Community Events

Packed day of family fun at Lynn Valley Day 2018

There is plenty of action instore for this Lynn Valley Day. It starts bright and early and we have all the details on the parade, detours, food – beer garden!! – and the fun!

Lynn Valley Day Schedule*

8:15-9:45 a.m. Pancake breakfast at Lions’ Cook Shack at Lynn Valley Park

9:15 a.m. Traffic detours begin for the parade.

9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Games and large inflatable bouncy toys for the kids kick off at Lynn Valley Field.

Visit the face painters, watch the entertainment and grab fair treats.

9:30 a.m. The parade will make its way east on Lynn Valley Road from Mollie Nye Way towards Mountain Hwy, where it turns north towards Frederick.

10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Local community groups and businesses showcase their work in booths around the field. There are lots of games to be played and prizes to be won!

10:30 a.m. – Head over the LynnValleyLife’s Family Olympics and Obstacle course for your chance at prizes!

12 – 6 p.m. Beer Garden for those 19+ ($5 entrance fee)

*subject to change

Some photos courtesy of Lynn Valley Lions

June 6, 2018 in Blog, Community Events, Lynn Valley Day

Eye (heart) Lynn Valley

We love Lynn Valley – our unique mountain-side home, our convenient doorstep with easy access to the city and the forest even closer. We love the people that make our neighbourhood unique. We love the businesses that make it thrive.

Contest time!

LynnValleyLife.com is launching a community-wide contest. Do you love LV as much as we do? We know you love the big defining parts of Lynn Valley but what about the details?

Our Eye ? Lynn Valley FaceBook contest. For the next several weeks we will be posting some images of what makes Lynn Valley unique. It is up to you to guess what you are seeing.

  1. Like us on Facebook.
  2. Make you guess by A) sending us a PM and B) commenting on the post that you have pm’d/sent as us a message. We don’t want your entries lost in our inbox. One guess per post.
  3. We will enter the name of the first five people to correctly identify the photo in a draw.

Keep your eyes peeled for our posts – you never know when they will pop up. You might see businesses, art, buildings or landmarks – everything Eye ? about Lynn Valley.

 

If you don’t want to miss a post – change your Facebook “Following” settings to “See First.”

*Participants can only win once for the duration of the contest.

Keep your eyes peeled for ? like this

  • Living Lounge Screen at Lynn Valley Village
  • Veteran's Plaza

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors!

[ed-logo id=’16569′]

If you would like to be a sponsor please contact us here!

June 1, 2018 in Blog, Community Events, Current News

More than 100 years of Lynn Valley Days

Lynn Valley is a neighbourhood rich with history; the tales of our long-age neighbours are interwoven through our very forests, steams and streets. For a primer on our past, visit the LynnValleyLife History page … or, even better, pop into the Community History Centre, located in the former Lynn Valley elementary school heritage building at 3203 Institute Rd. 

This is a great post from our archives by Bob Rasmus.

Lynn Valley Days gone by

In 1912 the residents of Lynn Valley worked hard. There were trees to fall, buck up and transport to the mills. And once they reached the mills, there was still a lot of hard work remaining in order to turn the raw logs into lumber for transport to market or to build local houses.

By today’s standards, every task that was carried out was accomplished through hard physical labour. It only made sense that a few community-minded individuals took it upon themselves to create an event that gave the local residents an opportunity to play.

The first Lynn Valley Day was held 100 years ago, in September 1912. Featured events include Pin the Tail on the Donkey, a Tug-of-War, a ‘Fat Men’s’ race and a Men’s Handicap Competition for Merchants Trust and Trading Co. Cup. For a look at the actual 1912 program of events, click here!

Lynn Valley Day 1915

Lynn Valley Day 1915

Also included in the day’s activities was the official opening of Lynn Canyon Park by Reeve William May, with assistance from the Mayor and Council. (For a story about the park’s early history, click here.) Following the opening of the park was the inaugural opening of the Suspension Bridge. Later in the evening, there was a dance that was led off by the Reeve and distinguished guests. The president of the organizing committee was John M. Duval, and the Vice-President was J.M. Fromme.

Lynn Valley Day continued to be celebrated over the following decades. (For a newspaper account of the 1946 community fair, click here.) By 1949 the event had moved to June 25th and had grown in importance with the advent of hundreds of new residents. From 9 a.m. until midnight there were activities for young and old alike.

