Local News – Front Porch Blog

Our Neighbourhood News: From the Front Porch of LynnValleyLife

Hi there neighbours, and a very warm welcome to our blog, From the Front Porch of LynnValleyLife.

Why do we call it ‘From the Front Porch’? Because that’s where the real news of a community is shared – on front porches and sidewalks, and in coffee shops and playgrounds. So sit down and stay awhile…. and check back regularly, so we can keep you in the Lynn Valley loop.

Visit here for musings on local life from our neighbourhood observer, Lynn O’Malley, and stories from our editor Peggy Trendell-Jensen. Publisher Jim Lanctot weighs in with news from the world of Lynn Valley real estate, and we look forward to bringing you a range of guest voices from your valley neighbours.

If you have any tidbits of interest, please send them along to our neighbourhood news-gatherer, Robin, at [email protected].  We can’t guarantee we’ll be able to post them all, but we’ll do our best to spread the word on this blog page or on our Facebook site!

Robin Hicks

LV’s Robin Hicks: DNV council candidate

LynnValleyLife asked each Lynn Valley-residing DNV council candidate to respond to a set of questions designed to help readers become acquainted with their views. Read about candidate Robin Hicks, below, and see our original story for links to all the candidate profiles. What  prompted you to run for re-election? I ...
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Roger Bassam

LV’s Roger Bassam: DNV council candidate

LynnValleyLife asked each Lynn Valley-residing DNV council candidate to respond to a set of questions designed to help readers become acquainted with their views. Read about candidate Roger Bassam, below, and see our original story for links to all the candidate profiles. What  prompted you to run for re-election? Our ...
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Argyle principal thanks community for flood support

In the wake of Monday night/Tuesday morning's flash flooding that closed Argyle Secondary, required the evacuation of at least 17 Lynn Valley homes, and has left some in our neighbourhood temporarily homeless, school principal Liz Bell sent out this Tuesday late afternoon update. It is reprinted here with her permission: ...
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All Hallow’s Eve tips, tricks and treats!

We know there are lots of plans being hatched in the neighbourhood for Halloween block parties, costume extravaganzas and scary movie nights. If you're looking for some community get-togetherness, Friday Night Live is hosting a Neighbourhood Halloween Party for all comers. Doors open at 6:30 for games (think pin the ...
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History Centre showcases diverse stories

History Centre showcases diverse stories

A press release from the North Vancouver Museum & Archives: North Vancouver has undergone many changes in recent years. We see this in changing skylines, advertisements about new businesses and festivals, and in the diversity of people now residing within our community. It is important to recognise and document the ...
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Pumkin Patch 2014

Pumpkin patches to spring up in Lynn Valley

The mist will soon descend and the magic will happen... and Lynn Valley families will wake up to find that two pumpkin patches have taken root right in the heart of this mountain village! Whether your kids are young or old, they will have a great time at these two ...
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It's time to find this year's Good Neighbour!

It’s time to find this year’s Good Neighbour!

If you're tired of reading bad news in the headlines, you'll love our third annual Good Neighbour Award! Each year we put out the call for nominations, and every year you send us wonderful stories of the people around you who help the world in ways large and small. We ...
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Make good in the ‘hood – join the LV Services Society!

Last time LynnValleyLife put out the call for board members for the LV Services Society, we're glad to say that at least one of our readers stepped up to add their voice and vision to shaping our neighbourhood. The LVSS has asked us to spread the word again, so if ...
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Walter Drayco

Online project offers glimpse into Draycott’s war years

Some current-day citizens of Lynn Valley knew Walter Draycott when he was alive. Most of us, however, know Walter as the man sitting on the bench, immortalized in bronze, in Pioneer Park on the corner of Lynn Valley Road and Mountain Highway. Others know him best from the pages of his ...
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Don’t miss Friday Night Live season opener!

We're super excited that Friday Night Live will soon be back, with its weekly run of musical and comedy improv starting up again on September 26. It's always good for a laugh - well, many laughs - and FNL's variety of guest artists gives regular audience members an unparalleled opportunity ...
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Family-babysitter match-making service offered

The uncertainty about the ongoing teachers' strike has had many Lynn Valley families chewing their nails over potential looming childcare challenges. But we know that it's not just during a crisis that a good babysitter can be hard to find. To that end, we asked our Facebook followers if they ...
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Shop local – with online convenience!

From the desk of Peggy Trendell-Jensen, editor: Oftentimes the convenience of online shopping translates to an unfortunate flagging of support for the bricks-and-mortar shops that are so much the heart of a healthy community. Fortunately, Save-on-Food's new online shopping service doesn't put us in that moral dilemma - we can ...
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GameReady

Childcare options offered for shaky school start

Update September 1, 2014: School will definitely not be in session tomorrow (sigh). Parents wishing to apply for the $40/day subsidy for school-aged children 12 and younger can click here to register. Have your school district (#44 in North Van) and your child's PEN number, found on their report card, on hand ...
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Local has a blast with the Ice Bucket Challenge!

