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Communities
Antler
Lake
 The
Hamlet of Antler Lake is a picturesque community situated on the shores
of Antler Lake, just 15 minutes East of Sherwood Park. The hamlet consists
of over 350 residents which live mainly on the eastern and southern shores
of the lake, with a portion of the community built on Hazelnut Island.
A gentleman named Mr. Gregory developed the community in the early 1950s.
Area residents formed the Antler Lake Community League (ALCL) in 1975 and
in 1981 the Antler Lake Community Hall was built through their efforts.
A park area was reserved across from the hall and this park became known
as Gregory Park in memory of the founder. This park has since become a natural
area. In the early 1990s the Uncas Community League disbanded their separate
league and joined ALCL. The league was then renamed the Antler Lake Uncas
Community League (ALUCL) which remains active in the community.
The Antler Lake hamlet boasts two separate playgrounds for children and
is an area that has ready access to many outdoor recreation opportunities.
Antler Lake, situated on Range Road 211 and 211A just North of Wye Road,
is within five minutes of the Strathcona Wilderness Centre, Cooking Lake
- Blackfoot Grazing, Wildlife and Provincial Recreation Area, and the Elk
Island National Park of Canada. These areas boast many opportunities for
hiking, cross-country skiing, cycling, and nature watching. The annual Canadian
Birkebeiner Ski Festival is billed as the largest classic cross-country
ski event in North America and is held at the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Provincial
Recreation Area.
Local shopping opportunities are within five to ten minutes of the hamlet.
The Country Mercantile Store sells all the items you would expect at a convenience
store and more. Local crafts, liquor, and pizza are just a few of the 'extras'
you can purchase. The Laughing Llama and the Mohawk General Store are also
both convenience stores with gasoline sales. The Treasure Chest is a local
gift and antique store that has many unique items for sale. The Strathcona Tea House and Restaurant
is located on the same site and is a very nice establishment for a casual
coffee, tea or good food.
Sherwood Park and Tofield are both within 15-20 minutes of Antler Lake and
have many businesses and recreation opportunities of their own. Antler Lake
is also situated within five minutes of the Uncas Elementary School, which
many of the local children attend. It's a great community either to raise
children or to retire in with its easy accessibility and local recreational
opportunities!
Ardrossan
 Ardrossan
is currently a community of approximately 300 people in the hamlet
and hundreds in the surrounding country residential subdivisions. Ardrossan
has been identified as a growth hamlet and a concept plan has been approved
that will see another 135.84 ac. of land developed for residential purposes.
The facilities in the hamlet include both a public
school complex for students from Kindergarten to Senior High and a separate school for students from Kindergarten
to Junior High. The Junior/Senior High School also houses the Ardrossan
Community Theatre and the sports fields surrounding the schools were recently
redeveloped with new ball diamonds, soccer fields, football fields and
a tennis court. The hamlet is also home to a recreational complex that
incorporates a 300 seat indoor hockey rink, a multi-purpose hall and a
four sheet curling rink as well as the community hall, senior's drop-in
centre and outdoor skating rink. Located in the hamlet, as well, is a
general store, garage, fire hall, post office and United Church.
The hamlet can be accessed on SH 824 south from Highway 16 or north from
Baseline Road. The community is very active in both sports and cultural
activities. Families enjoy baseball, hockey, soccer, figure skating, Guides,
Scouts and painting classes. Annual events such as the Ardrossan Lobster
Dinner along with the Anual Ardrossan Community Parade attracts residents
and visitors alike.
Collingwood Cove
 Collingwood
Cove is the third largest hamlet in Strathcona County and usually referred
to as "The Cove" by its 319 residents. The Cove is a community
that started growing in the early 1950s as a very popular
summer lakeside resort. Popular because it is only a 25 minute ride from
Edmonton and situated beside Cooking Lake which was, at that time, one
of the best lakes for
recreational activities in the region.
