In Calgary, July will always be synonymous with the Calgary Stampede. The ECA jumped on the bandwagon and organized a pancake breakfast at the community centre on June 24. It was the first we’ve had in a while, and it was held in conjunction with the Nordic Rodeo. I hope you had a chance to enjoy the day’s activities and yell out your first “yahoo!”
July is the beginning of summer vacation for Edgemont students. There are several summer camps and other youth-minded activities held at the community centre. We’ve been advertising these on our website and in the newsletter for some time with good registration numbers evident. We’re always looking for new ideas and while we won’t be able to implement them for this summer, we can put them into our plans for 2024. Share any ideas you have with the office and the staff will forward them to the appropriate committee for consideration.
July is smack dab in the middle of construction season! We know we must suffer a little bit of pain for any long-term gain; disruption to our roadways is often the cause of that pain. We have been advised by the City that Shaganappi Trail between John Laurie Boulevard and County Hills Boulevard will be repaved. Road repairs are expected from June through October. At the time of writing, I don’t have the exact schedule but the City does post the information through the Annual Paving Program (calgary.ca) to help residents plan their trips.
Flickers – love them or hate them, they are part of the natural world of Edgemont. We have a pair nesting in an old log in our backyard and we watch them on a wildlife camera. Very entertaining! I think you can put me in the “love them” category. That said, we are not so enamored with them at the community centre. There, the birds have become pesky creatures who have pecked holes in the side of our recently stuccoed facility. We are doing our best to discourage them, but they are determined! It means repairs and it is unsettling to look at the damage they’ve done to what was our new pristine wall. We have tried to give them an easy alternative by putting up a flicker friendly bird house. Thanks to Edgemont resident, Rick Lazzarotto, birdhouse builder extraordinaire, one was quickly available, although we may have missed the nesting season this summer.
I received a number of emails from residents about flowers in the planters. By now, you should see them in full bloom. Spring came early so we were all anxious to get some colour on the boulevards. We typically wait until after the May long weekend to put in the plants and we followed suit this year. The plants are a considerable expense and we can’t always count on Mother Nature not to sprinkle a few frosty nights in late May.
In closing, I want to thank the students at Tom Baines School, especially those in the Environmental Stewardship program for their efforts, Dairy Queen Edgemont for dilly bars, the Federation of Calgary Communities for their funding, and the City of Calgary for cleanup kits in support of our community cleanup day on June 8. The smoke derailed our original plan to host a cleanup day on May 16 and so the event was rescheduled. Thanks to the volunteers who gave their time and showed their community spirit by helping us keep Edgemont clean!
When you are out and about, stop by and have a look at the fence painting by Westminster Church and Tom Baines School. It puts a smile on your face, and we could all use seeing more smiling faces!
Pamela Wilson
President
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