With the help of the Lynn Valley firefighters, one local teen was able to - literally - have a blast with his Ice Bucket Challenge, as seen on this video he posted to our Facebook page on August 22. This freeze-frame might make you feel frozen indeed! The ALS Ice ...
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Cairn dedication marks Canada's entry to WWI

Cairn dedication marks Canada’s entry to WWI

The Lynn Valley Legion invites residents to mark the historic occasion of the centenary of Canada entering World War One by witnessing the dedication ceremony of a memorial cairn on Monday, August 4: YOU ARE INVITED: MONDAY, AUGUST 4 at 11:00 A.M. THE CAIRN AT WHEY-AH-WICHEN/CATES PARK PLEASE JOIN US ...
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Dog only hero in Lynn Valley forest saga

This "lost-in-the-woods" story has become my mother's favourite, and she pushes me to tell it to people at parties ALL THE TIME. If I demur (having told it a zillion times already), she just launches in and tells it herself. But she gets all the details wrong, which bugs me, ...
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Lynn Valley Lions Community Garden volunteers sought

A new community garden is being built in Lynn Valley, and this is your chance to get in on the "ground" floor - literally. Volunteers who help build the garden on the grounds by the Lynn Valley Rec Centre on Frederick Road near Mountain Highway on the weekend of July ...
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Bike race, old-fashioned carnival in LV this weekend!

Well, it may not be a long weekend TECHNICALLY (although we suspect a few people might be taking Monday off), but there is sure a lot going down in Lynn Valley on June 28/29! A big splash will be made by the BC Bike Race, which will see 600 bike ...
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School strike news & childcare options

School strike news & childcare options

Looking for news about the teachers' strike situation, and how it will impact your family? For a strike update, including the exam information and new end-of-term procedures for students, read the North Vancouver School Superintendent's letter, here. North Van Rec has a number of day camps on offer to get ...
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Yes

Lynn Valley Mall redevelopment gets seven thumbs up

After years of extensive public consultation and study, in the end it took North Vancouver District's seven councillors less than an hour to unanimously approve four bylaws that will allow Bosa Development's Lynn Valley Mall development to proceed. A special council meeting was held on the evening of Tuesday, June ...
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Lynn Valley Days 2014 – one of the best ever!

Wow! What a great Lynn Valley Day weekend! The LynnValleyLife crew was busy running the games pitch and the new SuperKids Obstacle Course, but were able to capture some of the park and parade festivities on camera. Here is a re-cap on the day from organizer Gillian Konst, director of ...
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Warm-weather watering wisdom from the pros

The sun is out, and your garden needs you! Here are some warm-weather tips from Matt and Rob Boyd of Endless Summer landscapers, with some especially good advice about watering plants properly! These are just a few gardening tips for you to consider here in late May/June. Many people seem ...
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Parents rally to save Swangard track meet

With only a few days' notice, people banded together to resurrect the North Vancouver track and field meet at Swangard Stadium, which had been officially cancelled as due to the teachers' strike on the day of the meet. One of the volunteers, Desiree Kranendijk, tells us how it went: Hundreds ...
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Lynn Valley steps up to Relay for Life

Lynn Valley steps up to Relay for Life

All of us know someone, or more than one someone, who has been touched by cancer. Those of us in Lynn Valley are no exception, which is why many of our neighbours are stepping up to take a leading role in the Canadian Cancer Society's largest national fundraiser, the Relay for ...
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“Pedal power” rules at Lynn Valley schools

Did you notice a few extra two-wheelers around Lynn Valley this week? You weren't imagining things. Today wraps up Bike to School Week at Lynn Valley Elementary, a week that kicked off with 135 kids cycling to school with or without parents. They've been treated to energy snacks from local ...
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St. Clement's

Bell & Anchor invites neighbourhood newcomers

With its trademark anchor in the front lawn, St. Clement's Anglican Church at 3400 Institute Road is a well-recognized Lynn Valley institution. But church members know that not everyone in the neighbourhood feels quite so established in the community. Alecia Greenfield is one of the driving forces behind the Bell ...
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The Boom Booms

Concert to cap off Lynn Valley Day celebration

There won't be any "post-Lynn Valley Day" let-down this year, thanks to a new event sponsored by Bosa Development. Lynn Valley Day won't wind down with the last spin of the carnival merry-go-round on the afternoon of May 31. Instead, it will be capped off by a high-energy evening finale ...
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LV Services Society needs YOU!

LV Services Society needs YOU!

Want to help shape the future of Lynn Valley's programs and services? Join with other people in your neighbourhood to sit on the board of the Lynn Valley Services Society. If the feedback and debates about the implementation of the Official Community Plan in LV has taught us anything, it's ...
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Learn about Keith Road Bridge replacement at Open House

Learn about Keith Road Bridge replacement at Open House

Wondering what's going on with the Keith Road Bridge project? For everyone who is anxious about traffic congestion up Mountain Highway, here is a great resource - a website with tons of info about the bridge replacement project (including a swishy video) and links to traffic studies and other info ...
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RNB Dance

RNB Dance teaches more than meets the eye

A huge array of gleaming trophies sits on a ledge above the students warming up at the barre in RNB Dance’s Studio #2. But it isn’t the trophies that artistic director Hayley Walker is most proud of when she reflects upon the accomplishments of this dance school, now celebrating its ...
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