1502 February 2015 by Sean Percy

STELLAR SPELLERS SORT YOURSELF WITH BOB HOW FAR WOULD YOU HITCHIKE FOR LOVE?

FEBRUARY 2015

It Takes a Village Il Faut Tout un Village Local students need Powell River to support:

Anti-Bullying Month Powell River’s schools work hard to change bullying behaviour on campus. Children and youth should be safe off-campus, too.

Looking to advance your educational goals? We have the classes, courses and programs for you! Trades Programs • Automotive Service Technician – Foundation Level 1 • Carpentry – Foundation Level 1 • Culinary Arts – Apprenticeship Level 1 • Hairdressing – Apprenticeship in partnership with SD 47 • Welding – Foundation (formerly Level “C”)

ans! ulinari 2 C e c i t First Year University Studies pren ry – Level a ion Ap Attent sted in Culin ? Call us! . Health & Human Services Intere owell River r interest list u o in P • School & Community Support Worker me on our na • Disability Studies Diploma Place y

• Early Childhood Education and Care • Health Care Assistant Professional Development and Training • Elder College • In-class CE • Online Professional Development Academic & Career Preparation • Adult Basic Education in Computer Studies, English, Mathematics & Sciences

AP P L Y FOR F NOW AL 2015! L

Check out our new Spring-Summer 2015 Course Guide brochure: www.pr.viu.ca/ElderCollege/documents/ElderCollegeBrochure.pdf

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You can support students treating each other with respect by intervening when you see poor behaviour. Whether it’s physical, verbal, social / emotional, or cyber-bullying, education is undermined when children and teens don’t feel safe at school. That’s why School District 47 and the provincial Ministry of Education have launched ERASE Bullying (erasebullying.ca). The campaign offers resources to educators and communities for halting toxic behaviours. If a child in your life is being bullied, SD47 encourages you to take the following steps: 1. If you see children bullying outside of school, intervene. Then, use your judgement to either: 2. Report it to the parents of the child. 3. Report it to the child’s school administrators. 4. Report it to www.reportbullyingbc.edudata.ca. The Powell River Board of Education takes bullying very seriously. We need your help to ensure Powell River is a safe, child-friendly community.

Want to learn more? Contact us. School District #47 4351 Ontario Ave, V8A 1V3 604 485-6271 • www.sd47.bc.ca

604.485.2878

Join the Powell River Women in Business and Deborah Reynolds, Professional Speaker

The Business Acceleration One-Day Bootcamp™ Saturday, February 21, 2015 9 am – 5 pm Invaluable business building and management tips in a day jam-packed full of information, tips, and strategies to help you build your business. You’ll walk away thrilled, with an Action Plan ready to implement!

Get your tickets before Feb 14 and pay just $185 (includes lunch) Wait until Feb 15 and you’ll have to pay the full price: $495.

Visit prwomeninbusiness.com for tickets. Can’t make it Saturday? Join us for a fun Friday night networking event 6:30 – 9 pm “Networking in a Small Town in a Big Way” $10 at the door, RSVP appreciated! info@prwomeninbusiness.com

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2 • prliving.ca

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Western Forest Products invites you to paddle the 11 lakes along the Powell Forest Canoe Route. This is one of our community’s premier facilities and is jointly managed by Western Forest Products and Recreation Sites and Trails BC. The canoe route will take you into the heart of the working forest where Western Forest Products is dedicated to excellence in visual quality. This means that every area we harvest is designed to look good. And looking good is important to us. About 40 percent of what we harvest can be seen from our numerous lakes and recreation sites. Managing this forest is a foundation of our region’s economy. A sustainably managed working forest with a well-maintained canoe route is just one more way Western invests in Powell River’s long-term health. When our forests look good, we all look good.

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DODD LAKE PLANNING HORSESHOE LAKE RECREATION LANDSCAPE TRAILS

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WORKING FOREST VIEWSCAPES HARVEST CUT BLOCK KHARTOUM LAKE TOURISM

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VISUAL QUALITY LOIS LAKE POWELL LAKE CANOE ROUTE DIGITAL MODELS AESTHETICS

Visual Quality Objectives

Looking good, Powell River

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POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 2015 •

“Old-timers used to complain that it [the 1940 Powell Stores building] looked like a spaceship had just set itself down in the middle of town! “- Ann Nelson, page 10

CONTRIBUTORS

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUNG LOVERS? Wait for the right person even if it means waiting a long time.

SUSAN CLARK grows her own food on a five-acre property south of town and writes about rural life..

“There is no remedy for love but to love more.” Henry David Thoreau.

CONTENTS FEBRUARY 2015 This magazine is 100% locally owned and operated Powell River Living is supported entirely by our advertisers. We encourage you to choose the businesses that you see in these pages. We do. Member of:

Lowes in Love

Winning at Valentine’s for 64 years

I Made the Move

From Beijing, for the air

Putnam Bee Musical

What’s the buzz?

Retro Ramble

Main Street, Powell River

Year of the Sheep Lunar New Year

Fibre Fiesta

Urban Homesteaders, unite!

Throw the Circle Wide Local Métis resist exclusivity

Publisher & Managing Editor

Isabelle Southcott • isabelle@prliving.ca Associate Publisher & Sales Manager

Sean Percy • sean@prliving.ca Sales & Marketing

Suzi Wiebe • suzi@prliving.ca Special Projects Coordinator & Graphics

Pieta Woolley • pieta@prliving.ca Accounts Receivable

Lauri Percy • lauri@prliving.ca

Hello, Powell River

Recycling guru

Mid-life Career Change Roger Whittaker, cameraman

Ewok Village Surprise

Financial literacy, from Star Wars

Community Calendar

Films, homesteading, inclusion

What’s Up

Twin Kennedy

Take a Break

Horoscope and Crossword

Business Connections ON THE COVER Cast members of the 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee prepare for their show at the Max Feb 12, 13 & 14. From left to right are Ciara Maguire, Sydney Spenst and Jeremy Hopper. See Page 9 for details. photo by Sean Percy

4 • prliving.ca

And Mail Bag

Special O Rocks

Curling team ready for provincials

6 8 9 10 12 14 17 18 20 22 24 25 26 28 29

JERED DEVRIES and his wife Hayley moved to Powell River a year ago from Nelson. He is a film photography junky, whittler, doodler, collector of old things, sailboat floater, and a vintage motorcycle enthusiast. .

Spend time with your partner.

COCO KAO is the Immigrant Services Coordinator for Powell River Immigrant Services. She loves helping immigrants and other newcomers connect with the community and enjoy the beauty of Powell River. She was born and raised in Taiwan and came to Canada in 1998 and moved to Powell River with her family in 2009. She loves taking her daughters hiking and swimming outdoors.

Slow down.

ANN NELSON runs the Patricia Theatre and loves the history of the Townsite.

Be faithful to each other while honouring your abilities.

CAMERON REID is a retired United Church minister with a passion for curling and storytelling. Be with somebody who makes you the best possible version of yourself. Young people are dreamers and it can be pretty easy to find yourself swept up in a relationship that has no true meaning.

SYDNEY SPENST is a Grade 11 student at Brooks Secondary School. She has been doing musical theatre for six years and loves Shakespeare. Sydney plays violin, cello and piano. She is playing the part of Rona Lisa Peretti, a big shot realtor and the host of the 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

We welcome feedback from our readers. Email your comments to isabelle@prliving.ca, or mail to Powell River Living, 7053E Glacier Street, Powell River, BC V8A 5J7 Tel 604.485.0003 No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions that may occur. © 2015 Southcott Communications. We reserve the right to refuse any submission or advertisement.

Volume 10, Number 2

ISSN 1718-8601

Powell River Living is published by Southcott Communications.

Complete issues are available online at:

www.prliving.ca

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK

Happy 9th anniversary to PR’s favourite mag This month we publish the 10th February issue of Powell River’s only independent monthly community magazine. We are grateful to have made it this far because, quite frankly, it wouldn’t be any fun to write the magazine’s obituary. We can’t thank our advertisers and readers enough for their support for without them, we wouldn’t still be here. As associate publisher Sean Percy says, our advertisers go where the readers are! To thank Powell River, we are launching a “Love Your Non-Profit” contest. To enter, write a 500-word

story on why you believe your non-profit is the most deserving non-profit in Powell River and send it to isabelle@prliving.ca before March 30. The winning non-profit will receive $500 plus a fullpage colour ad in the May issue of Powell River Living. We hope this combination of cash and space will give one of our non-profits a financial boost and the opportunity to tell the community their story. Speaking of love, it’s Valentine’s Day on February 14! If you want to do something special and unique for your sweetie, you could always buy the combo dinner/ theatre tickets at Brooks Secondary for the 14th followed by the Putnam Spelling Bee musical. Love is beautiful at any age as our story on Page 6 shows us. Writer/photographer Jered Devries has a touching photo essay of Howard and Esther Lowe’s 64year love story. Lunar New Year is February 19 and marks the beginning of year of the sheep in the Chinese calendar.

Coco Kao, Powell River’s immigrant services coordinator, wrote a story about how different Asian cultures celebrate the special occasion. Writer/photographer Susan Clark shares a recent Fibre and Fabric weekend put on by Kevin Wilson of Urban Homesteading School of Powell River. See her photo essay on Page 14 and find out why more people are interested in urban homesteading these days. Every month we try to bring you a variety of stories that we hope will engage and interest you. If you have a story idea or would like to write for us, email isabelle@prliving.ca Thanks again for being part of our journey and supporting Powell River’s only community magazine since February 1996.

ISABELLE SOUTHCOTT | isabelle@prliving.ca

February - a perfect month for cozy rewards. Purchase any electric space heater during February, and receive 150 bonus reward miles.

