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 Robin Thorneycroft. Our realtors Jim Lanctot, Kelly Gardiner & Melanie Butchart bring news from the world of Lynn Valley real estate, and we have a range of guest voices from your local 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 or on our Facebook site!

How Rapid Notify system was deployed in search for senior

How Rapid Notify system was deployed in search for senior

Although the recent search for senior Joan Warren ended tragically, the event served to galvanize first responders and local citizens in an unprecedented manner thanks to the use of communication tools such as the Rapid Notify system, an automated system that broadcasts critical messages to listed telephone numbers as well ...
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2013 Good Neighbour Award nominee: LV United Church

2013 Good Neighbour Award nominee: LV United Church

Do you know someone in Lynn Valley who would make a good candidate for this year's Good Neighbour Award? Please send us your story about the person in our community who has made our world a better place, in ways large or small (whether they live next door to you or ...
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2013 Good Neighbour Award nominee: Gord Trousdell

2013 Good Neighbour Award nominee: Gord Trousdell

Do you know someone in Lynn Valley who would make a good candidate for this year's Good Neighbour Award? Please send us your story about the person in our community who has made our world a better place, in ways large or small (whether they live next door to you or ...
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2013 Good Neighbour nominee: Kathrin Wallace

2013 Good Neighbour nominee: Kathrin Wallace

Do you know someone in Lynn Valley who would make a good candidate for this year's Good Neighbour Award? Please send us your story about the person in our community who has made our world a better place, in ways large or small (whether they live next door to you or ...
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Christmas spirit alive and well in Lynn Valley

Christmas spirit alive and well in Lynn Valley

Lynn Valley is lit up for the season of goodwill – literally and figuratively. On December 1, in front of a huge crowd, North Vancouver District Mayor Richard Walton, MP Andrew Saxton and MLA Jane Thornthwaite flipped the switch to light up Lynn Valley Village, forested with over 70 decorated ...
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Book explores personal experiences of death

Book explores personal experiences of death

Bury the Dead: Stories of Death and Dying, Resistance and Discipleship has been a labour of love for the Rev. Laurel Dykstra. An experienced writer as well as recently ordained Anglican priest in North Vancouver, Laurel edited this anthology of first-hand  experiences of death, from an American hospice worker's reflections ...
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2013 Good Neighbour Nominee: Dana Dykema

2013 Good Neighbour Nominee: Dana Dykema

Do you know someone in Lynn Valley who would make a good candidate for this year's Good Neighbour Award? Please send us your story about the person in our community who has made our world a better place, in ways large or small (whether they live next door to you ...
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Local musician is Nashville-bound

Local musician is Nashville-bound

Turns out that Lynn Valley is en route between South Africa and Nashville, Tennessee.  At least that's what Amy Dreyer hopes. Amy wears many hats - she's here from South Africa as an international development student at SFU and also the worship director of Oasis, Hillside Baptist's youth worship group ...
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Nominate Lynn Valley's Good Neighbour for 2013!

Nominate Lynn Valley’s Good Neighbour for 2013!

We've been looking forward to this all year! It's finally time to put the call-out for nominations for this year's Good Neighbour Award. We loved reading the stories you sent in last year. We heard about animal lovers and faithful housesitters; charity organizers, handyman husbands, and more. The winner, chosen ...
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Blow your own horn: Join the LV Black Bear Band!

Blow your own horn: Join the LV Black Bear Band!

It all started as a group of adults who dusted off their high school band instruments and used their Monday evening practices to escape the world of mortgages, day jobs and fractious toddlers. Thus the Lynn Valley Black Bear Band was born, and quickly grew to an ever-more enthusiastic group ...
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Catch FNL fever before fall season wraps up!

Catch FNL fever before fall season wraps up!

Growing audiences have been delighted with this season's line-up of guest performers at the weekly musical improv night held at Lynn Valley United Church. Friday Night Live has welcomed wellknown Vancouver performers, such as Bard on the Beach's Andrew Wheeler and Phantom of the Opera's Jeff Hyslop, along with upcoming ...
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North Pole coming to Lynn Valley!

North Pole coming to Lynn Valley!

Well, it seems that all the debate regarding high-rises, mall redevelopment and the like was really just a smokescreen. While petitions circulated and activists rallied, a secret development was taking place in the emptied Zellers building,  unbeknownst to all. But we don't expect a huge neighbourhood outcry. After all, how ...
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Green Coast Rubbish cleans up at awards night

Green Coast Rubbish cleans up at awards night

Many congratulations to Lynn Valley's Green Coast Rubbish, a local company that doesn't just haul your 'junk' away … it finds good homes and uses for as much of it as possible. That dedication to waste reduction was recently recognized when the company was given the 2013 Better Business Bureau's ...
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LV's building supply landmark closing its doors

LV’s building supply landmark closing its doors

Whether you call it the "Irly Building Centre" or still refer to it by its earlier moniker, "Woodstop Building Supplies," you'll be sorry to hear this Lynn Valley landmark is shutting down operations. Trevor Stephenson, the co-owner who founded the store in 1978, told LynnValleyLife that he first went into ...
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Sponsor Christmas tree in LV Village!

