We’ve been looking forward to this all year! It’s finally time to put the call-out for nominations for this year’s Good Neighbour Award.
We loved reading the stories you sent in last year. We heard about animal lovers and faithful housesitters; charity organizers, handyman husbands, and more. The winner, chosen from amongst all these goodhearted folk by random draw, was Rosemary Postlethwaite of Lynn Valley United Church, who was given her Good Neighbour Award at the finale of the Lynn Valley Christmas in LV Village.
So please send us your story about the person in our community who has made our world a better place, in ways large or small. Over the upcoming season of peace and goodwill, we will share our favourites on the website and draw from amongst them the recipient of the 2013 Good Neighbour Award.
This year’s winner will receive a number of local treats, including a gift certificate to the Black Bear Neighbourhood Pub, four tickets to Friday Night Live, a basket of Christmas CDs from Rave-On Studio, yoga passes to Joyful Chakra Yoga, and even a personalized tour of the North Van RCMP station with our favourite press officer, Cpl. Richard De Jong! And the person who nominates the winner will get a handful of Christmas CDs, too!
Please send your story (just a paragraph or two will do, doesn’t have to be fancy) to [email protected] as soon as you can so we can start sharing them. All entries are due by Wednesday, December 18. Please include your name and contact information, as well as that of the person you are nominating. To help us spread the word, please download this poster to stick up at your local school or shop – we’d love to read as many heartwarming stories as possible!
The announcement will be made, and the prize awarded, at this year’s finale of a Lynn Valley Christmas on Sunday, December 22. Our 2012 winner, Rosemary, is shown below with LynnValleyLife sponsor Jim Lanctôt, his daughter Katie, and the Rev. Blair Odney of Lynn Valley United Church. Who will win this year’s award, we wonder…?
photo courtesy Linda Mackie
It all started as a group of adults who dusted off their high school band instruments and used their Monday evening practices to escape the world of mortgages, day jobs and fractious toddlers.
Thus the Lynn Valley Black Bear Band was born, and quickly grew to an ever-more enthusiastic group of 40 to 50 musicians of all backgrounds and skill levels. The first years were spent under the direction of longtime Argyle music teacher, Ken Osterreicher, and many of the players were recent or long-ago alumni of our neighbourhood secondary school.
Today, nearly 10 years on, the Black Bear Band is conducted by Rob McLeod, Sutherland high school’s VP, and the musicians are a varied bunch. The band has never required auditions, and potential players are invited to come out for a few practices to suss out for themselves whether they are a good fit.
“We have a real range of abilities in the band, from people who haven’t played for years to people who are semi-pro,” says president Stacey Seddon. “It works well – people can cover for each other when necessary, and everyone finds their skills getting better over time. Put us all together and we sound really good!”
The band has developed a faithful following through its regular appearances at Lynn Valley Day, Remembrance Day and other community events. It also has a popular Winter Concert at Kay Meek Centre, a by-donation event that includes seasonal and not-so-seasonal tunes, and apres-show goodies as well. This year’s Winter Concert takes place Monday, Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Monday evening practices are followed up by an optional get-together at the Black Bear pub, which feeds its namesake community band complimentary wings and pop. It’s an evening in the week that has become a musical and social highlight for many of the members, but don’t take our word for it; LynnValleyLife was sent the following testimonials from BBB longtimers:
The band is actively recruiting new members, so don’t be shy! Contact [email protected], or just show up for a Monday practice in the Argyle band room at 7:30 p.m. (aim for 7:15 to get set up). More info is available on the band website. Make 2014 the year you put some more music in your life!
Growing audiences have been delighted with this season’s line-up of guest performers at the weekly musical improv night held at Lynn Valley United Church.
Friday Night Live has welcomed wellknown Vancouver performers, such as Bard on the Beach’s Andrew Wheeler and Phantom of the Opera’s Jeff Hyslop, along with upcoming talent that’s included magicians, singers, composers and more.
The evening is always a remarkable blend of hilarity and talent; the show is anchored each night by Ad Libretto, improv performers who blend brilliant off-the-cuff acting with Matt Grinke’s equally brilliant off-the-cuff piano accompaniment, with amazing results.
You can enjoy a few snacks in the lobby before the 7:30 start time, buy a glass of wine to take into the show with you, and relax and enjoy the performance. Given our dark, fall-weathery evenings, staying close to home for an evening’s entertainment is even more appreciated!
The fall season will wrap up with a final performance on December 6, so be sure to catch an evening or two or three before then. Click here for the guest line-up; this Friday (the 15th) come out and see composer and performer Simon Kendall, formerly of Doug and the Slugs. (Click here to listen to some gorgeous clips from Simon’s new solo piano CD and his other releases.)
A special ‘gallery night’ is being held the following Friday, November 22, when the work of Millenium Ink tattoo artists will be featured. Doors open at 6:30 so you have the chance to see a range of work on a “human gallery” and enjoy light refreshments; the theme of tattoos as means of expressing human rights and other meaningful causes will be discussed during the show.
New this season is support from community sponsors who believe in having quality, family-friendly entertainment in our neighbourhood. Thanks to title sponsors Royal Bank and Grossman and Stanley, business lawyers, and to Zazou Salon and Spa, Save-on-Foods, Westlynn Meats and Seafoods, Len Grinke Photography, Waves Coffee House (for their complimentary beverages!) and of course, to Lynn Valley United Church, whose brainchild this was.
Tickets are $10 at the door. Books of tickets are available for $100, which includes 10 tickets and two complementary tickets (what a great Christmas gift!) Family rate is $25, and people under 12 are free. Get tickets in advance if you’d like, by calling 604 987-2114 or emailing [email protected].
Well, it seems that all the debate regarding high-rises, mall redevelopment and the like was really just a smokescreen. While petitions circulated and activists rallied, a secret development was taking place in the emptied Zellers building, unbeknownst to all.
But we don’t expect a huge neighbourhood outcry. After all, how often does Santa set up shop right under one’s nose?
LynnValleyLife was allowed behind the blue curtain this week, into the Zellers space that is in the process of being transformed into the North Pole by North Pole BC. Company owner Martin Miller showed us around the winterland village that will soon be bustling with traditional Christmas characters.
There will still be a free mall Santa, located in a ‘woodland’ just inside the old Zellers entrance. Those who wish to book tickets to the North Pole ($13.95 and up) step into a world of twinkling lights and fun activities.
Kids can decorate gingerbread cookies in the elves’ kitchen, read stories with Mrs. Claus, help the elves make toys in their workshop, visit with a snow princess, make their own gift wrap, write letters to Santa, and more.
Those who opt for a personalized visit with Santa get some scheduled one-on-one time with a Santa who knows just the right thing to say to each child (thanks to getting some info in advance from Mom and Dad), and go home with a small gift.
This is the fifth year that the company has offered the North Pole tours; last year it was at Maplewood Farm. Martin says he is delighted to bring the village indoors, where the weather can’t play havoc with the experience. He expects that once again the North Pole will attract visitors from all over the Lower Mainland and beyond.
Tours begin with the arrival of Santa to Lynn Valley Centre on November 23 (there will be free entertainment from 10:55 a.m. to 12:15 in the mall food court). North Pole excursions will primarily take place on weekends, but become more regular in the weeks leading up to Christmas. To assure availability, families should pre-book in advance, but impromptu visitors are welcome to inquire at the door to see if space is available. Group visits are common and special pricing starts at 10 people.
Many congratulations to Lynn Valley’s Green Coast Rubbish, a local company that doesn’t just haul your ‘junk’ away … it finds good homes and uses for as much of it as possible. That dedication to waste reduction was recently recognized when the company was given the 2013 Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award in the Green Business category. Green Coast Rubbish joins other well-known previous award recipients that include the David Suzuki Foundation.
It isn’t the first honour the company has received, as you’ll see if you read their LynnValleyLife Merchant Profile. But it’s great to hear they certainly aren’t slowing down any in their efforts to find ever more ways to divert waste from the landfill and incinerator.
These are some of the impressive stats from Green Coast Rubbish’s recent blog entry: “Whenever possible, we divert and donate materials to local non-profit organizations that can put them to good use (over 9 tonnes of goods & material in total, this past year alone). Since 2010, we’ve kept over 522 tons of waste materials away from our local landfills by recycling or diverting them (a 76% diversion rate), with our ultimate goal being a 100% diversion by 2020. And while our business is built upon helping clients effectively manage their waste, we also believe in consciously working toward bettering our own environmental footprint on a daily basis. In 2012, we managed to reduce our personal greenhouse gas emissions by 7.73%.”
Many congratulations again GCR, and remember, Lynn Valleyites, this company is happy to come to your home or business, so if you’re wanting a simple way to keep your own waste disposal as green as possible, keep Green Coast Rubbish in mind!
This LV resident makes it easy to prepare for a quake.
Whether you call it the “Irly Building Centre” or still refer to it by its earlier moniker, “Woodstop Building Supplies,” you’ll be sorry to hear this Lynn Valley landmark is shutting down operations.
Trevor Stephenson, the co-owner who founded the store in 1978, told LynnValleyLife that he first went into business in the adjacent lumberyard, which had been abandoned by previous operators. Trevor believes it had been run as a lumberyard since the 1950s; he says a six (not seven!)-digit telephone number is still written on the inside of the warehouse door.
Five years later, Trevor built the building supply store and was joined by recent Argyle Secondary grad John Horsnel, who later became a co-owner of the business.
Over the years, Trevor says they have served many longtime customers; about 80 per cent have been contractors and 20 per cent homeowners. He’s been in business so long, he says, that he’s seen some contractors through their entire career. As for himself, he’s still getting used to the idea of semi-retirement.
“I’m still in denial to some extent,” he says. But he’s warming up to the thought. “The beauty of retirement is the ability to be on your own schedule, not someone else’s. I’m looking forward to that flexibility.” That’s no wonder, considering that Trevor has been up at 5 a.m. for the past 35 or so years, in order to commute from his Port Coquitlam home to be at work by 6:30.
But it won’t be all play, no work. Trevor and John also own North Shore Door, which sells doors, windows, moldings and door hardware from its shop at 103 – 2433 Dollarton. John has been working full-time at that location for the past year, and Trevor intends to lend a hand to help the shop build its brand.
The owners have sold the property to a residential developer, a land use that Trevor feels is a better fit for that corner of Lynn Valley. They plan to close the lumber yard on October 31 (all materials are currently being sold at cost) and he says that from November 1 to December 15 the contents of the building supply sale will also be sold at cost. He hopes to have the business wrapped up by December 31.
Trevor says he’ll definitely miss his customers and the relationships he’s developed through his work. “It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle,” he notes. He asked LynnValleyLife to pass on his and John’s appreciation to all their longtime customers. “We’re awful thankful for their support over the years.”
Trevor, John and the rest of the Woodstop crew will certainly be missed by Lynn Valleyites, most of whom will never have known their neighbourhood to be without this stalwart landmark. On behalf of the community, thanks for everything and we’ll see you at North Shore Door!
| This just in from Lynn Valley Community Association….
(For more information about adopting a Christmas tree, click here. As of November 6, there are only 13 left, so don’t delay!
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Award-winning architect helps to beautify our neighbourhood
