Category: Community Events

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Community Events

Who’s afraid of a little cold weather?

Newmarket Winterfest 2011 photoNot us! On Saturday and Sunday, February 4 and 5, it’s Winterfest at the Ray Twinney Complex in Newmarket and on Saturday we’ll be there. We’ll be enjoying the beauty of winter and chatting with you about Davis Drive rapidways in Newmarket. It may be the coldest time of the year, but the Town of Newmarket is making the most of the weather by hosting a fun-filled event where everyone is welcome.

Stop by our booth to visit us as our costumed character bears the cold and helps kids play a fun game to win prizes! Other outdoor fun includes snow volleyball and mini putt, a chainsaw carving demonstration, archery, and dog sled and horse-drawn wagon rides. Indoors there’s a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m., followed by a variety of activities including face painting, an inflatable obstacle course, and a photography contest.

You may want to drop by the Ray Twinney Complex on Sunday too, because the Newmarket Winterfest continues, with a craft sale, a free skate and free swim.

Winterfest admission is free, but a donation of non-perishable food is appreciated. For more details, see the Town of Newmarket’s Winterfest Flyer, Winterfest Photography Contest Application, and the Winterfest Craft Sale Flyer.

See you soon in Newmarket!

Newmarket Winterfest 2011
Ray Twinney Complex
100 Eagle Street West, Newmarket

Saturday, February 5:

  • Pancake breakfast starts at 8 a.m.
  • Indoor activities: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Outdoor activities: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday, February 6:

  • Craft sale: 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Free skate: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Free swim: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Categories
Announcements Community Events

Stop by our open house in Newmarket!

Davis Drive will be widened to create two dedicated lanes for rapidways in the centre of the road between Yonge Street and Roxborough Road. In 2010, we began testing soil, relocating utilities and removing buildings (and recycling building materials) to prepare for road construction. We’ve scheduled road construction to begin in fall 2011, but before we start working on the road we have more utilities to relocate, retaining walls to build, and we need to widen the Keith Bridge.

So we have lots of work to do this year. With the project continuing to move forward, we’re inviting you to drop in to our open house next Thursday. If you missed all the previous meetings or didn’t catch us at various community events, this is your opportunity to come and look at maps and information boards, and talk to us. You’ll learn about how the rapidways will work and how they’ll benefit Newmarket, and also about what you can expect during construction and how you can stay informed throughout the project.

If you can’t come to the meeting be sure to sign up for project updates, and check out the Past Meetings page on our website, where we’ll also post all the materials from this open house.

Join Us
Date: Thursday, January 27, 2011
Time: Drop in between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Location: Bethel Christian Reform Church
333 Davis Drive, Newmarket

Categories
Community Events

And good will to all

Click here to see a video of vivaNext staff decorating gingerbread houses and delivering gifts to York Region's Children's Aid Society
Click here to see a video of vivaNext staff decorating gingerbread houses and delivering gifts to York Region's Children's Aid Society

Over the past few weeks, vivaNext staff has been adding to a box of gifts to donate to York Region’s Children’s Aid Society (CAS). Mostly gifts of toiletries and practical items for tweens and teens – things we sometimes take for granted but that can be luxuries to a youth on a tight budget. The CAS’ Holiday Heroes program welcomes all gifts, so staff also donated some items for kids of all ages. We then turned a staff meeting into a highly competitive gingerbread-house decorating contest so that we could donate them as well to unsuspecting families.

When we dropped off the donation to CAS last week, we had an opportunity to tour the warehouse where the gifts are sorted for distribution. We spoke to Dennis, who has a full-time job but volunteers his free time at the warehouse to ensure the gifts are ready to be delivered to children and families. We said hello to another Family Services Worker as she was picking up a carload of gifts Dennis had set aside for her to deliver to children and families she works with. The gifts in the warehouse are organized on tables by age group mostly, but there are some extra tables with gifts like our gingerbread houses that aren’t easily categorized.

At first glance it seemed like there were a lot of gifts, but the warehouse was far from full. As we left the warehouse, we were thinking how much our donation was needed and how relatively easy it was for our group to organize a contribution. Sometimes the good will of the holiday season brings about great things. So while this experience is still fresh in our thoughts, we’re thinking of other ways we at vivaNext can help people in our communities.

Click here to see a video of vivaNext decorating gingerbread houses and delivering donated gifts to the York Region Children’s Aid Society.