Earn with every purchase! POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 2015 •

Still together after 64 years

A 100-mile love story PHOTOS AND STORY BY JERED DEVRIES In a world consumed with immediacy and convenience, it is becoming increasingly rare and beautiful to find couples who manage to stick together through thick and thin for many years. I had the humbling experience of sitting down with a lovely couple who have done just that, and much more. I listened to their many stories, experienced their sharp wit and endless humour, and asked them a few questions. Here is a small part of our conversation. Meet Howard and Esther Lowe. Howard and Esther grew up in a much simpler time in Northern Saskatchewan. The two met at a church camp, and after a little persuasion and a lot of persistence, they started dating.

What first attracted you to each other? Esther • (laughs) I didn’t like him at first, I didn’t like his humour. What flipped the switch? Esther • One year I came home from camp, and told my mom there was this crazy guy at camp, the next year I came home, we started going together. Is he still crazy? Esther • I’m used to his sense of humour. (Laughs) Tell me about when you first started dating?

February 14 is Valentine’s Day, an annual celebration of love. It is a day when lovers send chocolates, flowers and heartfelt cards. But true love, as we all know, needs to be nurtured more than once a year. This love story and photo essay examines the necessary ingredients for love to bloom and grow forever. 6 • prliving.ca

Howard • We had a hundred-mile-apart engagement. We saw each other maybe once in every two months. I didn’t have a car so I would have to hitchhike one hundred miles to go see her.

Did you find it hard to be in a long distance relationship? Howard • Maybe it was easier than a close one (laughs). We didn’t have a chance to argue… In 64 years, what strategy have you developed to deal with arguments? Howard • Well she is the boss of the family, so .... What did your parents think about each other? Esther • First my mother wasn’t too fond of him, then she got really fond of him, in fact she said if we broke up he could go home to her. (Laughs) Howard and Esther moved to Powell River on a whim after Howard had a job offer teaching elementary school, which was his preferred demographic, because according to him, “I wouldn’t teach junior high school, they know too much until they realize that they don’t know anything.” When they got to town, the first person they called was social services to start fostering children, a trend that continued for many years. In total, they have

“I didn’t have a car so I would have to hitchhike one hundred miles to go see her.” – Howard Lowe, on romancing his bride-to-be in 1950s Saskatchewan

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Howard and Esther Lowe arrived in Powell River and immediatly started fostering children. Over the years, they’ve helped raise more than 60 children – all the while relying on each other for support and joy. Top right: Howard and Esther’s wedding day. Above and right: with some of their many foster children. fostered more than 60 children. They have received many awards for their contributions and once even won a trip to travel anywhere in the world. Not surprisingly, they chose to go down to the United States to attend an international fostering conference! A true testament to their selflessness and passion for helping children. Fostering so many children surely came with many joys and struggles. Countless birthday parties, weddings, tears and smiles have filled Howard and Esther’s home throughout the years, and the common foundation holding it all together was undoubtedly each other.

What’s you secret for maintaining a long-lasting enduring relationship, or is it just good ole’ fashioned hard work ? Esther • Good old fashioned hard work is right, we had 60 kids! Howard • Get out of the building, when you get mad at each other. Just get out of the building. Do you have any advice for new couples? Howard • The world is so different right now, that the advice we might give probably doesn’t apply today. The world is so full of electronics. It was a lot easier to

grow up in a world without technology. A simpler life.

Who is the romantic one in the relationship? Howard • Well I’d say you are. Esther • I think you are. Going into this interview, part of me hoped that Howard and Esther would have some invaluable advice, or perhaps a “magic recipe” for long term relationship success. Near the end of our conversation, I began to realize that it isn’t that simple. There is no such remedy when dealing with something as delicate and unique as love, and I feel that just makes

it all the more special. Howard and Esther Lowe are shining examples that permanence in relationships is indeed possible, and the “magic recipe” for relationships is not a tried and true recipe that is handed down like Grandma’s famous cookie recipe. Rather, it is a recipe that embraces change, and is adaptable to all the many spices that life throws at you. Howard and Esther found their recipe that worked for them, and it was very much evident from my short time with them that their humour, selflessness, and even a bit of good ole’ fashioned hard work has seen them through 64 beautiful years.

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POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 2015 •

I MADE THE MOVE

Clean air draws accomplished family H arry and Cindy Wang moved to Powell River from Beijing with their 12-year-old son Frank. Harry used to work as the vice-president of a foreign investment company and Cindy was a human resources and financial department manager before they moved here. They purchased the Gourmet Canton Restaurant on Glacier Street to start their new adventure in Canada. Harry, Cindy, and Frank love nature and have found their sweet spots at Willingdon Beach and Powell Lake. Harry said he cannot wait to explore the beautiful trails in the summer time. He also loves playing table tennis and swimming, and Cindy loves walking on the beach trails.

Why did you choose to move to Powell River? Both • We love Beijing as it is the city where we were born and grew up; however, it is a very crowded city and has air pollution problems. Frank has serious allergy issues and we would really like him to grow up in a place with better air, water and more space. Powell River is a clean and peaceful town with warm West Coast weather. We know it is the perfect town for us to settle down in. When? Where from? Both • We arrived in December. We were both born and raised in Beijing, China. What surprised you about Powell River once you moved here? Both • We were very surprised how close we can be to nature, especially the ocean.

MODERN FAMILY: Cindy and Harry Wang left intense careers in China’s finance sector for a radicaly different life in Powell River. Here, they’re exploring the beaches, forests and running the Gourmet Canton restaurant, while son Frank, 12, soaks up the fresh air. Harry • My favourite place is Willingdon Beach. Cindy • My favourite place is the seaside trail between the ferry terminal and the Beach Garden Resort.

How did you first hear about Powell River? Both • We heard about this place though our immigration agency.

Both • Powell River is such a beautiful place that has so many natural resources. We would like to introduce Powell River to more people by developing tourism.

If you were a fly, which wall in town would you like to inhabit? Both • As we are new in town, we would like to know more about people’s lives in Powell River. We are very curious about other people’s houses, and what they do everyday.

What made you decide to move to Powell River? Both • We had the opportunity to visit Kamloops, Chilliwack, and some cities on Vancouver Island, but Powell River was our final choice as we think it is the perfect city for our family.

What could make Powell River a nicer community? Both • We are very satisfied with our life in Powell River right now.

What are Powell River’s best assets? Both • The nature!

Where is your favourite place in Powell River?

If you were mayor of Powell River what would you do?

What is your greatest extravagance?

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Both • We really care about Frank’s education. We think children’s future and education are the best investment.

Which talent or superpower would you most like to have? Both • We are eager to get to know people in Powell River and make new friends. We are studying English, but it is very difficult to achieve this with the language barrier. If we could choose a talent or superpower, we would like to speak English very well and be able to express our feelings and understand others right away. If you know someone we should feature in I Made the Move, please email isabelle@ prliving.ca with your idea.

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Can you spell omphaloskepsis?

Buzz along with Bee

BY SYDNEY SPENST

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a musical unlike any other. It combines the constant and steadfast elements of a script with the unpredictable and exciting tones of improvisation. The show is centered on nine characters, six of whom are prepubescent competitors for the coveted spot in Nationals. One of the amazing things about the cast is that we have all worked with Megan Skidmore, Paige Anderson, and Carma Sacree previously in musicals at the Powell River Academy of Music. That made it much easier to dive right

PUTNAM COUNTY What: The Tony Award-winning musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, performed by Brooks Secondary students When: February 12, 13 & 14, 7 pm Where: The Max Cameron Theatre Why: Be prepared to be highly entertained and sucked into the world of competitive spelling as the characters test their abilities and learn valuable lessons about themselves and others along the way.

OMPHA-WHAT? Oh, and by the way, if you didn’t know what omphaloskepsis means, don’t worry you’re not alone, neither did we. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary it is the contemplation of one’s navel as an aid to meditation.

into the material and start playing off each other. It is a good thing too, because we had a lot of work ahead of us. I think I speak for the entire cast when I say the music is definitely the biggest challenge. Just ask our music director Megan and she will tell you that our three hour Sundays can be pandemonium. I play the character of Rona Lisa Peretti, a big shot realtor and the host of the Bee. Rona is to spelling bees, what Effie Trinket is to the Hunger Games. She keeps things running smoothly, and will do anything to ensure it stays that way. The first time I watched the musical I knew I loved Rona. Not only does she bear the name of a hardware store, she is certifiably nuts (in a good way!). Our director Carma helped us all find our inner spellers with character building exercises. However, I quickly discovered how to get into the mind set of Rona because, as one of my fellow cast members put it “Sydney, you are Rona!” The reason this musical is so original, simply put, is that it proves anyone can be a speller! The show incorporates audience volunteers who have the confidence and stamina to participate in the bloodthirsty

SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR: Making middle school marvellous, the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee features six quirky adolescent characters and three rawther unique adults. photo by Sean Percy cerebral sport that is spelling. Learning how to work with audience volunteers is a beneficial, yet intense process. We all had to learn to expect that the show was “subject to change” at any moment.

We also had to face the impossible task of not laughing at each other’s jokes during a scene because this musical is H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S. The play is recommended for ages 13+, so you may want to leave your little spellers at home.

