Sandycove Acres - The Natter

Sandycove Acres Turns 40 Years Young!

2011-11-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

Sandycove Acres held a mammoth Pig Roast for our residents this past September to help celebrate 40 years of service as an Active Adult Lifestyle Community to the residents of Sandycove Acres since 1971.

Over 1,400 of our residents attended this event and enjoyed stopping by our historical tent to hear the stories and view the pictures of how we grew from our original 100 homes in 1971 to over 1,254 homes today.

The Fig Leaf Jazz Band entertained the crowds while the pigs roasted on spits overnight for this two day event. One of the popular items was a stop by an old fashioned ice cream parlour providing our residents with hand scooped ice cream. Shaw’s catering wowed the crowds with their wagon buffet, complete with a roasted pig on display as the star attraction.

General Managers Rod Rice and Trevor Robertson welcomed the crowds and spoke about how the community was founded by their fathers Max Rice and David Robertson. “Sandycove is a vibrant community…we’re running it with all the same family values”. Special guests included our MP for York Simcoe, the Hon. Peter Van Loan, MPP Julia Munro, Innisfil Mayor Barb Baguley & Members of Council.

Four of our current homeowners Jack & Aileen Ross, Eileen Hardy & Lois Franks were all recognized as original residents who chose Sandycove as their retirement community for the past 40 years. All of these residents purchased a Royal model home in 1971 and still live in the same house 40 years later! Jack Ross also celebrated his 100^th birthday & a milestone 80^th anniversary shortly after this event.

Staff also enjoyed meeting the multiple generations of families who have chosen to live in Sandycove as they become empty nesters and/or retired. This is a great testament to the vibrant & active lifestyle Sandycove has to offer its residents.

2011-06-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

SANDYCOVE Fashion Show Goes Pink

Each year a generous group of Sandycove men & women donate all their time & energy to organize a very successful Community Fashion Show to support RVH Hospital Cancer Centre. This fashion show has a different approach to stocking items for the show by allowing residents to clean out their closets over items that have “shrunk” over the past year to donate to this two day sale & show.

Preparations begin months ahead and the Sandycove Ladies run a well organized army of volunteers to gather all the clothes, accessories, jewellery & small home decorating items then spend days sorting & pricing items for sale while the men set up all the racks of clothing & tables for the big event. There is also a barbeque lunch for all the hungry shoppers.

The real fun begins Saturday evening with the fashion show. Sandycove residents model some of the items donated to the sale and the long awaited grand finale is the men’s comical skit on the women’s fashions. The sale continues with a final day of everything you can fit in a shopping bag for a small fee. All remaining items are donated to local shelters & goodwill.

This charity event donates 100% of the money raised from ticket & clothing sales to the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre at Royal Victoria Hospital. Last year this group raised $6,525.00 at their event. This brings their generous total to $36,160.00 in donations from past fashion shows from 2005.

Putting on this event is no easy task and shows the generous heart of our Sandycove community as they rally behind community causes. The Sandycove residents are the heart of Innisfil – embracing life, enhancing the lives of others and reaching out to help those who need a helping hand.

Congratulations to the many hard working women and men of Sandycove.

Celebrating 40 Years

2011-03-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

Many of the longer term homeowners of Sandycove Acres will know the ownership structure of the company and the visionary management role that was played by Maxwell Rice and David Robertson, for some of you youngsters, here is a short history. Maxwell Rice and David Robertson owned a private 4 passenger plane together and they both owned cottages on Lake Simcoe nearby. They decided that they needed a landing strip for the plane and bought a farm on Lockhart Road.

It turned out that the land use bylaws of the day permitted the development of certain residential communities on the farm. Maxwell, coming from the house construction industry, and David coming from the manufactured housing industry, put their combined expertise together and formulated a vision of what has become one of the largest Adult Lifestyle Communities in Canada – Sandycove Acres!

That was in 1971. For more than 32 years, Maxwell Rice and Dave Robertson were actively involved in the management and development of Sandycove Acres.

