Here were some of the entries into the contest:

Gord & Linda Stubbs

Ken & Silvana Dunlop

Nancy Grodde & Pat Jankus

Susan Hammond

And here are a few pics from our winners – Ray & Sharon:

Ray Morrison & Sharon Kemp

Ray Morrison & Sharon Kemp

Ray Morrison & Sharon Kemp

Congratulations to Ray & Sharon and a big thanks to everyone who entered the contest!

Just because the contest is over doesn’t mean you can’t still submit photos of your garden. Feel free to send along a picture and we may feature it on this site!

Sixteen teams from the surrounding area took place in the tournament on [date], starting at 8:30am running through to 6pm. Some of the best bocce players from Garth Trails, Chedoke, Ancaster and Trieste challenged each other for the grand prize. In the end, a team from Trieste narrowly edged out Chedoke in a hard fought and closely matched – but fun – competition.

Ken Dunlop, President of the Garth Trails Club, was thrilled with the event. “All day, people were telling me how much fun they were having, and how well it was organized. They couldn’t get over what a beautiful club it was.” Ken, Doug Crosbie and Ray Morrison organized the event, while a team of over twenty volunteers helped ensure everything ran smoothly.

The event was originally scheduled to take place Saturday, but rain flooded the courts.  According to Ken, the volunteers saved the day.

“On Saturday morning, it was so wet there were two ducks swimming on the courts. Fortunately, our volunteers went to work and got everything dry for the match Sunday.”

M&M Meats served a delicious barbecue lunch, with all proceeds going to the Good Shepherd. We raised $500!

Have you ever played bocce?

Guests enjoyed fine wine and cheese.

Guests were able to view Kitty Murray Woods homes using a touchsceen demo, a technologically advanced and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional wallboards.

Our very own Ward Campbell spoke to the crowd. All of us at Satrward are very proud of this project. Ward’s vision came true!

The Hamilton Spectator, DailyWebTV and Snap were some of the media that came out to cover this exciting event. Other guests included Hamilton City Councilors and representatives from Redeemer University College.

Ward cuts the ribbon.

The Kitty Murray Woods Grand Opening was a huge success. It was a beautiful night, our homes looked fantastic, there was a great turnout, and everyone enjoyed themselves.

The clubhouse is truly the heart of the village. A perfect place to meet friends, enjoy a swim, gather with neighbours for a game of tennis, bocce ball, or shuffle board, or play a round on the putting green. Lazy summer days out on the BBQ patio pass easily into cool, comfortable evenings. Meandering throughout the community, for those who prefer quieter pursuits, are the incredible walking trails, providing ample opportunity for an evening stroll or just finding a place to commune with nature.

Click here to see more of the Garth Trails Clubhouse.

Life on the shore

Nestled comfortably on the north shore of Lake Erie, Starward’s Harbourtown at Erie Beach promises to be one of Ontario’s most enticing and sought after residential locations.

Brought to you in partnership with First Amherst Development Group of Buffalo, New York, Harbourtown has it all. Surrounded by history, wrapped in luxury and covered by serenity, your shoreside Harbourtown home is just minutes to shopping and a short drive to the U.S. Cross the bridge and you will find NHL hockey and NFL football, access to a major airport, and an exceptional array of shopping options. Explore the Niagara region and enjoy wine tours, championship golf, world class theatre and spectacular dining, bicycling and hiking.

Whether you choose to live on a custom lakefront lot, or in one of our beautiful singles or semis, you’ll open your door to quiet walks along the lake on the Friendship Trail and one of the friendliest neighbourhoods in Ontario.

Your dream home

Starward understands that you have come to Harbourtown looking for your dream home. We know that finding it will be a life-changing experience.

To help you in your search, we have carefully selected a range of architectural choices that work in harmony with Harbourtown’s lakefront surroundings, while easily accommodating all of your favourite amenities. Talk to anyone who owns a Starward home and they will tell you about our friendly, flexible service and commitment to customer satisfaction. From the time you begin planning your Harbourtown home, through site selection, construction, moving day and beyond, we will work with you every step of the way to ensure that your personal tastes are accommodated and your unique needs are met.

Starward homeowners will also tell you about our uncompromising quality. We build each home with an unrivalled attention to detail, hiring only the most skilled and experienced craftsmen for each and every aspect of construction. At any Starward jobsite it is common to find third-generation suppliers and trades whose fathers and grandfathers also helped build Starward homes. Together, we will do everything we can to ensure that your dream home becomes a reality.

Starward Homes is proud to be an ENERGY STAR® for New Homes builder and to offer the first ENERGY STAR® qualified homes in Fort Erie. Each Harbourtown model is meticulously designed and specified to meet or exceed the ENERGY STAR® for New Homes specifications. Our Harbourtown homes will lower your energy bills, improve your comfort, reduce your impact on the environment, give you government-backed quality assurance and even a higher resale value.

Life on the shore

No house is truly your home unless it meets your individual decor and lifestyle preferences. At Starward’s Décor Studio, our experienced decorators work with you to select the right floor coverings, wall tiles, kitchen cabinets, bathroom fixtures, fireplace mantels, skylights and other design details to create the perfect living environment. Whether you choose one of our professionally- coordinated colour packages or create your own, Starward makes it easy to find just the right combination of colour, textures and finishes.

Harbourtown homes are complete with features that are available only as costly extras through many other builders. Many of these upgrades are easy to see, such as our under cabinet kitchen lighting, crown mouldings, expensive cabinet finishes, polished brass or brushed chrome hardware and luxury bathrooms equipped with soaker tubs and china sinks. Others are less obvious, such as high efficiency heating and ventilation, advanced basement waterproofing and resilient channels. All of these features contribute to our ENERGY STAR® certification – an assurance to you that your new home is efficient and earth friendly. Still others surround your home, such as fully sodded lots, carefully chosen saplings and enhanced street lighting.

