Easter Egg Hunt in Hamilton at Allison Park

Hamiltons largest Easter Egg Hunt is just around the corner folks!!!

This year it will be Saturday April 3rd 2010 at 12 Noon at Allison Park.

Bring the kids, I have over 23,000 eggs this year, it will be a blast!!!!

Chris Ecklund

http://www.allisonpark.org

Good Friday Waterfall Walk in Hamilton

A long standing Hamilton tradition is to gather up the family and friends and head out for a Good Friday Walk.

This seems to be a Hamilton thing, people from other Cities have never heard of this before.....

If you are looking for a walk and would like to see some of our waterfalls come and join in on the fun!!

This Good Friday we will tour Albion, Buttermilk, and also see the 3 new waterfalls just discovered as well. ( though they might be dried up at that point)

We will also hike a section of the rail trail, and also the original Mountain Brow Road from 100 years ago!!

Follow this link to our City of Waterfalls website!!

http://www.cityofwaterfalls.ca

Allison Park is now on Facebook

I have just opened a group for us, so if you are on facebook head on over and check out the pictures and videos I have from over the last 10 years or so!!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=13358248908#/group.php?gid=75386867395&ref=mf

I will dig up some old stuff and upload it as well!!

If you have anything please add it!!!

http://www.allisonpark.org/

Allison Park's Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Hey folks!!

This just in, I have gotten word that the Easter Bunny and all his helpers will be coming to Hamilton's Best Neighbourhood, Allison Park, where they will be hiding just a " hare " over 20,000 chocolate eggs again this year!!!

This years event will be Saturday April 11, 2009 at 12 Noon, SHARP!!!!!

Please keep the little ones on the sidewalks and pathways, and keep them off the grass as the Easter Bunny has hidden all the chocolate eggs there.

All of the construction materials have been removed, and I will be doing a last minute cleanup at the end of the week as well.

It looks like we will finally be having some good weather this year, WOW what a difference a year can make!!

One of my waterfall cars will be there as well, so come on out bring the kids and family, and lets have some fun!

This is a free event, no cost, just bring a smile that's your admission :)

Chris ( Easter Bunny ) Ecklund

http://www.allisonpark.org/

Tulips are popping up in Allison Park

While cleaning up today, I noticed that our pink tulips are starting to pop up, which is another sign of spring!!!

This year I will also add some new flowers in the park and around our trees in the park and also at the entrance way into our neighbourhood as well.

http://www.allisonpark.org

Allison Park Spring Clean Up

Today was the start of my annual clean up throughout the neighbourhood, you may have seen myself and my associate out and about cleaning, raking, and picking up garbage.

This is all to get ready for my annual Easter Egg Hunt, which will take place in a couple of weeks.

The park is going to be a challenge this year, I am going to fix the fencing the day before the hunt, but parents are going to have to keep an eye on their children this year to make sure they do not venture into the construction areas.

I will do my best to make it as safe as possible, we are going to be doing a park sweep through again the day beforehand.

There is some broken glass, and we have been cleaning that up today, but if there is anything you notice please let me know, I don't want the little ones cutting there hands.

One thing I noticed this year was small shards of sliced up pop can that the grass cutter did last year.

Everyone can help in this regard, if you see pop cans and glass bottles, please pick them up and put in your recycle bin.

There are also a few neighbours that pitch in and have helped clean the park, to them my back says THANK YOU!!!!!!

The clean up will continue over the weeks to come, whenever the weather co-operates we will be out cleaning up.

Thank you again to everyone that helps out, we can all do our own little bit, by picking up garbage around our houses, on the street in front of our house, or in the park if you are there.

The City also came by with their new truck, which is really neat, thanks guys for picking up the garbage!

http://www.allisonpark.org/

Happy New Year Allison Park Residents

I just wanted to quickly wish everyone a Happy New Year, lets hope to a short winter!

Please keep the fire hydrants clear of snow, and during the melts, if you have a sewer please shovel it out so the water can run in.

We had a major delay in finishing the park before the winter hit, but look for it to be finished in the spring time.

All the best for 2009!

Chris Ecklund

www.allisonpark.org

Our new sunshelter in Allison Park

Well construction has resumed again in our park, and the sunshelter is coming along nicely.

All construction will be done and ready for you to enjoy with your children and friends for next year!

http://www.allisonpark.org/

100th blog

Wow, 100 blogs here already!!!

Thanks for stopping by and reading them!!

www.allisonpark.org

Sidewalks on Rymal Road

The installation of sidewalks on Rymal Road ( Hwy 53 for us old timers), is being completed to make ready for the new expanded road.

There is a special treat for you all with the sidewalk, when it is completed go take a walk on it and see if you can figure it out!

This will no doubt make it easier and safer for you and the kids to get to the new YMCA.

The first one with the right answer gets an Allison Park T-Shirt:)

www.allisonpark.org

Sun Shelter in Allison Park

The sun shelter is still being built, we are just waiting for it to be delivered.

It is coming from the States and should be here within 2 weeks.

It will then be completed!

http://www.allisonpark.org

Allison Park Gets its long awaited advanced green light

It all started a couple years back, I noticed people making u-turns on Upper Wellington by Sedona Crt.

I thought really nothing of it, heck people get lost I thought.

But, I kept seeing it, and one time I saw 4 cars doing it all at one time!

I talked to a few neighbours and they confirmed it has been happening for years, turns out people where getting tired of waiting for the light to turn left on Upper Wellington so they would come and use our street instead to head right through and not have to wait.

This just added to the ongoing traffic situation that we have here and what was getting worse.

If you remember back years ago I did a traffic survey and found that something like 80% of the traffic on Jacqueline was using us as a through street from other surveys!

This then led to the elimination of the left turn signs on Rymal and that helped out.

Now with all the new surveys we are starting to get a lot more traffic once again.

I asked Councilor Duvall if he could talk to the traffic department and see what we could do about a advance green light that would hopefully eliminate this problem.

The new light was just installed, they are putting in new sensors and it should be operational soon.

Many thanks to Councilor Scott Duvall for getting this done!

http://www.allisonpark.org/

Allison Park gets it long awaited sun shelter

Fellow residents of Allison Park!

Today was the start of our long awaited sunshelter!!

This will take a month to complete if all goes well and at the same time hopefully the new parts I ordered in for the splashpad will arrive as well:)

There have been a few changes in the master plan, I will share some pictures with you later!

Bye for now

Chris Ecklund

http://www.allisonpark.org

New Trees for Allison Park

Good news and Bad news.

The 4 broken trees have been replaced.

Bad news is as many of you have noticed and complained about is that the hired contractors from the City also placed several new trees right smack dab in the only remaining green space for the kids to play in, not to mention where the gazeebo is going.

Not to worry, I will see what we can do about this.

http://www.allisonpark.org

Allison Park Splashpad is now open

There is good news and bad news.

Good news is that the splashpad is open.

Bad news is that it needs some major repairs.

Hopefully it will be okay for the rest of the weekend, today I was talking with Chris Davies Playground Supervisor who has been working around the clock to get the pad fixed, many thanks to Chris who was even at our park at midnight on Friday trying to get it fixed for us to use this holiday weekend.

