{"id":34011,"date":"2024-01-04T18:34:24","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T23:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=34011"},"modified":"2024-01-11T17:37:11","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T22:37:11","slug":"mayor-and-council-to-hold-new-years-levee-at-aflc-this-saturday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/mayor-and-council-to-hold-new-years-levee-at-aflc-this-saturday\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayor and Council to hold New Year\u2019s Levee at AFLC this Saturday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you missed out on ringing in the New Year at Aurora\u2019s Family First Night, or want to speak to your local representatives, head over to the Aurora Family Leisure Complex on Saturday morning for family-friendly fun as Mayor Tom Mrakas and Aurora Council host their traditional New Year\u2019s Levee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Set to take place from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, the Levee will include a meet and great with local leaders, a public skate from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., a pancake breakfast from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Levees are a long-standing tradition in this country dating back to the 17<sup>th<\/sup> century and were intended to be a time for the monarch of the day, or their representative, to celebrate the start of the new year with the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The intention and the format may have changed over the years, but its beating heart remains the same: to spread good cheer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMaintaining the tradition of the Levee in Aurora is essential for several reasons. Firstly, it serves as a symbolic way to ring in the New Year, fostering a sense of community and unity among residents,\u201d says Mayor Mrakas. \u201cThe Levee tradition also provides an opportunity for residents to connect with their local government officials in a relaxed and festive atmosphere, promoting transparency and approachability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Levee marks the beginning of the year with a celebration of community spirit and shared goals. I hope it sets a positive tone for 2024 by fostering a sense of optimism, collaboration and engagement among residents. As we come together to celebrate, it\u2019s an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to building a prosperous, connected and inclusive community throughout the year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Mayor notes that it is also a chance to highlight \u201cseveral municipal initiatives aimed at enhancing\u201d quality of life locally, including the new 7,500 square foot gymnasium now under construction at the Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex, and all the latest on the Aurora Town Square redevelopment project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked how he measures the success of the Levee each year, Mayor Mrakas said that while attendance levels and community engagement are very important, he personally measures the success \u201cby the ability to meet with residents personally and engage in conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more on this weekend\u2019s event, visit www.aurora.ca\/en\/your-government\/mayor-and-council-new-year-s-levee.aspx.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By Brock Weir<br \/>Editor<br \/>Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n<a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-facebook nolightbox\" data-provider=\"facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F34011&amp;t=Mayor%20and%20Council%20to%20hold%20New%20Year%E2%80%99s%20Levee%20at%20AFLC%20this%20Saturday&amp;s=100&amp;p[url]=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F34011&amp;p[images][0]=&amp;p[title]=Mayor%20and%20Council%20to%20hold%20New%20Year%E2%80%99s%20Levee%20at%20AFLC%20this%20Saturday\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Facebook\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/facebook.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-twitter nolightbox\" data-provider=\"twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F34011&amp;text=Like%3F\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"twitter\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/twitter.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-mail nolightbox\" data-provider=\"mail\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share by email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Mayor%20and%20Council%20to%20hold%20New%20Year%E2%80%99s%20Levee%20at%20AFLC%20this%20Saturday&amp;body=Like%3F:%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F34011\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"mail\" title=\"Share by email\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/mail.png\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you missed out on ringing in the New Year at Aurora\u2019s Family First Night, or want to speak to your local representatives, head over to the Aurora Family Leisure Complex on Saturday morning for family-friendly fun as Mayor Tom Mrakas and Aurora Council host their traditional New Year\u2019s Levee. Set to take place from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-8Qz","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-10 13:42:02","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34011\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}