indoors (yes, we're all jealous of you) have been kind enough to host some very memorable evenings for our small group, and I know that a few will continue to do so. So this is the call to arms: any members willing to host an evening at their home—or even their heated garage—over the fall/winter months, you will be showered with praise (and possibly tobacco) from your fellow club members. In the past, we have seen things slow down a ltitle over winter, but we will not let it go out.