Today the lake is shallow and canoes replace pleasure boats but flocks
of pelicans and swans still visit in summer and it's not uncommon to see
a moose, deer or coyote taking a stroll to the lake. Cooking Lake is on
the migration route of millions of waterfowl and birds and many stay and
nest in ideal locations in and around The Cove.
Since 1990, there have been several new developments in the Hamlet, such
as new homes, a modern playground with basketball hoops and a seasonal
ice surface. There has also been an active Community Association that
hosts Canada Day celebrations, sleigh rides, skating parties and regular
nature walks for the children.
First Nations people used to meet and trade in
The Cove. Today there are no stores but there are spectacular sunsets
and a lifestyle found only in a small community! Collingwood Cove is nice
to go home to.
Halfmoon Lake
 Halfmoon
Lake is a picturesque crescent-shaped body of water located just 15 minutes
east of Highway 21, south of Highway 630. The lake is about 2 km long,
end to end, 250 m wide, with a maximum depth of 8.5 metres. In
the late 1950s, the land north of the lake was subdivided into residential
lots, with the subdivision of the south side following soon after. Currently,
the hamlet of Halfmoon Lake is home to approximately 228 residents, who
enjoy the quiet of rural life along with a strong sense of community.
Each spring, the residents get together for a
day of road-side and lake clean-up followed by a community BBQ. Although
the hamlet is surrounded by private land, visitors to Strathcona County
will find the commercially run Half Moon Lake Resort at the south end
of the lake, which provides access to the lake.
The resort, open during the summer months, has
campsites, a developed beach, and boat launch, for those looking for some
summer water activities. Repeated attempts have been made to stock the
lake with fish, but the only species capable of survival through the winter
in the lake is the tiny brook stickleback.
Hastings Lake
 The
hamlet of Hastings Lake is located approximately 40 kilometres east of
Sherwood Park and can be reached either by taking Highway 14 or Wye Road.
The lake was renamed in 1884 for Tom Hastings, a member of Tyrell's geological
survey party. The original name was Kawtikh, which in the Cree language
means "the lake that does not freeze". In 1988 Colin and Edna
Bowick opened Kawtikh Recreational Retreat, the only commercially operated
facility on the lake. Also found on Hastings Lake are the privately owned
Legion of Frontiersmen and the Cutty Sark Sailing Club.
The Hastings Lake Lutheran Bible Camp is located
within the hamlet and during the summer months offers county run swimming
lessons for local children. The hamlet itself consists of a mix of full-time
residences and summer cottages. With its natural shoreline and many islands,
Hastings Lake is home to many species of waterbirds, including the White
Pelican and the Cormorant making it a popular birdwatching destination.
The islands of Hastings Lake were named as one of the "Special Places
2000" by the Alberta Government.
The large forested area in the Hastings Lake Watershed
is a key area for moose and white-tailed deer. With close proximity to
the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Wildlife, Grazing and Provincial Recreation
Area and the Waskahegan Staging Area, many hiking and cross-country skiing
possibilities exist. Just four km south of the lake on Range Road 204
is the Hastings Lake Hall, which, since the 1940s with the help of
its dedicated volunteers, has offered a centre for local gatherings such
as the popular annual Turkey Supper and
Spring Horse Show. This hamlet is home to around 88 residents.
Josephburg
 Pioneer
families who settled around what would become the hamlet of Josephburg
arrived from Austria in the 1890s. Josephburg is an active farming community
within close proximity of the Scotford industrial area, home to world-class
petrochemical industries. It is 10 minutes east of Fort Saskatchewan in
the northern portion of Strathcona County. The one-time home of several
businesses: the UFA, a Case dealership, coffee shop, hardware and general
store is now a mere shell of itself, however, the spirit of Josephburg
remains as vibrant as ever. Population today is approximately 230.
The Josephburg Agricultural Society hosts a yearly world-famous Josephburg
Chicken Supper. Over 2000 people attend this event. The agricultural society
also sponsors the Strathcona Country Classic, an opportunity for those
aged 9-21 to show their horses, cattle, sheep, dogs and alpacas.