Discipline

mind your

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Heroes don’t bully POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 2015 •

Townsite celebrates heritage week Feb 16 to 22

Main Street Make-over T BY ANN NELSON

AN ELEGANT STROLL: This photo, snapped in the mid-1940s, shows the Mill bus turning onto Ocean View Avenue from Second Street. On the right side of the street, note the low, flat Powell Stores building. Currently, it’s being rehabilitated, but it has served as a grocery store, billiards parlour, bingo hall, and other uses in its history. photo courtesy of the Powell River Historical Museum.

here’s something magical and evocative about the words Main Street, whether it’s a Disney version of the quintessential Main Street, USA, our memories from our childhood of the adventures and delights to be found shopping with our parents downtown, or the idealized visions we’ve absorbed from books and movies. Both are magical and magnetic. How many times have we heard long time Powell River residents tell their own stories about having repeatedly escaped their own backyards and gone downtown to savour the delights of the soda fountain, the cinema, the toy store windows and the candy store? In our town, at least three of the villages and hamlets that became the greater Powell River in 1955 had their own main streets, and every child in Cranberry Lake, Westview and what is now known as the Townsite had their own hangouts and hideouts: bowling alleys and pool halls, sweet shops and barber shops, confectionaries and drugstores, and everything else that makes up the heart of our neighbourhoods. This year, the theme of Heritage Week in British Columbia has been designated the celebration of Main Streets: at the Heart of the Community. Whatever your main street was called, wherever it was located, it was bound to be the living, breathing centre of neighbourhood life. In the Townsite, it has always been Second Street, or Ash Avenue, and the streets branching off: Yew, Walnut and Ocean View, or Marine. When the steamships docked at the Mill wharf, all the passengers were funnelled straight up the hill via our main street, there to seek out a hotel and steam bath, or friends and relatives, or to report for work and be assigned to a crew and a tent or bunkhouse. After settling in, exploring the amazing variety of shops and services would be their first order of business, just as it is today whenever we move into a new place. Our main street was also home to the first elementary

school, all the churches, the cinema, even the playing fields and bandstand: truly the heart of our little frontier community, hanging on the edge of the continent. Even though the Townsite was a company town, there were lots of entrepreneurs offering every convenience in addition to the Company Store which was lodged first in the Central Building (where the Mill Security Offices now stand), then in the Brooklon building when the Company bought Sing Lee’s China Block and renamed it for the founders, and finally in the delightfully anachronistic Powell Stores building commissioned in 1940 from rising young Vancouver architect, Charles Van Norman.

“When the steamships docked at the Mill wharf, all the passangers were funnelled straight up the hill via our main street, there to seek out a hotel or steam bath....” Old-timers used to complain that it looked like a spaceship had just set itself down in the middle of town! This new Powell Stores offered everything an isolated community could ask for: clothing stores, a grocery store, barbershops and beauty shops, a department store with the newest fashions in home furnishings and appliances, and a coffee shop…all under one roof. For a while, it even provided space for the local CIBC branch. The feel of our main street changed forever when the Powell River Company sold the Mill and the Townsite to MacMillan-Bloedel in 1955. Mac-Blo didn’t want to

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Beyond books find your roots at the Library

Genealogy 101 A workshop for beginners with expert Pamela Voss. Wed., Feb. 18, 3–5 pm at the Rec Centre (Elm Room). Registration required. LADIES WHO LUNCH: This bustling coffee shop, in the Powell Stores building, once fed the working men and women of mid-century Main Street Powell RIver. photo courtesy of the Powell River Historical Museum. be landlords of the company houses and commercial buildings and didn’t want “civilians” using their steamship wharf and trooping through the Mill three times a week. So the houses were sold to the workers, and the businesses and services that populated Second Street gradually migrated to the streets of Westview and its more accessible wharf. When home postal delivery was being introduced in the late ‘50s to the amalgamated City, they even changed the name of our main street from Second Street to Ash Avenue! Over the years, despite reinventions of the Powell Stores building when it was purchased by the Hudson’s Bay Company and Overwaitea operated the grocery store there, and subsequent incarnations as an auction house and billiards parlour, a bingo hall, and various other enterprises, our main street had a serious case of the dwindles. The churches and sweet shops and barber shops and post office and everything else that had been the heart of our community had moved to Westview, or closed, except for the cinema, the gas station and the hotel.

Over the years, several brave businesses have staked their claims in the Townsite, re-energizing the Federal and Provincial buildings, the Bank of Montreal and retail space at the Rodmay, but the Powell Stores building was no longer the hub of it all. But that, friends, is about to change: there’s new life being transfused into the Townsite’s heart with the re-development of that classic Van Norman building going on right now. Watch for a tasteful rehabilitation of the building to unfold over the course of this year, now that most of the structural issues have been dealt with: lots of exposed natural wood elements, colour schemes that are harmonious with the heritage district and the main street neighbours; lots more windows and light; lots of really interesting businesses and services all to be accommodated under one roof, again, something that will truly lift the spirits and engage visitors and locals alike. So please, come visit us anytime and see for yourself. Yes, thank you. Our Townsite Main Street is alive and well and once again becoming the Heart of the Community.

Houses, Histories and Heritage: Vol. II coming soon We’ve all heard and used the old sayings “the walls have ears,” and “if these walls could only speak.” Local historian and author, Karen Southern, has a real gift for unlocking the stories absorbed over the years into the walls of all the Townsite buildings and fascinates us with her storytelling in the second volume of her monumental work, House Histories and Heritage. Where Volume I traced the birth, life and fate of all the vanishing buildings in the Townsite, and Volume III will relate the stories of “New Town,” fanning out along the hillside, Volume II focuses on Powell River’s original Main Street and the earliest houses built by the Powell River Company that still survive. In a marvellous instance of serendipity, the theme this year for Provincial Heritage Week is “Main

Streets: at the Heart of the Community” and it feels like a made to order celebration for the Townsite’s Old Town. Karen’s project has spanned nearly two decades of research, interviewing, and writing. It truly would only have become feasible for the Townsite Heritage Society to publish for the community with the advent of digital publishing. Having Robert Dufour of Works Consulting join the team to provide design and layout expertise has made it possible to translate all of Karen’s earliest labour in formatting her magnum opus into a printerready form, but it has still been a long process. It is with great pride that you are invited to explore the histories of the buildings at the heart of our National Historic District. ~ Ann Nelson

Research your Roots A presentation of print and web resources with experts Claudia Cote and Ray Sketchley. Thurs., Mar. 5, 6:30–8 pm at the Library. Registration required.

Ancestry Library Edition Dig into your family history with this library database, filled with historical records spanning Europe, Australia, and Canada.

connect imagine inspire visit us at powellriverlibrary.ca 4411 Michigan Avenue 604-485-4796 POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 2015 •

Happiness, prosperity, wealth

Sheep ushers in peace BY COCO KAO

unar New Year is the first day of the lunar calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon. The Lunar New Year usually falls in late January or February. In 2015, Lunar New Year’s day is Feb 19th. Many Asian cultures celebrate events related to the Lunar calendar, although some have adopted January 1 as their national New Year celebration. The cultures that still celebrate Lunar New Year as one of their most important holidays are Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Many immigrants from these cultures continue to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Canada and welcome friends from different cultures to share their traditions. Many cities in Canada host Chinese New Year parades and in 1997, Canada Post began issuing stamps of the 12 zodiac animals. Korean and Vietnamese Canadians have also introduced Lunar New Year celebrations in schools, work places, and their communities.

Chinese New Year

The Chinese character for the word year used to mean beast. According to legend, the beast attacked animals and humans at the end of every year. The humans eventually realized that it hated noise and anything red – so

they hung red papers on their doors, and made noise by lighting firecrackers and chopping meat and vegetables. The next morning, they greeted each other and celebrated not being eaten by the beast. This led to the Chinese traditions of writing wishes on red papers and sticking them on doors and windows, making noise with firecrackers, the dragon dance, making preparations for a big feast, and greeting relatives and friends on the first day of the New Year. Traditional dishes for the New Year’s eve feast vary by area, but some common foods are: hotpot and stuffed rice balls (representing happy reunion); dumplings and spring rolls (wealth); rice cake (children grow taller or work promotion); fish (the Chinese word for fish sounds like their word for surplus); oranges and tangerines (peace and good fortune); and candies served on a round tray in hopes that everyone will talk sweetly for the whole year.

How to ring in Chinese New Year Do:

• Sweep or clean the bad luck out of the home and off the body before New Year’s eve. • Make offerings to the ancestors.

YEAR OF THE GOAT (SHEEP OR RAM)

• Give lucky money in red envelopes to children and seniors.

In Lunar astrology, years are represented by animals in an established order that repeats every 12 years. According to a Chinese legend, a competition was held and 12 animals were chosen for the zodiac. Each animal represents a personality. This is the year of the Goat. People who were born in the year of Goat are elegant, highly accomplished in the arts, wise, gentle, and compassionate. The lunar-based zodiac has slight variations in China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. For example, the Vietnamese zodiac has a cat instead of a rabbit. To learn your animal year in the Chinese Zodiac, go to: www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/

• Wear new clothes (particularly red and gold) on New Year’s day.

Don’t:

• Clean or sweep on New Year’s eve or New Year’s day (sweeps away luck) • Shower or wash hair. • Greet people who are arguing with others. • Say something that might bring bad luck.

Korean New Year

The Korean Lunar New Year, Seollal, is one of the most celebrated national holidays in Korea. Korean New Year is typically a family holiday. Many visit their parents and relatives in their hometowns, where their ancestors are honored with offerings of symbolic foods in an ancestral rite called Charye. Some Koreans dress up in colorful traditional clothing called Hanbok though, nowadays, small families tend to be less formal. A traditional Korean food for celebrating New Year is called Tteokguk. The dish consists of a broth or soup

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HAPPY NEW YEAR Lunar New Year Wishes for happiness, prosperity, and wealth Cantonese: Gung Hey Fat Choy Mandarin: Gong Shi Fa Chai Korean: Sae hae bok manhi bah doo seh yo Vietnamese: Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

Mut Tet (canned fruit). A Mam Ngu Qua (five-fruit tray) will be prepared for the ancestral altar during the Tet holiday. It symbolizes admiration and gratitude to heaven, earth and the ancestors. In preparation for the New Year, homes are cleaned and decorated with beautiful flowers. Some families have a New Year Tree (Cây nêu), a five to six metre bamboo pole decorated with good luck charms to ward off evil spirits. Other activities during Tet include the lighting of lanterns, paying respect to ancestors, playing games and participating in competitions demonstrating knowledge, strength, and aestheticism.

