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Argyle Pipers football team re-christens home field

Update, October 13, 2012: Congratulations, Pipers! News just in that this game ended in a  victory for the Pipers, with a score of 36-0 over Eric Hamber. 

For the first time in 31 years, Lynn Valley football fans will have the chance to watch a home game on the Argyle School field, at a 1:30 p.m. kick-off against Eric Hamber School.

The Argyle Pipers football teams – dormant since the early 1980s – made a long sought-after comeback last year, thanks to the persistent efforts of gym teacher Milan Boljuncic (now co-head coach, along with Dave Heskin), private donors, and passionate parents such as Shane Sheehan, a Piper MVP in the ’70s (his son, Grady, is a Grade 12 player on this year’s team).

It’s not easy getting a team rebuilt, virtually from scratch. The boys had to be kitted out, and the helmets alone were $300 each. Necessary items were purchased with the help of generous donors and fundraising efforts by the players and coaches. (LynnValleyLife is proud to join the team as a new sponsor, and is looking forward to cheering on the players this Sunday!)  Another stumbling block was that the grass field needed upgrading to be able to accommodate a football game, which is why no home games were possible last year.

And while the old Piper magic has come back strong, to judge by the enthusiasm of its players and fan base, the scoreboard has yet to reflect the football team’s rebirth. So far, the seniors have yet to score in any of the four games played this season.

But the team’s spirit remains strong and everyone realizes that Rome wasn’t built in a day. This year will provide an extra challenge for the players,  in that the Pipers have now been moved up a division, into AA, after just one year spent at a lower tier. As many players on the team are rookies, there will be a lot of “learning by doing”.

To judge by the eagerness on the faces of both the players and their supporters, though, they are more than equal to the challenge. You can help them make the play by coming out on Saturday to cheer them on – and coming back to the field the next day to test drive a Ford vehicle. For every driver who comes out for a  buzz around the block, they’ll donate $20 to Argyle School! All details are here.

In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for some crisp fall weather for Saturday’s game, and come enjoy some good family fun! Kick off is 1:30 p.m., but fans are encouraged to come at 1 to start some spirit-building!

Grade 9 and 10 students are on the Junior Varsity team, and play on Wednesdays. The Grade 11 and 12 Varsity team plays on Fridays and Saturdays. Season schedules for both can be found here (search under AA Varsity).

October 10, 2012 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, School News

Lynn Valley sewer system tested

What the heck is a vapour test? And why is there one coming to a sewer near you?

Click on this link from North Vancouver District, in which the municipality explains how and why Lynn Valley’s storm and sanitary sewers are being vapour tested this month to ensure rainwater is not entering the sanitary system.

You’ll get a knock on the door before your area is tested, but for now, read their handy heads-up!

 

October 8, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Eco-Awareness & The Great Outdoors, Governance and Services

Lynn Valley town centre plans taking shape

For more than five years, North Vancouver District planners have been trying to get into the heads of Lynn Valley residents. They’ve asked for our views, they’ve brought in speakers, they’ve created opportunities for online education and feedback, they’ve set up shop in the mall, they’ve gone to our youth, they’ve been at Lynn Valley Day, and they’ve hosted charrettes* (who even knew what those were, prior to that weekend in ’07?)

All this was to facilitate the collective creation of a vision for Lynn Valley that would take its place in the Official Community Plan. This plan was adopted by NVD Council in June, 2011, and since then community planners have been fleshing out implementation proposals. We were given a look at some of these last spring, in another round of displays and feedback sessions (please see this blog post from April).

Now, this big subject has once again moved to the front burner because Safeway and Bosa (owners of Lynn Valley Mall) have both submitted preliminary application letters to the District, outlining in some detail their proposed redevelopment plans (click links to read the letters).

Of course, everyone has questions as to the future of our neighbourhood. Many of us are conflicted – we don’t want our community to lose its ‘charm,’ but we have to admit some elements of the current mall are less than charming.

Maybe we’re excited about some of the new public amenities, green spaces and walkways that are proposed under the Town Centre plan, but find it hard to get behind some of the high-rise developments that would help bankroll such additions.

