3rd Annual Winter Carnival
Only a few more days until our 2020 Winter Carnival on Saturday February 8th! Bring the whole family out to the community outdoor rink at Jeanne d’Arc Park. It’s located behind Convent Glen Catholic Elementary School. There will be fun for people of all ages. You can bring your skates to enjoy the rink. If you aren’t a skater, there will be other activities too.
We’ll be there between 10:30am and 12:45pm. This event is free, but donations to the Convent Glen-Orléans Wood Community Association are welcome. We hope to see you there!
Expanding Winter Recreation in Orléans
Guest article by Ski Heritage East
Winter can be a long season if you don’t get out and enjoy it. That’s why Ski Heritage East put in operation a plan to groom a multi-use winter trail along the banks of the Ottawa River.
The Ski Heritage East Trail was launched in 2017 and, now, in it’s third year of operation, is enjoyed by approximately 5,000 users a winter. A group of local volunteers raises funds and grooms the Trail for use by cross-country skiers (skate and classic), snowshoers, fatbikers and walkers.
In addition to donations from individuals in the community, operation of the Trail is funded through support from the City of Ottawa, Brigil, the NCC and several local businesses. This funding has enabled the group to purchase and operate grooming equipment including snowmobiles, drags and, new this year, a Ginzu Groomer. Our volunteer grooming team grooms regularly and their hard work shows in the excellent quality of the trail!
Stretching 13.5 km from Shefford Rd. in the west to Trim and Jeanne d’Arc, the Trail is walking distance from several bus stops and is easily accessible from many access points, including the north ends of Trim, Champlain and Orléans Blvd. The full Trail map, trail conditions, and a complete list of local sponsors is available at www.skiheritageeast.ca.
To lend your support you can visit the Ski Heritage East GoFundMe page or e-transfer funds to skiheritage.east@gmail.com. Come out and enjoy the Trail soon!
Butterfly Garden
Our community is looking for a group or individual who could tend a garden near the Orléans YMCA. There is a butterfly garden on Centrum that was established by the Lions Club in 2014. They are looking for someone (an individual or group) to adopt this garden.
Do you love gardening? Do you know of a Scouts, Brownies, or Girl Guides group that would be interested? The garden is not too large, so it should be manageable for people of all gardening ability (approximately 10 square metres).
For more information about the origin story of this garden, check out this article in the Brampton Guardian: https://www.bramptonguardian.com/news-story/6778021-butterfly-garden-officially-opens-in-orl-ans/ If you would like more information or you are interested in caring for this garden come spring, please contact Councillor Luloff’s assistant, Peter MacDonald. Peter’s email address is Peter.macdonald@ottawa.ca
