HELLO DIAMOND VALLEY
Hello, Diamond Valley. It’s that time of year when April showers bring May flowers… or in Southern Alberta, when April snow covers the tulips struggling to peek their little heads above ground. Diamond Valley Community Garden is accepting registrations for plots in their Garden. $60 per year includes raised plot with soil, and access to gardening tools, water, gardening books, fellow gardeners, and they usually have a BBQ sometime during the season. To register a plot or for more information, email at diamondvalleygarden@gmail.com. The Garden is located in Black Diamond.
We are getting two new bins in addition to our garbage bins, a green one for organics and a blue one for recycling. They will be delivered to all single-family households throughout the month of April. The towns will also be delivering kitchen pails to start your organics collection. Inside the pail will be a guide to waste collection booklet and sample compostable bags. Hopefully our town bills will remain the same, and it will be nice not to have to store your recycling and take it to the recycle center. Now we just have to find room on our properties to store the bins! I’m also getting the hubby to make a compost bin for our garden.
We had the Repair Café last month at the Griffiths Center, and many of us took advantage of this to bring our lamps, stereos, chairs, what have you that were broken and the wonderful volunteers at the Diamond Valley Sustainable Living Centre did their best to fix the items, all by donation. This keeps items out of our landfills and money in our pockets as we don’t have to buy a new item to replace the broken one. The DV Sustainable Living Centre does many great things such as gather, process, and distribute unwanted fruit and vegetables in our area, promote efficient water use practice, install water capture/reuse systems for homes and businesses, education and apprenticeships, upcycling resources, and energy security. With prices soaring for gas, groceries, and utilities, this is something we should look into and absorb into our lifestyles. For more information, visit dvslc.ca.
The Valley Neighbours Club in Turner Valley is fully open again, and also available for daily rentals. The physical activities available are geared for all levels of mobility, including an exercise program Tuesdays at 9:30am, specifically for strengthening, cardio, and balance, and a robust fitness dance and barre exercise evening on Tuesdays. Beginner line dancing is Wednesday mornings and a regular line dancing class is Thursday mornings. A variety of card games are also played throughout the week with Bingo on Friday afternoons. For more information on this long-standing club and all it offers, call 403-933-4455.
Right next door to the Valley Neighbours is the Sheep Creek Arts Council, and they are pleased to announce that they are open again for art classes and clubs. Needle felting and Mosaic classes start in April, painting classes in May, and a collage class in June. They ask anyone taking classes be a member. Their classes are inexpensive and they do have a subsidy program for low -income residents. To register or to find out more, visit sheepcreekarts.ca.
The Turner Valley Legion is pleased to start offering their programs and specials again, and their famous buffet will start again in April. They offer a Youth Night on Mondays from 7-9. This includes darts, foosball, board games, puzzles, coloring, wifi, and a snack concession. More details on this fun night can be found on their Facebook page. Also, they will be trying out a Saturday jam every couple weeks, with the first one March 19, from 4-8. For more info on the Legion and what goes on there, visit the Facebook page or drop in! And please take a moment on April 9 to commemorate the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the most significant battle of WW1, in which Canadian Corps gained victory over the Ridge and ultimately defused Germany’s attempt to control Europe. Many lives were lost in this battle, and we respect their service.
Canada Post offers funding for community projects for children. The annual grant application process is open from March 14 – April 7, at canadapost.ca/community. Registered charities, school programs, and community organizations are invited to apply for funding of projects consistent with the Foundation’s objective to support initiatives that benefit children.
Pound Rescue, an animal rescue organization based in Okotoks, is in desperate need of foster homes. There are so many abandoned and homeless dogs and cats that their volunteers are struggling to find room for them all. If you are an animal lover, please consider fostering an animal! Poundrescue.com for more information on how you can help.
The annual Hike for Hospice is happening in May. This fundraiser is to help raise $60K for patients and loved ones in our community Hospice. The group hike is on May 1. If you prefer to hike solo, you can complete your 5km hike challenge anytime between May 1-7, as a virtual participant. To register and to find out more, visit countryhospice.org.
If you have any events or news for the month of May, please drop me a line at elaine.w@telus.net. The deadline for this issue is April 15.
Happy Spring!
Elaine Wansleeben
