Sandstone’s Notes from the President for October

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by Sue Coatham, President SMCA, [email protected]

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Fall is a great time of year as the trees start to turn, leaves fall, and gardeners harvest the last of their yields. Farmers have worked nonstop getting the crops off the field. Thanksgiving is steeped in Canadian tradition and is a time for family and friends to come together in appreciation for what they have. Families and friends have had months to practice safe social distancing because of COVID-19, and it is critical to continue to plan gatherings with a small cohort.

October 4 to 10 is Fire Prevention week, and this year’s theme is Fire Safety in the Kitchen.

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in most provinces. Use the week to educate your family and friends on cooking hazards, the dangers of unattended cooking, and precautions they can take to prevent cooking-related fires.

Thanks to those who have sent in photos for the SMCA Photo Contest. Every month we select one picture for the cover page of our SMCA Newsletter and include several other pictures for inside the newsletter that showcase our great community. Submit photos to [email protected]. Pictures must be high resolution and received by the 9th of the month to get into the following month’s edition.

Our SMCA Casino scheduled for July was postponed due to COVID-19. Recently, casinos have opened again, and the SMCA Board is anxious to receive our rescheduled date. Every eighteen months approximately, we are fortunate to benefit from a casino event that generates the operating funds to support our many community initiatives, including rink maintenance, music in the park, community clean-up, and so on. As we have mentioned, we have a major capital project we are working on to replace the hockey rink and replace the sheds with one building.

The SMCA monthly Board Meetings are held at the Berkshire Citadel Church, on the second Thursday of every month, at 7:00 pm. Given social-distancing guidelines, we ask guests to contact us in advance to arrange to attend in person or call into the meeting.

Our SMCA Annual General Meeting is being held on November 12, 2020, at the Berkshire Citadel Church on Sandarac Drive, at 7:00 pm. We have vacant positions on the Board and are looking for volunteers to consider joining the Board. Our Board Members contribute to the planning of all SMCA events, maintenance of the rinks, websites, social media pages, and the monthly newsletter. Please contact us for more information in terms of the scope of the vacant positions, as well as the level of commitment required.

Please contact us on our website or our social media sites, including Facebook (983 followers), Twitter @sandstonemac (428 followers), or https://www.instagram.com/sandstonemacewan/ (132 followers). Look for our occasional emails, and email us at [email protected] to be included in this distribution list.

Please go to sandstonemacewan.com to purchase your SMCA memberships online or email Carolyn Gomez at [email protected]. Those who purchase a three-year membership ($50.00) will receive a SMCA go-mug and those with a one-year membership ($20.00) will receive two SMCA beverage koozies.