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Friday, April 6, 2012
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2012 PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWA R D S
Observer readers vote for their favourites The votes have been tallied, and your voices have been heard. Thousands of ballots for the Observer’s People’s Choice Awards 2012 have poured in from our readers, telling us the best places to eat, to shop and to play. Votes came in through email, Facebook, Twitter and mail, over the last several weeks. And the results show that there is overwhelming support by supp residents for our re
community-based businesses. But it also shed a little light on what makes Agassiz, Harrison Hot Springs, Hope and Chilliwack such great places to live. You’ve told us the best place to go walking, who the best teachers, employees and employers are, and where to take your pet for grooming. We’ve heard you loud and clear when it comes to finding great local talent, or where to relax with a cold drink. With more than 80 categories to vote for, (including Chilliwack through Hope), The Observer’s People’s
Choice Awards 2012 is the definitive guide for what’s happening in the area. And while the people, places and businesses listed in this pull-out guide are to be congratulated for all their hard work, we also want to thank our readers. The contest success was based entirely on your participation, and for those outstanding efforts, we have drawn three names for prizes, Joyce Heinemann, Kiyo Matsuno and Bev Sergeant have all won tickets to see the Abbotsford Heat. Congratulations to everyone involved!
2012 PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS PRESENTED BY:
Ag assiz ❖ Harr ison
THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN Thousands of ballots have poured in from the Observer’s readers on the best local places to eat, to shop and to play
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INSIDE news . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 opinion . . . . . . . . . . . 6 echoes . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 readers choice . . . . . . 9 classifieds . . . . . . . . 29
326 Wallace Street Hope, BC
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JESSICA PETERS / OBSERVER
Amber Major warms up the crowd of about 100 participants with some basic exercises before the Walk/Run for Heritage in Agassiz on Saturday morning.
Impressive turnout for inaugural run
Jessica Peters THE OBSERVER
High winds and toppling tents couldn't stop the first ever Run/Walk for Heritage in Agassiz on Saturday morning. Wind speeds were at about 24 km/hr at the outset of the run at 9 a.m., whipping papers through the parking lot and lifting the industrial sized tents from the ground. But spirits remained high throughout the event, and as runners arrived back at the staging area after the run, many helped secure the tents so they wouldn't blow away. Luke McKerrow from Rosedale was the first to cross the finish line, in the 5K portion of the event, with a time of about 22 minutes. Tom
Hoogendoorn of Agassiz came in second shortly afterward. First place in the ladies division went to Tara Patterson. First place youth was Alex Schwichtenberg and first place for seniors went to Allen Vogstad. Because this was a first time event, aimed at raising funds for the Kilby Historic Site and the Agassiz Harrison Historical Society, time was being kept only by a timer at the finish line. The strong winds also prevented volunteers from collecting the times properly as runners arrived. In the future, Judy Pickard from the Historical Society said they will look into purchasing a more accurate chip system. "Our number one goal was to get
community involvement, which we did," she said. "And we hope to continue this as a community event." While the windy weather caused a bit of chaos at times, Pickard said most who live in Agassiz are used to the spring weather and took it in stride. "Anybody who lives in Agassiz understands the wind," she said. "And everybody really helped out in the end when those tents went flying." The Walk/Run was a huge success in terms in numbers, too. There were 108 registered in the event, and about 100 showed up on Saturday morning. They raised about $4,000, but were still tallying final numbers
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at press time. The Walk/Run for Heritage was supported by the Running Room, and was attended by that company's area manager, Amanda Gutteridge. She attends about 100 running events each year, and said the turnout in Agassiz was impressive. "For a community this size to culminate the interest in such a short time says something," she said. "The community really came out to support this cause." There was a 3K walk/run and a 5K walk run. Pickard said they may consider adding a 10K leg to the event next year, as well. For more photos from this event, visit us online at www.ahobserver. com.