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Friday Night Live crew celebrate a year of laughs

On Friday, June 1, the AddLibretto theatre sports troupe will once again throw some seemingly random questions out to the audience at Lynn Valley United Church.

“What do people ask advice about?” might be one of the questions, or “What’s something worth celebrating?” Within seconds, the off-the-cuff answers are used as the fodder for a scene or song that is guaranteed to bring laughs, and sometimes even some sage life-wisdom.

Friday Night Live, an evening of music and comedy (and musical comedy!), began one year ago on Friday. Over the past year, the informal evening of entertainment has continued to grow in popularity, and has seen over 20 guest artists take to the stage along with  AddLibretto. Over that time, audiences have heard pianist composers, singers, jazz combos and more.

This Friday will see the Senior Vocal Ensemble from Argyle Secondary step up with director Francis Roberts to perform some of their always-crowd-pleasing numbers. And, as always, audience members will also get to enjoy coffee donated by Waves and treats supplied by the parish.

“There are lots of people who like to come out and end their week on a really positive note,” says Kelly Jenner, church administrator. The church, she says, plans to continue hosting Friday Night Live next year, after the troupe take a summer break from their church-based performances.

For now, though, you’ll be able to catch them at the church every Friday night until the end of June; performances start at 7:30 and guest musicians are advertised on the church website in advance. A hat is passed following the performance; Kelly suggests considering what it costs to go to a movie when deciding what to donate. (And you won’t have those staggering popcorn costs to worry about!)

For more information, visit the church website or call 604-987-2114.

 

 

May 30, 2012 in Blog, Community Events, Current News

No need to leave the Valley this weekend!

Be sure to get all your chores before Friday this week, because you won’t want to miss a minute of the goings-on in Lynn Valley this weekend. We’re confident the weather will cooperate, so get your calendar out and make note of the following!

If you’re one of the lucky ones who scored a ticket to the Lynn Valley Day Gala Dinner, you already know what you’ll be doing Friday night – dining and dancing under the tent and putting in some bids on auction items to help support the North Shore Rescue team.

If you left your ticket buying too late, don’t despair – cap off your week by taking in the never-fail laughs provided by members of the professional theatre sports troupe AddLibretto, performing at 7:30 at the weekly Friday Night Live event at Lynn Valley United. Special guest this week is violinist Andrea Siradze of the North Shore Sinfonia orchestra.

Saturday starts bright and early with the Lynn Valley Day Pancake Breakfast at 7:30 (or earlier if you decide to lend a hand to the stalwart volunteers showing up at 6 a.m.!) Spend the rest of the day enjoying the 10 a.m. parade, exhibits, rides, performances, and games at the 100th Lynn Valley Day extravaganza; all details are here.

Rest up Saturday night (you’ll sleep even better if you help put away the tents and tables in Lynn Valley Park!) and then head to Lynn Headwaters Park on Sunday for their Wilderness at Your Doorstep event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join archeologists and experts on natural history and local trails in the BC Mills House, and take a walk fuelled by some coffee from the Tim Hortons Community Mobile.

That afternoon, enjoy the fruits of other people’s labours with a visit to the two Lynn Valley gardens taking part in the annual Art in the Garden event.

From noon to 5 p.m., pay just $1 to tour gardens that showcase not just their owners’ green thumbs, but the work of local artists and musicians.

The Lynn Valley gardens are located at 1731 Torquay Ave. and 1531 Kilmer Pl. See the North Vancouver Community Arts Council website for details on musicians’ set times and other North Shore gardens participating in the tour.

After a weekend like that, you might just be glad to head into the office Monday for a rest! Enjoy it – and our thanks to all event organizers for putting on a weekend to remember!

P.S. If we’re wrong and the weather DOESN’T improve, don’t fret – just head on over to the Library Book Sale, on from Friday to Sunday!

 

May 23, 2012 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Getting Involved, Lynn Valley Day

Meet our Mother’s Day contest winner!

In our recent Mother’s Day contest, we asked LynnValleyLife readers to tell us the most important lesson they learned from their mother.

