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!

Share your favourite walks and hikes

Share your favourite walks and hikes

There is much to be said for the walks and hikes in and around Lynn Valley. So why don't you help us say it? We already have a walks and hikes section that's a good starting point for people who want to get out for some fresh air. You'll find ...
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Family needs your help to bring mom back to health

Family needs your help to bring mom back to health

UPDATE! Come out to the Friday Night Concert in Lynn Valley Village on July 6 and register with Canadian Blood Services on the spot to see if you are a potential donor for Erica or another person in need. Read on to hear Erica's story. Now that the sun is ...
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Excellent Canada Day parade photos? Not here.

Excellent Canada Day parade photos? Not here.

If you've come here looking for excellent photos of the Canada Day Parade, you've come to the wrong spot. If that's what you're after, you're advised to keep an eye out for the fine work of my former colleagues at the North Shore News. I, on the other hand, love ...
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Think nationally, act neighbourly

Think nationally, act neighbourly

There's no better place to celebrate your country than in your own community. Just like each  journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, building a great nation starts right on our own front porches. So get together with your friends and family members young and old, and ...
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Prize-winning temperance essay from 1928 still relevant today

Prize-winning temperance essay from 1928 still relevant today

FROM LYNN O'MALLEY: It has become abundantly apparent that you can't count on June for good weather. But the end of the month does bring one thing you can depend on: grad ceremonies, photo opps and - unfortunately - the worry that some kids will take things too far and ...
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Circling helicopters part of Lynn Valley life

Circling helicopters part of Lynn Valley life

FROM THE EDITOR: The sound of sirens isn't too unusual in Lynn Valley, especially during the summer months when it's often assumed emergency responders are en route to a mishap in Lynn Canyon. While those occurrences can sometimes be tragic, we're lucky to live in an area where emergency vehicles ...
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Many a tune to hear in June

Many a tune to hear in June

Whatever your budget or artistic preference, you'll hear music in the air this June. For parents, of course, there are the omnipresent end-of-term school concerts and piano recitals. But that's not all that's on the symphonic smorgasbord this month. Next week kicks off with the Lynn Valley Black Bear Band's ...
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100th Lynn Valley Day a sunny success!

100th Lynn Valley Day a sunny success!

"This was, by far and away, the absolutely best Lynn Valley Day ever." So said an elder of the valley, who has been attending these annual affairs since the 1960s.  And to judge by the comments we heard on Saturday and in the days that followed, she wasn't alone in ...
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Friday Night Live crew celebrate a year of laughs

Friday Night Live crew celebrate a year of laughs

On Friday, June 1, the AddLibretto theatre sports troupe will once again throw some seemingly random questions out to the audience at Lynn Valley United Church. "What do people ask advice about?" might be one of the questions, or "What's something worth celebrating?" Within seconds, the off-the-cuff answers are used ...
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No need to leave the Valley this weekend!

No need to leave the Valley this weekend!

Be sure to get all your chores before Friday this week, because you won't want to miss a minute of the goings-on in Lynn Valley this weekend. We're confident the weather will cooperate, so get your calendar out and make note of the following! If you're one of the lucky ...
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Meet our Mother's Day contest winner!

Meet our Mother’s Day contest winner!

In our recent Mother's Day contest, we asked LynnValleyLife readers to tell us the most important lesson they learned from their mother. We're happy to introduce you to Eryn Arnott, who wrote the following: "The best lesson I learned from my mom was how to love unconditionally.  Although my mom ...
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Lynn Valley Headwaters, North Vancouver

Take a walk on the wild side at Lynn Headwaters event

The 100th Lynn Valley Day shindig may be over as of Saturday evening, but the celebration of local heritage will continue on Sunday with an event at Lynn Headwaters Park. Wilderness At Your Doorstep gives people the chance to learn more about the mountain folds and forests that have shaped ...
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Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge celebrates 100 years

Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge celebrates 100 years

BY TRICIA EDGAR: In 2012, Lynn Canyon Park is 100 years old. Let’s go on a walk through the trails of the canyon a century ago. If you’d visited then, what would you have seen? It’s a sunny day, and you decide to take the small rail car up from ...
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“Book” some time for library sale

Another Library Book Sale is coming up on Lynn Valley Day weekend, which gives us a swell excuse to show you this great video from the last sale, filmed by local videographer John Durrant. We know it will make you want to come out to the library on May 25 ...
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Can you take a ticket, run a ride, or tote a table?

Can you take a ticket, run a ride, or tote a table?

We know you've been meaning to give Shirin a call and just haven't gotten around to it.... so now's your chance! Shirin is the busy soul in charge of matching volunteers to various Lynn Valley Day tasks. Events are often a lot funner (yes, we've decided that's a word) when ...
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Kids invited to paint the town red (and blue, and green...)

Kids invited to paint the town red (and blue, and green…)

Kids, get your crayons sharpened! There's a contest just for you this Lynn Valley Day, and since it's the 100th anniversary of this special community festival, we hope lots of you will get involved. Two of the colouring sheets honour the logging industry that put Lynn Valley on the map ...
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Want a new book (or CD, or DVD)? Just ask!