How to ring in Vietnamese New Year Do:

(guk) with thinly sliced white rice cakes (tteok). The custom of eating Tteokguk on the first morning of the year is said to have originated in ancient times. The white color of the cake represents brightness. In Korean, there is a saying, “Eat a bowl of Tteokguk and grow a year older.” Many Koreans play games during the New Year celebration. Traditional games for men and boys include flying kites and playing Jegichagi, a game like Hackysack in which a light object is wrapped in paper or cloth and kicked in the air. Traditional games for women and girls include Neolttwigi (like acrobatics on a seesaw), and Gongginori, (like jacks without a ball) played with five gonggi (originally pebbles, now colorful plastic). One of the most significant customs is the lighting of a moon house made from firewood and branches in order to ward off evil spirits for the New Year. Many also choose to add wishes they want to come true. Traditional ways to avoid bad luck include bringing in their slip-

pers before going to bed so that wandering spirits will not take them – and staying awake all night until the sun rises on New Year’s day to “protect the new year”. An example of a traditional lucky charm is a bokjori (bamboo rice strainer). It is hung near doors in belief that this will help filter out the bad luck and bring in good luck all year long. The Lunar New Year (Tết) is an important celebration in Vietnamese culture. Seven days prior to Tet, traditional families offer a farewell ceremony for Ong Tao (kitchen God) to go up to heaven. It is said that he makes an annual report of the family’s affairs to the Jade emperor every year. A ceremony to welcome Ong Tao back to the kitchen may be hosted on New Year’s eve. Essential food for Tết are Gio Cha (Vietnamese ham or sausage), Banh Chung (square steamed cake), Xoi (sticky rice), Thit ga (boiled or steamed chicken), and

• Give people anything red or shaped like a dog (the Vietnamese word for dog sounds like wealth).

• Hurt or kill animals or plants; set them free. • Eat shrimp as shrimp moves backwards (away from success). • Sweep away luck, especially on New Year’s day. • Give gifts such as clocks or watches (represents time passing), cats (similar pronunciation to the word for poverty), anything black such as ink (unlucky color), or scissors/knives (incompatibility).

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Getting enough fibre? Thanks to a region hungry for lost skills, Kevin Wilson’s Urban Homesteading School of Powell River has become the place to see and be seen. In January, Kevin (right) organized a weekend-long fibre seminar, with instructors Fran Cudworth, Cam and Shawn Bailey, Roberta Pearson, Marlaine Taylor, Hana-Louise Braun, Val McKeen, Katrina Craig and Alice McCallum. Why sew and spin, in an era of big box fashion? Susan Clark asked the participants exactly that. Here’s what they said. “It keeps my hands busy so I can think.” - Kevin Wilson Screenings at the

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Powell River Métis Society

Guest speaker and youth activist Brodie Douglas presents:

“Métis in BC" Feb. 21, 7:00 p.m. at Club Bon Accueil Entrance by donation Contact Russell Brewer: 604-414-8310

“I felt I was paying homage to my craft when I learned how to spin wool and talked about the sheep from which it came.” -Susan Clark “Working with wool keeps my hands warm. Giving the hand knit toques, slippers, scarves etc to friends and family is very rewarding. When it is too cold and dark to garden then I keep my hands busy.” -Sally Kubany WILD & WOOLLY: Top left • Rachel Koopman-Gough learning to make art yarn on a drop spindle from teacher Katrina Craig. Left • Shawn Bailey holds an Inuit sewing kit made from bone and sinew. Above: Rug latching using old T-shirts, Dale Higgins, Pat Lewis, Sally Kubany and Lokwing Wong taught by Alice McCallum. photos by Susan Clark & Kevin Wilson

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Celebrating Our Heritage

Heritage Week ~ February 16th to 22nd ~

Tickets $10 at Breakwater Books, Brooks Office & VIU Mature subject material (13+)

Director: Carma Sacree Music Directors: Megan Skidmore (vocal) Nancy Hollman (band) Choreographer: Paige Anderson

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“It gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment.” -Shawn Bailey

“Handmade gifts are often the most loved. Making these gifts makes my heart happy.” -Donna Devine.

SECURITY BLANKETS: Top • Sharon Schultz and Tricia Sharp in Make Do and Mend taught by Fran Cudworth. Above • Marlaine Taylor and Dee Light display a quilt done in hand applique. Left • Teacher Marlaine Toylor shows off hand-applique.

HOMESTEADING SAMPLER What: Short presentations and hands-on activities, with a focus on planning for the coming growing season. Part of the Urban Homesteading School. When: February 27 Where: Cranberry Community Hall Why: Planning for gardens, small livestock, seed saving, infrastructure improvements, and more. There will be door prizes, coffee and snacks..

“I felt like I was joining a long line of people who had knit, spun, quilted from way back in time. I’m another link in the chain and one day my daughter and granddaughter will be in the chain too.” -Anonymous 2015 GRANTS

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Métis society: a place for belonging

A cozy community PIETA WOOLLEY | pieta@prliving.ca

HAPPY LOUIS RIEL DAY!

fter her father died when she was 12, Barb Rees lost track of her family. Growing up, she just assumed she was white, like most of her commu-

nity. It wasn’t until much later she discovered her Métis heritage. “In those days, people didn’t talk about it,” she recalls. “Finding out I’m Métis has changed me a lot. For the first time, I knew where I came from. It’s like a piece that was missing. ... “It’s made a big difference about how I feel about myself. To be able to say, those are my people. My greatgreat grandfather was a surgeon from Dublin, and his wife was aboriginal. I had no family roots before. Finding I am Métis has made me part of a huge family.” Barb is vice-president of the Powell River Métis Society, a group of about 30 people who “came out of the woodwork” when the society formed four years ago. On February 21, they’re hosting BC Métis Nation staffer Brodie Douglas, for a talk about BC’s unique Métis history (Feb. 16 is National Louis Riel Day). Since the club began, Barb and other members have delved deeper into their heritage. Many members have learned to bead and make moccasins in the unique Métis

What: The Métis Society hosts Brodie Douglas, for a talk about BC’s unique Métis history When: February 21, 7pm Where: Club Bon Accueil Also: Powell River’s Métis Society gathers for monthly potlucks the third Saturday of each month at 5 pm at Club Bon Accueil. style. They’ve learned about healing plants. And, more about Métis culture and history — from the conflicts on Manitoba’s Red River to the trap lines and camps of Métis throughout the West. The definition of Métis, which literally means “mixed blood,” can be political. But this year’s president, Russell Brewer (who is also a forester and a Powell River city councillor), says he’s committed to keeping the local club open to anyone who identifies as Métis. “We want to create a community for people who may be reluctant to reach out – a place to reconnect with heritage they may have lost,” says Russell, who grew up in the Métis-rich town of St. Boniface, Manitoba. “A number of folks may feel they don’t belong to any particular community. Métis gives them that opportunity to belong.”

SASH BASH: Since the Powell River Métis Society formed four years ago, Barb Rees (and others!) have reconnected with their heritage. In this photo, Barb shows off moccasins she made and beaded herself, plus her sash and the Métis Society crest.

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POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 2015 •

HELLO, POWELL RIVER BOB MATSON Passion: Recycling Position: Service rep at the Town Centre depot Other interests: Fly fishing, gardening

“We try to make this fun. Recycling should be fun.” “I’m not ‘an environmentalist.’ I take care of my little patch, but I don’t belong to a group. I think there should be discussion, not demonstration.” “If we keep going the way we were, say 20 years ago, not many places on this earth would be eco-friendly to the human race. We have problems with Ozone now because of emissions. Most countries have emission controls now to limit that. The dumps that we’ve built have contaminated areas, watersheds. Now we’re in the process of correcting our mistakes. It’s so future generations can live as we did and not have to worry about poisonous water and UV rays causing cancers. When I was a child, we didn’t have to worry about that stuff.”

Sorting your stuff since ‘74 BY PIETA WOOLLEY | pieta@prliving.ca ardboard boxes, flattened. No problem. Into the bin. But what about this? I dangle a curly piece of packing tape, ripped off one of my moving boxes, in front of Bob Matson, 59, recycler at the Town Centre location of Sunshine Disposal’s recycling depot. It’s stuck to a lengthy shred of cardboard fibre, resembling an industrial kelp leaf.

I really don’t think it’ll be accepted. “Toss it in,” Bob says. “When cardboard gets recycled, it gets made into a slurry. All of those plastics get strained out, before it gets made into other products. You also don’t have to take the windows out of envelopes.” There’s a reason Bob has such a fabulously complete answer for my question. Recycling, he believes, is the

key to changing the future. Each night, he spends a few hours on his computer, researching recycling: where do local products go and what are they made in to; trends in global recycling; innovations in new products made from recycled materials. His part in combating climate change, he says, is to be on the front lines in Powell River, helping people like me know more about recycling, enjoy recycling, and do

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as much recycling as we can. So he’s out here in the cold, four days a week, inspecting bits of paper, plastic, styrofoam and other materials – on behalf of Sunshine Disposal and the Powell River Regional District – ensuring they hit the right mega-bag. “I’m into it more than I thought I would be,” says the former hotel and transportation worker. “The fun part is teaching people. Explaining why. Watching families come in here and kids saying, ‘No, it goes in this bin.’ We have a four-year-old girl here who will be a super recycler when she grows up. She’s not shy to point out mistakes other people are making.” Way back in 1974, Bob was doing the same thing, more or less. When he was 19, Bob worked for Powell River’s first recycling program, a pilot called Action Recycle. The depot sat where Capone’s is now. Back then, he recalls, workers sorted glass into several colours to become stucco. They picked up the Town Crier and Powell River News and delivered them to the mill, for recycling. Far fewer products were accepted in the 1970s than are today, he notes. Waste diversion, Bob says, is “an ever changing game. Things that weren’t done five years ago are now in the stream. When I first started out, we were paper, tin and glass. Plastics and styrofoam were just going to landfill in 1974. Now they’re recycled. It’s just a matter of time before more things can be diverted - but there’s always a money factor. It’s gotta be viable, gotta be cost-effective.” More and more people drop their recycling at Town Centre, since it opened in October, said Bob. On average, recyclers pack 10 mega-bags per day. On December 22 – the depot’s best day ever – residents brought in 22 mega-bags worth of glass, plastics, styrofoam, metal, as well as cork, batteries, cellphones, pens, markers, highlighters and Ziplock bags. “It’s getting more interesting, the variation of product coming into the stream that we can send to Vancouver that has an end use,” he said. “That’s what this is all about. Not just recycling for the sake of recycling, but to make it into a new product that’s useable.” Zero waste is coming, he predicts. It may not be in his lifetime, but it will certainly be in the lifetimes of his nieces and nephews, he says. “It takes everybody doing a little bit to make it a viable thing.”