What is even more impressive is that Chris is on holidays right now but he has taken the time out of his plans to get our pad open, thanks Chris your dedication and efforts are truly appreciated by myself and all the children in our neighbourhood!

http://www.allisonpark.org/

Splash Pad is broken

We have a few items that broke over the winter, so new parts are being ordered.

Hopefully it will be good to go for July 1st long weekend:)

http://www.allisonpark.org

Yard Sale for the cure is this weekend

The signs are up the flyers are out, all we need now is you!

My annual Yard Sale for The Cure is this weekend, so sign up and lets raise some money for Breast Cancer research!!

My little Helpers in Allison Park

Yesterday I started to clean up the park, and I wanted to extend a big thank you to my little helpers in the park that helped me yesterday.

I wish I could remember their names, but they where a great help, together we collected 2 bags of garbage accumulated from over the winter!

The park survived the winter okay, I am having some City crews come in and repair some sod damage, and to remove and replace some benches also that where broken.

The graffiti on the park equipment also will be removed shortly.

All in all a great day yesterday, get out and enjoy this great weather we are having, it will be in the 60's and even 70's this week!

http://www.allisonpark.org

Mail Box Graffiti

Almost every mailbox in the city seems to have some sort of graffiti on it, and we have a few mailboxes also that got tagged.

I have acquired a cleaner that the City uses with great success, its called " Goof Off" and I will be attempting to clean the boxes in a few days from now.

http://www.allisonpark.org

Allison Park Spring Cleaning Begins

Its time to head outside folks and enjoy this great weather!

Its also time to head out and start to clean up!

Its amazing the garbage that collects over the winter, so check around your house, and even your sidewalk and portion of the street in front of your house, every little bit helps!

In the coming week the snow will be all gone so we will be able to do a large scale cleaning of the park and fence lines.

http://www.allisonpark.org

Allison Parks Yard Sale For The Cure

On May 31 2008 from 8 a.m. till 12 Noon., I will be hosting our 2nd Annual Yard Sale for the Cure to raise money for Breast Cancer research in Allison Park.

Last year we had a small but great start and I am pleased to support this great cause once again.

Details to follow in due course, but to learn more visit Rachels website at

http://www.yardsaleforthecure.com/

Spring Cleaning in Allison Park

Usually we dont have snow on the ground for Easter Egg hunt and I have my annual spring clean up of the park before the Easter Egg hunt and clean up all the dog droppings before the children get into the park.

This year obviuosly we could not do that, so I will be having our annual spring cleaning of the park in a week or so, please keep an eye out here and on the mail boxes for a flyer announcing the same.

It only takes an hour, and then the park will be spic and span for the little ones.

Many thanks for any volunteers that would like to help out:)

http://www.allisonpark.org

Allison Park Easter Egg Hunt a HUGE Success

Just a hare over 20,000 chocolate Easter Eggs, where collected in 5 minutes by an estimated 3-500 children yesterday at my local park Allison Park.It was a bright and sunny day, chilly and windy, but that did not deter people from coming out and enjoying the festivities.Lots of Hamiltonians attended the event from all over the City, welcome to Allison Park!It was definetly a challenge this year, hopefully the weather will be better for next year and we can get back to the usual activities that I have.Councilor Duval had a previous committment and sent his regrets, but many thanks for Councilor Whitehead and family for coming out.Many thanks to my longtime right hand man in the neighbourhood Paul, whom has worked behind the scenes and helped me make these and other events I host in the park great success's that they are, Paul has never said no to me and for the last 9 years has always been there to help me out, many thanks Paul!And also many thanks to my driver Dave, whom put a lot of hours into getting the park ready and distributing the eggs.Many thanks to all of you for coming out, have a great Easter weekend, enjoy the family drive safe and give thanks!

http://www.allisonpark.org

Final Preparations for my Easter Egg Hunt

Well we surveyed the park today, it will be a slippery and wet hunt tomorrow, so please make sure the little ones have their rubber boots on and are dressed warmly.The good thing is that it will be a nice sunny day!We shoveled some more snow off the paths, broke up a lot of ice, and dumped 2 large bags of salt down, and will pour a couple more tomorrow also.See you in the morning!

http://www.allisonpark.org

Looking for a Easter Egg Hunt in Hamilton?

If you are looking for a Easter Egg Hunt in Hamilton, then bring the little ones out to Allison Park tomorrow, at 10 a.m. SHARP.

Allison Park is located at the end of Upper Wellington, just over Rymal Road ( Hwy 53), the street curves around and the park is right there.

I have just a hare ( all pun intended) over 20,000 chocolate eggs for the kiddies, its a free event and all are welcome:)

Hop to see you are there tomorrow!!

Hop to it!

Chris ( Easter Bunny ) Ecklund

http://www.allisonpark.org

Hamilton's Largest Easter Egg Hunt

This Saturday March 22 2008 at 10:00 a.m., Chris Ecklund will be hosting his annual Easter Egg Hunt in Allison Park.

This year he will help the Easter Bunny distribute just over 20,000 chocolate Easter eggs for the little ones to find.

The weather will be good, so bring the little ones out, its free of charge as usual!

http://www.allisonpark.org

Snow Removal in Allison Park

Well the snow is gone, 1 snowblower died along the way, but we should be good to go for my annual Allison Park Easter Egg Hunt Saturday March 22 2008 at 10:00 a.m.



The City came by with their BIG blower ( Thank-you) and removed the snow around the park so we will now have room for lots of cars to park.



Their was at least 1-2 feet of snow removed in the park, and now with the warm temps coming this should melt away the base snow and ice and expose the grass for the Easter Bunny.



All is a go for next weekend!



http://www.allisonpark.org/

The Clean Up Begins in Allison Park

Well the HUGE City snowblower came by and cleaned up around the park, which is great, we should have lots of room for parking now, and today I have 2 snowblowers going in the park to remove as much snow as possible and get the paths cleared, and hopefully remove a foot of snow to get down as close as possible to the grass.

With the warmup now here, hopefully that will melt the base ice once exposed so the Easter Bunny can deposit her eggs for the little ones.

Rumour has it the easter Bunny will be bringing over 20,000 chocolate eggs this year.....

http://www.allisonpark.org

Allison Park Easter Egg Hunt 2008

Well,........with Easter being 3 weeks earlier this year, and all this snow, we are going to have a tough time on our hands this year if I am going to pull this off or not.

Before we got all this snow I walked the park and saw we had 3 inches of solid ice over the grass.

Now we have 4 feet of snow.

We have a big melt down coming starting today, cross your fingers that it gets rid of a lot of the snow.

What I will do is bring in a snow removing crew and get rid of as much snow as possible in the park, to expose all the base ice, and then hopefully with the warmer temps, it will melt the base ice away.

The safety of our children is very important, not to mention, how do they expect to see a tiny egg in 4 feet of snow!!!

Ah, challenges I like!

So for those around the park, if you hear a lot of equipment in the next few days, this is what I will be doing.