Or maybe we’re happy there will be lower-cost, higher-density housing alternatives for our young families and seniors, but are still concerned about how added multi-family complexes might impact the amount of vehicle traffic in the valley.

And some days, you might feel one way in the morning, and another way by dinnertime! That’s understandable. The revitalization and redevelopment of our neighbourhood is a huge project (most of these plans are expected to take place over 20 years, not all at once!) and it’s hard to weigh out all the pros and cons that each change might bring.

There is a helpful District Identity website that has a good background on the Lynn Valley Town Centre plan, and links to earlier presentations and publications, but we’d also like to help time-starved residents access information quickly and easily. We see it as our job to bring you the info you want, as you need it.

Over the next few months, we’ll be taking some of your top questions about the town centre plans and addressing them, one at a time. We know there will likely be a range of viewpoints (and perhaps no easy answers!) to give you on most of the topics, but we’ll endeavour to explain the basics as best we can, and point you in the right direction if you’d like more in-depth information or would like to share your own thoughts.

So, if you’d like us to focus on a certain aspect of the Lynn Valley Town Centre proposals, please contact us soon at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!

* For those who still don’t know, a charrette is “a public meeting or workshop devoted to a concerted effort to solve a problem or plan the design of something.” There were many thoughts shared at the Lynn Valley charrettes in 2007!

 

 

October 8, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Governance and Services, Real Estate News

Lynn Valley homes on view this weekend!

Thinking about cozying up in a new home before the winter comes? There are a few to check out this weekend, to suit all different needs and budgets.

You can view the incredible family home at 2315 Ennerdale Rd., an open sunny cul-de-sac that’s an easy walk from Karen Magnussen Rec Centre and Kirkstone Park (kitchen shown above).

And it’s the first weekend showing at 1825 Peters Road, a well-kept, one-owner home that’s a great value for someone wanting to get a foothold in the Lynn Valley market.

Looking for a suite in the sought-after ‘Branches’ complex? This two-bedroom unit has top-of-the-line touches and comes with many building amenities such as a gym, garden courtyard and secure parking.

Ennerdale will be open Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m, Peters on Saturday 2-4pm and Branches on Sunday 2-4pm.  For more information, please have a look at the individual listings, or call RE/MAX realtors Jim Lantot and Kelly Gardiner (sponsors of the LynnValleyLife community media website) at 778-724-0112.

 

September 28, 2012 in Blog, Real Estate News

Lynn Valley students carry Terry’s torch

If you see students running from their schools en masse this week, don’t worry, it isn’t a fire – they’re just taking part in the annual Terry Fox School Run.

Janet Dunkin, French teacher and organizer of Argyle’s run on Thursday, Sept. 27th, says the high school has been participating in the event for at least 25 years. The whole school will run in the blocks around Argyle at about 12:40 that day, with traffic-directing support from the RCMP and Parent Advisory Council, and the senior PE classes acting as race marshalls.

Ms. Dunkin is a driving force behind the school’s involvement, due in part, she says, to her own family’s experiences with the merciless disease. Both of her daughters, Colleen and Katharine, had malignant brain tumours as infants. While they both survived that harsh beginning, Katharine passed away in 2003 when she was a 16-year-old Argyle student, from a cancer that was linked to her earlier treatment.

Many of us know people both within and without the school community who are currently battling the illness; there are no shortage of reasons to show your support this week. Argyle is hoping to raise $3,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation, and students will be collecting pledges until early October. If you don’t know a local elementary or secondary student who can collect your donation, please consider pledging to one of our local schools’ campaigns via the Terry Fox Foundation School Run website.

And if you’re out driving on Thursday, watch out for kids running where and when you least expect them!

 

September 24, 2012 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Getting Involved, School News

Caring clown classes commence

Like to laugh? Meet people? Put more fun in your life? Put fun in others’ lives? Maybe try some vol-FUN-teering? Then a new course starting at Mollie Nye House may just be what you’re looking for.