In many ways Sandycove Acres Limited is a family company. As such it is a closely held company with many family members taking an active part in the operation of the company. That family approach has influenced the character of Sandycove Acres. It has helped to ensure that ownership remained in the same hands for 40 years. It has also contributed to the “hands on” approach which management has taken over the years, and has helped to continue the longevity of the management team and the integrity of the community. Many of you will know that Rod Rice and Trevor Robertson, sons of founding owners have held senior management positions since 2001.

Trevor & I were childhood friends, went our separate ways in business, and now find ourselves working together here at Sandycove Acres. We share the responsibilities of General Managers working in conjunction with Denyse Beattie, Steve Tompkins and the Sandycove Acres staff. Maxwell Rice passed away in 2006. David Roberson continues to play an advisory role.

Trevor and I appreciate the confidence shown by Sandycovers in the whole management team here at Sandycove. Our job is to ensure the success of Sandycove Acres. We intend to do that to the best of our ability. We will measure that success by the degree of satisfaction that you as Sandycovers have in your decision to live here in this fine community. We look forward to meeting and working with many of you in the upcoming year.

Rod Rice

HOLIDAY SEASON

2010-12-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

As the Holiday Season is upon us we find ourselves reflecting on the past year and on those people who have helped us to shape our business. We value the relationships we have built with our clientele and look forward to building new ones as we assist you in finding the right home to meet your individual retirement needs.

From Bev & Sheri our Sales Reps to Carolyn & Shirrell our dedicated hostesses who greet our clients we want to wish all of you a Happy & Healthy Holiday Season.

We hope you will enjoy our staff recipe for Whipped Shortbread

1 cup soft butter                                     1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup powdered icing sugar                 1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla

Beat sugar & butter. Add remaining ingredients & keep beating until mixture resembles whipped cream. Drop by heaping teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet.     Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Our Sandycove Heroes

2010-11-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

For the past 27 years the Sandycove Veterans Club have conducted a service on Remembrance Day which is attended by municipal dignitaries, guests and approximately four hundred residents from within Sandycove. This year’s service was held on Sunday, November 7^th and the weather could not have been better and attributed to the wonderful crowd in attendance.

Sea, Army, Air Force and Navy League Cadets based at the Barrie Ontario Armory all send sizeable contingents led by respective officers. They utilize one from each of the Cadet Corps (Navy League excepted) to lower and raise the Flags during the Last Post.

The Innisfil Pipe and Drum band attends as do also Police and Fire Services from the Innisfil Area. A well attended luncheon was held at the Wheel Recreation Centre after the service with sandwiches and desserts donated by local businesses and residents.

The Veteran’s Club recently held a Karaoke Fund Raising Dance & Social & raised $1,125 to update the Sandycove Cenotaph to recognize all past & present veterans and all service personnel currently deployed overseas.

A Month to Remember

2010-11-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

Our Sandycove Veterans Club is a vibrant group with 294 members: 77 Veterans, 70 wives of veterans plus an additional 147 men & women who serve as social members.
In 1982 a group of Veterans started the planning necessary to erect a memorial within Sandycove to honour those men and women who paid with their lives so that we could live ours in freedom.

A field gun (shown in the photo) dating back to World War 1, was obtained at an auction and mounted beside the Hub Recreation Hall in the south park as part of the Sandycove memorial. This labour of love and respect was carried out by members of the Sandycove Veterans Club, two of the originating members are still in the park Jack Van Daalen and Muriel (Pat) Thompson. Pat served with the Wrens in World War II. Jack was serving with the Dutch East Indian Army when he was captured by the Japanese and held in internment from 1942 to 1945 when he was liberated by the allies.

Our Sandycove Veterans are a very active group in our community. They participate by organizing & marching in our Canada Day Parade, holding monthly activities & annual poppy sales.

MODULAR or SITE BUILT What is the Difference?

2010-08-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

These questions are often asked of our Sales Staff by prospective purchasers.

The homes of Sandycove Acres can be divided into 2 general types Factory Built and Site Built.

Factory Built Homes were built and delivered to Sandycove Acres from 1971 to 1981. Initially these homes were built on steel frames and delivered by trailer to the building site – complete with a basic furniture package! From 1977 to 1981 the homes were built with a more traditional wood floor framing method. Steel roofing was replaced by the familiar asphalt shingle roofing on the newer factory built homes.