We’re happy to introduce you to Eryn Arnott, who wrote the following:

“The best lesson I learned from my mom was how to love unconditionally.  Although my mom died when I was young, there was never a time I could not go to her for, or with, anything. She was always there with open arms, a hug, or word of wisdom.  She taught me what it means to be a mom.”

Thanks, Eryn, for reminding us how important it is to ‘be there’ for each other, whether as parents, kids, or friends. We hope you enjoy your gift from the Red Tulip Gift Shop in Lynn Valley Village.

May 21, 2012 in Blog, Contests, Current News

Take a walk on the wild side at Lynn Headwaters event

The 100th Lynn Valley Day shindig may be over as of Saturday evening, but the celebration of local heritage will continue on Sunday with an event at Lynn Headwaters Park.

Wilderness At Your Doorstep gives people the chance to learn more about the mountain folds and forests that have shaped the history of this neighbourhood, and the pioneers who were there when it happened.Lynn Valley Headwaters, North Vancouver

Archeology students and experts on park trails, bear behaviour, and history will be on hand to introduce people to the natural history of the park. Artifacts that bring to life the logging and mining activities that took place in the area are on display at the BC Mills House at the park entrance.

The small museum is an example of the early pre-fab homes that were sold by the B.C. Mills Timber and Trading Company of Vancouver. It was originally assembled at 147 East 1st Street in 1908, by Captain Henry Pybus, who commanded the CPR Express of China and the Empress of Japan. In 1994, the Sixth Field Engineering Squadron of North Van dismantled the house and reassembled it in its current location in Lynn Headwaters, where its refurbishing was financed with B.C. Heritage Trust funds that were granted to Metro Vancouver Parks. (For some interesting background on the history of the BC Mills homes, visit this article from Heritage Vancouver.)

Wilderness at Your Doorstep runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 27th, and refreshments will be provided by Tim Hortons.

Thanks to parks volunteers, BC Mills House is also open to the public from May to September from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays and public holidays. For a three-minute video tour through the park and the BC Mills museum, click here.

 

May 21, 2012 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Eco-Awareness & The Great Outdoors

Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge celebrates 100 years

BY TRICIA EDGAR: In 2012, Lynn Canyon Park is 100 years old. Let’s go on a walk through the trails of the canyon a century ago. If you’d visited then, what would you have seen?

It’s a sunny day, and you decide to take the small rail car up from the waterfront to get to the park. As you move up the hill toward Lynn Valley, you see small houses that dot the landscape, standing amidst the remains of a giant forest. The tram moves up the road the place where Dempsey and Lynn Valley Road meet today.  You get off the tram and follow the trail into the park. As you walk, you can hear the music of a live band playing in the bandstand and the shouts of laughter from the children playing in the playground.

Huge stumps of Douglas-fir and Western Red Cedar dot the landscape, and small alder trees grow abundantly, surrounded by salmonberries and other sun-loving shrubs.

You buy lemonade for eight cents from the refreshment stand and sit down to enjoy a relaxing lunch in the picnic area under the shade of a few smaller trees.  You hear the water rushing through the canyon and feel the breeze as it blows through alders that line the creek.  You reach into your pocket, looking for 10 cents that will allow you to cross the suspension bridge, a swinging bridge that stands a daunting fifty meters above the rushing Lynn Creek.

This was Lynn Canyon Park when it opened on September 12, 1912.  When Mr. J.P. Crawford originally proposed a park to the McTavish brothers who had logged the area, all parties involved had great real estate dreams of drawing people to Lynn Valley.  Although logging was the main industry in the area, Lynn Valley was still fairly heavily treed and would be a beautiful, sought-after area in which to live.  To create the core of the park, the McTavish brothers made a 12-acre donation which was met with a 10-acre donation from the District Council of North Vancouver.

Their business venture was a huge success, and for seven years the park was a thriving tourist destination. However, just seven short years after the park opened, it changed dramatically.  Following three weeks of straight rain, on November 14, 1919, several acres of land collapsed into the river, bringing with it most of the park infrastructure: the caretaker’s cottage, the bandstand, the refreshment booth, and the picnic tables.

Over time, the park has been rebuilt and transformed again and again by nature and by people. Since 1971, the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre has provided education for over 2.6 million visitors to the park. The Centre was built in the shape of the Dogwood blossom, B.C’s floral emblem. The Centre provides park visitors with an opportunity to learn even more about this ever-changing wilderness that sits just next door to Vancouver.