Garbage delight: by the numbers The good news: the vast majority of garbage Powell River creates can be diverted into compost and recycling. The bad news: much of it ends up in the landfill anyways. In 2008, an official PRRD waste composition study found that locals chuck their waste into the landfill in a very similar way to folks in other communities. 32 percent is compostable food waste 9 percent is paper 8 percent is plastic 7 percent are compostable paper products 4 percent is metal 2 percent is glass In other words, 62 percent of the landfill is immediately divert-able. This study is admittedly dated; there hasn’t been a similar study since. In 2012, the Let’s Talk Trash team conducted a waste audit of 16 commercial businesses. 92% could have been diverted Food scraps and paper towels made up 68% of the total volume collected. 10 percent was recyclable office paper.

There were other recyclables and reusable items found as well. But the future looks bright. In an email, PRRD’s Manager of Community Services Mike Wall noted that recycling rates are improving quickly, here in Powell River. “This past year with the new MMBC system and our Rural Depot (also Town Center) staffed depot model we are providing an exceptionally clean (less than 3% contaminate) recycling stream that is actually being recycled. “The past green bin unstaffed model was on average approximately 40% contaminated with (garbage or non recyclables). “This is a remarkable improvement moving from 40% to less than 3% contamination and is a reflection of the passionate work of our education team Let’s Talk Trash, Sunshine Disposals depot staff and the public’s positive efforts. Management at MMBC has also been very supportive in working with us to provide the Town Center Depot and we look forward to working with them to tweak and improve the service further.”

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The 2014 Christmas Season at the Salvation Army was a great success with just under 200 Christmas food hampers going out to those in need and serving about 200 people at the annual Christmas Dinner. We wanted to take this opportunity to thank the many businesses, organizations, groups, schools, churches, and individuals who helped. Whether by financial donation, volunteering for the Annual Christmas Dinner, volunteering to pack and distribute Christmas Hampers or manning our Christmas Kettles, from the bottom of our hearts we say thank you. Together we continue to give hope in our community. All the best in the New Year! Captains BJ & Krista Loder, The Powell River Salvation Army

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POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 2015 •

The cameraman

Capturing Powell River the way it is BY ISABELLE SOUTHCOTT | isabelle@prliving.ca

When Roger Whittaker arrived in Lund almost 20 years ago, he had no idea that one day he would be recording community events and becoming part of Powell River’s history. The Prince Edward Island native found his way to the Sunshine Coast via Kelowna and Alberta where he’d been working before being injured in a construction accident. Roger was scaffolding when a piece of 1x4 expanded metal grating fell from above and punched a hole in his forehead through his construction

helmet, taking out half his frontal lobe. “I had a lobotomy,” he says. Roger wasn’t expected to live and spent a long time recovering. “I still am, he says, pausing. “Recovering, I mean. It’s ongoing because you never really recover from a brain injury.” Life as Roger once knew it, was over. “At 39, I had my entire life taken away from me. When I reemerged none of my previous life was there. The world was my oyster again, by force.” The climb back to health was long and arduous. “I knew it didn’t matter what I did as long as I did something every day

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WIRED IN WILDWOOD: In his boutique studio, Roger Whittaker caputures local author Linda Wegner speaking about her new book, 3D Success: Changing Careers in Midlife. After an injury at work, Roger was forced to change careers. Now, he makes corporate and training videos, spot ads and video booths at community events. photo by Isabelle Southcott so I just started doing stuff and that stuff has brought me this.” Roger reinvented himself and began doing things he enjoyed like attending art openings, hanging out at coffee shops,

going to poetry readings and political events. Along the way, he rediscovered his love for journalism and before long, his companion was a tape recorder and, later, a video camera.

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In 2004, while volunteering with CJMP radio, he noticed that many things happening in the community weren’t being captured and covered by the mainstream media. After leaving the radio station, Roger began volunteering at Shaw TV and worked with Justin Brophy. “He was amazing, “ says Roger. “He taught me a lot.” Roger bought his own camera in 2006 and before long, he was working the room at ferry commission meetings, all candidates meetings and chasing other stories that were going by the wayside. Since then he’s been recording citizen forums, all candidates debates and other events that were being missed and posting them on YouTube. “I was at the LNG meeting with 800 other people to record what happened.” In his gray felt hat, Roger looks a bit like a mixture between a journalist from another era and a gentleman out for a Sunday stroll. He likes video work because it allows him to record exactly what happened and show it like it is. “It’s very different to tell a story in print than

it is on TV,” he explained. “Some stories need to be told exactly as they unfold. I have a great disdain for editorializing and when stories are taken out of context.” His camera has set the record straight on more than one occasion. Roger recalls being told that hundreds of people showed up at a ban the library from Willingdon Beach protest when that wasn’t the truth. “I was there all day with my camera and only 50 people showed up and I could prove it.” As much as he loves camera work, it doesn’t pay the bills and feed his young family…at least, not yet. “Everything I do is 100 per cent volunteer,” Roger explains. “Marine Surveyors is my bread and butter right now but I want to grow my business, TV That’s Powell River, to be a viable business. “I’ve been building the infrastructure for the last two years. I now have a portable TV studio that I can take anywhere and shoot anything and if there is access to sufficient internet upload, within two minutes I can broadcast live. Anything a TV studio can do live, I can do.” TV That’s Powell River has live streaming broadcasting of events in the Powell River region and replays these shows. Roger can handle up to four cameras, two live computer feeds and eight jump drives of material at one time. He also has a full green screen studio with a virtual screen so he can do in house interviews with almost any background setting imaginable. In the meantime, Roger does corporate and training videos, 30 second spot ads and short interviews, including what he calls Happy Faces. “A Happy Face is when I set up a camera at an event and people tell me why they like this event,” he says. To see what TV That’s Powell River is all about visit www.tvpowellriver.com

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Thanks, Lego Ewok Village

Money month: what I wish I’d learned at 7 BY PIETA WOOLLEY | pieta@prliving.ca

n December of 2013, my son David decided he wanted the Lego Ewok Village set for Christmas. We had taken him to The Lego Store at Oakridge Mall in Vancouver – his Mecca – where he saw the set. His mind melted. The village is pretty cool. Four thick lego evergreens support a network of “rustic” tree houses and rope walkways, with a handful of clever booby-traps throughout. Alas, David was seven years old. The Lego Ewok Village is a $300, 2,000-piece set. As anyone with a Lego-crazy kid knows, there is just no way a sensible parent would buy this toy. It’s large. If you treat sets like museum pieces, they collect dust and are forgotten. If you let your kid play with them, the pieces enter the Lego maelstrom immediately, and goodbye, $300. More importantly, I didn’t want David to learn my own old, terrible money habits of “money comes, money goes.” Isn’t this the root of all parenting – fighting back against your own childhood? I have a well-spring of regret that informs by own financial decisions. As a child and teen, I was an absolute money airhead. Money I earned babysitting or face-painting at festivals I blew on gum and rainbow pencils, and the occasional Slurpee as I got older. New Wrought Iron Furniture & Home Decor now in stock. For indoors or out!

22 • prliving.ca

My first waitressing job, at 15, wasn’t lucrative (I was terrible at it), but every penny went right to the mall: hats from Fairweather, jewellery from Claire’s. By the time I arrived at university, I had nothing saved. Scarily, I hadn’t developed the good habits that might have saved me from the multiple credit card companies wooing students all over campus. So thanks to MasterCard and Visa, I took an epic road trip across America after third year (Route 66!) and maxed out the cards. By the time I’d graduated, I was deep in student loan and credit card debt, without the foresight to have chosen a career. Armed with a history degree and some moxie, I prepared to take on adulthood. One wild ride later, and here I am – relatively debtfree, but with a whole lotta learning under my belt. I’ll spare you the gruesome details. Needless to say, as an older and wiser mom, I want something different for David. Such as some basic financial literacy. So we made a deal with our son: save half the money for the Lego Ewok Village, and we’ll pitch in the rest. He agreed. For Christmas, the cheques from grandmas, aunts and great-grandmas came rolling in. The Lego Ewok Village stayed vivid in his mind. Where once he would have splurged immediately at the toy store, he didn’t

WHOO-HOO! IT’S TAX TIME. Tax forms are due on April 30, along with any money owing. For self-employed people and their partners, they’re not due til June 15. However, given the fiddly bits the feds have introduced into taxes, it would probably behoove all of us to get going on tax season early. For example, you’ll want to get your ducks in a row this month to chuck money into RRSPs, RESPs, TFSAs, and other funds – if you have any cash left over after all your wild parties... or just paying the mortgage. While e-filing taxes has become more common recently – 65 percent of Canadians filed electronically in 2013 – there are still benefits to seeing an accountant or a financial advisor at this time of year. Even if you think you’re beyond hope. Both First Credit Union (with Westview Agencies) and the local Bank of Montreal advertised their advising services in Powell RIver Living this month.