Josephburg is also home to the internationally travelled Josephburg
Men's Chorus and The Belles. If you are in Josephburg
to participate in hockey at Moyer Recreation Centre, visit relatives at
Homestead Place, a self-contained senior citizens' housing unit, or to
participate in a local gymkhana or ball
game, don't forget to pick up a copy of the Canadian best seller Josephburg
United Church of Christ Cookbook. Remember, if you're looking for
a place to hold your next event it's "better in the 'burg!"
North Cooking Lake
 The
hamlet of Deville-North Cooking Lake is located just 24 kilometres south-east
of Sherwood Park and four km south of the Waskehegan Staging Area entrance
to Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Wildlife, Grazing and Provincial Recreation
Area.
The landscape we see today was formed by glaciers that left what is referred
to as hummocky knob and kettle formations strewn with boulders that originated
in the Canadian Shield. Originally part of Cooking Lake Forest Reserve,
people started to settle the area around 1900.
Due to the multiple lakes with sandy beaches North Cooking Lake was known
as one of Edmonton's recreation and resort spots in the early 1900s. It
was so popular that special trains operated to bring vacationers to the
North Cooking Lake Station where steamers and motor boats delivered them
to different resorts.Once a teeming playground North Cooking Lake is now
a peaceful residential retreat with approximately 50 residents.
The community league was set up in 1952. It has provided social and educational
development to the community ever since. It was responsible for the funding
and volunteers who built the Homecoming Park and community hall. Homecoming
Park is a 39-acre site with three baseball diamonds, a playground, nature
trail, picnic area, group fire spot, and a natural skating pond. The community
hall which provides barrier free access to wheelchair users can be rented
for events.
Sherwood Park
 Well
over two-thirds of county residents reside in the urban community of Sherwood
Park which is geographically located on the west-central edge of Strathcona
County. Development began in the early 1950s primarily to accommodate
employees of industries in the area. In the decades to follow it became
a "community of choice" for people wanting to live outside Edmonton
in a smaller centre.
Today, Sherwood Park is decidedly an ideal community in which to live.
A testimonial to that fact? Many people born and raised in Sherwood Park
in the 1950s and 1960s are now raising their own families here. Exceptional
amenities include educational and career/business opportunities, a variety
of re-sale and new housing in contemporary neighbourhoods, an excellent
commuting time to Alberta's capital city, unparalleled RCMP protection
and ambulance service, plus prime retail and recreational venues.
There has been tremendous growth in Sherwood Park particularly over the
past two decades, evidenced by population statistics, robust housing,
retail starts and by the hard work of Strathcona County Council. There
is a strong ethic of community involvement. Indeed, the future of Sherwood
Park promises to be a good one! Population is approximately 55,000.
South Cooking Lake
 O-PI-MI-W-SIOO-SAKYAKN
Here's Where We Cook Lake or Cooking Lake. South Cooking Lake is located
19 km southeast of Sherwood Park on Highway 14. The Cree, Blackfoot and
the Sarcee were the first to inhabit the area, and that is where the name
originally came from. The water was clear and high. The beaches were white
sand and the forests thick and tall.
Cooking Lake was fished commercially until 1926. Large numbers of buffalo,
lynx, fox, mink, muskrat, elk, deer, moose, wolves, coyotes and black
bears roamed the area. Many people remember the dances at Lakeview Hall.
Drive past South Cooking Lake to Lakeview and you can see the rebuilt
"Lakeview Fireplace"; all that is left of this famous meeting
place.
Today it is still possible to see a variety of wildlife and birds throughout
the area. There is a day-use park, which is a great place for family picnics,
boating, and windsurfing. There is a boat launch, walking trails,
picnic sites, and waterfowl viewing areas. The community hall has been
completely renovated and is available for rent. The community association
has been around for 77 years and is still active today hosting numerous
activities and events each year, such as the annual Christmas craft sale,
dances, and children's parties. Population today is approximately 280.
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