Unlike most classes, this program not only allows, but encourages, students to clown around.  Instructor Amanda O’Leary combines magic, performance, humour, skits, balloon twisting and painting to teach participants how to be a Caring Clown – then she sends them out into the community to put their new skills to good use.

“Everyone has talents to offer to their society,” says Amanda, who is the Caring Clown Director of the World Clowning Association. “Yet most people don’t know they have them, or have the opportunity to practise them. But imagine spreading joy, creating smiles, or sharing a moment with a person you don’t know – that is the joy of being a Caring Clown.”

Amanda explains that clowning doesn’t have to be “loud and in your face.” Especially when you are visiting people in hospitals, seniors’ homes and preschools, you need to learn how to do “the clowning small, with lots of love and fun.”

 “Being loud and obnoxious isn’t an art form; creating a connection is,” says Amanda. “People think clowning is loud costumes and make-up and a big nose and shoes. I believe that you don’t need all of that. The clown needs to be in your heart, looking for the fun, connecting with people and letting them shine.”

The three-part course has never been taught in the Lower Mainland. Beginning with Basic Clowning, which begins Oct. 19 and runs to Nov. 23, it helps people find a way to unlock the fun inside of you. “Just like at Halloween, people find it easier to assume a persona when they have a costume and outside trappings,” Amanda says.

The second part, beginning in January, teaches the subtler aspects of being a Caring Clowning, and the final component in the spring offers you the chance to practice your new skills out in the community.

Amanda is an experienced teacher, and brings to the table an extensive acting background along with years of clowning and performing magic for crowds of all sizes and ages.

To meet Amanda and learn more about the Caring Clown program, come out to a free information session at Mollie Nye House on Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. Please call Mollie Nye House at 604-987-5820 to reserve a spot.

September 21, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Getting Involved

How did your Lynn Valley garden grow?

From the garden of Lynn O’Malley: 

Nature is all swings and roundabouts, isn’t it?

Just when one is ready to despair over the constant mildewing of the zucchini leaves, a bumper crop of sweet peas gives one cause to celebrate. Non-productive clematis vines are overshadowed by an abundance of black-eyed Susans.

At least that’s how it was in my upper Lynn Valley garden this year, which seems always to be unpredictable in its yearly showing – largely a result, no doubt, of the inconsistent care and attention it gets from its owner. But whether it is nature or nurture that makes one year’s bounty so different from the next, the kaleidescope tableau that results is never the same twice.

My garden highlight this year has been my sweet pea teepee, which is still covered with blooms. In years past, I’ve strung up sweet peas against a backyard wall under the eaves and then constantly forgetten to water them. This year, I plunked them front and centre in my raised veggie bed by the street, along with the Swiss chard and green onions, where they were assured of some life-sustaining attention from the automatic sprinkler.

The biggest benefit I’ve reaped from the resulting healthy crop hasn’t been aesthetic, though the flowers’ incredible scent is a lovely addition to the vegetable garden. No, the very best part about the prolific sweet peas is the number of excuses they have given me to visit friends and neighbours, bouquet in hand.

When your sweet peas need to be picked, they need to be picked. So what better time is there to drop in on someone you’ve been meaning to visit for ages? It’s been a pleasure to use the sweet peas as my calling card in a number of homes and workplaces this summer. Pretty and amazingly fragrant, they are always well received (I should aspire to be so popular!)

Fortunately the memory of my happy sweet pea moments will serve to blot out any other agricultural disappointments from Summer 2012; the above-mentioned zucchini issue (everyone complains about their overabundant zucchini harvest, while I sadly ruminate upon my three small green accomplishments), the Shasta Daisies overcome with aphids and something else that caused their heads to wither; the pot of flowers that was supposed to be a riot of pink and blue, but the pink bloomed and died back in early July, while the blue is just now opening from bud.

All is forgiven, all is forgotten! Summer 2012 was the Sweet Pea Summer.

Do you want to keep the floral fun going this fall? Posy Florist in Lynn Valley Village is offering a series of workshops, from basic floral design (mandatory for newbies) to ones that will teach you to create your own Thanksgiving centrepiece or Christmas wreath. Have a look at the Posy site for more information – first class is on Wednesday, Sept. 26th!) 

September 21, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Eco-Awareness & The Great Outdoors, O'Malley's Musings

Black Bear Pub hosts weekly trivia nights

From the pen of Jeffry Huyghebaert, Assistant Manager, Black Bear Neighbourhood Pub

Every Monday night at the Black Bear we run a trivia game for our guests, with questions running the gamut of general knowledge and obscure facts.  There is no cost to play, and teams are encouraged; best to bring a few people with different interests and knowledge than yourself! The only real rule is that Google cannot be one of your teammates.

The game starts at 7:30 p.m., and usually runs until around 9:30 p.m. There are two rounds of fifteen questions per round, and the team with the highest score at the end of two rounds claims the victory, and has a choice between a plate of 24 hot wings or a pitcher of Molson Canadian to celebrate their win.

Besides general knowledge and obscure facts, we occasionally choose to run with a certain theme, which is usually based around a certain event; on Canada Day the theme was Canadiana, during the Olympics the questions were all about Olympic events and history, and around the time of the Oscars we did a night of Movie Quotes.

Next week will mark the 20th week of Black Bear Trivia, which means that our guests will have answered 800 questions since we started playing. The questions themselves come from the staff and managers of the Black Bear, rather than simply being pulled down from a website or lifted from Trivial Pursuit. It’s been a lot of research, a lot of fun, and a lot of being impressed by just how much our guests actually know about really, really random things.

 

 

 

 

September 18, 2012 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Guest Voices, Merchant Mentions

Book, play to feature Lynn Valley mothers and daughters

About a year ago, North Vancouver women were invited to write a 2,000-word biography of their mother as part of a new project launched by the Mothership Stories Society. In October, a book launch and theatre production will give you the chance to be captivated by the stories that resulted.

Since 2004, the non-profit organization organization founded by Marilyn Norry has solicited, promoted, performed and published the stories of ordinary women written by ordinary daughters. But as participants in the various “My Mother’s Story” projects always discover, there is no such thing as ‘ordinary’ when it comes to talking about mothers and their varied lives – what’s astonishing in one family is commonplace in another.

You can read two hundred or so of these collected stories on the website archive, but next month you’ll have the chance to see several of the stories from the most recent North Vancouver project co-mingled in a dramatic presentation at Presentation House.

Of the 60 stories submitted by North Vancouver women, eight will be featured in My Mother’s Story: North Vancouver, and 41 will be published, along with photos, in an anthology that will also be launched next month.

The play is sure to evoke a variety of emotions, and provide the audience with many conversation-starters as they see a picture of North Vancouver’s social history emerge from the stories of some of its residents.

Happily, Lynn Valley daughters and mothers are well-represented. Pat Ceraldi writes of her mother, Dorothy McMillan, who lived the life of a diamond driller’s wife, moving from the dust bowl of the prairies to the wild outposts of northern Manitoba; to the glamour of Toronto and finally west to her Vancouver family.

Aranka Lukacs, client services representative at the Lynn Valley RBC, tells of her mother wanting the freedom that was denied people in Hungary during the 1940s and 5os and up to the 1956 Revolution, and how her search for that freedom brought her to Canada and a whole new world.

Maria Torres writes of her mother, who came here from Portugal at sixty years of age with two requests: the chance to learn English, and to get a job.

Other Lynn Valley writers include Suzanne Rayment, Jean Redpath, Sandy Crawford, Patricia Young, Janet Dysart, Peggy Trendell-Jensen, Suzanne Ristic (who is also performing in the play), and Grace Gordon-Collins. Each story is as unique as the woman who inspired it.

My Mother’s Story: North Vancouver runs from October 17 to 28; more information and ticket sales are to be found on the Presentation House website. For a sneak preview of some of the North Vancouver mother’s stories (or to learn how to write your own!) check out the My Mother’s Story website and have a look through its archives.

September 18, 2012 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Notable Neighbours