Then comes Bike Month when Bonnie Doon competes with other community leagues to see who bikes further. We track how far you bicycle two ways:

• If you use the Strava app, join Bonnie Doon Bikes More and we'll get your distances from Strava.
• Otherwise, simply keep track of how many kilometers you bike during the week and email that number to Jan, [email protected] (email each Sunday to be included in the totals we announce for that week).

We know it's good for us. We know it's fun. Let's get biking!

But wait, there's more! Join EFCL’s Bike Month Scavenger Hunt. EFCL has picked 60 locations throughout Edmonton to where you can bike, take a selfie there and share it (via Instagram or emailing the photo). Enjoy our city and win prizes. More… (find Scavenger Hunt Spots on that page for the 60 locations)

With the arrival of sunshine and warm weather many of us are taking our bikes for a spin more often. So join us for fun at the Second Annual Bonnie Doon Bike Day!

• When: Saturday May 30th, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
• Where: Bonnie Doon Hall, 9240 92 Street
• Cost: Tune ups by donation

We will be doing basic bike tune ups by donation. All contributions will fund the purchase of an outdoor bike repair stand at our hall.

This year we’ve added to the activities by inviting a few of our friends!

• Pedalheads will teach the kids how to bike safely and confidently.
• Learn how you can join Bike Bus Edmonton to cycle our kids to school. 
• Advocate to make our streets safer to walk, roll, and cycle with Paths for the People.
• Ward Métis councilor Ashley Salvador will talk about how the city is making commuting by bike safer.

Pedalheads is a learn-to-ride and bike program for kids, helping riders of all levels build confidence and skills, including getting kids off training wheels. They offer a range of classes in Edmonton and the surrounding area, from beginner riding to road riding and trail riding. Their programs focus on developing safe, independent riders in a fun and supportive environment. At Bike Day they will have an interactive booth where attendees can learn about proper helmet fit for bike safety, ask questions, and pick up some fun giveaways.

Bike Bus Edmonton is a fun, safe way for kids and adults to ride to school together—like a school bus, but on bikes! They are a community-driven non-profit bringing this exciting idea to local schools, changing how we move around the city.

Paths for People is a volunteer-run nonprofit working to make Edmonton a friendlier place to walk, roll and cycle. Through advocacy and community building they strive to build a multi-modal city where people can use active transportation safely and conveniently year round. Stop by their table to say hi and learn how you can help create a more accessible and vibrant city!

Wendy Gronnestad-Damur at the Idylwylde/Bonnie Doon branch shared this with us…

Renovations: the children’s area and program room are now open again, but that means that it ‘s time for the adult/teen area renovations. We have all of our children’s materials back, but a very limited selection of adult materials and no teen materials for the next month or so. The fish won’t be back for at least another month or so as their new tank isn’t ready yet.

Some May program highlights –

• Together We Grow (intergenerational storytime): families with children aged 0-3 can register through the EPL website and have a place guaranteed, or can drop in if there is still room. It will be held at SEESA on Mondays and Fridays at 10. For the Friday series only, seniors can register through SEESA (free!). Together We Grow is also held at Saint Thomas Health Centre on Wednesdays at 10 until May 13.
• Crochet workshop on May 13 at 7 (ages 16+)
• Storytelling workshop on May 28 at 7: Timing for Full Impact
• Computer Skills classes starting on May 22. (registration required) This is a series of 6 modules that you can register for individually.
• Cricut 101: Certification on May 26 at 7 – learn to use Cricut to design  space so that you can use EPL’s Cricut machines for paper and vinyl cutting.
• Rowdy Robots  on May 29 at 11 (ages 9-12). Have fun during an EPSB PD day.
• The  Stanley A. Milner library downtown is hosting Helping Kids When Things Feel Hard: Community Information Fair & Symposium on May 9.

Prioritize Whyte Ave encourages City Council to invest in the public spaces along Whyte Avenue and to improve transit access along the corridor. They wrote to us recently…

Come join us for a Jane's Walk along Whyte Ave on Saturday May 2 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m., it will be our first event! 

Jane’s Walk is an annual festival of free citizen-led walking conversations inspired by Jane Jacobs. Prioritize Whyte Ave is hosting a walk focused on the future of Whyte Ave, where we will discuss the connection between businesses, transit, and public spaces. This walk involves a bus connection, so please bring transit fare. It will also be a one-way walk, so prepare to park your car or bike at the starting point at 106 St and Whyte Ave.

