Front Yards in Bloom: Winterscapes Photo Contest is back from January 12 – February 17, 2020!

With all the beautiful snow that has fallen in Edmonton, there are a lot of opportunities to have fun and enjoy the beauty outside, just remember to bundle up!!  This contest is a chance to spread the winter cheer to your neighbors by participating in the Front Yards in Bloom: Winterscapes contest.

There are three categories to promote winter engagement in our City. Whether it’s a Winter Garden, Winter Art or a Winter Playscape, let your imagination run wild!

Here is how to participate:
Step 1: Create a Winterscape  
Step 2: Take a photo
Step 3: Submit the photo! You can submit as part of your local school, community league, workplace or solo. You can also submit on behalf of a group or for a neighbour! 

The intake forms will be open from January 12th to February 27th on the Winterscapes website. Prizes will be drawn each week for submissions.  The top Winterscapes winners will be recognized at the Edmonton in Bloom Awards!

HOLYROOD RINK IS OPEN

Rink hours are:
Sunrise to 9pm

Please note: outdoor rinks are CLOSED when the weather is warmer than 5ºC or colder than -20ºC. Keep your eyes on social media for notices of closures due to weather or ice conditions. The rink shack is closed until further notice

DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER, WINTERFEST HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED UNTIL FEBRUARY 8th, 2020. SPREAD THE WORD!

Join the HCL and SEESA for the 2nd Annual Holyrood Winter Fest & SEESA’s 40th Anniversary!

The Holyrood Community League and SEESA apologize for the delay due to weather, but the new date has been set! On February 8th, 4 – 8 PM, come out with the entire family and enjoy a colourful winter party with your neighbours. Admission is FREE! There will be indoor & outdoor activities including:

• Live music in the SEESA gym (4:15-6:15)
• Unveiling of woodcutting honouring SEESA’s 40th Anniversary (6:15)
• Free line dancing with instruction (6:15-7:30) Beginner level & All ages!
• Indoor crafts (4-6)
• Outdoor crafts/Winterscape sculptures (4-8)
• Horse drawn sleigh rides (4-7pm)
• Ice skating, s’mores and bonfires (4-8)
• An 8pm grande finale with fireworks! 
• Food will be provided FREE in the cafeteria (4-7:30) compliments of the Foresters
• Bring cash for the 50/50 draw (7:30) and the cash bar (4-8)

If you would like to participate in the outdoor craft & winterscape building, please feel free to freeze coloured blocks and bring them with you to the event. Please feel free to freeze items of any size or shape! Some ideas include: balloons (both round or long), jugs, tetra packs, milk cartons, pie places, bowls, rubber gloves, jello molds, etc. The more creative the shapes, the better, we will put them to good use while creating interactive sculptures! We are also looking for clean, dry tin cans of any size, with the lids removed, and clean, dry pancake syrup bottles (with the lid).

Date: Thursday January 16th, 2020
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: First Church of God, 9224 82 St NW

The Flying Canoë Volant Festival Festival and Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues – EFCL invite you to a Community Lantern Workshop in preparation for one of Edmonton’s great winter festivals. Your lanterns will be on display during the festival January 30 – February 1, 2020 and will be seen by over 35,000 visitors!

The 2 hour ‘bright ideas’ lantern workshops will be facilitated by
well-known lantern maker Lynette Maurice. Please bring a recycled clear plastic container or bottle, Lynette will supply the rest of the materials.

Best suited to age 8+ due to the nature of the crafting. Please supervise your children at all times.

You will explore various styles of lanterns using numerous kinds of materials including: tissue paper, acrylic sheet, tin cans, bamboo, willow, recycled containers. By the end of the workshop, you will have made a bird lantern for your community ‘flock’ display at the Festival. You will also have a few samples and many ideas to take home.

Date: Thursday January 16th, 2020
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: First Church of God, 9224 82 St NW

Everyone is welcome from any neighbourhood. You do not need to be a community league member to attend.

NOTE: Due to the high interest in these events, there will also be free lantern making workshops at Bonnie Doon Community League (https://www.facebook.com/events/641570146651452/) on January 12: 2 – 4pm, at Riverdale Community League (https://www.facebook.com/events/2725093570904477/ ) on January 15 and at La Cité Francophone 8627 – 91 street in the Robert Toutant room on Saturday, January 25: 2 – 4pm.

Please see the below information detailing some free upcoming mental health caregiver education programs in the Edmonton area. 

These sessions are presented in partnership with Boys and Girls Club/ Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton and AHS Child Youth & Families Addiction & Mental Health.

Focus on the Skills, Support, and Self-Care Parent Sessions to develop parent/ caregiver knowledge and tools. Or, learn more tips & techniques in the Caregiver Mental Health Education Sessions which work towards increasing knowledge on topics such as, Supporting Self-Regulation in Elementary School Children, Breaking the Cycle of Anxiety, More than just a Bad Day: Understanding and Supporting Youth with Trauma and Depression, Technology and the Teenage Brain, and Helping Your Child Succeed in School: Executive Functioning.

We finally have a date! Bonnie Doon Pool is scheduled to reopen on January 15, 2020!

Want to find out more about the renovations, and what updates to expect:

https://www.edmonton.ca/activities_parks_recreation/bonnie-doon.aspx

Thank you for your interest in the Holyrood Community Garden. The Dotmocracy activity was intended to provide visitors with more information about the Holyrood Community Garden and to encourage input into the planning and design phase of the project.

We want to hear your feedback! Please fill this quick survey and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous).

Spectrum Safety will be holding a babysitting course on Saturday November 30, First Church of God (9224 82 St NW), from 8:30 – 4:30.

It is $60 per participant and needs at least 6 participants to run.

Holyrood will be starting a Babysitters registry, similar to that run by other community leagues in our area of Edmonton. Sitters must be certified in a baby-sitters course, have proof of the course and have guardian permission to be added to the list. The Registry will require your names, addresses, credentials/certifications, availability, experience and contact information.

We are looking for a community member who is willing to take on the coordination of the babysitters registry.

Please contact programs@holyroodcommunity.org to register for the safety course, or to supply your information and be added to the registry.