Track and Field events for all ages got underway at 9 a.m. with one of the features being a community tug-of-war, in which winners were awarded with a special trophy. The afternoon featured the crowning of May Queen Norma Damgaard, in addition to folk dancing, Maypole dancing, a children’s fancy dress parade, a band concert by the North Vancouver School’s Band, boxing matches and whist drives and concert.

These were all topped off with the annual Lynn Valley Day Dance. Officials in 1949 included M.E. Sowden, James Sinclair, Johnny Cates and MLA W.M. Draycott – the latter, of course, still well-known to us as the community builder who is commemorated with a bronze statue sitting on a bench in Pioneer Park.

In 1962, the 50th Anniversary was a special event held on Saturday, June 2. The day began with field sports, including races, jumping competitions for children of all ages, some pole vaulting and some discus throwing for older children.

The afternoon was reserved for adult races which culminated in a “married couple’s pie-eating contest” with a $2.00 prize. While the afternoon races were going on, there was also a full slate of concessions to take part in and a parade to watch, as well as the coronation ceremonies for the Lynn Valley Day Queen of the year.

The evening began with a ladies softball game at 6 p.m., followed by a square dance at 7:30 and a dance at the community hall at 9:00. It was a full day of activities – just check out this schedule of events!

Historical photographs

Lynn Valley Day historical images courtesy of North Vancouver Museum and Archives.

Lynn Valley Day 2018

More than 100 years later, this annual community event is still very much alive and entertains up to 10,000 people. In latter years, it has grew to the point that now both the Lynn Valley Lions Club and the Lynn Valley Community Association were required to manage it.

This year’s event kicks off with a gala dinner and dance under a huge tent on Friday night. Saturday morning begins the community parade.  There will be the fantastic Lions’ Cook Shack, balloon artists, face painters, music, along with rides, public displays and a collector car show, will be entertaining crowds all day long.

The residents of Lynn Valley still work hard, and deserve a chance to relax and enjoy time with their family and friends. Lynn Valley Days still provides that opportunity.

June 1, 2018 in Blog, Community Events, Looking Back, Lynn Valley Day, Uncategorized

Lynn Valley man saddles up for Cops for Cancer

North Vancouver RCMP Staff Sergeant Philip Yong is fulfilling a dream nearly two decades in the making. The father of four has decided that this is his year to take part in the annual Cops for Cancer fundraiser – and as the only North Vancouver RCMP Member to be saddling up for the full 2018 tour, he wants to put his best foot forward when he and approximately 40 other cyclists push off on September 19.

Over the week that follows, the 2018 Cops for Cancer Tour de Coast will traverse more than 800 hilly kilometres through Greater Vancouver and beyond, from Maple Ridge to Richmond, the North Shore, the Sunshine Coast and the Sea to Sky Corridor and back. Says Philip: “As a first-time rider, I am excited to be representing the North Vancouver RCMP Detachment.  As part of the ride, I have committed to raising over $6,000 in support pediatric cancer research and Camp Goodtimes in Maple Ridge.” 

Camp Goodtimes is a medically-supervised summer camp that allows kids and their families living with cancer to enjoy the great outdoors as kids – not as patients. Each year almost 600 young people and family members are able to have a holiday getaway together thanks to the hard work of camp and medical volunteers and the generous support of donors. 

Philip expects to find cycling up some of the long hills tough – but everyone involved in the Cops for Cancer event is well aware of the far more daunting hardships faced by young cancer patients and their families. Its goal this year is to raise over $500,000; currently the total stands at about $150,000. Philip is asking LynnValleyLife readers to please consider donating toward his goal at this link, or to take part in one of the event’s upcoming general fundraisers.

All four North Vancouver Save-on-Foods stores will be hosting a Cops for Cancer BBQ on Saturday, June 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Philip will be at the Park and Tilford event with his enthusiastic family supporters, and states that all proceeds will go directly to Cops for Cancer. “I am hoping we get a lot of community support from this event,” he says. “See you there!”

Cops for Cancer is a fundraiser of the Canadian Cancer Society.