The factory built homes were erected onto foundation piers, usually poured concrete pylons, and for a while were placed on approved pressure treated wood foundation piers. Most of the homes were finished inside with wall panelling. You will see that recently many homeowners have either painted the panelling or replaced it with drywall. Most of the factory built homes have attractive decks, 3 season sunrooms or 4 season Florida rooms added to them.

Site Built Homes: since 1982 Sandycove Acres Limited has become a home builder. All homes built since then are “site-built”; that is, constructed on site from the ground up just like most houses in Ontario. Interior walls have a drywall finish. The foundation is either block or concrete with a crawlspace under the living area. Some crawlspace floors have a gravel finish while some may have a concrete skim coat.

In 2006 Sandycove Acres introduced new exterior house designs which were featured in the Trellis Lane section of Sandycove. Open concept floor plans and vaulted ceilings give this latest generation style a very roomy feel. All these homes have two bathrooms, one with a convenient walk in shower. Sandycove continues to build new homes as part of an overall community rejuvenation plan.

Every house in Sandycove Acres has been built with an eye towards quality of construction and ease of maintenance. Houses were, and continue to be, built to the then prevailing regulatory codes, now known as the Ontario Building Code.

The state of repair of each house, be it older or more recently built, depends on the level of care given it by the previous and current homeowners. If you are a Sandycove homeowner considering the sale of your home, you would find it useful to have the Sandycove Sales Team identify the “must do” things that will make your house more attractive to a buyer. If you are a purchaser buying into Sandycove Acres, we recommend that you get a Home Inspection done. This is a very common requirement in home sales in southern Ontario these days.

For newcomers, we look forward to you being part of the Sandycove community. For those who already live here, we thank you for choosing Sandycove Acres.

Summer's A Buzz with activities

2010-05-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

Sandycove activities seem to come alive with entertainment and events during the summer season. Our outdoor courts are active with Bocce Ball, Horseshoe & Shuffleboard players. The warm weather has residents taking advantage of the two salt water heated swimming pools, lounge areas and aqua classes. Our mini golf course is ready for resident and visiting grand children's enjoyment. While walking groups meet early mornings for their weekly get togethers.

Each of the three recreation centres has special events happening throughout the summer months. The Wheel is hosting a popular 2 day Fashion Show & sale this June where a group of dedicated residents raise thousands each year for RVH Cancer Care. Residents are also planning their Garage Sale towards the end of the month. Dances & Inaugural Balls welcome the new executive committee members of each hall.

Members of the Woodworking Shop will be hosting their annual Open House soon with a barbeque and display of resident talent. The Photography Club is hosting an outdoor nature event & picnic for all camera buffs. While our Sandycove Cloggers are getting ready to perform at Innisfil's Summerfest event.

Life is what you make it and our Sandycove residents know how to embrace an active lifestyle enriched by new friendships made while living here.

April News

2010-04-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally arrived and Sandycove residents have already started decorating their homes with spring flowers. Our residents have planned another garden tour of Sandycove resident gardens this summer. This always proves to be a popular event. Watch for more details in upcoming months.

Our 3 recreation centres are always busy with daily activities. Some of the highlights have included spring dances taking place at all three recreation centres with various DJ's. The Ladies Social Club is holding their luncheon this month after hosting a recent fashion show to get everyone in the mood for spring arrivals from Simply Casual, one of the merchants at the Sandycove Mall.

The Photography Club held an OPEN HOUSE this month show casing the talent of our residents. Special guest was renowned nature photographer John Warnica who put on a presentation of his photography, answered questions and guided members through suggested techniques. Each year the Photography and Art clubs get together for a very popular Show & Sale.

Our Farmer's Market has opened again and will be selling fresh produce, baked goods, meat, flowers, etc every Wednesday. Even the staff head off to this one each week to pick up great local produce & products.

As you can see we are an active, vibrant community of residents who embrace life by getting involved.

Winter Blow Out!!

