Enhancing Greenspace with ActivateYYC

In July, the KGCA received a $2,000 grant from ActivateYYC, a community-focused program that supports initiatives to transform spaces into vibrant community places. The grant was a welcome opportunity for us to enhance our greenspace by providing more seating and gathering areas.

Our greenspace, featuring a large field and playground, has always been a hub for community activities, but lacked adequate seating. Thanks to the support of ActivateYYC, we were able to address this need by acquiring two picnic tables and six Adirondack chairs. These new additions have already begun to foster a more inviting environment for our community!

Additionally, recognizing the value of enhancing other local parks, we used part of the grant to purchase chairs for the playground at the Killarney Aquatic Centre and the playground at the Off-Leash Dog Park. This extension of our project allowed us to positively impact more areas within Killarney-Glengarry.

We purchased the picnic tables from Tim Hazlett, a carpenter based in Langdon, and secured the chairs from two local RONA stores in Signal Hill and MacLeod. We are grateful to the store managers who generously offered a 50% discount, enabling us to stretch our grant funds further! With the leftover funds we purchased a few plants from Plant in Inglewood to bring more life to our Community Hall. Huge thank you to our volunteers from the board that dedicated their time to stain and assemble the chairs, demonstrating the community spirit that drives our initiatives!

Since the installation of the new seating options earlier this month, our community has embraced these enhancements wholeheartedly. Families are enjoying picnics, friends are gathering, and connections are being made over shared moments. We are proud to have played a role in creating this space for our community to come together, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to ActivateYYC, the City of Calgary, and the Federation of Calgary Communities for making it possible.

Special thanks also to the general manager of RONA in Signal Hill for their support and to RONA on MacLeod for matching the discount. Lastly, we express our gratitude to the dedicated volunteers at KGCA who spearheaded the grant application, managed the purchases, and put in the hard work to prepare the chairs for use.

Looking ahead, as the KGCA continues to evolve, we are excited about the prospect of pursuing more initiatives that enrich our community spaces and bring people together!

Community Clean-Up Success!

Happy summer everyone,

Huge thank you to everyone who helped make KGCA’s Community Clean-Up Day on June 16 such a fantastic success! With the amazing support of our volunteers and residents, we managed to collect an impressive 13,160 kilograms of waste—how awesome is that?

But that’s not all—the e-waste drive was a hit too, bringing in 1.542 tonnes and earning us $771 from Shanked Computer Recycling. Big shoutout to the City of Calgary and their Community Cleanup Program for guiding us through this initiative, and thanks to Cerebral Palsy Alberta, Recon Metal, Shanked Computer Recycling, and the Legion for their support.

Let’s keep the momentum going and look forward to making an even bigger impact next year. It’s clear that when our community comes together, we can achieve incredible things. Seeing everyone pitching in to make a difference reminds us why these events are so important—they bring us closer and make our neighborhood an even better place to live.Together, we’re making our community cleaner and greener!

Sincerely,

Your KGCA Board of Directors

KGCA Garden

I first joined the KCGA community garden in 2018. I had one of the south facing garden plots in front of the hops wall. (attached images are June of 2018). After living in Renfrew, Marda Loop, the Beltline, and a year in Edmonton, I'm back in Killarney this year.

I first heard of Village brewery through their prostate cancer fundraiser. I fell in love with the Blacksmith, but the Village Blonde is a close second.

I was excited about this partnership back in 2018, however I knew very little about hops. A friend started the company https://www.instagram.com/wvhops/?hl=en Water Valley Hops west of Calgary. I learned a bit form him about pruning and maintenance after a visit to the property.

I'm excited to play a more active role in the maintenance of the KCGA hops vines this year. Not only are hops great for beer, one of my favourite recipes is this macaroni and cheese with a hoppy twist: https://steemit.com/food/@haphazard-hstead/how-to-cook-hop-mac-and-cheese-with-beer-hops-with-a-bonus-9-plant-wild-salad-too-thursday-s-green

We have very few plants in our northern climate that can grow as quickly as hoppy. They show visible growth daily. I'm curious to see how high the KCGA vines might climb this year now that they have a well established root system.

Jonathan H.

Food Truck Frenzy May 26

Dear Friends/Neighbors/Community,

Thank you so much for coming out with the inclement weather to our 2024 Food Truck Frenzy. As true Calgarians you supported us through it all. 

This was our biggest food truck event ever. Maybe our best event ever, period. The amount of smiles and laughs we saw on Sunday was overwhelming. The notes sent afterwards were very touching and reinforce why we do what we do for our Community. 

9 Food Trucks. 2 bands and 3 sets. 1 Brewery. 1 beer garden. 2 face painters. 1 balloon artist and 100 balloons made. 350ish amazing people. 47 new memberships. $$$$ raised for the hall.

Shout out to School of Rock, Right Here Right Now, Dandy Brewing, Amber and Anastasia for face painting, Kateryna for making balloons, Frozen Assets, Perogy Boys, Holy Griddle, To Go Viet, Burrito Mexican Food, Arepas Ranch, Lemon Heaven, Panini Boy, and Little Donut Bakery.

Stayed tuned for more events and programs coming such as the Market, Clean Up day June 16, Family Bike Event July 27, Miracle on 34 street on Sept 14, a family Halloween event in October, Wine tasting in November, Holiday movie night, and Last Minute Market in December. If we build it, we know you will come.

We have something special happening in our Community right now. We’re glad you’re a part of the amazing change to come at the KGCA. 

Sincerely,

Your KGCA Board of Directors

killarneyglengarry.com