Stand-up Paddle Boarding

Saturday, July 22nd

Registration deadline: June 24th

Do you want try stand-up paddle boarding?

Join us for our Stand-up Paddle Board (SUP) Event on Saturday, July 22nd from 10 am until noon. We'll start and end at 20 Fire Route 85, home of John & Elaine Hensen. They have a beach which will make it easier for us to get on our boards.

Deadline for registration and payment is Saturday, June 24th.

Cost
• $25 each for BBLCA members & their families/guests
• $40 each for non-members

What we'll be doing
• SUP Safety and Intro to SUP on land
• basics in the water
• small tour
• tricks, races and fun games

SUPnorth is providing
• paddle boards
• paddles
• life jackets
• instructors

This is an adults only event. Our regatta on August 6th is our water sport family event.

Please wait for confirmation from us before you pay.

Payment is non-refundable if you cancel after the June 24th deadline. Re-payment is by cheque.

Need help with the form or payment options? Indicate you need help on the sign-up form or

June 23\17

Are you New?

If you're a new lake resident, please let us know if we can publish your name and local address here. February 3/17

We have welcome packages for our new residents. Let us know if there's someone new on your road. December 13/16

Contests

2017 Photo Contest

Enter now!



Submission Deadline is August 10th 2017

On-line Facebook Voting Deadline is September 10th 2017

Voting on Top 5 in each category at the AGM

One entry per person per category. Photos must be of the Big Bald Lake area. Contest open to Big Bald Lake residents and their families.

Click on the photos below to access the BBLCA Facebook photo albums

Fall Photo Ideas

Winter Photo Ideas

Spring Photo Ideas

Summer Photo Ideas

October 8\16

Arr'some Pirate Regatta

Sunday, August 6th

T-shirt Order Deadline: July 4th

Join us for our 3rd annual regatta. We're having a pirate theme again this year, because it was so much fun last year. It will be held on the Civic Holiday weekend.

Sunday, August 6th
Starting location: 37 Fire Route 85 (Walsh Rd)
9:30 am - check-in
10:00 am - games begin
11:45 am - cookie medal awards, raising of the winning team flag
noon - hot dog lunch and ice cream bars

You'll paddle your way or walk to different locations (map to be posted later) and compete in individual and team challenges.

BBLCA membership not required. All ages are welcome. We like to encourage older kids to help the younger ones.

There must be at least one adult with each group. Life jackets are mandatory for each person while they're in a boat. Life jackets are recommended for children at all times as you will be on or near water.

We recommend you wear hats, sunglasses, water shoes and sunscreen.

Please ensure your boat has proper safety equipment, i.e., bailer, etc.

T-shirt order deadline for participants and volunteers is July 4th.

Register and order t-shirts below.

If you'd like to sponsor us,


See our Regatta Sponsors.
June 13\17

Cedar Strip Canoe Auction

Bid Deadline: June 30th at noon

Bob and Laura Saunders left Big Bald Lake on May 19th. They have always been big supporters of the association and have donated a cedar strip canoe made by their daughter. It is a beautiful canoe and it is their wish that the canoe remain on the lake and that we use it to raise money for the association.

Thank you, Bob & Laura. We wish you all the best!

We're holding an on-line auction for the canoe. Use the button below to access the bid form. Once you submit the form, refresh your screen and the bid will show on the spreadsheet below. Please be patient as the updated spreadsheet may not show immediately and you may need to close and re-open your browser.

Bidding is now open. Anyone who is a resident of Big Bald Lake is eligible to bid. Bidding closes at noon on June 30th. The winner will be announced on Canada Day.

NEW: when you place a bid, you can request notification when a new bid comes in.

June 8\17

BBLCA Sponsors a Stone

Our cottage association will be sponsoring a red granite stone on Memory Lane for the new Cenotaph at the Buckhorn Community Centre. June 18\17

Heroes of Yesterday Military Monument

A Heroes of Yesterday military monument is being installed at the Buckhorn Community Centre. You can support this project by purchasing a granite stone on Memory Lane with your family name on behalf of a loved one or a relative who served in the Military. Stones may also be purchased in your name or by a business or association.

Read more about this project on the BCC website.

Click on the image below to read the sponsor poster.


Click here to access the Sponsor Stone Pledge Sheet.
June 22\17

Watch your wake!

Missing or Found Docks or Dock Pieces

Many people put their docks in before the flood and have had sections that floated away. If you have lost or found a dock or any pieces, then please:


Two pieces are missing from Saunders Bay still (between Saunders Road and FR85).


May 21\17

Past 2017 Events

Philrick Drive Road Clean-up

Thank you to Sue and Paul Flanagan, for helping with the road clean-up and hosting the gathering afterwards, and to John Boyce for gathering the garbage and recycling in his truck and taking it to the transfer station. Also thank you to our other helpers, Gary Graham, Lyn Corbin, Janie Zaitz and Bill Fowler.

As you can see from the photo, we got less garbage this time. We may be keeping on top of it better or we're discouraging littering by setting a good example.

If you'd like to organize a road clean-up in your area, please contact us at info@bblca.ca. May 2\17

Congratulations to Don Cuttell

The Beaver is down!

The Big Bald Lake Beaver is officially down.

Don Cuttell chose today, Friday April 7, 2017, as the day the beaver would go through the ice. Don made his guess while attending our Winter Carnival in February.

Don & Doreen will receive a $50 gift certificate for Buckhorn Home Hardware and a $30 gift certificate for Pizza Alloro, courtesy of the BBLCA.

Both Buckhorn Home Hardware and Pizza Alloro are big supporters of our association. They are advertisers in our directory and have sponsored us many times.