As long as we can have some exposed grass, then we should be okay!

Bye for now!

Chris ( Easter Bunny ) Ecklund

http://www.allisonpark.org

Our sunshelter in Allison Park

I just got a call from good friend Councilor Scott Duvall tonight, whom had some good news to report.

1. Our sunshelter has been put out to tender, and the process they are hoping will be completed soon and construction started and finished by the end of June this year.

2. The issue surrounding the paths to the shelter has also be rectified somewhat.

Some background here, at first we where going to get 2-3 paths from Piano and Meadowpoint. This though created a problem in that it would have taken away almost the last piece of grass area for the kids to play football and soccer on. My worry was that a ashphalt path would become a safety hazard when the kids where playing. After talking with City Officials they said nothing could be done as the paths where needed for access for people with disabilities. This to be sounded like pure nonsense as we already had several entrances to the park, and more being planned. My argument fell on deaf ears, so further discussions ensued. After talking with disability experts and others, Scott informed me today that a resolution has been found and that most of the grass area will remain intact for the children to play on. The paths have been re-aligned throughout the park which will still allow easy access for all.

Many thanks for Councilor Scott Duvall for seeing this matter through to the drawing stage that we are currently at.

http://www.allisonpark.org

Allison Park Christmas Light Decorating Contest Winners

This years winners in my annual house decorating and Christmas light contest are finally in!

This year attention was also paid to the inside of the houses as well, as more people are starting to decorate their windows etc...

The prizes are gift certificates to Kelsey's, purchased by myself.


1st Prize 54 Jacqueline Blvd $ 100.00
2nd Prize 142 Jacqueline Blvd $ 75.00
3rd Prize 35 Kettlepoint $ 50.00
4th Prize 78 Piano $ 25.00
5th Prize 38 Sedona $ 10.00

Many thanks to everybody who went out of their way to decorate this year, it all makes our neighbourhood a brighter and happier place to be during the holidays !!


http://www.allisonpark.org

Garbage Clean up in Allison Park

Yuk....

With the big melt down we had last week, I thought it was a good time for me to head out and play garbage man again, this time I had some help with my driver whom volunteered his time to come help out also.

We did something different this time around, we got some of those clear plastic bags and when we picked up the garbage we sorted everything out and put it in seperate bags to recycle.

Yes it took triple the time, but what the heck we all need to do our part dont we?

It was windy and cold, but we got it done, and even found a surprise on the ground, no not dog poop, but we did find an incredible amount of that also, but we found a dead _at.

You can figure that one out, thats not good, thats mean they are here in our area.....

15 bags later we where done, and luckily the week following all of it was picked up at my house.

http://www.allisonpark.org/

Snap Hamilton Covers Our Christmas Party

Good friend Kevin Foster the owner of Snap Hamilton came by and took some great pictures of our annual Christmas Party, which by the looks of the smiles on the childrens faces was a huge success!!

Follow this link to see all the pictures
http://www.snaphamiltonmountain.com/display/26805/289/

Merry Christmas Allison Park Residents

Ho-Ho-Ho, Merry Christmas Everyone!

I hope that Santa has been good to everyone and that there where not to many lumps of coal in your stockings this morning!

If you have kids, I hope you got some great pictures of them opening up there presents, its great to see their little smiles and amazement when they open their presents isn’t it!

Christmas is all about giving, let’s not forget that, if you have not done something for the less fortunate, it’s not too late, drop some money into a kettle at the mall for the Sally Ann, drop some bags of groceries off at the food bank, or give generously to your staff or neighbours.

And speaking of neighbours, I challenge everyone right now to pick up the phone or knock on their doors, and wish them a Merry Christmas. If you don’t get along with your neighbour, today is a “ truce” day, be the bigger person and go by, knock on their door, extend your hand and wish them a Merry Christmas, go on, you can do it!

http://www.allisonpark.org

Christmas Light Decorating Contest in Allison Park

Just a reminder to everyone that my Annual Christmas light and house decorating contest is underway and the final judging will be on Christmas Eve.

Lets just say that a judge has already told me that there will be some new winners this year :)

New this year will be how also the interior of the house looks in relation to its effect from the outside also, and the overall theme of everything.

So, make sure that you have all your lights on also, some common ( whoops we forgot) items are that people are away at a relatives and forget to turn them on, and also forget to turn on all the display lights.

http://www.allisonpark.org

Allison Park Christmas Party

Once again we had an incredible time at our annual Allison Park Childrens Christmas Party which I was proud of hosting and organizing.

This year even with the storm of the century bearing down on us, we had a record turn-out with over 200 people showing up and having a lot of fun.

This year I pulled out all the stops, we had face painting, The huge 45 foot Chuggy Choo-Choo was there, we also had animal stuffing, and t shirt painting, a live puppet show, Hot Dogs, Cookies, and of course Santa Claus himself showed up with a sack of toys, every child received a new toy.

Many thanks for Councilor Scott Duvall coming out also.

Also many thanks for the " Oskeewheeler" for coming out. The oskeewheeler is the name of the Hamilton Tiger Cats Bus.

Christmas House Decorating Winners at Allison Park

I will soon be posting the winners from last years contest, so stay tuned for this!!

Also just a reminder that the " official" lights on is the usual December 1 at 5 p.m.

Each year I sponsor and organize a fun contest, and prizes are awarded for 1st to 5th place.

This year the winners where 2 new people details to follow!!

http://www.allisonpark.org

No Parking Signs going up around Allison Park

I just got a call from Councilor Scott Duvall whom is our representative at City Hall for us being in Ward 7.

He regrets to inform me that due to an on-going neighbourhood dispute, that " No-Parking" signs will be going up around Allison Park.

These signs will make it illegal to park Monday to Saturday from approx 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Be sure to check the signs for the exact times and dates when they go up.

The unfortunate thing is that nothing can be done to stop this.

The signs will start to go up with a 1 -2 week period, so be forewarned so that you dont get a ticket.

http://www.allisonpark.org

More meetings at City Hall

Last night I spent a further 3 hours at City Hall going over different projects,ideas and problem solving surrounding various things in the City.

One of our topics was graffiti, which I have discussed before and what we can do about it.

One of the attendees made me aware of a product that can remove the offending marking, and I am going to acquire some of it to remove the writings on our mailboxes.

http://www.allisonpark.org

Allison Park the Jewel of Hamilton

5 hours of meetings, 1 breakfast, 1 lunch and we still did not finish.

Yes that is how I spent a majority of my time yesterday, at City Hall going over many of the different programs in the City.

Needless to say the City is using Allison Park as the " example" and poster child for others to follow, some exciting things are coming up, and I will fill you all in later.

http://www.allisonpark.org

Halloween Decorating House winners

The judges deliberated for a lonnnnggggg time this year, it was a tough one, but the results are finally in, and will be posted shortly!!

There where some especially scary houses this year!!!

http://www.allisonpark.org

Volunteer Hours for school available at Allison Park

Parents for a few years now I have signing childrens volunteer hour forms for their 40 hour mandatory school hours that they need.

