The Our Town - Clarenville Blog by Paul Tilley

I firmly believe more people should go for a walk in Clarenville.   Walking gives you a much better perspective on our surroundings and it gives you time to think about – on one hand - just how lucky we are to live here – and on the other hand – some of the challenges we face. Take, for example the Harbour walk around the inner Shoal Harbour.  Each evening, this trail is full of walkers enjoying the views – the ocean, the occasional eagle, ducks etc.  This trail was not an accident.   Some visionary people saw the potential for this trail walk and about 10 years ago through a well-organized effort, they turned their vision into the reality that we enjoy today.  Those are the things and the people that make our town a very livable community – and we are lucky for that. But as you walk, you will also notice a very worrisome trend that is not being addressed.   Traffic volumes have jumped exponentially in the past decade and most worr...

It was a beautiful pre-winter morning, perfect for the 48th running of the Lion's Clarenville Santa Claus Parade. This parade has grown with the town, this year's featuring almost 50 floats/vehicles.  The work and dedication that goes into the Parade each year is clearly demonstrated as the parade rolls by.   Most importantly, I am always impressed with the number of people who are actually in the parade!  The Clarenville Volunteer Fire Department,  Nancy Stanford's Dance Studio, Newfoundland Power, the Salvation Army are just a few examples.  They seem to have every member of thier respective organization's there - that is fantastic to see and it speaks so highly of their dedication to the event. The members that make up the Clarenville Lion's Club, have done an outstanding job at growing the quality of the annual event.  For almost 50 years they have been the ones who have organized i...

It's often a challenge to show people the potential impact of mixing booze and driving.   Over the past few years, some innovative approaches have been taken in the form of mock disasters.   Such a disaster took place in Clarenville today.     First Responders from Clarenville held such a Mock Disaster Drill Thursday, November 29, 2012 in front of the Clarenville Middle and High school complex.   Members of Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD), the RCMP, the Clarenville Volunteer Fire Departments, & Fewers Ambulance Service extricated volunteer “victims” out of two smashed cars.    About 600 students, teachers and parents looked on as a very real rescue and recovery played out.