spend a penny. Everything went into his wallet, which he carried around with him religiously. He asked for extra chores, which we willingly gave him – 50 cents for Windexing the mirrors, $2 a week for clearing the dinner dishes every day without being asked. By the end of February, he had saved the $150, the

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LIKE FATHER, LIKE (CLONED) SON: Jango and Boba Fett are not part of the Ewok Village set. But they would like to remind you that it is tax season, and you should really make the effort to see an advisor. last $10 given to him by a Star Wars geek friend of ours who, at nearly 40, wanted to come over and play when the set arrived. We ordered it online (it was not available at any local stores), and waited. The delivery of the set was a momentous occasion. I have never seen another person as thoroughly triumphant as when David received the desktop-sized Ewok Village box. We let him stay home from school for a day, so he and dad could build it together. The evergreens and tree houses took a place of honour on our coffee table for months, a conversation piece with every adult guest who came over, and envy-producing centrepiece of every playdate. Months later, he disassembled it and stored in its box, to be re-assembled another time. Here’s what I’ve taken away from this experience: it worked. Since that February, David’s entire relationship with money has changed. He saves what he earns. He thinks about what he wants to buy, before he buys it. He considers the quality and longevity of what he buys. In other words, the $150 investment we made in the “other” half of the Lego Ewok Village I’d consider to be an

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investment in David’s financial literacy. Which isn’t to say we’ve figured this out – we try and fail to teach our kids stuff all the time; this one little lesson just happily stuck. We’re not done, of course. To negotiate the complicated 21st century adult world of credit, earnings, budgeting, loans and mortgages, investments, inheritances, and material temptations, David will need constant guidance for the next 11 years or so, and beyond. The Lego Group, which quadrupled its 2010 earnings to $14.6 billion in 2013, understands a thing or two about temptation and young children (and their sucker parents). But Lego is only the beginning of the temptations. Soon it will be shoes, bikes, skateboards, cars, student loans, and if he’s like me, the lure of the open road. Fortunately, local financial institutions are rising to the challenge of helping kids, teens and their parents learn about money, and recover from mistakes. Whether or not you find your own LEGO Ewok Village moment (and I hope you do), financial literacy is one of those areas that still falls largely to parents. And while I’m still a financial airhead, I’m with-it enough to be grateful for all the parenting help I can get.

We are under construction but we’re still open!

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• Your event listings for the calendar by the 20th of the previous month • Your stories and story ideas a month ahead

This spring, alongside your monthly PRL, Southcott Communications will bring you Zest, our new health and wellness magazine; Homegrown, revealing the best of local food and agriculture; Ferns & Fallers, BC’s only independent magazine covering forests and forestry, and others! Powell River Living publishes monthly, with a readership of about 12,000 in the region and on BC Ferries.

Mon–Fri 8-9, Sat 8-6, Sun 10-5 4720 Joyce Ave Store: 604 485-4649 Auto Parts & Services Centre: 604 485-4639

To contact us for stories and events, please email: publisher@prliving.ca

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604-485-0003 POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 2015 •

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

to February 5 American Sniper

powellriverlibrary.ca/content/roads-your-roots

February 19

At the Patricia Theatre, 7 pm.

Ensemble Vivant Catherine Wilson (piano and artistic director), Stephen Sitarski (violin), Norman Hathaway (viola, violin), Sybil Shanahan (cello), Don Thompson (vibes and bass) . 7:30. James Hall.

February 4 to 7 Inclusion Powell River festival See inclusionpr.ca for details

February 6

February 20

SD 47 Pro D day

Petunia and the Vipers

Schools closed

Country music troubador. Opening the show will be local minstrel duo Sonia Zagwyn and Cam Twyford. A show for you, your grandma, and your hipster sister! Doors open at 9 pm, show at 10 pm. $15 at the door

Raw Food Seminar - Pets! Learn about nutrition, health benefits, brands, feeding techniques, poop expectations, storage solutions, and more with raw food expert Donna Blower. Hosted by Mother Nature. 6pm to 7:30 pm. Basecamp Cafe. $10.

February 21

Tannis Sliammon House Concert

Business Acceleration boot camp

$20 and limited to 35 tickets. For details, contact pbuckna@shaw.ca 604-485-5198

Sponsored by WIB. 9 am Town Centre Hotel.

LEGO Triathlon

All-Ages Punk Show LINE TRAPS (Victoria), PUSSYCOCKS, RAZORVOICE and GUESTS, 8:00pm. Community Resource Centre

February 7

TAXI CALIENTE EN LA PLAYA: Rochelle Nehring will give us a glimpse of her impression of Communist Cuba in a solo show she calls Regarding Red. There will be a reception on from 7 to 9 pm on Feb 12 in the Malaspina Exhibition Centre at Vancouver Island University.

Horizon Business Awards The 20th Annual Horizon Business Awards, Auction and Dinner recognizes the accomplishments of the local business community in 14 categories and takes place at Dwight Hall.604-485-4051

Wine & Cheese gala at the French Club You are invited to a wonderful evening at the French Club. Chic atmosphere, great cheese paired with good wine. Call us at 604-483-3966 to reserve your spot.

Impressions of Love Print Making Workshop with Ursula Medley 2-4:00 pm at the Rec Complex “Elm Room”. Register with Mark at mmerlino@powellriverlibrary.ca or 604485-8664.

White Cane Week Try to navigate an obstacle course while blindfolded and using a white cane at the Town Centre Mall from 10 am to 3 pm. Organized by the Canadian Council of the Blind to give people a taste of the challenges faced by the visually impaired.

February 9 Stat: BC Family Day Free PR Kings Game At 2 pm, the Kings play the Nanaimo Clippers. Followed by a skate with the Kings players.

February 10 LGBT2Q Social Drop-in social evening for LGBT2Q people of all stripes and kinds! Music for dancing (but quiet enough to talk as well), bring your favorite board game, bring snacks. Coffee, tea, juice supplied. By donation to cover hall cost. 7 pm, Cranberry Community Hall. kevin.wilson100@shaw.ca

February 11 The One Voices Choir opening night

Jazz Matinee

February 13 Valentine’s Cafe on Texada TACT is sponsoring this fun evening of song, coffee and sweets featuring original contemporary folk songs by Yeo West with Jo. Cover charge is only $5.00 per person at the door. dandm500@gmail.com

February 14

Seniors over 80 are invited to a special Valentine’s Tea at the Cranberry Senior’s Centre, noon til 2 pm.

February 17 Darrelle London & Kevin Fox Perform at the Max. maxcamerontheatre.ca

Panto at the OK Corral

February 12

February 18 - 22

February 8 Kid-Dom of God A special program for adults offering guidance responding to children’s God-wonderings and spiritual experiences while the children enjoy fun, faith nurturing activities along with worship and song for everyone! ( 604 485 5724) With Linnea Good. 10:30 am United Church.

Art opening: Regarding Red Rochelle Nehring’s show about Communist Cuba. Opening at VIU, 7 to 9 pm.

Powell River Film Festival Community film festival featuring docs, dramas, shorts, student and local films. www.prfilmfestival.ca

February 18 Genealogy 101 The Powell River Public Library presents this free workshop as part of the Roads to your Roots series, 3-5pm at the Recreation Complex (Elm Room). Register at the library, 604-485-4796. For more information email Sandra: stonn@powellriverlibrary.ca or go to

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24 • prliving.ca

Métis in BC A special presentation by Brodie Douglas, hosted by the Powell River Métis Society, about the history of Métis in the province. 7 pm at Club Bon Accueil, by donation.

February 26

Shrove Pancake Dinner

February 6 - 8

Board Games by Night

Comedy Night The Edge U18 soccer team is having two comedians come to the Evergreen theatre for a comedy night. Tickets are $20 each.

“Light Verse and Heavy Guns”

Shrove Tues Pancake dinner at Powell River United Church ( Trinity Hall). $5. per person for pancakes, sausages, beverage. 5pm.

Join us the second Thursday of the month after the Library closes from 6:30-8:30 pm for BOARD GAMES BY NIGHT. Bring your own games or try one of ours. No registration necessary. This event is free and open to all ages. Games are for skill levels 10+. Settlers of Catan, Blokus, Pandemic, Mastermind, and Castle Panic.

Join Walter Martella, Doug Saunders, Rob Reed & Special Guests for an afternoon of Jazz at the Texada Legion. 1:30 to 4 pm.

Reading by author Dr. David Kellum on his book My Very Bestiary. 7 pm at the Library

Valentine’s Day Over 80s Tea

Everyone welcome. New singer orientation: 6:30pm. Choir from 7-8:30pm. Cranberry Hall. Contact Julia singitpowellriver@gmail.com or 414-6808.

With Theatre Now. Wild West for all ages. 7 pm Friday and Saturday; 1:30 pm Sunday, at Evergreen Theatre.

Hey Kids, bundle up your Lego to Build, Say, Display at the PR Public Library’s Lego Triathalon. The theme is “Village”. No official sets, creativity rules! 10:30 – 12:30 pm, United Church, 6932 Crofton Street. Coffee served. Door-prizes galore! Parents of children 7 and under, please remain for the duration.

Growing Sub-Tropical Plants in Powell River With botanist Ionatan Waisgluss. Thurs, Feb 26, 7-8:30 pm at the Cranberry Senior’s Centre, 6792 Cranberry Street. For more info contact Mark at mmerlino@ powellriverlibrary.ca or 604-485-8664.

February 27 Urban Homesteading School “Sampler Evening” Short presentations and hands-on activities for you to try out the Urban Homesteading School, with a focus on planning for the year ahead: planning for gardens, small livestock, seed saving, infrastructure improvements, and more. There will be door prizes, coffee and snacks. By donation. 7 pm, Cranberry Community Hall.