Just to remind you that this is available, however if your child wants to volunteer, and says they will show up to volunteer at a event, please make sure they show up!

Many thanks!

www.allisonpark.org

Devils Night

What started as just my normal drive through the neighbourhood to start to see the halloween displays turned into a 4 hour vigil and clean up patrol as it being devils night and kids being kids, there was some damage done to peoples houses and cars in our area.

A group of 12 youths where up to no good, but they where taken care of, but then a car with youths and a paint-ball gun made there way through our area spraying houses and vehicles.

So, armed with paper towels and a water bottle myself and a few neighbours made our way around the area looking for damage, cleaning peoples cars before the paint dried and knocking on doors informing them of what happened.

I have a feeling that there might be some youths in the area whom know the people involved, as in anything else, if you can convince your children to give up what they know, please pass it along to me, or if you witnessed the vehicle in question or got a plate number pass it along to myself.

Sun Shelter Update for Allison Park

I met with City Staff this week and one of the items we discussed was the sun shelter.

The tendering process will start soon, so most likely the shelter will be installed next year as winter is fast approaching.

Splash Pad Now Fixed at Allison Park

Extra bubble gum was ordered and the leak has now been fixed, many many thanks to all the City Staff for getting our splashpad fixed so fast, it sure has been hot lately, and the little ones enjoyed using it, pretty soon the days are getting shorter, the nights colder, and winter is on the way.

So from all the smiles on the faces of the children in the park today, I would say that they where very happy!!!

A special thanks to Steve and Chris from the City :)

Oskee-Wee-Wee

Hope to see you all at the game tomorrow!

Splash Pad Closed For Maintenance

She sprung a leak the other day, and we did not have enough bubble gum to stop the leak.

Even after getting all the kids together and amassing all types of bubble gum we still did not have enough!

City Staff will be ordering parts and getting it fixed a.s.a.p.

Hope to see everyone at the game tommorow,

OSKEE-WEE-WEE !!!!

Chris Ecklund the Garbage Man

3 bags of Garbage.

That is what I collected yesterday while out and about.

1 entire bag on the fenceline alone. This " windbreak" at times is so full of garbage I have had to get City crews to come out and collect it all, that is usually on a Thursday preceded by a wednesday night wind storm!

Oh well, better against the fence than throughout the City.

Parents, you can help, if you give your kids a bottle of water to head to the park, ask them to bring the empty back to recycle it!

A few neighbours also complained about kids breaking bottles in the park, and that they also went to clean the broken glass up afterwards. First off, thankyou for cleaning up, it is dangerous to have broken glass lying around in the swing sets. If anyone sees anything happening there at night, please let me know and I will look into it.

And speaking of Garbage, dont forget it was a holiday last weekend, hence 1 day late in getting our garbage picked up.

Ti Cats Win

Wow, what a game and what a night!!

Last night I had a great time along with over 24,000 fans with cheering on the Cats to their first win of the year!!

After Jesse Lumsden scored a touchdown I went to congratulate his Dad Neil, who is an old and dear friend, but he was live on the air so I never really did get to say hello, we just used sign language!

And also a Happy birthday also to Jesse, Happy 25th!, you got a long career with the Cats ahead of you!

It was a very enjoyable night, I was wandering all over the stadium, up with Bob Young in his box for awhile, down on the second floor for awhile, talked to the press, and spent some time with Ellison Kelly former Ti Cat great, and father of childhood friend Jerry, and also had a few long talks with Ti-Cat great Angela Mosca in the Hall of Fame club.

I also ran into John Dolbec from the Chamber who brought out his son to enjoy the game, and also Terry Anderson and his wife, Terry is the former alderman for Ward 7 and currently running for the Conservatives in the upcoming Federal Election.

Down on the field all the front office staff was in good spirits, and I almost got taken out by a tackle on the sidelines!!!A laptop suffered the brunt of it :(

Down in the west end zones I spent some time in the tents, a great spot by the way and some are still available for rent!Ran into some friends old and new, some neighbours also, and even my mother and father in law, and other members of the family!I even got my picture taken with the Grey Cup, last time I touched it, I was helping to polish it!

Funds raised during Canada Day in Allison Park

This year we raised $ 754.00 during our annual Canada Day event.

This was through the sale of hot dogs,pop and t-shirts.

All goods sold at our event where donated by Mr.Ecklund.

www.allisonpark.org

We made the news again

Well we made the front page again folks, here is a picture that appeared in the Hamilton Mountain news this week

http://www.hamiltonmountainnews.com/hmn/news/news_827776.html

Here is also a second picture that was inside the paper

http://www.hamiltonmountainnews.com/hmn/news/news_827944.html

Snap Hamilton covers Allison Park

Snap Hamilton a long time supporter of my events held in Allison Park, was a HUGE supporter of the first ever " Yard Sale for the Cure" yard sale event to raise money in aid of Breast cancer research.

Company President/CEO Mr. Kevin Foster deserves a big thank-you from all of us to make our first ever Yard Sale a successful event. As a person who is involved and covered extensively by the media, I can tell you that it is a rare event that a reporter/owner will get involved as much in a project that Kevin Foster has.

Kevin and I had several meetings about the event before hand to work out the details. Thanks again Kevin for all your hard work!

I met with Kevin today and he handed me a few papers. If anyone would like one please let me know. Locally you can also pick them up at Fortinos on Rymal and Upper James.

Here are some web links that you can go to to see the issues on-line.

They may take awhile to load as there are a lot of pictures.
http://www.snaphamiltonmountain.com/display/11777/169/

Article reprinted from Hamilton Mountain News

Plenty to celebrate at Allison Park on Canada Day
Kevin Werner, Mountain

(Jun 29, 2007)
For about seven years the Allison Park community has waited in anticipation for their annual Canada Day celebrations in what has become a high point of the year for the community.
But this year's Canada Day festivities could be the last one held in their newly restored community park.
"I will leave it up to the community," said resident Chris Ecklund, who has organized and paid for the Canada Day activities, along with upgrading the park. "I don't know if it will be the last one. People believe it may be and there is the expectation the crowds will be huge this year."
Mr. Ecklund, a local business owner, moved to the Allison Park area, located at the corner of Upper Wellington and Rymal Road in 1999. He surveyed the neighbourhood and asked if he was going to simply fade in the background and live quietly in the community or get involved and continue his philanthropic work.
His dilemma didn't last long.
Soon after he spearheaded a drive to redevelop Allison Park. This week the city will take ownership of the newly installed splash pad that has been in the planning stages for a few years.
www.hamiltonmountainnews.com
Mr. Ecklund has also sponsored annual Halloween and Christmas events in the 300-home community; organized a golf tournament and treated his neighbours to Canada's Wonderland. This year he is concentrating only on the Canada Day celebrations - but without the fireworks.
He will spend about $10,000 on this year's Canada Day event.
"A few years ago we stopped counting at $100,000," he said. "It's about the community. It's about the kids. To see a smile on a child's face is thanks enough."
Even without the fireworks, the festivities, which begin at noon and continue to 4 p.m. will include five inflatable jungle gyms, clowns, balloon twisters, face painters, hula hoops, a barbecue ready to grill about 500 hot dogs to feed the estimated 300 people expected to turn out. A Canada Day cake will be cut, not only celebrating Canada's 140th birthday but also the opening of the splash pad.
The city will also be on site with a fire truck, emergency service personnel, and the Hamilton Police Service bug.
Even though Mr. Ecklund is talking about pulling the plug on the event, he has spoken to city staff about adding to the park. He is encouraging the city to construct an entrance at the intersection of Upper Wellington and Rymal Road that identifies Allison Park. As well, residents have talked about building a hockey rink for the community's use at the park.
Mr. Ecklund is reluctant to talk about the reason for contemplating ending the annual tradition, saying only over the last few months some people have become disruptive within the community.
"It's disheartening when you have a bad apple spreading their lies," he said. "It affects community, and provokes fear."
Mr. Ecklund has contacted the Hamilton Police Service about a number of incidents that have occurred.
Meanwhile, the event is free to anyone in the city to have a piece of cake and soak up some community spirit, he said.
"This is a huge, huge day for us as a community," said Mr. Ecklund. "This completes the master plan that was started seven years ago.
"I love the neighbourhood," he added. "I'm very proud of what has been accomplished." For more information about the July 1 event, log on to www.allisonpark.org.

