The Local - Thursday, April 6, 2017
Fire at the beer farm Persephone Brewing Company ended their first Annual Brewers Bonspiel in a blaze – though not the sort they'd been counting on. The after party at the curling rink had barely wrapped on the evening of April 1, when firefighters responded to a fire at Persephone's property on Stewart Road. Persephone owner Brian Smith reported on Facebook that their small greenhouse burned, damaging a larger adjacent greenhouse and destroying some tools. No one was present at the time and there were no injuries. "The chickens are fine too," noted Smith. Interviewed via email on April 2, before the fire inspector and insurance adjuster viewed the site, Smith said he had no idea what had caused the fire. "We're upset about the loss but thankful the damage didn't spread nor was anyone endangered. Sadly we lost a bunch of seed starts so have probably lost a couple weeks of growing in our market garden." Smith noted that things could have been much worse. "We're especially grateful for the quick response by both the person who called it in and our local fire department. They were really quick and did an
awesome job containing the damage. We owe those guys some beer!" Proceeds from the Bonspiel, held at the Gibsons Curling Club, will go to the
Sunshine Coast Association of Community Living, whose members prepared and served food to curlers all day. Donna McMahon
Join Us For Our Annual Wine & Taste Gala
May 5th from 6pm to 10pm • Sunshine Coast Botanical Gardens $50 for Members • $55 for Non-Members For an extra $25, upgrade your ticket to take part in the VIP Bubble Reception 5pm to 6pm • Hosted by Marquis Wine Cellars *Please bring a non perishable food item for the Sunshine Coast Food Bank Fire on the evening of April 1 destroyed a greenhouse at Persephone Brewing, and damaged a second greenhouse. DONNA MCMAHON PHOTO
Buy tickets online at secheltchamber.bc.ca or call 604-885-0662 to order by phone
Dance will be fundraiser for couple An April 22 concert to be held at Roberts Creek Hall will raise funds for Carrie Lee and Scully Stanway, the Roberts Creek couple who lost their trailer home to a fire on the morning of March 24. Lee and Stanway are grateful that they were both away from home and not asleep in bed when the fire started. "I was sitting in Sechelt and a neighbour gave us a call saying 'it's all gone,'" said Stanway. "By the time he saw what was going on there was nothing anybody could do." Stanway, who is self-employed in property maintenance, has lived on the coast almost 10 years, while Lee has been here 20 years. They lost everything but the clothes they were wearing, including many small tools such as skill saws. Stanway, who had been hoping to start his own company, says this will set him back several years. Other items were irreplaceable. Lee lost pieces of jewelry that had belonged to her grandmother and Stanway lost keepsakes from his father. Their dog, fortunately, was not at home, but their cat died in the blaze. Lee and Stanway are staying with a friend at present, but they hope to return to the property, an organic farm that they have been living on for the last three years. Their landlord is eager to have them back. "Our hope and plan is to clean up the wreckage and
rebuild something else. We put a lot of effort into the garden and making it home," said Stanway. The couple expressed their thanks to everyone in the community who has reached out to support them, especially to the Roberts Creek Volunteer Fire Department and Chief Pat Higgins, Emergency Services coordinator Marilyn Pederson, and Suzanne McGovern who set
Wine & Spirits, Bricker Cider Co. & Gibsons Tapworks Appetizers and locally made treats by La Petite Souris, Cheeky Monkey Cakes, Christopher Norman Chocolates & West Coast Nuts. Food sponsored by: IGA, Heather’s Your Independent Grocer, Claytons & Northern Divine
up a gofundme page to take donations. Stanway had already booked the Roberts Creek Hall for the concert he holds every year to celebrate his Taurus birthday, so the April 22 concert has become a fundraiser. Tickets to Taurean Tunez will be available at the door, and organizers will also accept donations of dry or canned food and clothing. Donna McMahon
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If hearing loss affects your interactions with family and friends, then it’s time you did something about it! “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper” - Yeats
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Call 604-885-0941 for an appointment www.thehearinghouse.ca
Roberts Creek residents Carrie Lee and Scully Stanway lost their home and all their possessions in a fire March 24. They are holding a fundraising concert April 22. DONNA MCMAHON PHOTO
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