Family Day Events in Mississauga

There is plenty to do in Mississauga if you are staying in the city for Family Day, Monday, February 20, 2017. 
Of course, there are movies and other indoor activities to experience; however, if you are interested in being outdoors -- in the City -- here are a couple of activities that are sure to please both adults and children, as well as visitors.


Family Day at City Hall and Celebration Square
12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Lace up your skates, get the family together, and head to Celebration Square this Family Day for an afternoon full of winter fun! Explore the Canadian wilderness with Birds of Prey. Demos, nature-themed story-telling, face painting in the Great Hall, roaming "wild" animals and ice carving demonstrations outdoors. Don't forget to bring your skates and hit the ice at Mississauga's largest outdoor skating rink, and warm up with a tasty Canadian treat -- Beavertails!

Grab your touques and mitts, and get ready for a full day of fun for everyone. Presented by RBC. For other RBC Family Day recreational activities at City facilities across the city, please visit mississauga.ca/familyday.

Family Day in Clarkson

February 20, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

If you want to stay closer to home, drop by Bradley Museum and Benares Historic House for family tours, crafts and activities.

Offered at both Bradley Museum, 1620 Orr Road and Benares Historic House, 1507 Clarkson Road North. 
Family admission is $15.

For more information and for more events, visit mississaugaculture.ca/museums or call 905-615-4860 extension 2110

Ducks in the creek!

With all of the construction going on in Birch Glen Park and the creek area, it is heartening to see a pair of ducks swimming in the creek.

Update on Kos Blvd Culvert

Work is continuing on the reconstruction of the culvert on the western arm of Kos Blvd., as shown in the accompanying photos. It is messy, and part of the road is still closed. However, we are hopeful this will  improve the stability of the culvert as well as the flow of the creek.

They appear to be dredging the floor of the culvert at the moment, judging by the amount of mud there is piled on the sidewalk. As well, the ground on top of the culvert has been cleared of bush and scrub and some trees.

No word yet on the completion date, but winter is fast approaching.

Birch Glen Playground

Work has begun on the playground! The old equipment and surface have been removed. An additional play area has been created on the west side of the Pathway, and some super-looking monkey bars have been installed. At least one adult exercise station has been started. It is happening!

At the moment, the complete area has been fenced off while construction is underway. The photos show the progress. Please add your comments and any photos you may have taken as well.

Open House Information Centre a Great Success!

Wow! Residents came out in relatively large numbers to view the information boards set up by Councillor Karen Ras and City of Mississauga staff last night in Birch Glen Park. They were able to ask questions, make comments and suggestions. And moreso, they saw the vision that the City has for multiple improvements to the park area -- its pathways, retaining walls, the children's playground and lighting.

A really big thank you to Councillor Ras for bringing this Information Open House to us, and for holding it in our neighbourhood -- in the place where the project will actually happen. Thankfully, the weather cooperated (we just wish the mosquitoes had stayed away!). 

This is a major improvement project that has been on the books for about 7 years, but was recently fast-tracked due to an infusion of Federal Infrastructure money that will see improvements for our playground and pathways, as well as the children's playground in Birchwood Paark (near the baseball diamonds and soccer pitches) and along Sheridan Creek Trail. We feel extremely fortunate that our own Birch Glen Park has been selected to receive this much needed upgrade.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures last night. However, I can tell you that the pavilion set up in the park was filled with residents who were interested in knowing what was in store for the park and creek area. The last stragglers left just after 7:00 p.m., as the sun was going down. A great evenihng!

We cannot publish all of the details at this time, but will update you as information comes in. What we do know is that both the east/west and north/south pathways will be repaved, that new retaining walls will be installed along the north/south pathway from Kos Blvd. to Ithaca/Lefkas. The planter boxes in this area will be removed and replaced. And the children's playground will be replaced with modern equipment. Again, we do not have the final details. Last night's open house provided the City with a great deal of feedback.

Meanwhile, the rehabilitation of the culvert under Kos Blvd. is still happening. 

We will keep you informed as to when the work will be underway for both of these projects. And we will provide links to the project when they become available.

We would be interested in your comments on the evening and the presentation. 

REMEMBER! Open House Information Centre in Birch Glen Park TONIGHT!

just a reminder that the Information Centre open house on improvements to the playground and pathways of our very own Birch Glen park is happening tonight -- Tuesday, September 27, 6:00-7:00 p.m.  Please remember to show up and have your say.

In talking with residents about this, there seemed to be some confusion as to which of our parks is meant. We have two parks in the neighbourhood; the big one to the west that has the basketball pad is Birchwood Park and the smaller one in the middle of the neighbourhood (with the pathways, children's playground and bridge) is Birch Glen Park. We have attached a drawing of the location below.

So -- make your way to the centre of this map. It is easy to get to from anywhere in the neighbourhood. Or just follow the crowd!

We hope this clarifies the confusion. See you there tonight between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. Drop by to view the panel boards and to speak with Councillor Karen Ras and City staff.

Information Open House for Birch Glen Park Improvements

We are asking you to mark your calendars for this event:
Date:   Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Time:   6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Place:   Birch Glen Park, by the Children's Playground and Bridge

By now, you will have received a notification from the City of Mississauga Parks Department with the above date, time and place. An open house is being held here in the neighbourhood to provide information to the residents regarding upcoming improvements to our Birch Glen Park. The City has received some infrastructure funding to make improvements to our playground, pathways, bridge, retaining walls and lighting within the park.