We'd like to thank Glenn Joray for putting the Big Bald Lake Beaver out and for retrieving him each spring. Also thank you to Bob Saunders, our contest officiator.

April 7\17

Congratulations to Diane Gardner

Congratulations, Diane, you're the winner of the Find the Beaver Contest.

Enjoy your $50 gift certificate donated by Marley's Bar and Grill.

Diane found the Big Bald Lake Beaver on our Documents page. January 6/17

Winter Carnival and Chili Cookoff

Chili Cookoff Winner

Congratulations to our new reigning Chili Champion, Bruce Wells of Philrick Drive. Bruce's secret is out. He used bacon!

Paul Flanagan, winner of the contest for the past two years, came in 2nd and passed the award to Bruce, but it looks like he tried to take it back! We have to warn you, Bruce, there's a lot of pressure at the top!



Thank you to everyone who brought chili (6 entries!), salad and desserts. February 20\17

Winter Carnival

Thank you to Kim Letto and Glenn Joray for hosting again! Also, a special thank you to Glenn for clearing the ice and for putting out the BBL Beaver.



A lot of organization went into this event and we really appreciate it. The sunny weather may have made the ice rather mushy, but it brought out people in droves. It was nice to see so much of our community on a beautiful day. February 20\17

Pot Luck Lunch and Canada's 150th Birthday Celebration

Saturday, June 24th

Join us for a casual lunch and social on Saturday, June 24th at 11 am at the home of Nancy & John Boyce, 37 FR85.

Bring a dish or just bring yourself.

We'll have door prizes with the Canada 150 logo and Canadian flags.
June 23\17

Season End Bash &
Outdoor Movie Night

Saturday, September 2nd

Join us for our Season End Bash and our 3rd annual Outdoor Movie Night on Saturday, September 2nd.

New location! More activities!

• Bouncy Castle in the afternoon
• Face Painting
• Fun Games for the whole family
• Hot Dog Dinner
• Movie at dusk: The Great Outdoors
• Popcorn and Ice Cream bars

43 Saunders Road, home of Kim Letto & Glenn Joray

Stay tuned for more details!
June 19\17

Annual General Meeting and Spaghetti Lunch Social

Join us on Saturday, September 23rd for our AGM and spaghetti lunch social.

We're changing the AGM format this year. We'll have displays instead of a presentation and the meeting will cover the basic necessities such as approving minutes and financials and election of board members. There will be time to socialize before and after the meeting. A spaghetti lunch will follow the meeting.

Sue & Paul Flanagan will be hosting the event. If you've ever tried Paul's chili, you'll want to try his spaghetti! May 29\17

Santa Claus Parade

Join us for our 4th annual Santa Clause Parade on New Year's Eve Day, Sunday, December 31st.


June 2\17

Past 2017 Events

Demonstration Site Planting

Thank you to Leora Berman, The Land Between, for designing the demonstration site, ordering the plants and coordinating the planting today. Also, a big thank you to our volunteers who came out to help with the planting, to John Boyce for picking up and delivering the plants and to Sue & Paul Flanagan for providing lunch for everyone. It was a beautiful day for planting.

This project was funded by the RBC Blue Water Project.

Here's a before photo.



Most of the plants still have some growing to do. Here's some after photos.




June 3\17

Native Plant Starter Kit Distribution

Native Plant Starter Kits were distributed on May 27th to our workshop participants. Thank you to John Boyce for driving north of Minden to pick up the plants and for organizing them for distribution. John will be back on the road again this Friday to pick up the plants for our demonstration site. Stay tuned for photos of the planting this Saturday.

May 29\17

Shoreline Gardens Workshop

What a great way to celebrate Earth Day!

We had a large turnout (52 people/40 households) at the Shoreline Gardens Workshop on Saturday morning at the Buckhorn Community Centre. Leora Berman, The Land Between, gave a passionate presentation and lots of great advice.

Congratulations to Sue Flanagan who won our draw for the demonstration site. Leora will work with Sue to design her shoreline makeover. The RBC Blue Water Project is funding the design and plants for the demonstration site and we've lined up volunteers to do the planting on June 3rd at 9 am. until noon at 7 FR87. Sue and Paul are providing lunch.



Congratulations to the Crawford family who won a rain barrel courtesy of Kawartha Conservation.

We had such positive feedback and some people commented on how glad they were to attend the workshop before they start any work on their shoreline.

Everyone left with a workshop toolkit and informative brochures from The Land Between, FOCA and Kawartha Conservation.

We are getting native plants starter kits for Big Bald Lake participants. Distribution is Saturday, May 27th from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. We received a grant for $480 from the Biodiversity Education and Awareness Network (BEAN) to fund 12 of our starter kits. The BBLCA is contributing $1,000 for 25 kits. See the plants here.


Thank you to Leora for all her time developing and presenting this workshop and to the RBC Blue Water Project for funding workshop development.



We would also like to thank the Buckhorn Community Centre for donating space for the workshop and to everyone who brought goodies. With the help of our sponsors and volunteers, we were able to offer this great program at no cost to our participants. May 12\17

Biodiversity and Water Quality

The goal for our shoreline project is to increase biodiversity and improve water quality.

• Our native plant starter kits contain a variety of plants. By increasing the diversity of the plants along our shorelines, we increase food sources and provide a buffer against species loss.
• By planting native species, we will attract pollinating birds and insects and will help the declining bee population.
• Natural shorelines provide filters that reduce the amount of nitrogen and toxins entering into the lake.
• Planting a variety of plants reduces pest issues, thereby reducing the need for pesticides.
• Planting a variety of plants prevents nutrient depletion and eliminates the need for fertilizers.

See our Environment page for more information on biodiversity. April 7\17