May 23, 2018 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Notable Neighbours, Uncategorized

Support local refugees at upcoming concert, auction

Over the past number of years, the plight of refugees has become increasingly real to those of us in North Vancouver, as news photos have brought home the desperate circumstances of men, women and children trying to find safety… and those who perish trying. Lynn Valley folk are among the many in Canada who have stepped up to provide a safe place to land.

Various individuals, organizations and churches have tirelessly raised funds to bring refugees to the Lower Mainland – and waited, often months, to finally get the call saying that their chosen person or family will be arriving at the Vancouver airport within days. From then on it is a full-on press to secure inexpensive housing (!) and donated furniture, and to swing into action providing English language practice, orientation to riding transit and other aspects of a totally unfamiliar culture, school registration, visits to doctors and dentists, instructions on how to shop for food, and simple companionship.

REST is the Regional Ecumenical Sponsorship Team – a group of North Vancouver Anglican, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches (and friends) that over the last three years has successfully sponsored a number of Somalian and Syrian refugees to Canada. REST, which includes St. Clement’s Anglican Church in Lynn Valley, is now preparing to sponsor seven more refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran and Syria.

A major event at St. Clement’s on June 2, 2018 (6 to 9 p.m.) will help raise part of the necessary $27,000. The REST FEST will feature live music from a variety of talented musicians, as well as a silent auction and bake sale. Items to be auctioned include meals catered for a group at your home – a Syrian dinner or a gourmet waffle brunch, for example – personal fitness training, beautifully sewn quilts and afghans, gorgeous gift baskets, and much more. A table of locally crafted pottery will also be for sale. The bake sale at the intermission will keep people happily snacking during the rest of the concert, which will feature a number of local musicians.

The REST FEST would like to make sure this is a sell-out event, as 100 per cent of the proceeds will be used to settle the refugees into their new life. Tickets are available online at this link, and further details (such as how you might donate a silent auction item!) are to be found here on the St. Clement’s website. St. Clement’s is located at 3400 Institute Road, opposite Lynn Valley Park.

May 18, 2018 in Blog, Community Events, Current News

Summer camp ready in Lynn Valley

The summer season is almost upon us. Parental planning is just about hitting its peak as families coordinate childcare, vacations and summer camps. Living where we are you don’t need to go far for some local solutions. Watch out for registration dates!

North Van Rec – Register May 16

Camp Lynn Valley, 5-6yrs, various dates Jul. 3-Aug. 31, Lynn Valley Rec Centre

Calling all five & six year olds! Camp Lynn Valley is a great way to spend your summer. Visit parks, explore forests, streams and creatures, learn about science, make new friends and more.

Bricks 4 Kidz, various age groups 5-15,  various dates Jul. 3-Aug. 31, Lynn Valley Village/Mollie Nye House

Bricks 4 Kidz® camps are a fresh and fun way for kids to spend their school or holiday break! Children will enjoy using LEGO® Bricks to build specially-designed models, play games, explore the world of engineering, architecture and movie-making.

Camp KM Tennis & Waves, 9-12yrs,  various dates Jul. 3-Aug. 31, Karen Magnussen Rec Centre

A half day camp program focusing on tennis skills and plenty of games. After a supervised lunch, enjoy and swimming (12:00-1:00pm) in the wave pool.

North Shore Winter Club – Registration open

Multi-sport Day Camps, 6-11 yrs,  various dates Jul. 3-Aug. 24,

Each week offers multi sport activities to keep kids active and doing lots of different things. We end the week with a field trip to a local hangout. Day camps are supervised in the safe environment of the Club. Lunches and snacks are included.

Activities may include: swimming, tennis, dance, sportball, basketball, hikes to the park and arts, crafts and games.

Kids Corner – Culinary No Cook Recipe Week 2, 2-7 yrs, Aug. 27-31, 9-11 am

 

A week filled with fun, no bake recipes. The children will learn how to make fresh fruit salad, summer berry cheesecake, trail mix, oatmeal energy bites and more, without the use of any heating equipment. The day will finish with an active game or swim in the small pool.

Atom Summer Hockey,  various dates Jul. 3-Aug. 31

The NSWC Summer Hockey Camps are a great way to keep your kids active over the break. Drop them off for a day of fun activities with 3 hours of ice broken up into 4 different ice sessions. Kids will work on their skating, puck skills and game skills, as well as play a 45 minute 3v3 game to end each day. Participants will be introduced to off-ice development. Lunch is included.

Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre – registration open

Summer Mini-Camps, various dates M-W Jul. 3-Aug. 29, 5-8yrs/8-12yrs

Ecology Centre Summer Camps are where the Forest and Fun meet! There is plenty of forest fun planned throughout the summer from Slime Time to Splish Splash for younger children and from Survive to Homesteaders.

Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre

May 7, 2018 in Blog, Community Events

Keeping the hills alive with the sound of music

For decades parents have been supporting their children’s dreams and keeping Lynn Valley’s hills alive with the sound of music. The 36th Annual Argyle Music Association fundraiser Cabaret is taking place this weekend.

Annual Cabaret funds scholarships

“It’s for students graduating from the Argyle music program, “ said Sheila Balzar, parent and volunteer fundraising coordinator. “It varies from year to year, but last year we had, I believe, 25 applicants and everyone received something.”

The annual evening of music, silent auction and dining will take place at May 12 at 6 p.m. at Mulgrave Theatre in West Vancouver. This year’s event – titled Jazz to Jukebox will showcase the talents of students as they perform their skills in an industry-level performance. As a fundraiser, it is one of a handful held throughout the year that supports students, the curriculum and trips the students take.

“Cabaret is strictly for scholarships and bursaries,” said Balzar. “Over 100 students will be performing. It is the pinnacle of the jazz students curriculum – they are expected to perform as if they are a professional and this is a paid gig.”

Exceptional program, bright futures

For those who have not been through Argyle, they might not be familiar with the school’s extremely well-regarded music program. Parents with a child in music automatically become a part of the Argyle Music Association and their dedication is essential to the program.

“We are there to support the music – these teachers put so much energy and time into creating this quality program. They need to be able to focus on teaching,” said Balzar.

The investment in students is paying off in so many ways, she said. From outstanding opportunities to tour in Europe to creating foundational music and technical abilities that have students stepping out of high school and into industry jobs while pursuing post-secondary education, and ultimately full-time employment.

For her son and daughter, it has not only meant a passion for music but technical skills to support the performances as well.

“My son discovered sound and lighting in Grade 7 when a teacher suggested he help with the school play,” she said. “That dovetailed nicely into the sound and lighting crew at Argyle. He had the opportunity to become a leader at young age, putting in incredible hours and now is working in the industry at 19 doing events at Rogers Arena.”

Exceptional program, bright futures

“Music is a huge part of these students,” said Balzar. “The program at Argyle is outstanding. There are opportunities to perform with members of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. It is elevating their musical experience – the level of commitment, the preparation, the excellence to do that. Just to put themselves out there to perform at the level – its huge.”

For some the music program is an opportunity to be part of something bigger – to be part of team.

“There is a sense of belonging in the music program – working together,” said Balzar. “The progress is phenomenal throughout the year and to see them from Grade 8 to Grade 12  — it’s exponential.”

Senior choir at Bach’s Tomb

The work is paying off. During the school’s most recent senior trip to Europe their reputation for excellence afforded them the unique opportunity to perform Bach while at Bach’s tomb – something that could only happen because of their skill, said Balzar.

“It’s a massive program,” she said. “So many people put so much energy, so much love in to 300-plus students to enrich their high school experience and change the rest of their lives.”

How to help

There are plenty of opportunities for the community to support this program. In addition to attending Cabaret or donating auction items, the teachers have wishlists, she said.

“With a new school being built, we need to remember it is just the shell of a school and to run an excellent program there needs to be equipment,” said Balzar. “This is not in the capital budget; this is not in the operating budget.

“There are so many ways to help: come out to concerts and performances,” said Balzar, noting there is a list on their website. “If a student knocks on your door – try to say yes to purchasing some pie or chocolates.”

To create a lasting legacy of support contact the Argyle Music Association for current needs at [email protected]. The group has come up with some fantastic passive fundraising options as well that support students throughout the year. If you shop at SPUD you can purchase your produce and support students – details here or purchase SPUD gift cards and use them later – details here. Same goes for fantastic North Shore Two Rivers Meats – details here.

May 7, 2018 in Artistic Endeavours, Blog, Community Events, School News

Field Trip! Check out the (old) museum and (new) gallery!

The North Vancouver Museum – the one tucked away quietly at Chesterfield and West Fourth Street for decades – is shutting up shop at the end of April.

