Lynn Valley Day

Tree-savers sought for Saturday!

It’s weed pull time again! Celebrate the first week of spring by getting your hands dirty with North Shore Streamkeepers.

IMG_0807The group is looking for volunteers to help remove invasive plant species and replant native species in Lynn Canyon Park on Saturday, March 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Some trees in the area are being “girdled” by ivy vines that will ultimately choke off the vessels that supply oxygen throughout the tree, so cutting off those vines is just one of the priorities on the list.

All ages are welcome, and attendees are invited to meet at the bottom of the hill from the trailhead of the Baden Powell, across from End of the Line (4193 Lynn Valley Rd). Bring along your garden gloves, drinking water, a reusable mug and weather-appropriate clothing; snacks, tools and good company are provided!

North Shore Streamkeepers undertake all sorts of studies and activities that protect our local waterways and enhance fish populations. Learn more about their work, and how to get involved, right here.

(more…)

March 23, 2017 in Blog, Current News, Eco-Awareness & The Great Outdoors, Getting Involved, Lynn Valley Day

Lynn Valley Day brings back memories

Thank you to Dianne Elphinstone for sharing some of her Lynn Valley Day memories and photos! Volunteer or attend this year’s community celebration on the weekend of June 17 to 19; check out all the details here.

In the early 1940s someone displayed fridges at Lynn Valley Day. Most people did not have one, or also had never seen one. Someone else had a live caged anteater; this would have been about 1945.

(more…)

June 1, 2016 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Looking Back, Lynn Valley Day

Lynn Valley Day – what’s new for 2016!

It wasn’t easy, but LynnValleyLife finally caught up with Lynn Valley Day organizer Eric Miura on Friday – a rare chance to spend some time with this uber-busy volunteer who juggles his day job with executive roles in the Lynn Valley Lions and Lynn Valley Community Association.

At this time of year, that means Eric and the rest of the Lynn Valley Day team are living and breathing plans for the huge community event, which in 2016 has grown from two days into three.

(more…)

May 15, 2016 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Getting Involved, Lynn Valley Day

Lynn Valley Day weekend moves to June

Mark your calendars! After decades in its last-weekend-of-May slot, Lynn Valley Days is moving to the weekend of June 17 to 19, 2016. And along with the move comes a great new event – a Father’s Day breakfast on the Sunday morning!

Guests at the Friday night Gala will enjoy catering by Louis Gervais and dancing to the tunes of Angela Kelman. Tickets are $150, which includes two drinks.

(more…)

April 6, 2016 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Getting Involved, Lynn Valley Day

1962 Lynn Valley Day May Queen remembers crowning glory

From Lynn O’Malley, Voice of the Valley

She may have accomplished many things in her life since, but chief among Jane Jessop’s memories is being crowned May Queen at the 1962 Lynn Valley Day. And it wasn’t just any Lynn Valley Day – they really put on the Ritz as it was the 50th anniversary of the first Lynn Valley Day that took place in 1912 in Lynn Canyon Park.

It wasn’t Jane’s first Lynn Valley Day, though. Then Jane Hambleton, she had been one of the May Queen’s flower girls when she was just in Grade 1. But that was nothing compared to being chosen by popular vote from amongst four or five other Lynn Valley Elementary School girls to be the May Queen in Grade 6.

(more…)

May 25, 2015 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Looking Back, Lynn Valley Day, Notable Neighbours

Mom won in a walk: a Lynn Valley Day memory

By contributing writer Len Corben

My mother’s Achilles heel was actually her most valuable asset. At least it was on the afternoon she entered the Lynn Valley Day walking race from 15th Street and Lonsdale Avenue to Lynn Valley Park on June 1, 1957, coming up 58 years ago now.

With this year’s Lynn Valley Day scheduled for Saturday, May 30, this is the perfect opportunity to tell the tale of my mom’s victory using a rather unorthodox finishing kick.

(more…)

May 18, 2015 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Guest Voices, Looking Back, Lynn Valley Day

Granddaughter offers glimpse into Lynn Valley Day history

Thanks to our internet-connected world, a little piece of Lynn Valley history recently came to light.

Kim Wertenberger of Wapato, Washington, sent LynnValleyLife a photo of a much-cherished trophy that once belonged to her grandfather, Brian J. Ingoldsby. “I love it dearly and wanted to share it with you,” wrote Kim, who had unsuccessfully tried to make contact with someone in Lynn Valley years ago. This time, her internet search found an appreciative audience in the LVLife editorial office.

Image 4The trophy was given to Mr. Ingoldsby for winning the “Mile Flat Race” in 1921, 22, and 23. The race was run at the first-ever Lynn Valley Day in 1912, and again in 1913, but there is a significant gap in the dates while World War One interrupted such idyllic pastimes. (For a first-hand account of another Lynn Valley man’s experience of this period, see Walter Draycott’s online chronicle of The Great War.) It must have been celebratory indeed when Mr. Ingoldsby won the race when it made its reappearance in 1921.

Says Kim: “I was told that [my grandfather] qualified for the Olympics as a runner, but was spiked by another runner’s shoe so couldn’t participate.  I’m not sure about the truth in that or even if I am remembering the story correctly…but he won this trophy three years in a row so he must have had some skill!”

(more…)

May 2, 2015 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Looking Back, Lynn Valley Day

It takes a village to make LV Day happen!

A year or two ago, Lynn Valley Day was voted the North Shore’s best festival in the North Shore News’ Readers’ Choice Awards. That same year, Lynn Valley was voted the best neighbourhood in which to live. Coincidence? We think not.

The same things that make a great festival make a great hometown. That’s friendly people, an engaged citizenry, a commitment to our shared environment, and lots of volunteer help when it’s needed.

(more…)

March 1, 2015 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Getting Involved, Lynn Valley Day

Community building: A New Year’s Resolution for all?

Love ’em or hate ’em, adopt them or not, thoughts of new year’s resolutions are on most people’s minds each year when the calendar reaches its final days.

As we know, most well-intended resolutions die a quick death in the first few weeks following January 1. But surely it is still worth taking the time to look ahead at the year to come and ask yourself what you’d like to bring to it, and get from it.

(more…)

December 31, 2014 in Blog, Current News, Getting Involved, Lynn Valley Day, O'Malley's Musings