Register here - limited space on the tour - 🚍 🚶🧑‍🦽

Other reminders/ideas

• Can't make it to the Jane's Walk, but have an event you think we should attend? 🎉 Reach out to us at [email protected]!
• Complete budget engagement 💸  closes May 1 - tell the City to PRIORITIZE WHYTE AVE - https://engaged.edmonton.ca/budget
• Share our survey with friends 💃 close mid-May - we want to hear from more people about how they feel about Whyte Ave https://forms.gle/wnPZfrQicVwKcCu48

We have 85% of the volunteers we need to receive more than $70,000, needed to operate our league facilities and programs for the next 18 months.

Please be one of the six people we still need to work June 22 or 23 at the Starlight Casino, 8882 170 Street NW.

See the shifts:

Some things to know:

• You get a free meal from the casino restaurant
• We’ll pay your taxi or Uber expense.
• We’ll pay your babysitting expense
• Soft drinks and snacks are provided

The work is straight forward. Here’s a description of each job. Thank you for supporting the Bonnie Doon Community League! 😊

Through the end of 2025, BDCL has rejected requests to rent our rink. During that time, when skaters arrived at our rink they could expect to use it (with the usual exceptions involving snow storms and warm temperatures).

However, ever increasing operating costs have prompted us to rent out the rink. Tuesday evenings from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, starting January 6, 2026, an EFHL U11 female hockey team will have exclusive use of the BDCL rink.
​
Information about our rink is here.

Here is information The City of Edmonton shared with BDCL…

​Receive training and tips from an experienced community ice maker. Learn how to make great ice and do 
routine maintenance of outdoor rinks. 

When: Wednesday, October 29, 2025. From 6:00 - 8:30 pm
Where: Beverly Height Community Rink and Sport Building at 10906 40 Street

BDCL can send up to two people to the workshop. To register, email Mark at [email protected] before October 26. Dress for the weather, as part of the training will be outdoors. No food or beverages will be provided.

​The Mill Creek Healing Park (MCHP) is an initiative of the New Grocery Movement (NGM), a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to sustainable and local food. The MCHP Advisory Board aims to transform a public green space at 95a St and 82 Ave on the southwest side of the Whyte Avenue/Mill Creek Bridge (east of fire station 6) into a place where people can gather and grow food. 

NGM had a table at Bonnie Doon's Community League Day BBQ to share information about the project. NGM invited community members to complete a survey about the site. Survey responses will inform the business case put forward to the City. For more on NGM, visit their website where you can subscribe to their newsletter and follow their social media accounts.

Mill Creek Healing Park is not a BDCL initiative but we can put you in touch with Bonnie Dooners who support the park. Write to [email protected].

The City 's Front Yard in Bloom (FYiB) program is canceled, but Bonnie Doon gardeners carry on! We thought it would be nice to do our own BDiB this year. Dooners walked the hood and nominated their favourite front yards. Those properties received a sign as a token of our appreciation.

​Thank you to all who delight us with their lovely gardens!

​Get Ready to Ride! Neighbourhood Bike Tune-Up Day.

When: Saturday, May 24, 1:00 to 4:00pm
Where: Bonnie Doon Rink
Cost: by donation
Required: your current BDCL membership card

Spring is here, and it’s the perfect time to get your bike road-ready! Join us at the rink shack, rain or shine, May 24 for our Bike Tune-Up Day — a community-powered event to help you get rolling safely into the season and ready for Bike Month in June.

Our crew of four experienced volunteers will be on hand to provide basic bike maintenance and safety checks. From adjusting brakes to tuning gears and inflating tires, we’re here to help make sure your bike is in great shape. Work is done by donation, and all proceeds will go toward the installation of a public bike repair stand — a lasting resource for our whole community.

If your bike needs more in-depth attention, like a new chain, brake pads, tires, tubes, etc we encourage you to bring your own parts. While we’ll do our best to help with what you have, we won’t have extra parts on site, so a little preparation goes a long way.

A current BDCL membership card is required to participate, so don’t forget to bring yours along. If you’re not yet a member, memberships will be available for purchase ($10 individual or $20 family) at the event with proof of residence in Bonnie Doon.

This is a great opportunity to connect with neighbours, support a greener, more active lifestyle, and get your bike in top shape, just in time for many rides throughout the summer. Whether you’re a daily commuter, weekend trail rider, or just pulling your bike out for the first time this year, we’d love to see you there.

Let’s tune up, gear up, and ride into summer—together!

Write to Cameron, [email protected], if you have questions.