Allison Park makes the front page

We made the front page of this weeks Hamilton Mountain News, many thanks to Kevin Werner and the paper for covering this event and many over the years.

The link to the story can be found here:http://www.hamiltonmountainnews.com/hmn/news/news_824574.html

Ceremonial Cake Cutting in Allison Park

Here is a picture of myself and Councillor Scott Duvall cutting the ceremonial cake for our splashpad, and with all the people asking who made the cakes, they where very impressed with them.

The cakes are made by a friend, she has a link to her business on our links page, Cakes by Denise, she has been doing our cakes for many years now at the park.

ALL the cake was eaten, heck I did not even get a piece!!

More pictures will be up soon, now I have to get off to the park and start to clean up all the mess from yesterday!

http://www.allisonpark.org/

Our Splashpad is now open

Canada Day celebrations in Allison park where highlighted by the grand opening of our new splashpad today.

Here is a picture of Chris Ecklund and Scott Duvall performing the ribbon cutting.
It was a great day for everyone, and a big sigh of relief could be heard by myself when the water was successfully turned on by my daughter Erika.

Special thanks to everyone for there extra hard work in getting the pad completed for my annual event.

Last Minute Preparations in Allison park

Well, we are under 24 hours to go till our annual Canada day celebrations, flags where put up on the fence line coming into our neighbourhood, I bought over 300 hotdogs, the most ever purchased, hopefully that is enough for tommorow!

Chris from parks from the City came out to double check everything, and we got the fingers up, lets just cross our fingers and pray everything comes together for tommorows launch of our new splashpad.

Par-t-Perfect came by to do a site inspection and go over where everything will go, they will have a lot of staff and games and rides for the kids to play on.

http://www.allisonpark.org

New Picnic Tables For Allison Park

Here is a picture of the new tables that I purchased for the park, they are brand new and made of cedar!!!

Now there will be more room for everyone to rest their aching bones!

No more swamp in Allison Park

A week ago some neighbours asked me if there was anything that could be done to get rid of the swamp area behind their houses backing onto the park.

Here is a picture of what was done, the area was re-graded to allow the water to run into the storm sewer at the end of the park.

Seeding will be done as soon as it is completed!!

Many thanks to Best Boys Contracting services for doing such an excellent job!!!

http://www.allisonpark.org/

More Updates in Allison Park

Wow, crews are working around the clock getting ready for our big Canada day celebration, the park has been busy,busy,busy lately, Best Boys are in today taking care of some repairs.

The above pile of woodchips was ordered to level off our low spots in the playground areas.

Until we get a good rain there may be some dust on the little ones shoes and clothes.

Many thanks to Best Boys Contracting services for conducting the work in such a fast time.

Hamilton Fire Department Confirms for Canada Day

Once again the Hamilton Fire Department has confirmed that they will be able to attend our Canada Day event this year in Allison Park.

The children always enjoy this, heck the parents do also!!

Bring out your children and let them sit behind the wheel of the fire truck, make sure you bring your camera!!

The fire department also usually has some some fire brochures to hand out also, if you have any questions about fire safety, smoke alarms, etc..., this would be a good time to ask them, we have them for a few hours!!

Many thanks to the Hamilton Fire Department for coming out, to see pictures of them at past events, click on the Canada day link on our website, and look at the 2005,2006 pictures.

http://www.allisonpark.org

The Splashpad is ours

What an exciting day and time for residents of Allison Park!

Yesterday officials from the City along with contractors showed up for the official testing and handing over of the keys for our splashpad.

From left to right is Chris from the City,( what a great name, and a great guy! ) Dwayne from Ciciarelli ( they did a great job! ) and Eric from the City, ( Eric I look forward to working with you in the future! )

The pad was fine-tuned and tested, air bled from the system, and water pressures adjusted.

The pad is almost 100% and will be ready to go for our Grand Opening on Canada Day.

My events this year will run from 12 Noon till 4 p.m.

There will be a lot to see and do, it will be the biggest event I have hosted in the park since its inception back in 1999.

It will also be the most expensive( my accountants are cringing....)

So make plans for this day and we hope to see you there!!!

Official turnover of our new splashpad

Today we officially made one huge step forward to ownership of our new splashpad, with our contractor turning over ownership to us.

Things are now almost complete and ready for our grand opening of our splashpad on Canada Day July 1, 2007.

Canada Day will be huge wait till you see what I have planned!!!!

Sidewalk Inspections in Allison Park

Over the years you may have noticed work crews fixing sections of our sidewalks that where defective.

I have had inspectors in the past come out and inspect the deficiencies and then submit their reports to have same fixed.

Over the last few days you may have noticed people walking around inspecting them also.

As a taxpayer I can speak to the fact that it is extremely important that we get value for our dollar, and that while our infrastructure is under warranty, we take full advantage of this, so we do not burden the taxpayer down the road with unnecessary contracting out of repair work.

If you notice a deficiency in the sidewalks or road, please let me know of this, as our warranty period is coming to a close.

Festival and Events Hamilton

Just to let you know that I joined Festival and Events Hamilton last year, and our logo of same is now on our front page of our website.

The membership fee I have paid for and donated by myself on behalf of the community.

The organization is a great resource tool for myself, as members can share ideas/concerns, and attend workshops and learn more about running events, etc...

And speaking of events, just wait till Canada Day!!!!

http://www.allisonpark.org

YMCA Groundbreaking Ceremonies

The crowd gathers awaiting the dedication and ceremonial tree planting for the new YMCA complex.

Many people have asked me about this over the years, I will get more information on-line under a seperate section soon.

Allison Park Residents want Hockey in Hamilton

Wow, what an emotional and draining last 48 hours!

And many City councilors, and media would agree with me!