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WHAT’S UP It’s a Love Thing

We all know that February is for lovers but did you know that Powell River’s sweethearts, Twin Kennedy are making a name for themselves in the country music world? Carli and Julie Kennedy released their debut single, It’s a Love Thing, last month and it’s already hit country music airwaves. The twins are on a cross Canada tour in advance of the release of their first LP later this spring. Carli and Julie will be in Powell River for a full band show at the Max Cameron Theatre on Wednesday, April 15. The sisters have seven BCCMA award nominations to their credit. Twin Kennedy’s debut single is available on iTunes.

The power of attraction

Powell River’s city-and-tourism-led resident attraction program has already made a splash. At www. powellriver.info, you (and your out-of-town buddies) can view a set of videos, each profiling people who moved to Powell River to make a life here. The strategy – aimed to reverse Powell River’s climbing average age and enhance population growth – depends largely on local “ambassadors” to spread the word. That’s you, of course. Check out the Web site, and use the social media links to entice your friends and family to move here. As the strategy boasts, “Every new resident starts with a visit.”

60 years and counting

Inclusion Powell River celebrates 60 years of advocacy and support for people with diversabilities this month. Activities are planned between February 4 and 9. Free events include a theatre workshop on Feb. 4 from 1 to 3 pm.; a storytelling workshop on Feb. 5 from 1-3 pm; video shorts on Feb. 7 from 1-3 pm and a Family Day pancake breakfast on Feb. 9 from 9 am – 1 pm, which includes crafts, face

painting and a baby play area. All free events are at Community Living Place. For more info call 604 485-6411 #229 or register at eventbrite.ca.

Get out the popcorn

The Powell River Film Festival has announced its opening film: Mommy, an intense drama directed by Quebec phenomenon Xavier Dolan, won the Prix du Jury at Cannes. The Opening Gala Wednesday, Feb. 18, sponsored by Coast Realty, will feature live music, appetizers and a cash bar. Tickets now on sale: www. prfilmfestival.ca, Breakwater Books, and at the door of the Patricia Theatre Feb. 18 to 22.

White Cane Week

It’s National White Cane Week from Feb. 1 to 7. On Feb. 7, the Powell River Chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind will have blindfolded people finding their way through an obstacle course at the Town Centre Mall between 10 am and 3 pm. “Participants will be blindfolded and given a cane (they will have a guide) to go through the obstacle course so they can appreciate what it is like to try and

find your way around obstacles if you are blind,” says Dr. Geraldine Brakk, president of the Powell River Chapter. People will also be blindfolded and taken by car to different stores and go shopping.” “We will go grocery shopping, to the drug store, to Staples, Wal-Mart, and all kinds of different stores. This year’s participants include Mayor Dave Formosa, MLA Nicholas Simons, firefighters, Stewart Alsgard and Gale Alsgard. The white cane is a very important part of daily life for a lot of people and it takes courage to find independence to use it, says Braak. “We will also be demonstrating the different kinds of canes people use: an identification cane, a support cane and a probe cane.” As well, there will be a demonstration on how to identify money when you can’t see. “The dots on the new money is not Braille but they do identify the denominations very clearly.” For more info call 604 485-5028 or email gbraak@shaw.ca

Regarding Red

This month, local artist and photographer Rochelle Nehring will give us a

glimpse of her impression of Communist Cuba in a solo show she calls Regarding Red. There will be a reception on from 7 to 9 pm on Feb. 12 in the Malaspina Exhibition Centre at Vancouver Island University. Nehring says that she has been on fire for this subject since first going there in 2004 because every step of the journey is a photographic jewel. “It is changing very quickly and so many things are different each time I go,” she says. “With the exception of one painting of Che, I work from photos that I take right on the street. I feel very fortunate that my husband works for Che Guevara’s son, Ernesto. “I am on constant watch when I am there because it is a country that is right on the brink of massive change and what it is right now is going to be very different.” After studying in Alberta and then living in Northern B.C., she moved to Powell River with her husband two years ago. Her work has been shown in galleries in the Yukon, B.C., and Alberta. Her photographs have been chosen by BC Magazine and used by Tourism Victoria.

POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 2015 •

TAKE A BREAK Bottom paint • Fiberglass repair • Epoxy Transoms • Gelcoat colour matching Outboard Corrosion Repair Complete overhauls

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Powell River’s only locally-owned, full-service grocery store

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Your local horoscope

With Texada Island astrologist, Michael Moonbeam (astrologywithmichael@live.ca) We are all blended beings ‘Inclusion’ events at the Commuand each sign sheds light nity Living Place, check it out. on the other, so read them Cancer all! Making peace with (June 21/22-July 22/23) duality heals the heart. Mercury helps peel the mind of restrictive patterns. Venus and Mars start something transcendental; balance in relationship is their long-term strategy. Idealism, fantasy and defeatism are the obstacles.

Aries

locally owned since 1946

MARCH 2015 TOUR SCHEDULE

Mitchell Brothers’ Good Neighbour Loyalty programs helps support the community that est. 2004 has supported throught years. Day Trip March 1: ‘Pirates ofusPenzance’ - Nanaimo March 4: Nanaimo Casino Trip local produce in Day season Celtic Thunder Victoria WeMarch know11-12: people love local -products... March 14 16: Weekend Casino Trip - Lower so do we. We offer local produce andMainland March 17-18: Irish Rovers - Nanaimo

products when in season and available to us. “All you need is love. But a little bit of chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt”. - Charles M. Schulz

Butcher shop

tel: We 604.483.3345 would loveatofull-service have you join us! are proudWeto offer cell: 604.483.1408 heathertours.com

Butcher Reg. No. 30400 Shop, all cutting is done right in the BC store. Chose from a great selection of Dressed to Grill items, marinated steaks and kabobs, sausages made in store.

Leo

(July 23/24-Aug 22/23) Have you ever thought of roleplay for Valentine’s? Your charm reaches new heights as your own heart melts in courtship. Make no assumptions in legal matters.

(Mar 21/22-Apr19/20)

Can you feel the gathering energy? If possible, seek out a natural setting, maybe a photo shoot in Lund; anyplace where you see yourself and the world with different eyes.

Taurus 5687 Manson ave • 604.483.4011 open Daily 9 aM – 6 pM, Fri until 9 pM

Whoah! Perspective comes suddenly! You are stronger than you think and your guides are very close, so focus your mind. What you seek is seeking you!

Virgo (Aug 23/24-Sept 22/23)

Are you looking at West Coast Seed’s catalogue, yet? Consider planning a garden irrigation system! Double check details in everything; where is the truth?

Libra

(Apr 20/21-May 20/21)

Did you know you had so many friends? A pebble for your thoughts. Emotions clarify with a mystical beachwalk on Texada Island, consider your new role in the life.

Gemini

(Sept 23/24-Oct 22/24)

Partner up and take in the PR Film Festival this month then debrief over coffee! Be careful with your body, clear in your work, novel in love. Creativity climbs to the next level.

(May 21/22-June 20/22)

The world may be sending mixed signals but trust your instincts and choose the high ground. This month there are some great

in-store Bakery & Deli

Scorpio

(Oct 23/24-Nov 21/22) Home is the focus but the heart can be a confusing landscape.

What starts now takes a year to unfold. Cranberry Community Hall hosts an Urban Homesteading School ‘Sampler Evening’ on the 27th, that might help.

Sagittarius (Nov 22/23-Dec 21/22)

Insights pour in like water so get to the foundation of the issue. Through the mist find emotional clarity. February is the month to tune up the Feng Shui of your home or business.

Capricorn (Dec 22/23-Jan 19/20)

‘Use the blues’ to find the red. Your passion and self-worth depend on being more of an individual. Both colors are reflections of a mind best energized with fresh air.

Aquarius (Jan 20/21-Feb 18/19)

You are in your element Aqua-person! Continue to build on your goodwill foundation, there is much work ahead but resources are in place.

Pisces (Feb 19/20-Mar 20/21)

Your passions and independence are high, sharpen your thoughts and be ready to leap forward. This month the Evergreen Theatre presents the wild west show ‘Panto at the OK Corral’.

Travelling south?

Party Platters, salads made fresh in store plus much, much more.

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Need Valentine’s Day inspiration? Man flowers are in bloom. Pick up your beer bro-quet at Capones. Open 9 am to 11 pm daily Corner of Duncan & Joyce • 604 485-9343

All spirits and select beer at or below government liquor store prices!

26 • prliving.ca

216 – 4801 Joyce Ave

Be her

Valentines Day Hero Four-course meal. Wine pairings. View.

Reservations must be made specifying that this is what you are coming for. Otherwise, regular menu is available but reservations still preferred.

Call for details.

604 483-3545 info@shinglemill.ca www.shinglemill.ca

Proud Member of the PR Chamber of Commerce

Powell River Streets 1

Bill Bailey

604 223-0811

billbailey@coastrealty.com blog: privbillbailey.wordpress.com/

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5814 Ash Avenue

604-483-4130

local76@unifor76.ca Across 1) Dead end off Sutherland 5) Superman’s beau 6) Port town 7) Dallas family 9) Syrup 10) Where the Stamps play 14) King’s hat 15) Waterfall 19) Ice mass 21) Flash 25) Street to the end of the road 26) Northern territory 27) Mighty 29) Edgehill royalty 31) Leather maker 32) Nearby inlet 34) Sanctuary for birds 35) Donald and Keifer 36) Douglas’ street 37) Socrate’s tea

Down 1) Montreal airport 2) Second largest BC municipality 3) Please, sir? 4) Great Lake 8) Better than silver 9) Farley’s Avenue 11) Boggy fruit 12) James the writer 13) Royalty of Wildwood 16) Bark-shedding tree 17) Chef 18) Mountain municipality or red stone 20) Trembling 22) Macbeth’s victim 23) Nuu-chah-nulth 24) Sanctuary for souls 27) Populous provinc 28) Burned remainder, or a tree 30) Seaside drive 33) Guy duck

Solution for last month’s puzzle: “How well do you know Powell River?”

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The photo was taken from Valentine Mountain.

