MLCA Spring 2024 Newsletter

MLCA News

Annual Holiday Tree Lighting

Join your neighbors on Sunday, December 1st at 5pm for the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting in Meadowlark Park.

This fun, family event is a long tradition in the neighborhood and a kickoff for the holidays! The event will include music, hot chocolate, a cookies exchange, and a countdown to the lighting of the tree!

Cookie Exchange: Please bring some of your favorite holiday cookies to share! Recipes too if you would like to share your secret for us to post on our website.

Food Drive: Please bring canned food goods to the Tree Lighting event and MLCA will donate these to Jeffco Action Center!

All neighbors are welcome!!!

 

*NEW* - Holiday Lights Contest!

This holiday season the MLCA is launching a holiday lights contest for the neighborhood. The winning residence with the best holiday lights will win a prize.

  • December 1 to 15 - Nominate your neighbors with outstanding holiday lights to be one of the finalists by using the online form.
  • December 16 to 30 - Finalists will be chosen and a link will be sent to MLCA members to vote on the winner.

 

Lakewood Lights at Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park

The City of Lakewood will be holding their annual Lakewood Lights event at Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park on Thursday, December 5th from 5pm to 8:30pm. 

This free event includes a lighting ceremony, festive live music from Green Mountain High School's Shadows of the Mountain Choir, hot cocoa and cookies, and even meet and greets with jolly old Santa Claus!

 

MLCA Applies for Grants for Park Improvements

The Lakewood Neighborhood Participation Program (NPP) offers grants of up to $60,000 for qualifying physical improvement projects that residents believe will make a difference in their neighborhood. MLCA was awarded this grant in 2023 to make improvements to Meadowlark Park. We are waiting for Jeffco parks department to install the new grills and stone chess tables so look for updates later this year regarding the awarded 2023 funds.

For 2024 MLCA will be applying for additional grants through the Lakewood NPP. MLCA applied for:
· Improved landscaping and signage for the Alameda/Carr entrance
· An art sculpture to be installed at Balsam Pond park, and
· Benches for Meadowlark Park!

 

MLCA Civic Committee

The new MLCA Civic Committee strives to stay informed of current events and laws that impact the residents of MLCA. The MLCA website (mid-lakewood.com) will be used to notify residents of important changes, meetings, and forums.

Residents of MLCA may be interested in Lakewood City Council Meetings or Ward 1 meetings held with City Council members the first Saturday of the month from 9:30am -11am at Holy Shepherd Lutheran Church, 920 Kipling St, Lakewood, CO, 80215.

 

Help a Neighbor Program

The MLCA is once again running a fall/winter program to match neighbors needing help with those able to provide it. Think snow shoveling, raking leaves, house chores, meals, etc. Please contact us at midlakewoodcivicassociation@gmail.com if you are interested in receiving or providing help!

 

Letter from the President

         It’s that time of year again! Our traditional Annual Tree Lighting event will be at Meadowlark Park on Sunday evening, December 1st at 6pm.  We will have music, hot chocolate, and the lighting of the tree! Please join us to begin the celebration of the holiday season.

This year we will also continue our new tradition to have holiday lights on display at South Lakewood Elementary. Enjoy this additional holiday cheer as you are in the neighborhood and around the school!

Our Annual Meeting saw about forty (40) neighbors in attendance. The Candidates Forum with participation from Colorado House District 30 candidates was excellent—thank you to the candidates and the audience for making this a very civil and thoughtful debate! At the Annual Meeting we also approved an update to the MLCA bylaws to  reflect the expanded boundaries, and to increase the Board size to up to fifteen (15) members. We also voted back our current Board for 2025!

At the Annual Meeting we also shared detailed information about the financials of the MLCA organization. Our 2024 membership count is down about 20% from the typical level we have seen in past years. Past reserves enabled us to run all activities for 2024, but the membership reduction could affect how we run some events in 2025. Please remember that MLCA is a volunteer organization and that 100% of the funds of your membership go to support the events in our neighborhood. We are still accepting payments for 2024, so please consider sending us a membership payment today. Thank you to those that have already signed up for this year—we appreciate your support!

We are wrapping up a successful year for MLCA. Thank you to Board members Ed Black, Joedan Hite, John Hunter, Tina Klismith, Cassie Kotter, Geneva Locke, Becky Rinehart, Bobby Rinehart, and Jasmine West for making it such a great year!  We will continue this work in 2025.

 

Enjoy the rest of the year and the holiday season! See you in the neighborhood.

 

Chris Gibbons, President 

midlakewoodcivicassociation@gmail.com

650-776-3808

2024 MLCA Events

Friday June 7th, 2023 — Pay your household annual dues by this date to be entered to win a gift certificate to a local business!
Thursday May 16th 2024 — MLCA Board and Members Meeting —Lakewood United Church of Christ (1st and Carr), 7pm
Thursday May 30st, 2024 — Movie Night — South Lakewood Elementary, 8pm (movie starts at 8:30pm)!
Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, June 7th, 8th, 9th, 2024 — Annual Neighborhood Garage Sale, 8am — 4 pm
Tuesday June 11, Tuesday July 9, and Tuesday August 13 — Food Trucks at Meadowlark Park, 5-7pm
Saturday June 15th, 2024 — Community Bike Ride! Meadowlark Park—9am (Saturday June 22nd make-up date if poor weather)
Saturday July 20th, 2024 — Community Coffee with a Cop, Meadowlark Park, 9am

Sunday August 25th, 2024 — MLCA Annual Picnic, Meadowlark Park, 5pm
Thursday October 3rd, 2024 — MLCA Annual Meeting, Lakewood United Church of Christ, 7pm
Sunday, December 1st, 2024 — Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, Meadowlark Park, 6pm

South of 6th Sustainability

In 2016, the South of 6th Neighborhood was officially recognized as a Lakewood Sustainable Neighborhood. The South of 6th group hosts opportunities for engagement with your neighbors around all topics relating to conservation, community building, and overall sustainable practices.

South of 6th Sustainable Neighborhood has a website!

Check it out for upcoming gatherings and events - Southof6th.org.

Email us at Southof6th@gmail.com with questions about planning get-togethers.

Upcoming South of 6th Events:

  • November 17, 12:00 - 3:00 - Leaf and Pumpkin Recycling. The city of Lakewood is hosting leaf and pumpkin recycling at the city greenhouse Nov. 16 -25. If you need help transporting your bagged leaves to the greenhouse, please email Info@southof6th.org and we will pick up your leaves for you.
  • December 1-20 - Holiday Light Recycling. Don't throw away your broken strands of holiday lights - let us recycle them! We will have collection locations around the neighborhood, including the South Lakewood Elementary School Garden. Scan the QR code to see other locations.
  • January TBD - Christmas Tree Recycling. The City of Lakewood will be recycling live Christmas trees at the city greenhouse. If you need help transporting your tree to the greenhouse, please email info@southof6th.org and we will pick up your tree for you.

Look for more events coming this summer and fall for South of 6th!

Business Sponsors

MLCA is so grateful for the support of local businesses! These organizations provide goods for events, monetary donations, and assist with volunteers or space for events and advertising. If you have a business you would like to advertise in our newsletter, website, or on posters at our events, please contact us!

 

 

MLCA has a number of ways you can get involved:

Contact us: