Getting Involved

LynnValleyLife: your resource for 100th Lynn Valley Day!

LIFE WITH LYNN O’MALLEY: Have I ever missed a Lynn Valley Day? Well, perhaps for a year or two in my turbulent twenties. Otherwise, I’ve been there every year – dancing the may pole, playing in the band, marching in the parade, or staffing an info booth (not usually all at once).

So, like the rest of you Lynn Valleyites who drop everything on the last Saturday in May in order to celebrate your community, I’m thrilled that 2012 marks the 100th – yes, 100th! – anniversary of Lynn Valley Day. And I’m even more excited to let you know that its organizers – the hard-working Lynn Valley Lions and Lynn Valley Community Association – have asked our team here at LynnValleyLife to host the online website for this historic centennial event, taking place Saturday, May 26th.

We’ve already been having a great time getting to know more of you through our busy Facebook page and the thoughtful feedback we’ve been getting to our LynnValleyLife website. Now we’re really going to ramp up our local coverage to make sure each and every one of you knows all there is to know about Lynn Valley Days 2012!

Pretty soon, you’ll notice some changes to our ‘landing page’  – that’s the introductory page you see when you type in our web address, www.LynnValleyLife.com.  While you’ll still be able to use the landing page as a launch pad to our Life, Business and Real Estate sections, you’ll also be able to click on a special “Lynn Valley Days 100” icon that will take you to a dedicated section of our site.

There you will find everything from parade application forms to event schedules to news updates and information on volunteering, the car show, and the proud history of Lynn Valley Days.

You’ll also be able to buy your tickets to the Friday night gala dinner (May 25th), which will be even bigger and better than last year’s sold-out extravaganza.

In all my years, I’ve found there’s only one thing better than going to Lynn Valley Day – helping out with Lynn Valley Day! As with anything, the more you put into something, the more you get back. Whether it’s helping with set-up, taking a shift on the concession or stacking up chairs in the afternoon, there’s room for lots of helping hands, especially with this year’s added festivities. Please consider stepping up now so the Volunteer Coordinator doesn’t have to worry about filling her quota! Contact Shirin from the Lynn Valley Community Association at [email protected].

Should you have any questions about the Lynn Valley Days centennial, please email us here at LynnValleyLife and we’ll post the information for everyone to share, or put you on to the right contact person.

We look forward to providing you with lots of great Lynn Valley Days coverage and contests. Stay tuned! We’ll keep you posted.

February 6, 2012 in Blog, Community Events, Getting Involved, Lynn Valley Day, O'Malley's Musings

Church adds to yoga roster for new year

As reported earlier by LynnValleyLife, drop-in yoga is now being offered at Lynn Valley United Church, and 2012 brings with it yet another bendy option.

Children, Youth and Families Minister Christina Kinch – who trained in India as a Hatha yoga instructor – has added an intermediate class to the roster. The schedule for 2012 is as follows:

Beginners:
Mondays 11:15-12:15 a.m.
Thursdays 6:00-7:15 p.m.
Intermediate:
Tuesdays 6:30-7:45 p.m.
Girls ages 8-18
Tuesdays 5:00-6:15 p.m.

Youth classes are freely offered; adult classes are by donation. For more information, visit the Lynn Valley United Church website or email Christina at [email protected].

 

January 6, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Getting Involved

Our List of One-Mile Resolutions

Coming to You From Lynn O’Malley: Even those people who staunchly refuse to make New Year’s Resolutions must, like the rest of us, look forward to the new year and see all the potential it offers. Whether it is waistlines that need contracting or minds that need expanding, all seems – and indeed is – possible.
Some years ago a Vancouver couple made the 100-Mile Diet a household word; this year, LynnValleyLife is adapting that concept and publishing a list of One-Mile Resolutions. Whether you want to improve body, mind or spirit, we’re confident that self-fulfilment is – literally – just around the corner.

1. Beginning in January, the Lynn Valley Community Room adjacent to the library will come alive with a variety of new rec centre programs. Check out this listing of classes that offer up a variety of fitness options, from Nordic pole walking to belly dancing to self-defense.