Well, I did my part and put down 5 K for a corporate box.

I have been known in the past to reward those that volunteer during my events in the park, in the past week alone past volunteers where awarded with free tickets to my box at Copps to watch the Calder Cup Final, and last year also in Bob Youngs 2 boxes at Ivor Wynne!

So, if you ever needed a reason to volunteer, there you go!

Now get out and buy a ticket to our new hockey team!!!

Further Park Updates at Allison Park

Yesterday I had a further meeting in the park with a department head and our councilor Scott Duvall, and we went over a list of items of park problems, and improvements.

1. I ordered 3 new picnic tables for the park.

2. More wood chips for the swing sets and playground equipment.

3. Properly grading the exterior of the park, bordering the sidewalk and the grass area around the park.

4. Correcting the grading of the park, where the " swamp" is, this will be dug out and the proper grade re-installed.

This work will be done throughout the year.

http://www.allisonpark.org

Sod Repairs in Allison Park

Today I visited with our contractor in our park, where repairs where made to various areas of the grass. These repairs will continue throughout the week, with new sod and topsoil added.

http://www.allisonpark.org

Canada Day Activities

On Canada day we will be celebrating the grand opening of our new splashpad along with our usual activities, so please make sure you schedule this day in for a fun filled day!

More Park Updates at Allison Park

Last week during our Breast Cancer Yard Sale, a neighbour asked me what could be done about the " swamp" in our park.

An hour later ( sorry it took so long )I had a City Staffer come look at the problem, and we went to the neighbour and talked about some solutions to the problem.

Today I met and had lunch with two City staffers and I was told that there is a solution to the problem, and funding has been approved.

Many thanks to the City for being so responsive on this matter!

What we will do is to " Naturalize" the area, with some earth, wood chips, and small shrubs. All the wood chips should absorb the excess water, and the area will look nicer with the shrubs.

The absorption of the standing water will eliminate mosquito larvae and lower the nesting areas and hence west nile threat.

After looking over our schedules, a good time would be during our Halloween pumpkin carving contest to be held in October.

As details come available I will let you know, those living backing onto the park, it would be appreciated if you help out.

http://www.allisonpark.org

Yard Sale for the cure

Just to let you know we raised a grand total of $ 800.00 in our yard sale last weekend. This money will be turned over to " Yard Sale For The Cure" which will then make a donation on our behalf to the Juravinski Cancer Clinic on Concession Street here in Hamilton.

As a first time event this was a great start, many thanks for all those whom participated in this great cause.

http://www.allisonpark.org

Allison Park Receives Award from the City of Hamilton

It was a great honour to receive a plaque from the City of Hamilton during our Yard Sale for the Cure event for our efforts in support of Recreation and Parks month this year.

Yard Sale a Great Success

Wow, what a day, and a long day at that!

I woke up at an incredibly early time of the day for me, and woke to sounds of diesel trucks driving by the house, I recognized the sound of the engines as a Hino diesel, so I thought jeez, dont tell me that 1-800-GOT-JUNK is already in the neighbourhood?

Sure enough, there was Tony and his crew with 2 trucks roaming the neighbourhood looking for people whom needed help in hauling their goods to the park.

I cant thank Tony enough for all his help, his staff where incredible, they also bought a booth and sold their goods, and also made the largest donation of monies raised!

We had 14 vendors in total and hundreds of people showed up and brought their money with them.

In total we raised over $ 700.00 for breast cancer research.

It was a great first time event for us, and is a foundation for us to build on.

Thank-you to everyone whom came out, I will be posting a full-report with pictures on a new section on our website along with pictures this week.

Allison Park Yard Sale Signs Go Up

These signs where donated by our sponsor Mr.Chris Ecklund

Splash Pad Construction Continues in Allison Park

Here are some pictures that I took yesterday, the underground wiring has been fed through, and will hook up with the City services which are conveniently buried underground from the park. Chris the Electrician is also hooking up the Electrical panel that will feed the splashpad.

Further work will be the completion of the pad itself, which will take place within the next few weeks.

All will be completed and pad will be opened by our Canada day Long Weekend festivities.

Want to visit the best neighbourhood in Hamilton?

Come on over to Allison Park, we are located just south of the intersection at Upper Wellington and Rymal Road East.

Our website is http://www.allisonpark.org

Rachael Smith and Chris Ecklund

Here we are after the interview on K-Lite FM, it was a priviledge and honour to meet Rachael Smith the founder of " Yard Sale for the Cure" whom came in from Toronto that morning to be on the Sunni and Hayes morning drive radio show.

We had a 4 minute time frame to get the message out about the event, my thanks go out to K-Lite FM for allowing us the air time, and also in being such a huge and great Corporate sponsor of this event, and also all my other events that I host in the City.

We look forward to also seeing the K-Lite FM Community crusier at the event , which is being held in Allison Park Saturday May 26, 2007 from 8 a.m., till 12 noon.

For further details or to sign up send an e-mail to our webmaster, or call 905-517-9940

The Allison Park web site is located at http://www.allisonpark.org

Sunni and Hays Interview on K-Lite FM

Tommorow morning on the Sunni & Hays I will be interviewed about the upcoming " Yard Sale for the cure " event that I am holding in our park on Saturday May 26 2006 from 8 a.m. till 12 Noon.

Please listen in they are at 102.9 on the FM dial.

The show will have Rachael Smith whom founded the event.

K-Lite has signed aboard as a corporate sponsor of this event, and I thank them for their support.

More info can be found at Allison Park supports Breast Cancer Research

Tulips Have Sprung in Allison Park

The tulips have sprung!!!

Last year you will recall that our local children planted the tulips that where donated by Sherri Duvall wife of councilor Duvall of ward 7 on behalf of Avon Canada's breast cancer awareness drive.

The children planted 250 of them around our trees, and it is great to see that they have come up!

Dont forget our " Yard Sale for the Cure" event this May 26 in our park, if you want to support Breast Cancer research and have some stuff you want to get rid of, sign up today for a spot.

1-800-GOT JUNK will even be donating 3 trucks to help get the stuff to the park for you.

Visit our website for more details, send us an e-mail if you want to sign up.

Allison Park

Allison Park Update

This week I met with a City Staff Person in charge of the parks, and we went over where our park stands in relation to maintenance issues, outstanding problems and our splash pad.

Items that where discussed were the addition of more chips to the playground, sinking benches, a missing picnic table, uneven grass areas, and fixing the perimeter of the park that was not completed by the developer.

I also had that " hidden" spike removed from the grass area that a resident told me about. I personally removed the other two posts last week myself.

Over the next month you may see City Staff in the park fixing these items.

Our splash pad has still not been completed and turned over to the City, there might not be enough time to complete it in time for our planned opening on May 26th, details will follow as they become available.

In the City of Hamilton there are neighbourhoods and there is ours, come by and see what makes us so special, visit us at The best neighbourhood in Hamilton, Ontario Canada.

Globespan Airlines Launches in Hamilton

Today was a great day for Hamiltonians with the launch of Globespan Airlines out of Hamilton International Airport.