Sponsor Christmas tree in LV Village!

This just in from Lynn Valley Community Association....  (For more information about adopting a Christmas tree, click here. As of November 6, there are only 13 left, so don't delay! We are once again offering sponsored Christmas trees in  LynnValley Village this holiday season. We are planning a family weekend of free entertainment for the whole family on December 21 and ...
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LV Legion throws down dress-up challenge!

LV Legion throws down dress-up challenge!

Halloween isn't just for kids. In fact, this party is for grown-ups only! The Lynn Valley Legion is inviting members and non-members alike to come out and enjoy an evening of ghoulish fun on Saturday, October 26 starting at 7 p.m. The theme is "Dress Like a Dead Celebrity," so ...
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DNV votes for 'Flexible Framework' plan in town centre

DNV votes for ‘Flexible Framework’ plan in town centre

Last night the District of North Vancouver Council considered a staff report that detailed financial and other impacts that would result from the adoption of a five-storey town centre height restriction versus a model that is predominantly five storeys, with eight storeys allowed in key areas and limited, case-by-case exceptions ...
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FNL launches new season of music and laughs

FNL launches new season of music and laughs

There aren’t many North Shore residents who can get up from their dinner table on a Friday night, decide against another night in front of the TV, and, just 10 minutes later, be enjoying an evening of live music and comedy. But that’s the happy reality in Lynn Valley, where ...
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Council ponders LV town centre feedback

Council ponders LV town centre feedback

North Vancouver District Council is on the hot seat as it ponders a report describing options for the implementation of the Official Community Plan (OCP) in Lynn Valley. The report was presented at a regular council meeting on September 23, in front of a gallery of citizens representing a wide ...
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Restaurant adds some spice to the valley

Restaurant adds some spice to the valley

Kevin Li has lived in many places - northern China, Richmond, Burnaby and finally North Vancouver - but wherever he is, he's always at home in the kitchen. Kevin and his wife Cindy Feng are the proud owners of the Wonderful Szechuan Restaurant, which has opened its door in the ...
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Step up to bat with LV Little League!

Step up to bat with LV Little League!

You can bat for the home team by becoming a member of the historic Lynn Valley Little League, which has been playing ball for over 50 years. Registration for the league, which is newly headed by president Jamie Bassett, is open now and will continue to December 1 (or February ...
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Mollie Nye centennial a great success

Mollie Nye centennial a great success

Miss Mollie Nye herself couldn't have asked for a more pleasant celebration of the 100th birthday of the house her family built on Lynn Valley Road in 1913. House staff and volunteers from the Lynn Valley Services Society, which operates the house on behalf of the community, brought together model ...
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Harvest sunflower seeds in days to come

Harvest sunflower seeds in days to come

It's been fantastic travelling around Lynn Valley and seeing more and more sunflower patches out in full bloom. Perhaps they are showing up more now, thanks to the backdrop of our recent grey weather! Some of our own flowers are still to emerge, and others are drooping. But just because ...
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Lynn Valley gets first glimpse of mall sketches

Lynn Valley gets first glimpse of mall sketches

About 200 people came out on Thursday, Sept. 12 to an informal presentation that brought residents up to date on the evolving proposals for the Lynn Valley Mall of the future. While host Mark Sager, who is handling public consultation and overseeing the new designs on behalf of mall owner ...
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Volunteers keep North Van clean & green

Volunteers keep North Van clean & green

It was swing-your-partner time Friday night as the District of North Vancouver hosted a dinner and barn dance to thank the many volunteers who take part in the muncipality's outdoor programs. Maplewood Farm helpers, parks and trails workers, Adopt a Street volunteers and others were all in attendance at Maplewood ...
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Starbucks celebrates 20 years!

Starbucks celebrates 20 years!

It's hard to believe, but our local Starbucks coffee shop has been in business for 20 years, and LynnValleyLife was fortunate enough to be there to celebrate the occasion. Friday, September 13 was anything but unlucky for people who were in the shop just after 11 a.m. They were treated ...
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Celebrate Mollie Nye House centennial with traditional fall fair!

Celebrate Mollie Nye House centennial with traditional fall fair!

Before Mollie Nye bequeathed her home to the District of North Vancouver, the Lynn Valley schoolteacher could often be found canning the harvest from her vast garden or baking pies in her small kitchen. That pioneering creativity will be brought back to life as Mollie Nye House celebrates its centennial ...
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Nat Bosa a “different cat” on local development scene

Nat Bosa a “different cat” on local development scene

LynnValleyLife  likes to profile notable neighbours who play interesting roles in our community. If you’d like to know more about someone who makes a contribution in our neighbourhood, in large ways or small, drop us a line at [email protected]. He tells us he’s outspoken and doesn't beat around the bush ...
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Experience Polish life at LV festival

Experience Polish life at LV festival

Updated September 25, 2013: Please scroll down for a post-event thank-you letter from the organizer! Did you know that composer Frederic Chopin, two-time Nobel prizewinner Marie Skłodowska-Curie, and the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus were all Polish-born? Well, they were. And if you'd like to experience the sights and sounds of their birthplace, ...
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