2. If this is the year to spruce up your yard, get a hand from the GardenSmart programs of the North Shore Recycling Program. Whether it is a veggie gardening workshop at the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre or the provision of an expert gardener for your neighbourhood garden party, GardenSmart is the go-to resource for green thumbs.

3. Stretch your think-box by attending a Philosopher’s Café at Lynn Valley Library. The topic for January is relativism: Are there objective moral truths?

4. Then stretch your legs with a walking club – join up with the Mollie Nye House seniors on Wednesdays, or the Sun Run Walking Group on Tuesday mornings, HQ’d in the L.V. Community Room.

5. You can stretch everything else with a yoga class – YYoga is a popular choice in Lynn Valley Village, and new drop-in, by-donation classes (including one for girls) are offered by the new youth and families minister at Lynn Valley United Church.

6. Resolve to make your neighbourhood an even better place to live by volunteering your time. Create your own neighbourhood improvement project, or join one of our local groups such as the community association or the Lynn Valley Lions.

7. Like the song goes, Climb Every Mountain – but start with our own. When conditions allow, follow in the footsteps of pioneers who walked up the Old Grouse Mountain Highway, a three or four-hour hike up the 13-km gravel road that leads from the top of Mountain Highway to the Grouse Mountain chalet.

8. How long has it been since you dropped in on your neighbour? If it’s been a while, surprise them with a banana-bread visit or some impromptu help washing the car.

9. Adopt one new healthful diet habit – ask the fine folk at Country Health in the mall or Nourish Market in the village for tips.

10. If you’ve accomplished any or all of these One-Mile Resolutions, you deserve a reward. Treat yourself to the view from Fromme Mountain (pictured at top), which is one of the best in Lynn Valley. Only one catch: you’ll have to doff your drawers. This particular vista is only seen from the grassy grounds of the Van Tan Club, the nudist colony up Old Grouse Mountain Highway that has been in operation for almost 75 years. Consider your Van Tan membership another adventure for the new year!

December 30, 2011 in Blog, Getting Involved, O'Malley's Musings

Girls offered free yoga

Who wants to get stretchy?

Christina Kinch, the new youth ministry leader at Lynn Valley United, is also a certified Hatha yoga teacher. She’s leading free, drop-in yoga classes for girls in Grades 5 through 12 on Tuesdays from 5 to 6:15pm. Last one before the Christmas break is Tuesday the 13th, so why not pass along this info to a girl in your life and give them a stress-busting tool to help them manage the holiday frenzy? Classes will resume week of Jan. 9. Info: [email protected].

P.S. Adult classes are also offered, until Dec. 19th and then starting again after the holidays! Christina says:

Relax, breathe and connect to your body.  Join together to experience embodied spiritual practice.  Learn to honor your body, no matter how stiff, flexible, weak or strong you feel it is.  No experience necessary.  Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a mat if you have one. Classes by donation.
Mondays: 11:00am-12:15pm
Thursdays: 6:00pm-7:15pm

December 13, 2011 in Blog, Current News, Getting Involved

Buskers add a new element to village life

FROM THE DESK OF LYNN O’MALLEY:

We’ve been treated to all sorts of musical offerings in our village square, from the summertime concert series to occasional performances by community groups such as the Lynn Valley Black Bear Band and the North Shore Celtic Ensemble.

Now even more lovely, lilting, lyrical life is coming our way with the addition of the Lynn Valley Busking Program, which gives performers the opportunity to put out their hat in exchange for gifting us with their unique talent – whatever that may be.

Barb McLean of the North Vancouver Arts Office (located on the third floor of the Library Building) says that it’s not just musicians who can apply for the permit. If you’re a juggler, a dancer, an actor or a fire-eater, you’re also eligible (though we might need to check with the Lynn Valley fire department about that last one).

While applying for a permit sounds very bureaucracy-bound, I can testify to the fact that people such as Barb, John and Ian at the Arts Office are truly a great resource for local artists and do everything they can to make things easy and do-able. The permits are free, and auditions aren’t required.

Right now, the Arts Office reports that students from Ross Road Elementary are ‘busking up a storm’ to help pay for an upcoming school trip to Quebec.

For more information and the permit application, visit the Arts Office site. For tap-dancing lessons, click here!

 

December 13, 2011 in Blog, Getting Involved