The airline is flying 757-200ER Boeings pictured here outfitted with Rolls-Royce engines at 43,000lbs of thrust per side.

As a pilot and long time supporter of Hamilton Airport, this airline should have a long successful run here in Hamilton.

Today I talked to 6 people who already booked flights on them!

Welcome to Hamilton!

Aliison Park Residents love to fly out of Hamilton Airport, that us waving to you when you are on short final for 24!

Visit the greatest little neighbourhood in Hamilton at ALLISON PARK RESIDENTS LOVE TO FLY OUT OF HAMILTON AIRPORT

HSR Bus Service Coming to Allison Park

Well sort of... Starting next year there will be bus service on Rymal Road east and west. This is long overdue and a great addition to the Hamilton Mountain and our residents here.

It is a long time coming, but with the expansion of the City slowly heading south, it is becoming a needed service.

I can remember back in the day when the HSR had the small mini buss's, that held 30 people and ran on Mohawk Road, every 30 minutes on the weekends, remember those days?

Councelor Scott Duvall told me of this the other day, I would think a great route would be from Duffs Corners to Elfrida, which would open a lot of areas to those looking to shop and travel. More to follow when it becomes available.

How do I get to Allison Park from Ancaster? CLICK HERE

2007 Hamilton City Budget Has been Approved

Well folks great news the budget has been finalized and passed!! ( cue the fireworks...)

What does this mean for us, residents of Allison Park?

Well for one, it means that our sunshelter, paths, and extra trees will be installed now.

Many of you approached me concerned about the media reporting on this, but not to worry, as it has now passed!!!

Come visit the best neighbourhood in Hamilton at ALLISON PARK ROCKS WITH THE BUDGET BEING PASSED!!!!

Operation Clean Sweep

On Saturday April 21st as part of Operation Clean Sweep, Councillor's Duvall and Whitehead pictured here with myself took part in our 1st annual clean up of Upper James Street from the Linc to Rymal Road.

Approx 30-50 people came out and even the children came out and pitched in and filled many garbage bags.

I was very happy to be a sponsor and to help organize this event, many thanks to those that participated and also many thanks to the other sponsors, Tim Hortons, and the Courtyard Marriott Hotel.

Special thanks also to assistants Kim and Monique who pulled this thing together, family and friends and a BIG thank-you to the volunteers!

Yard Sale for the Cure

Today I had a meeting with the owner of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?., Mr.Tony Cipola, and also with Mr. Kevin Foster owner of Snap Media, you all know Kevin he comes out to all our events.

The biggest challenge with any garage/yard sale is how do we get our stuff there, and in the past, you remember years ago when we had our yard sale in the park, this was the same problem, people had difficulty in getting their stuff to the park.

This problem has now been solved, with the incredible donation of 3 moving trucks and 6 employees to help you move your stuff to the park!

The yard sale is Saturday May 26th from 8 a.m. to 12 Noon, in Allison Park.

We are taking bookings for 25 pickups starting at 6 .a.m on that day.

All items will need to be placed in your driveway or garage for pickup with vehicles out of the way. The trucks will then pick the stuff up and deliver it to your spot which will be assigned to you in the park.

These 25 spots will go fast, if they do we might be able to add another 25 pick ups to a grand total of 50.

This is a very generous donation on behalf of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, and I thank them for that.

To pre-book a spot and pick-up, send us an e-mail to our webmaster with your contact details.

Dont wait to long, as these spots will fill up fast!

Spots in the park costs $ 25.00, and you can donate whatever you want from the proceeds of your sales.

Come support this great cause, lets try to raise as much money as we can to battle Breast Cancer.

Operation Clean Sweep

This coming Saturday April 21 2007 at 1pm to 330 pm., there will be a sweep off to collect garbage on Upper James Street. We will be cleaning from the Linc to Rymal, and this is a challenge between Councillor's Duvall and Whitehead.

Form up will be at the Courtyard Marriott on Upper James at 1 p.m.

I will be providing Hot Dogs and drinks, and the first 200 people will get a Tim Hortons Gift Certificate from me!

Come on out and lets get Upper James Street Cleaned up!!

http://www.allisonpark.org

Chris Ecklund's Tim Horton Coupon Donation for our troops in Afghanistan

It was my honour yesterday to present to Hamilton MP Chris Charlton 2,400 Tim Horton Coupons for our troops in Afghanistan, each member of our military will have a coffee on me.

Being half way around the world, bringing this little bit of Canadiana to them hopefully makes them feel better and appreciated.

As a former member of our military I can tell you that many of us suffered and still suffer from wounds inflicted in active and inactive duties locally and abroad, it is to often especially here in Canada where we do not pay respect to those that have served and those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

I want to personally thank each and everyone of our men and women serving our Country in conflicts around the world and especially in Afghanistan, your service to your Country will not be forgotten.

Allison Park Easter Egg hunt a huge success

Once again our annual Easter Egg hunt was a huge success, despite temperatures of -15, and snow, approx. 200 children and parents and attending dignataries had a great time, with the little ones scooping up approx 20,000 chocolate eggs!

A huge thankyou to Cadbury whom not only gives me a huge discount on the purchase of the chocolates, but they also donated a large part of the chocolates also. Also this year they donated gum, wine gums and little bunnies, that quack like little chicks!! Many thanks to Dianne, Anna, and Lucy whom live in the neighbourhood and also work at Cadbury, thanks ladies without you the event would not be possible.

Many thanks also to the volunteers whom help me put this event on, yesterday we had people come out to help clean up the park, my neighbours Tony and Bob, thanks guys, you are always there for me, Lillian and family and friends, thanks for delivering flyers and all your help today.

A special thankyou also to Kathleen, and daughters Jessica and Kiersten, whom now live elsewhere but still come back and volunteer, thanks girls you are the best!

New this year I hired Special Event Rentals to supply a tent,tables and chairs because it was so cold, I bought 2 propane heaters to take the chill off, and thanks to Joanelle and staff of par-t-perfect, whom brought out the face painters, balloon twisters, inflatible jumper, and the guest of honour the Easter Bunny !!!!

Speaking of Guests of Honour, many thanks for Councilor Whitehead of ward 8, who's family came out, Councilor Scott Duvall and wife of ward 7, former councilor of Ward 7 Terry Anderson and family, and MP Chris Charlton. Many thanks for coming out!

Thank you also to 820 Cham for sending their mascot out, the little ones enjoyed him a lot.

A special thankyou to all the parents whom brought out their little ones and braved the cold temperatures, by the look of all the smiles on their faces everyone had a great time!

Want to visit the best little community in Hamilton?., then come on over to Allison Park Easter Egg Hunt was great!

Happy Easter Allison Park Residents

Ryckman School is now down

Ryckman school is now down and the crews are busy cleaning up the debris. I have also asked Councelor Duval for an updated plan for the new subdivision being planned.

Easter Egg Tree spotted in Allison Park

Yes folks it is true, in Allison park we have special trees that grow Easter eggs!!!!