Categories
Community Events

Who has wheels and big blue antlers?

We do! Look for us this Sunday in the first two of five Santa Claus parades! We’re helping Santa say hello to the crowds along his route.

Happy Holidays enroute, from vivaNextWe’re saying happy holidays and also saying thank you to our residents as we begin rapidway construction along our Davis Drive and Highway 7 corridors.

We’ll be sending you our season’s greetings using modern transportation, and we’ll be suited appropriately for leading Santa’s sleigh – in vivaNext style of course!

Planning these parades has put us in a festive mood, and we hope you’ll give us a wave while you wait for Santa Claus to come to town.

Parade Schedule:
November 14 – Vaughan – starts at 2pm
click here for a parade route map
November 14 – Richmond Hill – starts at 1:30pm
click here for a parade route map
November 20 – Newmarket – starts at 11am
click here for a parade route map
November 27 – Markham – starts at 11am
click here for a parade route map
November 27 – Aurora – starts at 6pm
click here for a route map

Categories
Community Events

Join vivaNext at the Markham Fall Home Show and get the latest construction info

Markham Home Show
A pair of interested visitors stop by the vivaNext booth at the Markham Spring Home Show earlier this year.

The crisp weather and falling leaves may bring thoughts of cozy evenings and harvest bounty to your mind, but at vivaNext HQ, all we can think about is construction! While you’re at the Markham Fall Home Show looking at ways to make your home snug for the new season, drop by the vivaNext booth to hear about the construction we’re gearing up for. We especially want to tell you about the progress we’re making with the Markham rapidways at Enterprise Drive and along Highway 7. Our team is looking forward to answering your questions about this multi-year construction project, and they can also help you sign up to receive construction bulletins.

Over a hundred vendors will be at the show and you’ll be able to sample their new products and compare services. Gardening experts Mark Cullen and Frank Ferragine will also be there as celebrity speakers. This is Canada’s first zero-waste home show, and to pitch in with that theme we’ll be giving away recyclable tote bags to help you carry all your free samples.

We hope to see you there – don’t ‘leaf’ us hanging!

Markham Fall Homeshow 2010

When: October 15 – 17, 2010
Friday, October 15  (1pm to 9pm)
Saturday, October 16  (10am to 6pm)
Sunday, October 17  (11am  to 5pm)

Where: Markham Fairgrounds
10801 McCowan Road, Markham, ON

Categories
Community Events

The vivaNext Team welcomes the fall season!

Markham Fair

It’s that time of year again! The Markham Fair starts this Thursday and the vivaNext team will be there!

There has been a great deal of progress made on vivaNext projects since last year’s Fair – that’s why we encourage you to drop by our indoor booth for an update! We’re particularly excited about the progress of the Enterprise rapidway in Markham, which is due for completion by the end of this year. We’re also gearing up for more work on the Highway 7 rapidways. With plenty of information and great news to share, the vivaNext team is looking forward to answering your questions about rapid transit in Markham and York Region.

We hope that you enjoy the wide selection of food, live entertainment, activities and competitions the Markham Fair has to offer. This annual event is one of the oldest country fairs in Canada, and is a great way to spend time with family and friends, connect with the community, and welcome the fall season!

See you there!

For a coupon offering $2.00 off adult admission to the Markham Fair, please click here.

Markham Fair

When: September 29 – October 3, 2010
Thursday – Saturday: 9am – 10pm
Sunday: 9am – 6pm

Where: Markham Fairgrounds
10801 McCowan Road, Markham, ON

Categories
Community Events

Come out to the Woodbridge Italian Festival this weekend!

woodbridge_italian_festival_2010_07_26

The 22nd annual Woodbridge Italian Festival promises a weekend of fun for the entire family! It will feature live music, dancing, the Miss Woodbridge Italia pageant, a classic car show, sports demonstrations and much more. Be sure to catch local politicians battling it out on the soccer field against media personalities in the VIP Soccer Challenge. And if that’s not enough soccer for you, there are four other exciting soccer matches to watch!

The festival takes place at the Ontario Soccer Centre on Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1. Admission is free. There will be both indoor and outdoor vendors and exhibitors, with delicious food, refreshments, merchandise, and services. The vivaNext team will be outdoors, so be sure to look for our blue tent!  Stop by to get the latest information on vivaNext projects and to receive a great giveaway.