Want a new book (or CD, or DVD)? Just ask!

FROM LYNN O'MALLEY: I'd seen the invitation so often, I'd long ago stopped seeing it. You know the one - the "Suggest a Purchase" button on the North Van Library website. Usually, I'm happy to have any excuse to purchase my own books, as my groaning shelves will attest. But ...
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Help plan LV's future - your health depends on it!

Help plan LV’s future – your health depends on it!

FROM THE EDITOR: Do you consider yourself an opinionated person? If so, this is the week for you! I can't remember being asked for my opinion quite so often. Between the North Van District Open Houses presenting the new Lynn Valley Town Centre proposal, to tonight's Healthy Communities Conversation Cafe, ...
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Visions of the valley await your voices and views

Visions of the valley await your voices and views

There was quite a buzz around the boards set up near the Lynn Valley Mall centre court today, as district planners toured visitors around several graphic displays that gave glimpses into the future of Lynn Valley Town Centre. Since the Official Community Plan was approved last June, planners have been ...
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Eat for Education! (Come on, it's for the kids....)

Eat for Education! (Come on, it’s for the kids….)

Everyone loves a good excuse to go out to dinner - well, here's a GREAT excuse for you! The second annual Eat for Education has now come to the North Shore - specifically, to Lynn Valley. That means that a portion of food sales purchased on Wednesday, May 2nd at participating ...
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Kids clean up at Earth Day event

Kids clean up at Earth Day event

FROM EVENT ORGANIZER JODY LABRIOLA: A BIG thank you to all who came out on Saturday and helped with our community garbage pick-up event. It was a success! We cleaned both fields for Argyle Secondary (and all around the school), Fredrick Road (between Mountain Highway and Fromme), Croft Road (including DNV laneways), Baird ...
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Argyle students campaign to stamp out "R" word

Argyle students campaign to stamp out “R” word

BY DENISE NEWALL, STUDENT REPORTER: Argyle Secondary is constantly striving to make the school a safer and more welcoming environment for the entire student body. But now an Argyle club has taken that philosophy and created a campaign and Youtube video it hopes will benefit not just local students, but ...
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Bob Rasmus takes pride in the Lions

Bob Rasmus takes pride in the Lions

FROM THE EDITOR: If you’ve attended a Lynn Valley community event any time in the past two decades, chances are you’ve crossed paths with a Lion – a certain Lynn Valley Lion, that is. Bob Rasmus is known to many as the former owner of RJR Contruction Management, a company ...
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Start weekend with Easter breakfast

Start weekend with Easter breakfast

Planning your Easter weekend? It looks like we'll have a mixed bag, weather-wise, but either way we're encouraging you to get out and support some of our local events. Start your Saturday with a pancake breakfast put on by the Lynn Valley Lions as part of the festivities being offered ...
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New programs starting in LV Community Room

New programs starting in LV Community Room

Spring has sprung, along with a new round of rec commission programs in the Lynn Valley Community Room in Lynn Valley Village. Whether it's walking, dancing, martial arts, skipping or talks on street sense and nutrition, there's something for all interest groups. First classes in some programs start April 11, ...
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LV realtor featured in fractional real estate story

LV realtor featured in fractional real estate story

We were delighted here at LynnValleyLife when local writer Gail Johnson asked our sponsoring realtor Jim Lanctot to share his experience in fractional real estate ownership. Her article was recently published in Yahoo! Canada's Finance section, and gives insight into the possibilities - and pitfalls - presented by the shared ownership of recreational ...
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Finn's friends have formed landmark charity

Finn’s friends have formed landmark charity

From Lynn O'Malley: There aren't many of us who can claim our lives have had the same immediate impact as that of a little boy named Finn. Finn Sullivan was a Lynn Valley lad - brother to Sarah and Baird, son of Patrick and Samantha - who was diagnosed with ...
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Lego-lovers invited to 'camp'

Lego-lovers invited to ‘camp’

If you have a Lego enthusiast at home, they'll want to know about a special Lego Camp happening at Upper Lynn Elementary this spring. Starting April 5 and running every Thursday afternoon until May 10, the camp will have intermediate Lego crafters building new skills in construction and robotics. Details ...
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New yoga and arts program for families

New yoga and arts program for families

Families wanting to experience movement, creativity, music and yoga with their children will have the opportunity to try a new class offered in the program room adjacent to the kids' section in Lynn Valley Library. Megan Johnson of One Soul Yoga is offering a six-week Yoga and Arts programs for ...
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Tuesdays with Morrie: live-theatre treat comes to Lynn Valley!

Tuesdays with Morrie: live-theatre treat comes to Lynn Valley!

Lynn Valley United Church is thrilled to announce a special one-night performance of the critically acclaimed play by Mitch Albom and Jeffrey Hatcher, “Tuesdays with Morrie,”  on Tuesday, April 3, at 7 p.m. Featuring the multi award-winning actor Antony Holland and local rising talent Joel Grinke, this story speaks of connection, loss and ...
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