That’s good news – it’s all in preparation for the exciting new museum to be built adjacent to Lonsdale Quay – but at the same time it’s always hard saying goodbye to an old friend. So why not pop down for a look at the displays while you have the chance? Take a glimpse into the kitchens, school rooms and shops of early North Vancouver, and peek into the wall-mounted memory boxes that encapsulate the reminiscences of some of our neighbours who grew up here – among them well-known volunteer Del Dimock and North Shore News photographer Mike Wakefield, both residents of Lynn Valley.

Featured currently is an exhibit on Chief Dan George: Actor and Activist, and it’s a thoughtful window into the chief’s extraordinary life that played itself out here on the shores of Burrard Inlet, on the ancestral lands of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, as well as in Hollywood where George was best known for his role as Old Lodge Skins in Little Big Man, playing alongside Dustin Hoffman. Chief Dan George’s voice continues to be heard in his evocative writings about the indigenous experience of the land, as in his collection of verse that includes the title poem, My Heart Soars.

The North Vancouver Museum is open by donation, from Thursday to Sunday, noon to 5 (closed stat holidays) and the address is 209 West 4th St.

From the old to the new, you can then take a trip into the much different environment of the Polygon Gallery, the modern silver-sided building located on a new inlet-edge walkway between Tap & Barrel and Lonsdale Quay. Open by donation until the end of 2020 with the support of BMO Financial Group, the Polygon Gallery is showcasing photos and artworks that reflect North Vancouver – past and present – back to its citizens in myriad forms and styles. Be sure to pick up the info-packed guide to the N. Vancouver exhibit, and visit the second-floor bookshop for photo and art books on a range of topics and places.

The Polygon Gallery is open from Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More info is right here.

 

 

March 25, 2018 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Notable Neighbours

Got a great idea for your neighbourhood? Funds available to make it real

The deadline for the Vancouver Foundation’s Neighbourhood Small Grants is fast approaching. You have until April 9 to take advantage of this growing program. Each year many locals take advantage of the $50 – $500 grants given to fund community initiatives.

“The goal is about connecting and engaging the community,” said Tricia Alsop, of the North Shore Neighbourhood House which oversees the program in North Vancouver. “Community doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. It doesn’t need to be a project with your neighbours. Last year we gave out about 80 grants.”

Since 2011 the North Shore has been apart of the Vancouver Foundation’s Neighbourhood Small Grants program. The grants are given to projects that bring people together, share skills and knowledge, build a sense of belonging, responsibility, and respect and celebrate diversity, according to the Foundation.

“We had hosted a block party – a potluck kind of party the first year we moved here,” said Lynn Valley’s Shannon Samler, a recipient of a 2017 grant. “Someone told us about these grants so we thought – why not [apply]? It was very easy to do.”

Easy access

“The goal is to make it available to everyone,” said Tricia Alsop. “The application is online but we also have paper applications. If people need help, we can help them work through it. It is supposed to be easy.”

For most projects the most labour-intensive piece is creating a budget.

“It’s a simple process,” said Samler. “Putting together the budget help me think about what I wanted to do. We wanted to take on the responsibility of the main course part of the food and provide a few extras – like face painting.”

The Samlers’ block party was one of a handful in Lynn Valley last year funded by the grants and is a typical project that the Foundation funds.

Other projects on the North Shore included gardening, food, beekeeping, emergency preparedness and craft workshops, invasive weed pulls, intergenerational programs, Little Free Libraries and others.

“It was a great way to meet people,” said Samler. “We learned the names of people we see – not just families with kids that same age as ours. We were able to set up a neighbourhood email list to connect and share concerns.”

Lasting impacts

Samler says the – now annual – event has fostered a more open neighbourhood. Sometimes the grants are what give legs to an idea, said Alsop.

“The grants can help give people the initiative to get started on an idea they have always had,” she said. “We see lasting relationships grow out of the projects – sometimes they can be a help with conflict resolution by bringing people together.”

Organizers welcome more applicants

“We would like to see some new people with new ideas,” said Alsop. “If it fits, there is a good chance they will get the grant.”

The deadline for applications is April 9th. For more information or help with applications contact the North Shore Neighbourhood House at 604-987-8138.

March 23, 2018 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Getting Involved, Uncategorized