Since 1999, the CP Rail Holiday Train has been making the trip across the country to raise money, food, and awareness for food banks in communities across Canada.  A U.S. trip was added to the lineup in 2001.
The Holiday Train will be stopping in Maple Ridge again this year, at its usual stopping point, across from the Billy Miner Pub, on Friday, December 18th from 7:45 to 8:15pm.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to get out and see the train as it rolls through your community, you really should.  …

The annual Maple Ridge Santa Claus Parade is a tradition that’s not to be missed, and this year’s Christmas in the Park and Santa Claus Parade takes place this Saturday, December 5th from 4-8pm at Memorial Peace Park.
It’s supposed to be cool on Saturday, so make sure that you bring your mug and have some free hot chocolate.  A lawn chair might also not be a bad idea, as sitting on the cold ground isn’t really a fun way to spend an evening, particularly when you bring the kids along.  …

Every year either the Vancouver Sun or The Province runs a list of the best Christmas light displays around the Lower Mainland.  Unfortunately, very few of them are out here the Ridge-Meadows area.
So we want to hear from our readers.  Where are the best lights displays that you’ve seen lately, in either Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows? Do displays get bigger each year, or smaller?  Do they change each Christmas, or do people have a tendency to put up the same display year after year?
I’m the first to admit that …

And here you thought that the Haney Farmer’s Market was shut down for the year.  Hardly.
The Farmer’s Market will be holding their annual winter market on Saturday, December 5th, from 10am to 3pm at St. Andrew’s Haney United Church (222nd St and Dewdney Trunk Road).
Stop by and get some gift ideas, or consider some of the baking, meat, or seafood that will be available for sale.
The students of Odyssey Community School have come up with a Silly Santa concept.  Make sure you get your photo taken with the Silly Santa.
There …

It seems that the first flood watches have now ended, at least for the Ridge Meadows area, but we’re not quite out of the woods yet, as the storms continue to roll across the southern half of the province.  Environment Canada issued another wind warning at 4am this morning, warning that winds ranging from 70-90 km/h are expected to hit the Fraser Valley, including Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows tonight.
I don’t know what it is, but I happen to have a thing for wind storms.  Not for the damage …

Did you ever play ‘hunt-the-flag’ when you were younger?  Interested in both the outdoors and technology?  Have you ever thought about giving geocaching a try?
What the heck is ‘geocaching’?  Essentially, it’s a game of hide and seek with worldwide participants.  Using a handheld GPS receiver, participants try to locate a ‘cache’ which at the minimum usually contains a logbook that those who find the cache are able to sign, although it may contain a few small trinkets that can be traded for something that the person finding the cache …

The annual Return of the Salmon event will be hosted by the Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society (KEEPS) and Metro Vancouver Parks this Sunday, October 18th at the Kanaka Creek Fish Fence (Kanaka Creek Road and 240th Avenue).  The event runs from 11:00am – 3:00pm, rain or shine.
If you’ve never seen the salmon returning, it’s something that you’ve got to experience.  The first time I saw one was around 1981 on the Adams River outside of Kamloops, and when you consider what these fish go through to survive …

While this is the weekend for being with family, there’s absolutely no reason to spend it sitting at home, particularly with the weather being as good as it’s supposed to be.  So here’s a few things that you might consider doing this Saturday:
The Ridge Meadows Rustlers will be hosting their annual Fall Icebreaker Bantam AAA Tournament.  Games will be held at both Planet Ice and the Pitt Meadows Arena.  For more information, contact Levan at 604.467.1304
And it’s Cranberry Day at Meadows Maze (13672 Reichenbach Road, Pitt Meadows).  This is their …

This is the next installment in our series of weekly posts that will spotlight local websites pertaining to the Ridge-Meadows area.  Some will be photo sites, some will be the sites of local businesses, and some will be blogs.  If you’d like your site to be showcased, please send an email to the address at the bottom of this post.
What else would you expect for a web spotlight in October, but a look at Maple Ridge’s Laity Pumpkin Patch?  The pumpkin patch is now open for visitors as well as …

With all of the available hiking trails and parks available in the Ridge Meadows area, today we decided to take a walk through one of our favourite areas, Allco Park, at 248th Street and Alouette Road.
Although the skies off to the east were looking pretty menacing, we managed to avoid any rainfall the whole time.  One thing that we really enjoy about Allco Park is that even though the parking lot is rarely empty, it’s actually pretty uncommon to meet anyone out on the trails.  So if you’re looking …