After one of the harshest winters Montreal has seen in years, the Westmount Conservatory was the place to be over the Easter weekend. Pictured here is Bob Skinner, a staff photographer with La Presse. Like many other media people who descended on the Conservatory, he was there to capture images of the City's annual Spring Flower Show, which continues until April 13.
Photo: Martin C. Barry
Conservatory provides winter refuge
Around Westmount
If this year's long winter is getting you down, the Westmount Conservatory at 4626 Sherbrooke St. West is offering a little taste of spring. The annual spring flowers display is back, and features narcissus, tulips, lilies and many other blossoms to brighten up a cold day. There is even a miniature house and a family of rabbits at the south end of the Conservatory.
And if you've wanted to fly away all winter, but never had the chance, there are also plenty of tropical plants, like palm trees, banana trees, and birds of paradise on display to get visitors thinking about warmer days.
The floral display, which was arranged by Mélanie Bänninger and Hélène Bazinet of the Greenhouse with help from horticulturalist Claudette Savaria and other Public Works personnel, is expected to last until April 13. Conservatory hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. For more information, call the Public Works Department at 514 989-5213.
Westmount in the dark
Remember Westmount: things are going to get dark this Saturday evening. The city will shut its non-essential lighting off between 8 and 9 p.m. as part of Earth Hour, an initiative aiming to raise awareness about energy consumption. Residents are encouraged to participate as well.
Westmount will be among numerous international cities, like Sydney, Chicago, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv, and Toronto, to go dark on Saturday. Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia on March 31 last year, when 2.2 million residents, 2,100 business and even national monuments like the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, turned their lights off for one hour. As a result, Sydney’s energy consumption was lowered by just over 10 per cent, which, according to Earth Hour’s official website, is the equivalent to taking 48,000 cars off the road for 60 minutes. For more information on Earth Hour and how to participate, visit
www.earthhour.org.
WMA looking for great volunteers
The Westmount Municipal Association (WMA) is once again seeking nominations from the community for the Derek Walker Award for Volunteer Citizen of the Year.
People living in Westmount who have made a special contribution to the community can be nominated. WMA directors and Westmount City employees are not eligible.
Nominations should be made in writing with details of the nominees' volunteering. Entries should be mailed to the WMA at CP 653, Succ. Victoria, Westmount, H3Z 2Y7 (Attention: Francie Montgomery) or e-mailed to volunteer.award@wma-amw.org by April 14.
“This is the 100th anniversary of the WMA founding, so we thought we should make a special effort to find someone of the same age who would qualify,” said WMA President, Dr. Henry Olders. “We have so far been unable to locate a centenarian candidate. Of course, our job is to find one of those ‘unsung heroes’ of whatever age.”
The Derek Walker Award will be presented at the WMA’s Centenary Annual General Meeting, which will be held on May 5 at Victoria Hall.
City to distribute free trees
The City of Westmount is currently taking orders for their 2008 tree distribution. Residents can choose from three different types of trees available free of charge – a "Cardinal Royal" mountain ash, an "Ivory Silk" lilac, or an "Accolade" elm – that they can plant on their properties.
According to City Public Works horticulturalist Claudette Savaria, households are allowed one tree each. It must also be planted behind the property line, and not on City property.
Westmount allocated $5,000 in its 2008 budget for the tree distribution. "It's simply to make the city greener," Savaria said. "It's to help the environment."
Tree order forms are available at City Hall, the Westmount Library, and online at
www.westmount.org. They must be returned to the attention of Claudette Savaria before April 16 by mail at Public Works, 1 Bethune St., Westmount, H3Z 2L2, or by fax at 514-989-5488. The trees, which are available on a first come, first served basis, will be distributed during the first week of May.
Join the club and make some new check-mates
The Westmount Library is starting a new chess club in April and is looking for players. Anyone interested in a friendly game and meeting other players should head to the library – either in a straight line, diagonally, or by an L-shaped path – at 2 p.m. on April 5 for the new club's first meeting. There will also be meetings on April 11 and 18 at the same time.
The library is located at 4574 Sherbrooke St. West. For more information, call 514-989-5386.
Calling all artisans
In preparation for their festival on Nov. 8 and 9, the Westmount Artisans are looking for Westmount residents who want to display their talents. Local artisans can bring three to four completed examples of their work to a selection committee in May. The works will be juried, and must be utilitarian rather than solely decorative, and must be produced exclusively by the artisan. Items produces mainly with kits or glue guns, as well as mass produced items, will not be accepted. Artisans must present actual items, as photographs in place of the works will not be accepted.
Mark your calendars: the selection committee will take place on May 14 from 2 to 6 p.m. at Victoria Hall, 4626 Sherbrooke St. West. For more information, call Ilyse at 514-934-0294 or Flora at 514-484-1974.
Steven Guilbeault - 