2010-02-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

This is it! If you have been wanting to buy in Sandycove Acres, now is the time! We have just launched our Sandycove Acres new home winter blow out. Here is the deal....

If you buy a new inventory home through the Sandycove Acres sales office by the end of February 2010, you will receive $20,000 off the price of your home PLUS you will be entitled to the equivalent of 3 months rent...free!!!

This is a seriously amazing deal and if you have been thinking about a move to Sandycove or know someone who has....this is the ideal push you need to make it happen. Call now to talk to one of our sales reps for all the details. Call 1-800-348-7161

2010 already!!

2010-01-21T07:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years to all of you! Its hard for me to believe we are entering yet another decade. Does time fly by or what?! I like change but I also am a bit nostalgic and I hunger for the familiar. That's pretty much how I feel about Sandycove Acres. I love that there are changes - new homes, new amenities (like that fantastic farmers market held in the spoke), new staff (Donna now a sales rep!) - but I also appreciate the warm comfort of that which doesn't change - the small town feel, the monthly dances at the clubhouses, the mature trees, and the neighbours that remind you of the friendliness and goodness in people. Its a nice mix.

I have been coming up to Sandycove with my dad and grandpa since I was little. It was a nice treat to go to work with them, and it was always fun to come to Sandycove specifically. There was always so much going on! It gives me personally a warm feeling when I drive down Lockhart Rd and see the sign for Sandycove Acres... It reminds me of my grandfather and his belief that Sandycove should always be kept in its best state, it makes me think of how my dad would show me around. Although Sandycove has never been my home, it makes me feel at home. See how nostalgic i can be?! Haha.

Well here's to a great new year!

H. Rice

A Winter Wonderland

2009-12-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love the snow?! I love it. The fresh white fluffy stuff, it just makes everything look so clean and new. I also find it makes me nostalgic somehow. Maybe it triggers memories of family snowmobile trips, or cozy fires, or even snowball fights. When you live in Barrie you live in the snow-belt... and although I know some people complain...I think you're lucky! Snow makes people seem more easygoing and it inspires camaraderie. I love that "well, we're all in this weather together" feeling. It unifies people. And most importantly...its looking like (for those who live in this waistline of Ontario...) it will be a very white Christmas!

HRice ~ SCA

Christmas Party - Welcome Newcomers!

2009-12-10T23:55:00.000-08:00

Every year at Sandycove Acres we host a Christmas luncheon at the Wheel (one of our Recreation Centres) and we invite all the people who moved into Sandycove in the last year. It's a great chance for new neighbours to connect with other people in the community, a chance to see what is available in terms of amenities and activities, and of course lets not forget...to get a free lunch!

We held the Luncheon a week ago at the Wheel and had 150 newcomers out to the event. The mayor Brian Jackson was there as well as Counsellor Dan Davidson. A Selection of various groups from within Sandycove were there to represent just a taste of what goes on at Sandycove. Best of all was the entertainment! The Sandycove Sync-ers revelled us with their renditions of a few Christmas tunes, and had us in stiches with their "impersonations"!

We hope that all the new residents of Sandycove felt our gratitude and our passion for what we do. Welcome to you all!

The First Post.

2009-12-10T21:49:00.001-08:00

Hello all! This is officially the first blog entry for Sandycove Acres' blog - The Natter. The natter I am referring to is any thoughts, conversations, info, chatter, comments, or talk that has anything to do with Sandycove Acres.

Let's start off with a little recap in case we have some viewers who have stumbled upon us unknowingly - Sandycove Acres is an adult lifestyle community in Innisfil, Ontario. (just oustide Barrie) Sandycove is one of the largest active adult communites, and certainly the most vibrant, in Ontario! If you want to know more of the who we are, what we do type info - check out our website www.sandycoveacres.com

Well we are always evolving and trying to stay current and frankly we see this blog as a great forum for Sandycove homeowners, staff, and potential homeowners alike to share ideas, explain things, provide and gather information. We hope that this will be a great medium for us to continue to improve and grow Sandycove Acres.

Here's to the conversations to come!

HRice - Sandycove Acres