Hope to see you there!

Woodbridge Italian Festival 2010

Where: Ontario Soccer Centre
7601 Martin Grove Road (just south of Highway 7), Woodbridge
When: July 31 & August 1, 2:30 – 11pm

Categories
Community Events Fun & Games

Canada Day

This Thursday, July 1st, come out and celebrate Canada’s 143rd birthday with the York Region community and the vivaNext team. Canada Day provides an opportunity to get together with friends, family and neighbours, and celebrate the culture, achievements and communities of our great nation. That’s why we hope to see you at the Town of Richmond Hill Canada Day Home Show or at Newmarket’s Kanata Summer Festival.  York Region has a lot of be proud of, and a lot to look forward to in the future (including a rapid transit system that will help manage growth and improve transit travel times!).

Support local community groups and businesses at the Canada Day Home Show, and bring the entire family along for a pancake breakfast, live entertainment and a bike demonstration at the Kanata Summer Festival. Visit the vivaNext booths at both events to ask your questions, share your comments, and get up-to-date with the latest developments in the vivaNext plan.

Two great events and one special day – Happy Canada Day from the vivaNext team!

Canada Day Event Schedules:

Town of Richmond Hill Canada Day Home Show

Where: Sports Complex, Richmond Green Park
1300 Elgin Mills Road East, Richmond Hill
When: July 1, 10am – 5pm

Kanata Summer Festival

Where: Fairy Lake Park
Water Street, Newmarket
When: July 1, 11am – 4:30pm

Categories
Community Events

Are you ready for some summer fun?

The vivaNext team at last year's Aurora Street Festival
The vivaNext team at last year's Aurora Street Festival

The 15th Annual Aurora Chamber Street Festival is taking place this Sunday, June 6, from 11am to 5pm – and the vivaNext team will be there!

A great way to kick off the summer season, the festival features family-friendly fun and entertainment for kids of all ages – and admission is free! With unique street performances, including acrobatics, fire-eating, comedy, juggling and magic, as well as live music, a vintage car show, and delicious food, the Aurora Street Festival offers a great way to spend the day and enjoy the York Region community.

With over 500 vendors along Yonge Street, be sure to look out for the vivaNext booth. Better yet, stop by and grab a free bag of popcorn, ask your questions, and find out more about vivaNext projects.

We’ll be at the festival, rain or shine – so the only question is, are you ready for some summer fun?

15th Aurora Chamber Street Festival

Date & Time: June 6, 11am – 5pm

Location: Yonge Street, Aurora (between Wellington Street (North) and Murray Drive (South)

Admission: Free!

Categories
Announcements Community Events Rapidways

Exciting improvements en route for Richmond Hill and Vaughan!

collagepcc

As we said in the previous blog post – we’re on our way! Exciting improvements are en route for Richmond Hill and Vaughan, and we want you to get involved by coming out to our upcoming public meetings.

Over the next two weeks, four meetings will be taking place to discuss vivaNext rapidway projects, and you are invited! Two public meetings are being held for the Yonge Street rapidway, from Highway 7 to 19th Avenue, and two for the Highway 7 rapidway, from Yonge Street to Pine Valley Drive.

These rapidways – dedicated centre lanes in the road for Viva vehicles – will not only improve transit travel times, they are also a key part of Richmond Hill and Vaughan’s visions for the future, and York Region’s plans to manage future population growth.

If you’ve been to a vivaNext public meeting before, you know that our open houses provide a great opportunity to learn more about the vivaNext plan, ask questions, share your comments and meet the team that is making rapid transit a reality for York Region.

We are moving forward with our rapidway plans, in line with the recently revised funding schedule, and we look forward to speaking with you and answering any questions you may have!

Public Meeting for Yonge Street rapidway –
Highway 7 to 19th Avenue

Please note that the same material will be presented on June 2 and June 3.

Date: June 2
Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, Plaza Suite
10268 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill

Date: June 3
Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church, Wallace Hall
10066 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill

Public Meeting for Highway 7 rapidway –
Yonge Street to Pine Valley Drive

Please note that the same material will be presented on June 9 and June 10.

Date: June 9
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Location: Richmond Hill Country Club, Georgian Room
8905 Bathurst Street, Richmond Hill

Date: June 10
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Location: Hilton Garden Inn, Toscana Room
3201 Highway 7 West, Vaughan