As a family business, Starward wants to create the perfect home for your family, a home built on our century-long tradition of excellence. Your Starward home will proudly stand among our exceptional portfolio of quality homes for decades to come.

AWARD-WINNING DESIGN
We were recognized with the 2007 Urban Design & Architecture Award from the City of Hamilton for Overall Design of our Landscapes of Ancaster development.

On Saturday, June 13th, Starward Homes welcomed television’s Murray Lloyd to bring his deliciously barbequed delicacies to the Garth Trails community. You may recognize Murray’s twinkling smile and bright shirts from the A-Channel cooking show Q Scene BBQ TV.

Murray Lloyd, star of TV's Q Scene BBQ TV

A fantastic crowd turned out to meet Murray and taste the delicious treats he prepared right in front of our eyes on a portable professional barbeque. Residents of the Garth Trails community and members of the public gathered to meet, mingle, and enjoy some refreshments.

Delicious barbeque treats

Our celeb chef toiled away all afternoon preparing a stunning array of barbequed treats, including beef tenderloin, chicken, shrimp “murray-nated” in a delicious home-made barbeque sauce, along with a delicious horseradish spread and barbequed pineapple spears! And the summery punch kept flowing, drawing the attention of kids of all ages.

Enjoying the refreshments

Visit Murray’s Web site at www.qscene.com to find out when you can catch Murray on TV or to try out one of the over 300 recipes he has posted online.

Grade 4 students in Hamilton are once again competing for the opportunity to become a “builder for a day,” donning work boots and a hard hat to learn first-hand how a house is built.

The Hamilton-Halton Home Builders’ Association (HHHBA) is hosting the second annual “Builder for a Day” contest, where children are invited to draw and describe their “dream home.” Entry forms are being distributed this week to classrooms in the public and separate school boards.

“We know many children are fascinated by building and of course we want to encourage young people to consider a career in the construction industry,” says HHHBA president Steve Spicer. “This is a fun way for children to get an up-close look at how a house comes together.”

Mr. Spicer said the 2008 pilot project succeeded “beyond our wildest expectations,” with more than 600 children submitting entries. “The level of interest, and the creativity displayed in the entries, was amazing,” he said. “Our judges had their work cut out for them.”

Completed entry forms will be handed in through the school boards and returned to HHHBA for judging.

The winner will spend a half-day on June 3 with local builder Brandon Campbell, of Starward Homes.

Brandon is a fourth-generation builder and, at 26, one of the youngest HHHBA members.

Doug Duke, executive officer of HHHBA, said the association is grateful for the participation of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board in making entry forms available to Grade 4 classrooms, and for the support of sponsors Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and The Hamilton Spectator.

Download the News Release.

A nine-year-old from Our Lady of Peace Catholic School in Stoney Creek is Hamilton’s youngest home builder, beating out 400 entries to become the Hamilton-Halton Home Builders’ Association’s “Builder for a Day.”

Alicia Armacinski will spend today on the job site with fourth-generation builder Brandon Campbell of Starward Homes, learning first-hand how a house is built. She also wins a prize pack with tools, work boots, gift certificates and more.

In response to the contest invitation to draw and describe her dream home, Alicia provided a two-page description explaining its “wonderful features.” She also did a detailed front elevation and aerial view drawing, noting “there are not enough hours in a day to enjoy all the variety that my dream home has to offer.”

“Alicia took a very imaginative approach to describing her dream home,” says Steve Spicer, president of the Hamilton-Halton Home Builders’ Association (HHHBA). “Her description of the home’s features was interesting, well thought out and designed to entice people to ‘come on over’ and play, although she warned that visitors should first make sure their homework was done! In addition, her drawing was excellent and provided a virtual map of the property.”

Alicia’s dream home included a waterfall, rainforest, carnival playroom, a separate bedroom for her pet dogs and hamster, and a lake in the backyard with a water plane that can fly up to 10 people 1,000 miles away.

Nevan Alexanian from Dundana Public School in Dundas won First Runner Up for his environmentally-friendly dream home which included solar panels and a greenhouse to grow his own fruits and vegetables.

Erica Pierce from St. Clare of Assisi Catholic School in Stoney Creek placed Second Runner Up with her dream home that included a “foods of the world” station in the kitchen and McMaster Children’s Hospital on the second floor.

Honourable Mentions were given to Alexandra Rocci, from St. Clare of Assisi, for her dream home located above a shopping mall; and Kiera Wassink from Dundas Calvin Christian School for her log cabin dream home, including detailed wood features and bedrooms for everyone in her family.

“We know many children are fascinated by building and of course we want to encourage young people to consider a career in the building industry,” Mr. Spicer says. “This is a fun way for us to promote construction and design to the ‘next generation’ of builders, engineers, architects and skilled tradespeople.”

The HHHBA worked with local school boards to distribute the entry forms in grade 4 classrooms across the city. “This contest would not be possible without the enthusiastic involvement of Hamilton’s school boards,” says Doug Duke, executive officer of HHHBA.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and The Hamilton Spectator are sponsors of the event, which is the only one of its kind in Ontario.

Click here for more information.

Starward’s newest community, Kitty Murray Woods is luxury refined in a collection of prestigious homes with bungalow, bungaloft and two-story designs.

Be the first in line to view the models and learn more – Pre-register now!

A 1720 square foot two story detached home, the Argus is a showcase for Avalon’s spectacular homes in a wonderful established neighbourhood on Hamilton’s West Mountain.

The model can be viewed during regular sales office hours:
Monday to Thursday: 1 to 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 12 to 5 p.m.

The model is also available for showing through private appointments. Call Margaret Reid at 905-379-6161 to learn more.