It’s spring again in Deer Ridge! Welcome back warm weather! Welcome outdoor field sports! Welcome hikes and picnics, barbecues, and over-the-fence visits! Have we ever missed you! Which is not to say we didn’t have a lot of fun while you were away,,,
Winter Fun Day
On that first beautiful warm Saturday after the February deep freeze, Deer Ridge held a family Winter Fun Day. While the rink ice melted, kids of all ages got in one last skate and turned the pleasure rink ice and all the snow mounds around it into a wonderful kaleidoscope of colour. Spray bottles, squeeze bottles, and whole jugs of brightly tinted water helped bring out the artist in anyone who wanted to have a little fun. Grilled hot dogs, hot chocolate, and grab bags of toys and treats for the kiddos were all included in this free final winter blowout. We hope you were able to join us and that you had plenty of fun.
A great big thank you goes to all our wonderful volunteers who made this a day to remember, and a big shout out to all of the talented artists who created walls and forts of coloured snow bricks and those who created modern art on the rink!
Rinks
We experienced some challenging weather for ice making and skating in the rinks this year – too warm for too long, too cold, too warm again too soon, cold, warm, cold, warm – but our volunteers were up for the challenge again this year. They groomed and flooded, scraped and patched, ran the trusty Olympia around the rink, and we were able to enjoy some great skating. Thank you, rink volunteers – you made it possible, yet again! And now it’s time to put the hockey nets away and get the rinks ready for summer – for lacrosse and pickleball.
Community Gardens
It’s almost garden planting time! We hope you’ve been thinking about what to put in your community garden plot this year. If you had a plot last year, you should be getting an email asking you whether you would like to renew your plot rental for summer 2025. Please make sure you respond, or the plot will be given away to the next person who contacts us with an expression of interest.
Plot assignments and garden preparation take place in May, and we are usually ready to seed in the last week of May, or on June 1. Check our webpage for more information at https://deerridgeca.com/community-gardens/.
Gardening in Calgary
The City of Calgary holds an annual city compost giveaway in April and May. Watch for details on the City’s website at https://www.calgary.ca/waste/residential/green-cart-compost-giveaway.html.
Trying to reduce watering this year? Could you use some free mulch in your landscaping? Get some, year-round, at the East Calgary landfill. Visit https://www.calgary.ca/waste/residential/free-mulch.html for more information.
Want to make your yard the envy of the neighbourhood? Maybe you’d like to know where and how to plant that tree, where to put which perennials, how to garden for low water needs, or how to compost in your own yard? If you could use some online resources, a few gardening tips, even a workshop or two, find them here, on the City of Calgary website, at https://www.calgary.ca/parks-rec-programs/at-home/gardening.html or https://www.calgary.ca/water/programs/yardsmart.html?redirect=/yardsmart.
How about a rain barrel this year? Order yours at https://www.calgary.ca/water/programs/rainbarrel.html. But hurry – they go quickly! On the waiting list for a rain barrel and not sure you will be able to get one? Why not DYI a rain barrel? Check out the ‘how-to’ information at https://www.greencalgary.org/blog/diy-rain-barrel or find a YouTube video – there are some great ones out there.
Annual Green Space Cleanup
Please watch for an announcement of our Annual Green Space Cleanup, where we will invite you to get your steps in as you hike around all the green spaces in Deer Ridge, equipped with gloves and a garbage bag, to pick up ‘lost treasures’ in the form of escaped wrappers and other detritus that has accumulated over the winter. Bring a friend or the family, go in teams and make it a social event, or walk alone mindfully – but come out and enjoy a couple of hours walking in the fresh air, while you help to clean up and green up our neighbourhood.
Yellow Slide Shade Shelter Grand Opening – Save the Date!
You may have noticed a bit of construction at Yellow Slide Park last summer, culminating in a beautiful new shade shelter next to the playscape. And now, it’s time for us all to get together and try it out. Deer Ridge Community Association would like to invite you and all your neighbours to attend the Yellow Slide Shade Shelter Grand Opening on May 24, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. There will be coffee and cake, special guests, and a prize draw. And if you would like to see if we can get into the record books for the most T-Rex’s having cake at a community event, please wear that costume and bring all your T-Rex friends with you to the party!
Community Cleanup Event
At time of writing, we don’t yet have a date for the Annual Community Cleanup event. Please collect up the items you would normally need to take to the dump and watch for our announcement of the annual ‘dump your junk and pay no fee’ event. Details will be forthcoming on our website, in the email blast, and in our newsletter.
Community Festival
While the word’s not out yet, we anticipate the annual Community Festival may run again this year. This event is usually held during the last weekend of June, so hold that weekend in your calendars and watch our website, email blasts, and next month’s newsletter for an announcement and details.
Upcoming Board Meetings
The Deer Ridge Community Association board meets monthly, except in July or August, on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm. The next board meeting is scheduled for April 15 in the boardroom of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, at 13811 Deer Ridge Drive SE. Please contact us if you are interested in attending, volunteering on the board (or for events), or if there is anything you would like to have discussed at the meeting.
Click here to the Deer Ridge Community News home page for the latest Deer Ridge community updates.
