February 2025 Issue
SCL & Area Community League Monthly Meeting Everyone Welcome!
The next meeting will be on Thursday, February 13th at 7 p.m. on the Seniors’ side at the Hall. Zoom is also available. Contact Heather at cromb@mcsnet.ca for more info. The meetings are held each month, except July and August when there are no meetings.
Strathcona County Library Bookmobile Visits
Regular visit on Tuesday evenings at the SCL Hall from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. and weekly Special Visits are on Thursdays from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
Family Movie Nights Have Returned!
Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy our Family Movie Night at the South Cooking Lake Hall on Friday January 31st. The sundae bar was a hit too! We’d also like to give a special thank you to all of our amazing volunteers for making it happen! We are excited to offer more activities like this and we’d love to hear from you if you are able to lend a hand. Please contact Jaclyn at southcookinglakehall@gmail.com if you would like more details on volunteering in our community.
Share the Love Paint Night on Friday Feb 7th
Join us for our ❤ Share the Love ❤ paint night at the South Cooking Lake Hall on Friday, February 7 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Professional artist Lorraine Shulba will guide you in creating a personalized painting that incorporates your loved ones ❤ $50/person for community league members and $55 for non-members. Refreshments included. For ages 12 and up. Please contact Heather at cromb@mcsnet.ca if you would like to register. Limited spots available
Family Day Swim
Mark your calendar for the free Family Day Swim for South Cooking Lake community league members at Camp Van Es. It will be on Mon Feb 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. Register at cromb@mcsnet.ca. Community league membership is available for $20/family and is available to anyone who would like to join. It also gives you a discount on classes at the hall, voting rights at league meetings and helps fund family activities in our community. Please let us know if you would like to sign up or renew your membership.
Mark Your Calendar!
A few dates to save the date for … we are planning a Spring Market and Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 12, a Mother’s Day Tea on Saturday, May 10, the start of our Summer Farmers Market on Thursday, June 19th and Trail Days on Saturday, August 16th.
Join Our New Social Committee
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our new SCL Social Committee dedicated to planning fun activities, dances and events that bring our community together. Whether you’re interested in helping plan, organize or lend a hand during these events, your involvement will play a big part in creating memorable experiences for all! Getting involved is a great way to meet your neighbors, make new friends and contribute to a more vibrant and connected community. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can help, please reach out to Jaclyn at southcookinglakehall@gmail.com for more details.
Skating Season Is Underway
Have you had a chance to check out the South Cooking Lake Skating Path and Rink? Also, if you’re looking for skates, check out the SCL Cookshack and you’ll find some donated skates. Take what you need and if you have some skates you no longer need, please feel free to drop them off for someone else to use.
Get Fit and Have Fun!
If you’re looking for a fun fitness class, we hope you consider one of our classes at the South Cooking Lake Hall. Here is a great picture from our Fit Happens strength, balance and mobility training class on Wednesday mornings from 11 to noon. Before Christmas they enjoyed a lovely potluck after class. Yes, fitness happens but so does friendship and fun 😊 Come out and meet your neighbors! Drop in available for $16/class. Contact cromb@mcsnet.ca for details or drop in any week!
Evening Yoga Trial Class
Join us for our evening Yoga Trial Class with Brittany on Wednesday, February 12th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the South Cooking Lake Hall. Payment of $12 can be in person or sent by etransfer. Contact Heather at cromb@mcsnet.ca if you would like to sign up. If we have enough interest, we would love to offer a weekly class.
Interest in a Community Garden is Growing!
We are looking for interest in a community garden in our hamlet. Is this something you would like to see and is it something you and your family would be interested in helping to maintain? Contact Heather at cromb@msnet.ca if you would like to be added to a contact list for future updates about whether this would be possible. We would love to make it happen!
Ukrainian Dance Class at the Hall
Our Ukrainian Dance class at the South Cooking Lake Hall is hoping to see some more families come out and give it a try! Drop in for $10 throughout the year. Classes are also free for new Ukrainian arrivals. Classes run on Monday evenings from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. We’d love to have you join us! Contact Heather at cromb@mcsnet.ca for more details and we can put you in touch with the instructor.
Sharing Shack Reminder
Just a friendly reminder to please not leave anything outside of the Sharing Shack and please do not leave dirty or broken items. We accept books, games, puzzles, dvds, cds, craft supplies, toys, school supplies and things like egg cartons only please.
Want to Share Your Talent?
We are looking for adults in our community who may be interested
in teaching a class at the hall. Some suggestions are dance for kids, art classes, sewing, knitting or crocheting, candle-making, photography, kickboxing, gymnastics for kids, etc. If this is something you may be interested in chatting more about, please contact Heather at cromb@mcsnet.ca.
Rent Our Community Hall
Planning a birthday bash, anniversary party, or holiday event? South Cooking Lake Hall is a great space for celebrations. Let us help you bring your vision to life! Get in touch at sclhallrentals@gmail.com to view the hall or reserve your date.
FireSmart 2025
Mark your calendar for these FREE public information sessions at the SCL Hall. More details on times coming soon.