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Reiki Zen shiatsu Reflexology Aromatherapy Couples massage Four hands massage Pre and post natal massage Swedish & deep tissue massage

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Eve Stegenga

604 414-5991

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4680 Willingdon Avenue

Throw on your Chef’s hat and tickle their taste buds with our Valentine’s menu.

Gift Certificates & Mobile Service Available

Romance them at home!

Valentine’s Couples Massage 75 minutes for $150

604 414-9772

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Industrial & Residential Falling Danger Tree Removal Topping, Limbing, Pruning Clean-up/Chipper available On-Site Milling

Marie Eve Barnes

Bonus Points if you know the spot from which the photo is taken. 3

Reclaim your view

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4741 Marine Ave

604 485-4838

Great options to choose from starting at $39.99 Appies, Entres and Dessert We’ll even throw in the Rose! While stocks last. Details in Store.

POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 2015 •

BUSINESS CONNECTIONS BY KIM MILLER| office@powellriverchamber.com Harry and Cindy Wang are the new owners of the Gourmet Canton Restaurant. They recently moved here from Beijing with their 12-year-old son Frank. Former restaurant owners, Vanby and Emily Yee are staying in town for a few months to help get the Wangs get established before they move to Vancouver to be closer to their children. The Yees say they want to return to Powell River in the future. Zoe MacBean opened Many Hats Farm in-town

storefront/bakery/café last month at 4598 Marine Avenue. Zoe, who is well known for her Dakota bread and pretzels, is located across the street from Taws. She is open Tuesdays and Fridays between 7:30 am and 2 pm. Erik Blaney was voted in as the new president of the Sliammon Development Corporation on January 27. Erik, owner of Tla’amin Convenience Store and I’Hos Cultural Tours, will serve a two-year term. Sears Powell River moved to Crossroads Village on February 2. Carl Haakenson, owner/manager of Sears Powell River says it will be business as usual and invites

all present and future customers to drop by and check out their new premises. Sears is now located next to Dragon House Restaurant and West Coast Furniture. Carl says he will have an expanded selection of merchandise on display in the new store. There’s still time to get your tickets to the Horizon Business Awards. The annual celebration of business excellence takes place February 7 at Dwight Hall. To reserve your ticket call 604 485-4051 or email office@ powellriverchamber.com

Midweek Market The folks behind Myrtle Point Heritage Farm are launching the Powell River Midweek Market, showcasing local farmers and local food. Ezra Carroll and Gosia Kopania are organizing the market, which uses the same branding, and many of the same producers, as the outdoor Farmer’s Market and the weekend Winter Market. The Midweek Market will run Wednesdays from 4:20 to 6:30 pm at the Community Resource Centre at 4752 Joyce Avenue, beginning April 29.

We welcome feedback from our readers. Letters may be edited for length. Email isabelle@prliving.ca, or mail letters to PR Living, 7053E Glacier St, Powell River, BC V8A 5J7.

MAILBAG

Dear Powell River Living: Sorry for the delay in commenting on the story about me and prostate Cancer in the November issue of Powell River Living Magazine. Willie and I were both very pleased with the article.

You must have an extensive readership in Powell River, as every person that I know in Powell River (and that is many) has stopped me and commented positively on the article. I have also had two men contact me to ask questions about prostate cancer as they have recently been diagnosed. Your focus on prostate cancer month in November was obviously a great hit and a significant service to the community. Well Done! Keep up your excellent journalism for Powell River. Brian Bennett Dear Powell River Living, I was very impressed with the article featuring Jim Agius in Powell River Living.

Not just any date night: Valentine’s Special Menu 3 course meal for two - $55

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includes appy to share, an entree each, dessert to share

Reservations recommended

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Refreshingly Different

604-485-0010

Dog Gone Grooming Do you have a fur-baby? We’d love to meet them! Come visit Jessica and Lou Anne. Limited spaces available.

Grooming • Bath • Brush • Nails Teeth Brushing • Ear Cleaning Nail trimming by appointment only. Donations to local charity. Donating to local charity since 2009.

6758 Cranberry Street • 604 483-2293

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Dear Powell River Living: Congratulations on 9 years of Powell River Living! Love the colour and the great cover this issue (Jan) too! Gary Shilling, Communications Manager Powell River Division of Family Practice

Date Night every Saturday night

Buffets from around the world every Tuesday Feb 3rd Eastern European • Feb 10th Indian get $4 off Feb 17th Greek • Feb 24th Asian Reserve for buffet nights and 4603 Marine Avenue

When I saw his comment about plastic bags, it really got me thinking. If all the grocery stores charged 25 cents for a plastic or paper bag and the money could be donated to non profits. I am not a great fan of banning things but feel that 25 cent charge would be a great way to a) encourage folk to bring their own bags, and b) raise some funds to stay local. Audrey Hill

Powell River’s source for window coverings

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Full-service banquet room up to 80 guests; call Amanda

www.treefrogbistro.com

...for those who demand high quality products that look and function beautifully; and expect trustworthy, local service...

Call for your free in home consultation today! 604.485.9333 www.relishinteriors.com Don’t just control your blinds, control the weather!

Special O rink preps for Kamloops

Ready to rock BY CAMERON REID

t was a tense first end of the final game for the provincial curling championships at the 2011 BC Special Olympics Winter Games. Lance Barker and Peter Cossarin placed rocks on the edge of the rings – easy to remove, but left alone by the Kelowna team. Then, it was time for the skip’s rocks. The Kelowna skip placed his first rock at the 9 ‘o clock position, straddling the button. Now it was Powell River’s turn. With his last rock, Powell River skip Richard Lang took out both Kelowna rocks and stayed on the button, giving Powell River a 5-0 lead after the first end. The Powell River team went on to win the game. It’s been a busy four years since then, which included a turn at the Nationals in St. Albert, Alberta in 2012. This month, we’ll see if Powell River’s rink – Richard Lang, Michelle LaCroix, Dale Eckert, Lance Barker and alternate Thomas White – can repeat the magic. From February 19 to 21, Powell River’s Special Olympic curling team will be in Kamloops to compete in the 2015 Special Olympics BC Winter Games. They’ve been practicing hard and are looking forward to the challenge. As head coach of Powell River’s Spe-

“We... come away with a sense of satisfaction and pride every single time.” cial Olympics Curling squad, neither I or team manager Susan Storry, are permitted to be in verbal contact with the team when they are in athletic competition… except for a brief time out if warranted at half time. We watch silently from the

sidelines, hearts filled with pride, that we are part of this special team’s journey. Susan and I have been coaching this team since 2009. It’s an honour for both of us to work with these special men and women and watch them do so well at a sport we love. Because of doing so well at competitions, our team has been invited to curl regularly against the Powell River women. That opportunity has been a tremendous help and has made a noticeable difference in our ability. It may be a love of the game, or it may

HUUUUUURRY. HARD! The 2015 Special Olympics BC (SOBC) Winter Games will attract approximately 600 athletes and 200 volunteer coaches and mission staff from eight SOBC regions in BC and the Yukon. Among them – Powell River’s own SO curling rink, with Richard Lang, Michelle LaCroix, Dale Eckert, Lance Barker and alternate Thomas White The games will feature athletes competing in alpine skiing, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing and speed skating. Top performers in Kamloops will advance to the 2016 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. .

SKIP TO KAM-LOO: Flanked by coaches Cameron Reid and Susan Storry, the Powell River Special Olympics curling team is ready to sweep Kamloops February 19 to 21.

be that over the years that Susan and I have both curled successfully locally and beyond Powell River, but all we ask of ourselves and our Special Olympic curlers is that we continue to do our best on the curling ice and come away with a sense of satisfaction and pride every single time. If you stop by the Powell River Curling Club at 4 pm on a Wednesday afternoon you can see the Special O curlers sharpening their skills. You can also watch them on Thursday mornings as they play against the women.

Love is in the air! Find everything you need for Your Valentine...

Crossroads Village • 4801 Joyce Ave • 604 485-8251 • Mon – Thur 9 am – 6 pm • Friday 9 am – 9 pm • Saturday 9 am – 6 pm • Sunday 10 am – 5 pm

POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 2015 •

PINK SHIRT DAY: In February, SD47 students join children and teens across Canada in recognition of anti-bullying day. In this 2014 photo, Edgehill students are learning about treating others with kindness.

Zane in the morning

Katy in sales

Lee Ann in the afternoon

Vivian Phillips at the Town Centre Hotel is our Smile! Service Award winner this month. Vivian serves up her smiles along with excellent service in the dining room.

with Lee Ann, our afternoon host! all 80s hits, all hour

80s box lunch: every Friday 12-1pm

95.7fm get to know us

Had a great customer service experience?

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Nominate someone for a Smile! Service Award by emailing the person’s first name and business name to info@discoverpowellriver.com or visit Facebook, or nominate them in person at the Visitor Centre at 4760 Joyce Ave.

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greatest hits from the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s asharp@vistaradio.ca 604.485.4207

Smile! Service Awards are presented by Tourism Powell River, and sponsored in part by Powell River Living.

Amy Sharp

Congratulations on providing outstanding customer service!

L ve Y ur N n-Pr fit To celebrate 9 great years of Powell River Living, we’re giving some love to a local non-profit organization. To enter the “Love Your Non-Profit” contest, write a 500-word story on why you believe your non-profit is the most deserving in Powell River. The winner will earn the non-profit $500 cash plus a full-page ad in the May issue of Powell River Living. So c’mon Powell River! Send us your stories!

$500 and a

full page ad

for your favourite non-profit

Send your story to: isabelle@prliving.ca before March POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 30, 2015 • 2015 31

Give your savings a boost.

2.00

* %

TFSA High Interest Savings Account • earn a competitive high interest rate, tax free • withdraw your money any time • no monthly fees

Ask us for details today!

*rate subject to change www.firstcu.ca I 604.485.6206 32 • prliving.ca