Category: Community Events

Christmas Sleigh Ride – Thanks

Thank You to Community Volunteers for the Champlain Park Sleigh Ride 2019!

What a wonderful way to warm our hearts on a cold evening with carol singing, jingling of bells, and a visit with Santa!

A special thank you to Jim Cocks, the enthusiastic organizer of the event. The King family, with Cowley Avenue resident Bill Baggs playing a lead role, prepared the special stop to visit Santa and distribution of candy canes to children by Santa’s helpers.

The Champlain Park Community Association funded the event. Thanks to volunteers who made hot chocolate and donated baked goods that were enjoyed by everyone at the field house. Thanks to Bridgehead for the beverage supplies.

Families who came out of hibernation to participate were happy to start the holiday season connecting with neighbours and sharing Christmas cheer!

See the attached photos contributed by Joyce Mortimer (first one) and John Arnason (the others).


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Community Sleigh Ride Tonight – Reminder

Just a reminder that the sleigh ride starts tonight at 6pm for small children, 6:30 for everyone else. Santa suggests you dress warmly! See https://champlainpark.org/2019/12/06/community-sleigh-ride-december-19/ for details and the map.

Also, once Christmas is done, you can bring your natural Christmas tree to the baseball diamond backstop fence for the winter carnival (wind break) and February’s community bonfire (combustion!).

[Horse and sleigh ride]

Community Sleigh Ride – December 19

Start Your Holiday Celebration with a Community Sleigh Ride and Carol Singing!

Thursday, December 19th, 2019 at 6:00PM

[Horse and sleigh ride]

What a great way to start the holidays!

WE’RE GOING TO TRY SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT THIS YEAR !! In addition to the main sleigh ride which will depart from the Fieldhouse at 6:30pm, we have added an earlier, shorter “toddlers-ride” starting at 6pm.
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Christmas Craft Fair – November 23 – Reminder

[Scarf on Display]

The Champlain Park Annual Christmas Craft Fair is on this Saturday November 23, from 10 until 3 PM at the Champlain Park field house, 149 Cowley Avenue (the neighbourhood is near Scott Street and Island Park Drive).

A wonderful selection of hand knitted and sewn items, pottery, stained glass, jewellery, holiday baking and a wide selection of vintage cashmere scarves and vintage designer purses.

Free parking and hot chocolate.

See https://champlainpark.org/2019/10/19/craft-fair-november-23/ for one more detail.

Halloween Fun Run Wrap-up

Many Thanks to Volunteers for Halloween Dress-up Fun Run 2019

Here’s a message from Peter Laughton, the event organizer:

A huge thank-you to all who came out to run this past Saturday morning in our annual Halloween Dress-up run. The weather cooperated and as a result we had over 50 costumed participants.

The incredible generosity of those in attendance allowed us to raise $677.00 for OSS Basketball and JUMPSTART charities for young players in financial need.

Thanks to everyone in the Champlain Community Association for all your support, including promotion on the website and the Speaker, allowing us to use the field-house, and sponsorship of the run through food and prizes. Thanks to Bushtukah for the tent and prizes. Thanks to Jordan Clark from Shoppers Drug Mart for the food. Thanks as well to the volunteer de-pavers who allowed us to run across the new opening at Pontiac and to the dedicated volunteers who have taken over the management and stewardship of our beautiful Champlain Woods!

Looking forward to seeing everyone again next year and Happy Halloween!

Thanks to John Arnason for the photos and Carol Arnason for providing the captions.

Large turnout of families in Halloween costumes preparing for start of run at Champlain Park.

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Wreath Making Workshop – December 1

Join the Champlain Park Garden Club on Sunday afternoon, December 1, for a holiday-wreath making workshop at the Fieldhouse. No artistic skill needed to make an 18-inch wreath with five types of fresh evergreen boughs and berries. All materials supplied. Have a fun day with your friends, even mark a birthday with this fun, creative hour.

Cost is $29. Sessions start at 1 pm and 3:30 pm. Please register in advance by calling Laurie Fagan, 613.728.1945.

[Wreath on a Door]
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Halloween Fun Run – October 26

Champlain Park is once again hosting its annual fun run through the Champlain Woods. Runners 5 and under run an 800 meter loop and the 5 and overs (ability dependant) complete a 2K. This year we will take advantage of the newly de-paved SJAM connection to the woods! Prizes will be awarded for best costume and top 3 finishers per age category. All participants receive a candy medal. Donations of $10 or more per runner are encouraged but not required and funds this year go to OSS u14 girls basketball and the ‘Jumpstart’ equal access to sport fund. No registration is required; just show up in costume and run.

Come out and run and send a message to kids in the community that Halloween can be about more than just sugary treats! Volunteers are welcomed as finish line coordinators or on course Marshalls. Donations of food and drink are also welcomed. Contact peterlaughton@rogers.com if you are able to help.

[Poster for the Fun Run]
8th Annual Champlain Park Halloween Run 2019.pdf

Pontiac De-paving Day Photo Review

Community Effort to Remove Pavement on Pontiac Street and Reclaim Paradise!!

Last Saturday, a family-friendly event was led by Councillor Jeff Leiper to de-pave one block of Pontiac Street and to re-connect the green space of Champlain Park directly to NCC lands accessing the Ottawa river.

The Councillor received sponsorship from the City with funds from cash-in-lieu of parkland money and a small grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Energetic community volunteers showed up to dig up sections of pavement and transfer them to City dumpsters. The volunteers were organized by Enviro Centre and Champlain Park Community Association, with coffee from Bridgehead and bagels from the Ottawa Bagel Shop.

In the near future, the City workers will finish digging the gravel base, adding soil, and seeding the area. The NCC will remove the fence and gravel on their side. Volunteers plan to landscape the NCC land with native species of ground cover, shrubs and trees. As Joni Mitchell sang in her song “Big Yellow Taxi”, “you don’t know what you’ve got, ’till it’s gone”. It’s not often a parking lot gets turned into parkland!

Enviro Centre team with Champlain Park Community Association volunteer, Debra Huron, set up coffee (Bridgehead) and bagels (Ottawa Bagel Shop) as well as supplying tools and safety gear for volunteers. Photo by John Arnason.

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