March 30: James Williams of Xtreme Marine will be back again this year with more information and tips on chainsaw safety. He is a long-time instructor and very entertaining. Join us for a couple hours on Sunday, March 30.
April 6: Topic is Rural Emergency Preparedness. We have all watched interviews over the past year of people who have been forced to flee various disaster zones often with very little advance notice. Would you be ready in a similar situation?
April 13: The FireSmart program is all about how to protect your property against a wildland fire. Understanding the principles of zone protection will make your home much more defendable in the event of an interface fire at your or your neighbor’s doorstep.
The annual Community FireSmart Day is planned for Saturday, April 26. This is an opportunity to dispose of trimmings and slash from your property and also to come out and help clean out fine fuels from our public spaces in the community. Representatives from the Community League will be at the info days to discuss plans and have a signup sheet for the Community FireSmart Day event and BBQ in April.
Firearms Safety Course
We have had some requests to offer the PAL Firearms Safety Course at the South Cooking Lake Hall. Topics will include basic firearms safety, responsibilities of the firearms owner/user, safe storage and transportation, etc. Is this something you would like to see offered? Please contact Heather at cromb@mcsnet.ca to be added to our contact list.
Beaver Hills Watershed Stewardship Society (BHWSS) – Winter 2025 Update
Wetlands and watersheds throughout the entire North Saskatchewan River continue to be under serious threat, and so the Beaver Hills are no different. Loss of the main-body lakes is the most obvious change over the last few years, but the steady decline in wetlands and connecting streams has been happening for much longer.
The Beaver Hills has been recognized UNESCO as a unique ecoregion and a place worth saving from further decline.
The BHWSS has been working with multiple stakeholders, organizations and different levels of government to develop action plans and programs that will begin restoring the nature function of our watershed, including the important ecosystems and biodiversity that helps maintain water in the Beaver Hills. We also are continuing to build capacity as an organization, and to establish our role as an organization within the network of other concerned organizations active in our region.
The primary focus of the BHWSS for the past several months has been furthering our research on the state of the watersheds in the central part of the moraine, which includes a large portion of the Beaver Hills Biosphere. We have conducted remote sensing (drone and satellite) surveys of the water bodies and streams in our region and continued our community-based water monitoring and sampling. With the support of additional volunteers, we hope to expand and refine our citizen-science programming in 2025.
In addition to our research and advocacy activities, we have been planning several on-the-ground projects for 2025 involving native species planning, shoreline enhancement, and major wetlands restoration with our community partners.
If you are interested in learning more about our projects, and how you can get involved, please reach out to us.
Our next public engagement opportunities are coming up this spring:
• March 11-13th, 2025: The Beaver Hills Biosphere (BHB) Forum in the Agora Room at the Strathcona County Community Center.
• May 10th, 2025: BHWSS Community Forum at Birch Bay Ranch on Cooking Lake.
Come out and see what is going on in the Beaver Hills!
Community League Membership
Membership is $20/year per family and the fees help fund activities in our community such as holiday parties, family dances and other events. It also gives you a discount on classes and events at the Hall, free entrance to the annual Family Day Swim at Camp Van Es, and the opportunity to vote at community league monthly meetings. Contact Heather at cromb@mcsnet.ca to sign up. Membership runs a year from the date you sign up and everyone is welcome to join. Thank you for your support!
Community League Volunteers Needed
We are looking for a few more volunteers to help on our community league board. If you would like to get involved, please contact Heather at cromb@mcsnet.ca. Participating on the Board does not require a large time commitment. Contact us for more information and we would be happy to explain what’s involved. You could also join a committee in a specific area you are interested in, such as kids’ activities, seniors’ activities, the Farmers Market, Trail Days, the Halloween dance, etc. There are many ways to get involved and your help is tremendously appreciated! ❤
Classes at the Hall
MoveZ dance fitness runs on Monday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Please bring a yoga mat and water. Drop in available for $17/person.
Barre Burn classes are on Monday and Wednesday nights from 7 to 8 p.m. Please bring a yoga mat and water. Drop in is available for $16/person.
Ukrainian Dance for Kids is on Monday nights from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. Contact Eugene at yevhen1@hotmail.com for more information.
Strength and Stretch is on Mondays (downstairs) from 7 to 8 p.m. Contact Deborah at salonindigo@shaw.ca.
Gentle Yoga for Healthy Aging with a focus on pelvic health runs on Tuesday mornings from 10 to 11:15 a.m. Please bring a yoga mat and water. Drop in for $19.
Fit Happens runs on Wednesdays from 11 to noon. This is a functional fitness class to help with balance, mobility and strength. Drop in available for $16/person.
Evening Yoga with Jayleen will be taking a break from January to March but we are looking at another option for an evening yoga class on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Please let us know if you’re interested and would like more info.
Guided Meditation may be returning in February and March. Contact us if you are interested.
We are also planning a Learn to Crochet class for adults, more art classes for kids and teens, a gymnastics class for kids and possibly another mini sport class, a potential book club and more. Please let us know what interests you and what else you would like to see!
If you are interested in signing up for a class or teaching a class, we’d love to chat! Contact Heather at cromb@mcsnet.ca for all class info.