It’s June – beautiful June is here! School’s almost out, patio season has begun, backyard BBQs are in full swing, and summer sports have taken over every field and walking or bike path – everyone just wants to get outside! Our community is busy with summer activities too, and we hope you will be able to participate. Read on to see what’s happening.
New Board Members!
The Deer Ridge Community Association board would like to welcome its newest members, Directors at Large, Diane Lum and Yasmine Soqrat. You may have met them at the Winter’s End February Skate and Paint the Rink event. Yasmine was at the colour spray table, making sure everyone had every colour they wanted. Diane Lum contributed the wonderful “Home” photograph featured on our March Deer Ridge Journal. Diane and Yasmine have been sharing their skills and energy with us for a few months now and we are so very happy that they have joined the board. We hope you will come out to meet Diane and Yasmine in person at this month’s Annual General Meeting.
Community Gardens
Thank you, community members for your enormous interest in the community gardens. The garden plots have all been rented and only a few still await planting. We are grateful to the City of Calgary for delivering compost to our garden site again this year. Our beds gain so much from the addition of this excellent compost, and our volunteers no longer have to drive to Crossfield to haul mushroom compost back to the gardens, as was done in the early years.
The community gardens have already been a part of Deer Ridge for many years and some of the earliest garden plots now require maintenance and repairs. Several plots have been renewed already, and more will have their sides encased in metal cladding, to provide additional perimeter support for each aging bed, as the old wooden sides fail. Bob Hall, our community garden organizer, is spearheading and doing much of the work, supported by a small number of volunteers. If you’re a handy person who enjoys this kind of work and you’d like to come out and help with the renewal project, please email Bob at [email protected].
Yellow Slide Park Shade Shelter Grand Opening Recap
We hope you were able to join us at the May 24 grand opening of the Yellow Slide Park shade shelter. We had quite a few special guests join us for this event – and we hope you and your kiddos were able to meet some of them.
This structure, the completion of which we’re celebrating, took several years of work by the community association and City of Calgary staff to get from concept to reality. Planning, approvals, and construction went on right through board changes and City staffing changes – there was enormous dedication at every level to bring this much needed structure to our beloved Yellow Slide Park. Many thanks go to Barb Chapin and Bob Hall who each led the Shade Structure Committee and put in a huge amount of time and effort, and our gratitude goes to every shade shelter committee member – this was a large undertaking, and we hope that the community will benefit from and enjoy it for many years to come.
Spring Green Space Cleanup Recap
The Deer Ridge community spring green space cleanup was held on May 31, and once again, we had an excellent turnout of individuals and families who wanted to get in a few extra steps toward their fitness goals, while they made strides toward a beautiful and clean neighbourhood. Walkers with gloves and garbage bags combed all our green spaces, and the playgrounds and parks, as well as the ridge and hillside off-leash park, removing their winter debris. We are very grateful to everyone who came out to help with the trash walk. Special thanks go to Bob Hall who got the refreshments and cleanup kits organized and then disposed of the many bags of refuse that were collected.
Annual General Meeting – June 17
On June 17 at 7:00 pm, come out in person and meet new and long-time board members and volunteers. Learn where community association money comes from and how we use it on your behalf, how the shade structure was funded, learn what board members do and what they get out of working on behalf of the community (hint: it’s not money or perks). Check the website or our email blast for location details.
Anyone can come to the annual meeting and hear what we are all about, what sort of business the community association conducts, and how we do it. In addition to getting business updates, Deer Ridge Community Association members in good standing can make motions and vote on any business brought before the annual general meeting. They may be nominated for office and/or vote for new or returning board members. To get in on the action, get or renew your membership prior to the AGM date by requesting your membership using the form contained in this newsletter, or online at https://deerridgeca.com/membership/.
School’s Out for Summer! June 25 and 26
The last day of classes before summer break for Calgary Catholic schools (CCSD) is June 25, and for Calgary Public schools (CBE) it is June 26. When you’re driving through the community near the end of June, please be especially aware that there will be excited kids, likely on their way home after early dismissal, who may not be paying much attention to traffic. Please be on the lookout and be extra careful on those days, and then through the summer months, as our kiddos enjoy their summer freedom.
11th Annual Community Festival – June 29
The 11th Annual Deer Point Community Festival will be held on Sunday, June 29, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at Deer Point Paza (14919 Deer Ridge Drive SE). This beloved community event brings together families and neighbours from Deer Ridge, Deer Run, Queensland, Parkland, and Lake Bonavista for a vibrant day of live music, artisan vendors, food, kids’ activities, and more. It’s a fun way to connect with the people who make our communities special – you, your family, your neighbours and their families, and the folks in our neighbouring communities.
Your Deer Ridge Community Association will once again be hosting our always well-attended kids’ crafts booth at the Community Festival, and we hope you will drop by and visit us. Enjoy other local artists, musicians, and artisans at the Community Festival, as well – come and see what our talented locals have to offer! More details on the Community Festival poster in this newsletter.
City of Calgary “Dump Your Junk” Community Cleanup – July 5
Have you got a bunch of junk left over from that spring cleanup you did a while ago and you’ve been meaning to make a run to the dump? Not excited about paying dumping fees at the Spy Hill or Shepard landfills? Well, you are in luck, because the dump is coming to your community on July 5! Grab your household junk and bring it over to the Queensland/Diamond Cove Community Association parking lot (649 Queensland Drive SE). City of Calgary waste trucks will be there to accept household, non-commercial, waste, free of charge.
Want to know what’s accepted at the community cleanup event? Details are available at https://www.calgary.ca/communities/community-cleanup-items.html.
Some examples of accepted items are:
• Furniture: Mattresses, sofas, chairs, desks, dressers, etc.
• Toilets
• Broken Recreational Items: Old treadmills, etc.
• Lumber: From old fences and decks
• Odd/Unusual Items: Garden gnomes, broken grandfather clocks, taxidermy items
So, grab the junk that’s been hanging around in your basement, your garage, your yard, or even behind your yard in that back alley ‘wasteland’ – toss it in your vehicle, bring it to the community hall, and leave it all behind with the friendly folks at the “Dump Your Junk” event!
Movie in Yellow Slide Park – August 16
Mark your calendars! It’s the Deer Ridge Community Association’s 45th anniversary year and we’re going to celebrate in style at this year’s Movie in Yellow Slide Park event, on Saturday, August 16. This much-loved and much anticipated, very fun, Movie in Yellow Slide Park event will feature hot dogs and other treats, craft and fun stations, and cake! Yes, cake! The movie will be shown in the early evening (newer equipment means we no longer have to wait until dusk), so younger families will be able to stay and enjoy the entire event.
If you enjoy volunteering and want to help your community for a one time, one day event, please consider volunteering at this one. You will enjoy the camaraderie of many volunteers and know that you are contributing to the enjoyment and fun of community members. And you’ll enjoy all the actual event yourself, as you help organize, set up, serve food, run crafting and fun stations, clean up, or tear down. Choose what you want to do and the times that work for you. Connect with us at [email protected] and let us know when you’re available and can come join us in creating a day of happiness.
Summertime Meeting Recess
The board takes a recess from meetings during July and August, but community work continues, as you have read above. You will see your board members out and about at all the community events, and we look forward to seeing you. We wish you a very happy and safe summer!
Click here to the Deer Ridge Community News home page for the latest Deer Ridge community updates.
