As publisher of the Valley East Today Community Web Site and Weekly News Magazine, I am often asked for information on things to do and see in Valley East. 

I always make it a point to make everyone aware of one of the most beautiful and inspirational spots in Valley East which can be found on the property of Paroisse Notre Dame du Rosaire in Blezard Valley. 

Here, one can actually 'walk' the rosary and reflect upon life in prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is indeed a place which is a 'must see' for all visitors and residents.

The life-size "Rosary Garden" has been created so that one can walk around the circle, stopping to pray at each of the 50 rose bushes. The bushes are situated as "decades" of the rosary with stations where you can reflect upon the "Mysteries" of the Rosary. One can walk along the path to say the Rosary, or you can sit under the gazebo and say the rosary while basking in the spiritual aura.

When seeking inspiration or solitude, this is the place to go to get your thoughts straight.

We thank the parishioners of Paroisse Notre Dame du Rosaire for the hard work of developing and keeping up this beautiful property. You have created a wonderful tribute to God and have provided everyone in Valley East with something of which we can all be proud.

From the left, Ashley Moore, Yvette Prevost, and Dave Moore were looking after the table on a weekend in August 2006. Yvette is on the Board of Directors of the group. Dave is a member, and his daughter, Ashley decided to help out while visiting from Ottawa.

The group would like to see more trails developed and maintained specifically for horse back riding, hiking, and bicycles. They find that there are enough trails for quads, dirt bikes and snow machines in the winter. Membership for a full year costs $20. The Board of Directors meets once a month while all of the members are invited to the Annual General Meeting in May. Right now, there are approximately 30 members, but the club is growing rapidly as more and more people are made aware of the organization. If you would like more information, contact Yvette at yvettep@personainternet.com  or call her at 969-1026.

Laurna-Lynn Mills, Manager of the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre location of Sole Mates Family Footwear, is especially proud of the selection of footwear that they have been able to arrange for children of all ages this summer.

"The Ripzone and Powderroom skateboard shoes will be a big hit with everyone," Laurna commented. "Both brands are excellent quality and both put arch supports in their footwear. In fact, the manufacturer of these brands is one of the only companies that puts in arch supports. In addition, they are very trendy for back-to-school fashion demands and the children will simply love the new colour combinations this year."

Parents will love the price of these shoes as much as their children will love wearing them. Adult size Ripzone and Powderroom shoes are now on sale for only $59.99 (Reg. $69.99) and children sizes are only $49.99 (Reg. $59.99).

You can also get an additional 10% off when you purchase two or more of any combination of athletic wear products. These can be of any combination. For example, if you purchase one adult pair and one children pair, you get 10% off of the already low sale price. You can't beat this for back-to-school savings.

Celine Henry, a Sales Associate at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre site, is shown in the photo to the left arranging the new fall line of shoes by L.A. Gear, Ryka, and Avia. Both Laurna and Celine invite everyone in the area to take time to look over these new shoes as well.

If you want to learn more about Sole Mates Family Footwear, check out their web site at:

www.solematesfamilyfootwear.ca 

When it comes to people who are new to the community, there are two business owners who tend to meet them all. Of course we are referring to Mike Lemieux, who along with his brother, Mag Lemieux, own Hanmer Home Hardware, and Ken Desjardins, owner of Desjardins' Food Basics.

"Everyone moving in to a new home or apartment has a need for cleaning and repair supplies as well as start-up groceries," explained Mike Lemieux. "So Ken and I decided that we would put together a basket of 'goodies' to give as a gift to all newcomers to Valley East as our way of saying 'Thank You for choosing our town' and to give them a hand with settling in."

Ken Desjardins owns and operates one of the busiest grocery stores in the entire City of Greater Sudbury, so he has definitely noticed the impact of new home owners in the community. "When it comes to stocking up the shelves after moving into a new home, we know it is expensive. We also know that those first few days are days when you are constantly discovering additional items for your shopping list. The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre is a great place to come to pick up just about everything you need to make your move complete, so we wanted to say thank you for your support."

Anyone who has moved into a new home; purchased an older home; or moved into an apartment in the Towns of Valley East or Capreol since July 1, 2006, is encouraged to drop in to see Mike Lemieux at Hanmer Home Hardware in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. He will answer any questions you may have about the community and make sure you receive your gift basket. Several other mall merchants will be adding to the gift basket with items of their own, including Dixie Lee Restaurant which will be providing you with a $25 gift certificate so that you can eat out after your move in.

For More Information on the Welcome Home Gift Basket
Call Mike Lemieux at (705) 969-7000
or email Robert Kirwan at robert@kirwan.ca 

   The "Keep The Spirit Alive Contest" was only introduced to the community during the month of June, and already it is picking up momentum as residents not only like the idea of winning valuable prizes, but they also are thrilled about the fact that they can do their small part to help improve the overall community spirit in Valley East and Capreol.

   Three community-minded local businessmen have teamed up to begin a “Keep The Spirit Alive Campaign” and they are inviting all residents to help them spread the message that Valley East is a great place in which to live!

   From left to right in the photo: Mike Lemieux, owner of Hanmer Home Hardware, Robert Kirwan, Publisher of the Valley East Today Community Web Site, and Ken Desjardins of Desjardins’ Food Basics announced the launch of the campaign during a press conference which was held at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.

   In explaining the purpose of the initiative, Kirwan explained, “We want to let everyone know that Valley East is a town where you can still find that “old style community spirit” mixed with a modern lifestyle that fits right in with the 21^st Century. There are a lot of good things happening in Valley East and it is about time that the rest of the people in the City of Greater Sudbury knew about it. Furthermore, it is also time to let the rest of the province know that if anyone is looking for a place to live and raise a family, or a place to retire within the City of Greater Sudbury , they need look no further than Valley East .”
  
   In order to help get this message out to the rest of the “world” the people of Valley East are being asked to take part in a massive communication strategy using the power of the internet. 

   Everyone participating in this campaign will have a chance to win a “Grand Prize” consisting of 100 Lotto 649 tickets for the New Year’s Eve Draw on December 31, 2006 . What a way to celebrate the New Year by winning the big prize with one of those tickets!

   Runners up will receive other valuable prizes, including “two” mountain bikes donated by Hanmer Home Hardware, $300 in groceries from Desjardins’ Food Basics, More prizes from other local merchants may be announced in the coming weeks before the contest ends. 

   In order to qualify for these prizes, all you have to do is register to receive the Valley East Today Weekly Online News Magazine. Every month from July until the end of December, ten names will be drawn at random from all of the people registered to receive the publication. Those ten people will qualify for our final draw which will be held on Christmas Eve. The winners will be announced in the December 26 issue of Valley East Today!

   Once you register, the Valley East Today Online Weekly News Magazine, which is currently being received by over 2000 people, will be sent directly to your email address every Tuesday.  Not only will you qualify to win the 100 Lotto 649 tickets or other runner up prizes, but more importantly, you can help us  “Keep the Spirit Alive” by forwarding Valley East Today to everyone on your own personal mailing list. By using the power of the internet, we can let tens of thousands of people know about Valley East every week.

We want to thank all of the people who take the time to send in comments. In order to protect the privacy of our readers, it is our policy to omit the names of our readers, unless you give us specific permission to print your name. We hope you enjoy some of the comments sent in this week.