I love living in Langdon. My family moved here for a rural lifestyle and values consistent with the small Alberta town where my wife and I grew up. We moved here for bigger lot sizes, friendly neighhbours, no red lights, and the promise of things to come – schools, recreation, grocery store, Tim’s.
Fast forward ten years: as a community, we are well on our – Sarah Thompson, Buy-Low, and Tim’s are all staples of Langdon, and something we could not imagine living without! But, we are still not complete.
I’ve come across a lot of energetic and dedicated volunteers who are working tirelessly to move this hamlet forward – I am thankful each day for their contributions. The community has done a great job recognizing and providing summer amenities – ball diamonds, outdoor rink/courts and skate-park. In large part due to the efforts of these volunteers and our Councilor, Rocky View County and the Rocky View School Board have recently committed over $6MM to get projects rolling on the Community Campus (next to Buy-Low foods). It won’t be long before we have new quad ball diamonds and a Langdon High School!
When I walk down the streets, or attend a school event, I’m amazed at how many children live in Langdon – over 1,500 by current estimates – so it’s encouraging to know that a High School is coming soon….but what else do we have for these kids? Where can they walk/bike to and take part in year-round activities? I’m also amazed at how many active adults are in the community – you only need to look at the popularity of the slo-pitch league to see the interest and enthusiasm of our adult community for recreation! But the adult community also needs something to do and somewhere to go in the winter months. As well, we need to think about the “older kids”….we have a relatively small, but very active, seniors group in Langdon and this group is growing fast (it will triple in size over the next 5-10 years) – they need space and opportunities to stay active and to stay involved in the community.
With all of the young children, it will be great to have an indoor arena for them to play recreational sports such as hockey, ringette, figure skating, public skating, soccer, inline hockey, lacrosse, derby. It will be great to have a facility where we can host large community events like concerts, fundraisers and trade shows. A place for the seniors in our community to gather, to socialize and exercise in a safe environment. And a place for adults to stay active in the winter months. And it will be great to have this facility next door to the new Langdon High School!
I’m truly looking forward to the next 3-5 years when Langdon becomes complete – ball diamonds, high school, indoor ice rec centre. For those who call Langdon home, these amenities will be something that we will look back and wonder how we ever lived without. When the time comes, let’s all do our part to get behind the fundraising campaigns for the Langdon Community Campus (North Bow, Langdon Little League, LSA and LRC). The upcoming “Langdon Dad’s Golf Tourney” is a good example of one way you can get involved. Let’s make Langdon GREAT!
Travis Tweit