I have been thinking lately on having a decorating contest for Easter, just like we have for Halloween and Christmas, maybe this is a good start!

Its to late for this year, but watch for an announcement on this for next year.

Till then Easter eggs can be found at Allison park where even our trees grow eggs!!

Tulips coming up in Allison Park

I sure sign of spring and things to come, the tulips that where donated by Avon and Councelor Scott Duvall's wife last year and planted by our neighbourhood children are starting to peek through the woodchips!

These are pink tulips and where donated by Avon in their battle and awareness campaign in the fight against Breast Cancer.

Good Friday Clean Up in Allison Park

This friday at 12 Noon we will have our usual pre-easter egg hunt clean-up in the park.

Please come on out, bring the kids, you will need gloves, old pair of shoes/boots, garbage bag, small shovel, and warm clothes!

This needs to be done, so our little ones are not picking up any " doggy" surprises the following day.

What makes Allison Park the best neighbourhood in Hamilton you say?

Come visit our website at Allison Park cleans up after itself this Good Friday!

More eggs have arrived in Allison Park

Another 10,000 eggs have arrived this week!

The Easter Bunny just made a drop off of another shipment of yummy easter eggs:)

Easter this year in Allison park will be a very yummy affair!

Spread the word, bring out anyone you would like, call your friends, invite them out also!

Want to visit the most chocolaty neighbourhood in Hamilton?

Come visit us at Easter is best in Allison Park

Tulips are coming up in Allison Park

Thats right folks, the pink tulips that the neighbourhood kids planted last year are coming up!!

That is a sure sign of spring isn't it?

If you remember last year Councilor Duval and his wife came to our Halloween celebration, and Sherry Duval on behalf of Avon Canada donated 250 pink tulip bulbs on behalf of their breast cancer research fundraising and awareness campaign.

Pictures to follow once they are in bloom!!

The parks new sod has also took root very well, and all the squishy sections seem to be a lot better now.

Lets hope we do not get to much rain in the next week!

Tornado in Hamilton,Ontario over Allison Park

Did anyone else see the tornado trying to form tonight?

With the crazy swing in temperatures today I was waiting for this.

Environment Canada issued a warning a few hours beforehand, and sure enough there was one trying to form right near us!

It never amounted to anything luckily :)

Chocolate Eggs are arriving at Allison Park

The eggs they are a coming!

This year should be the biggest Easter Egg Hunt we have ever seen, therefore we will need more eggs than ever!

Where the heck do all the eggs come from you wonder?

Well the Easter Bunny of Course!

Actually we owe a great deal of thanks to a few ladies in the neighbourhood, my neighbour Lucy, and Dianne whom lives across from the park, and I believe its her Aunt Grace also. They work with 1 of our suppliers, that being Trebor Allen, which is now part of Cadbury.

For the last several years they have donated and have also sold me eggs at a GREATLY discounted price. To this we all thank them for their very generous corporate support.

Thankyou also to the 3 ladies mentioned above, I hope to get their full names and maybe a picture of them so we can post it on our website shortly.

Par-T-Perfect

Yesterday I had a long 2 hour lunch with Joanelle Murray the Owner of Par-t-perfect, if you came out to my Halloween or Christmas events you will know who I am talking about, they brought out the inflatible jumpers and ran all the games.

Joanelle and I talked over what we will be doing for Easter, and spent a lot of time talking about our upcoming " yard sale for the Cure" yard sale event for Breast Cancer Research.

Based on the feedback from all of you I take it that you liked what she and her employees did for our last 2 events, expensive you say? yes, but based on the smiles on the kids faces, I dont mind spending the money.

Easter will be a first time event for them, so come on out, Easter this year will be the best one yet!

Spring has Sprung in Allison Park

So I am outside today picking up the mail, and walking back to the house I hear a bird chirping away, a familiar sound yes, but this bird sounded different I was thinking.... could it be I thought...? That sures sounds like a ROBIN :)

So there He/She was, across the street on the highest peak of my neighbours house, loudly chirping away, announcing to everyone, ..." I am here and so is spring, so lets get rid of all that snow so I can munch away on worms and get nice and fat...!!!"

Ahhh such a sign is welcome after a cold winter, but how the heck did he know that it was the 1st day of spring?

Want to to visit the best community in Hamilton?

Come on over to Allison Parks Website at Robins Like Allison Park Neighbourhood the Best!

Festivals and Events Hamilton

About a month ago or so I became a member of Festivals and Events Hamilton, an organization known to most of you that helps groups like ours plan organize and generally help out to make their event better.

Now that we are getting our sun shelter we will be having a lot more planned and unplanned activities than ever before.

Currently we have 2 church groups using the park, along with our planned activities not to mention the daily goings-on by all the residents of the area.

With the sunshelter these activities will probably increase substantially.

When the guide is published you will get one in the mail.

I am very excited about joining this group :)

Since our park is used and visited more than probably most parks in the City and with the GREAT news about the sunshelter, we will be able to host more events than what we have before.

Can you say " SOUPIE"?

Yup, once the sunshelter is built we will qualify for a SOUPIE!!!!

Finally after all these years our kids will have some organized activities to do in the summer months!!!!

Easter Goodies

Just a short note to let you know that I have started to buy Easter Goodies for the kids, today I purchased 25 Easter Bunny Headbands.

I will contunue to amass more as time goes on :)

Yard Sale for the Cure

Today I was contacted by Mr. Kevin Foster President and owner of Snap Hamilton, you may remember Kevin coming out to our Halloween event, he is the owner of this new magazine, and one that I truly like to read.

Kevin and I had a long talk about " Yard Sale for the Cure" which was started by a friend of his in Toronto who is fighting Breast cancer and started a yard sale to raise money to beat the battle against Breast Cancer.

I did not need much time to decide if I wanted to support this idea or not, I made up my mind in about 5 seconds.

I will post the website below, but here is the concept.

I will host this event in our park on the national day for this event, that being May 26 2007.

In order to make it a BIG EVENT ( come on folks you should know by now I never do anything small) I am going to bring in Par-t-perfect and have games,
face painters ( for this event I was thinking that the face painters can paint small pink ribbons on the childrens cheeks) baloon twisters, and inflatible rides.

We will also have a bbq, I am going to meet with a National Restaurant next week to see if they are interested.

Spots will be rented for you to set up and sell your goods, in return for a donation that we can then donate. Kevin has indicated that the cancer clinic on concession will soon be named as the primary choice.

I will also rent a moving truck to assist anyone with large objects that they want moved to the park. ( ..any big strong guys with pickups or who want to help would also be appreciated)

We can easily get 100 vendors into our park and if we charge 25 bucks per spot, thats $ 2,500.00 right there. Throw in our usual bbq and draws and that should raise another $ 1,000.00.

With nearly 300 houses in the new area and more in the old, we should be able to easily sell out our spaces.

Advertising for this is already under way, K-Lite FM is already aboard with the founder of the event Mrs. Rachael Smith expected to be interviewed shortly on air.

To learn more about the event please visit their website at Yard Sale For The Cure

To visit the best little community in Hamilton visit us at Allison Park