Over the last 100 years, the once-tiny firs, cedars, and hemlocks left behind by long ago loggers have grown into huge trees that inspire millions of visitors from around the world. The suspension bridge draws line-ups of visitors every summer, and it’s cheaper than it used to be: it’s free! Today, Lynn Canyon Park conserves 617 acres of temperate rainforest, providing a wilderness oasis on the urban fringe and catering to families, tourists and outdoor enthusiasts alike.

– Tricia Edgar is the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre’s eduction programmer.

May 14, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Eco-Awareness & The Great Outdoors, Guest Voices, Looking Back

What we really wanted to post….

Here’s what we would have put on our Facebook page if we weren’t being such a gosh-darn responsible community media outlet and didn’t want to inadvertently incite mass panic, a la the Orson Welles “War of the Worlds” radio play. This FAKE image was mocked up after a cougar was spotted near a Goldman Sachs office in Salt Lake City in 2010. (Courtesy: Business Insider.)

In fact, cougar attacks are extremely rare in this province – more people are killed by bees! For a good safety guide on cougars in B.C., visit here.

May 12, 2012 in Uncategorized

“Book” some time for library sale

Another Library Book Sale is coming up on Lynn Valley Day weekend, which gives us a swell excuse to show you this great video from the last sale, filmed by local videographer John Durrant. We know it will make you want to come out to the library on May 25 to 27 to see what literary gems you can find!

Meghan Radomske of the Friends of the Library – the group of library supporters who organize this twice-yearly event – said that last autumn’s sale raised $4312.90!

That money is earmarked for a new and improved reading lounge in the Lynn Valley Library. “[It] will include a fantastic new curved display case featuring new books, movies, upcoming events at the library, and information about the Friends of the Library,” Meghan told us. “More comfy chairs and cushions and more accessible computer stations will also be featured, particularly ones that can be lowered to accommodate people with disabilities.

Books not sold at the library events are donated to a non-profit organization called Reading Tree, which provides books to disadvantaged families, schools, and libraries.

“Joining the Friends of the Library is a great way to support North Vancouver District Public Library and to volunteer in the community,” said Meghan. Amongst their other duties, Friends members:

  • advocate for library services and fundraise for library projects and resources.
  • organize book-sales and other fundraisers.
  • help at library events such as author talks and District Library Art Receptions.

Membership is $5 annually. Visit here to learn more about joining the Friends or pick up a Friends of the Library brochure at your local branch.

 

May 11, 2012 in Blog, Community Events, Current News

Can you take a ticket, run a ride, or tote a table?

We know you’ve been meaning to give Shirin a call and just haven’t gotten around to it…. so now’s your chance! Shirin is the busy soul in charge of matching volunteers to various Lynn Valley Day tasks. Events are often a lot funner (yes, we’ve decided that’s a word) when you’re actively involved, and, as an added bonus, new legislation has ruled that any mini doughnuts consumed by volunteers contain no calories. So what are you waiting for? Please see the poster below for specific volunteer requests, and help Shirin fill those last slots!


May 11, 2012 in Blog, Community Events, Getting Involved, Lynn Valley Day

Kids invited to paint the town red (and blue, and green…)

Kids, get your crayons sharpened! There’s a contest just for you this Lynn Valley Day, and since it’s the 100th anniversary of this special community festival, we hope lots of you will get involved.

Two of the colouring sheets honour the logging industry that put Lynn Valley on the map more than a hundred years ago, and one is some native-style art in honour of the first inhabitants of these shores.

Three to 7 year olds are invited to do their best colouring on this busy beaver. Eight to 10 year olds can go to town on this lumberjack. And 11 to 13 year olds can add their own style to this winged creature.

Use your imagination … along with crayons, paints, glitter or anything else you think will look good on your picture. Completed sheets should be brought to the Kids Zone under the main tent on the morning of Lynn Valley Day. Final judging will take place under the big tent at 2:30 p.m. that afternoon. Have fun, and good luck!

 

May 9, 2012 in Blog, Contests, Current News, Lynn Valley Day