We are not privy to all of the details, which is why we are going to attend the Open House in the park on Tuesday, September 27. We hope that everyone will make the effort to come out to see the plans and to have discussions with City staff about these improvements.  This is your opportunity to have your say about what you think is appropriate for our neighbourhood!

We are extremely fortunate in this circumstance:  within Ward 2, there were two playgrounds and two "trails" that were chosen to receive the infrastructure funding and our neighbourhood playground and pathways make up two of the four projects. (The other playground is in Birchwood Park by the baseball diamonds; the other trail is the Sheridan Creek Trail).

This will be a substantial improvement to the park/pathway gem we have in the centre of our neighbourhood. The current playground is nearly 20 years old; the pathways were revamped around 15 years ago; and the retaining walls are the originals built in 1978.

So, show your pride in Birch Glen and indicate your interest by coming out on September 27. You don 't have to travel far to attend -- just make your way to the children's playground by the bridge over the creek.

Road Closures due to Ontario Summer Games in August

We have just received information indicating that the Ontario Summer Games are coming to Mississauga for four days in August, from Thursday, August 11 to Sunday, August 14, 2016. You can get more information about the events, schedule, opening ceremonies, etc. at www.osgmississauga.ca  

The part of the Games that will have an impact on residents of Clarkson involves the Road Cycling and Triathlon events, which will take place on the Friday and Saturday of that weekend, and will involve some closure along Lakeshore Rd.W., as noted below. The triathlon events will use Jack Darling Park and Rhododendron Gardens and the east bound lanes of Lakeshore Rd.W. between those two locations.  The road cycling will use Lakeside Park, Winston Churchill Blvd., Royal Windsor Drive and Avonhead Road on both Friday and Saturday.

Road Closure Information 

Friday, August 12 - Triathlon

Race begins at 10:00 am
Expect delays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm

Saturday, August 13 - Triathlon

Race begins at 8:00 am
Expect delays from 7:30 am to 10:30 am

• No entry/exit into Jack Darling Park before race
• Lakeshore Rd W – east bound lanes (south half of street) closed from entrance of Jack Darling Park to Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens (Shawnmarr Rd.). Two way traffic on west bound lanes (north side)

Saturday, August 13 - Road Cycling

Race begins at 8:00 am
Expect delays from 9:00 am to 10:30 am

• Full closure on Lakeshore Rd W from small west Parking Lot at Lakeside Park to Winston Churchill
• Closure of north traffic on Winston Churchill from Lakeshore Rd W to Royal Windsor. Southbound traffic local only.
• Royal Windsor – south half of street closed. Two way traffic on north side. From Winston Churchill to Avonhead Rd
• Full closure on Avonhead Rd from Royal Windsor to Lakeshore Rd W

Rehabilitation of Kos Blvd. Culvert over Birchwood Creek

To residents of Kos Blvd. in particular: --

You will have received a Construction Notice this week from the City of Mississauga regarding some construction work that will be undertaken starting this month and possibly lasting through the Fall and early Winter months.

The City will be rehabilitating the culvert through which the creek runs under the western section of Kos Blvd. -- by the entrance to Birchwood Park. The description of the construction work is projected to include:

• removal and replacement of the damaged corrugated steel panels
• reconstruction of the retaining wall
• asphalt replacement
• improvements to the surrounding area

The City has indicated that the project will have an impact on traffic along the west arm of Kos Blvd. Although the road will remain open to traffic at all time during the construction, residents may experience some delays.

Residents who live north of the creek on Kos Blvd. will be affected most by this construction and may want to travel east along Kos to exit.

A special note to all residents of Birch Glen from the Residents' Association:

• parking along the west section of Kos Blvd. will certainly be affected during the construction period
• we ask that you do not park along this stretch of the road once construction begins.  

Your cooperation in this matter will be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or need more information,  please contact Mr. Zeljko Subic, P.Eng. at 905-615-3200 ext. 5830.

We will be keeping an eye on the project once it begins and will update you here as needs arise.

Steampunk Invasion: Through the Looking Glass -- July 24

Are you a fan of Alice in Wonderland or Alice Through the Looking Glass? Would you like to experience a trip through the looking glass into the Victorian Era -- along with two sisters who actually lived at Benares Historic House?

Well, here's your chance! Come out to Benares at 1507 Clarkson Rd. N., Mississauga on Sunday, July 24 at noon for a fun afternoon of games, crafts, vendors, performances and live music. 

Don't be afraid of the term "steampunk".  Steampunk can be considered an inspired movement of creativity and imagination. With a backdrop of either Victorian England or America’s Wild West at hand, modern technologies are re-imagined and realized as elaborate works of art, fashion, and mechanics. If Jules Verne or H.G. Wells were writing their science fiction today, it would be considered “steampunk.”

So, with that in mind, pack up the kids and head to Benares for an interesting experience. See you there!

1. /CULTURE
 
2. STEAMPUNK INVASION

Steampunk Invasion

Through the Looking Glass

Sunday, July 24, 2016 -

12:00pm to 4:00pm

It’s 1892 and Annie and Naomi Harris have stepped through the looking glass and emerged in a new steampunk reality. Join them for an afternoon of games, crafts, vendors, peculiar performances and live music.