September 24, 2013 - News Leader
SIZZLE CONTINUES DESPITE RAIN
The 12th annual Similkameen Sizzle the Keremeos Pepper Festival started as planned early Saturday, September 21st in Memorial Park with the Pancake Breakfast and transitioned into one event after another throughout the entire day. A total of 247 votes were cast in the Chili Cook-off, which saw a total of seven entries. Using a 'people's choice' format, First Place went to Riverside RV Park with Second going to Shore Farms and Third taken by Team Intrigue of Richmond. A total of eight sauces were entered in the Hot Sauce Contest which saw Gregor's Gourmet of Cawston win Best Special Sauce, Sara Harker of Harkers Organics in Cawston win Best Green Sauce, Intrigue Sauce of Richmond was selected Best Red Sauce and East Vancouver Smokin¹ 666 was chosen Best Overall Sauce. The judges for the event, Amber Herbison, Jason Stashko and George Elliott were impressed with the variety of sauces entered in the competition. A short rainstorm passed over Memorial Park, dumping enough rain in a matter of minutes to scatter the crowd and cause a breaker to blow shutting down all sound to the stage at the end of a set featuring Mat Duffus. Following a short break, and the return of sunny skies, live entertainment shifted to The Blackbirds. A total of 21 brave souls entered the Sear Factor Hot Pepper Eating Contest, but not all of them competed. Four contestants did not stay for the event and another four could not finish the three jalapeno peppers required for a qualified time in the event. Dan Ragula of Toronto won $100.00 (First Place) with a time of 40.2-seconds. Second Place ($75.00) went to Luke Vesprey of Keremeos with a time of 48.8-seconds. Third Place ($25.00) was won by Anthony Klinkera of Vancouver with a time of 51.6-seconds. The rest of the qualified times were: 4th Sandor Koleszar (Vancouver) 56.9-seconds, 5th Salvador Munoz (Mexico) 58.2-seconds, 6th Joshua Mendelsohn (Keremeos) 58.4-seconds, 7th Gerald Gillies (Olalla) 1:01.4, 8th Karoly Puskas (Summerland) 1:23.9, 9th Nigel Brusch (Penticton) 1:29.5, 10th Lauren McKay (Toronto) 1:30.0, 11th Michael Whittaker (Ghallagher Lake) 1:30.2, 12th Bob Lucy (Keremeos) 1:46.7 and 13th Andrea Mirtoe (Italy) 1:51.9. The Sizzle Committee will likely meet one more time in the next month to review Saturday¹s event and start planning for the 13th annual event for September 2014.
The 12th annual Similkameen Sizzle the Keremeos Pepper Festival started as planned early Saturday, September 21st in Memorial Park with the Pancake Breakfast and transitioned into one event after another throughout the entire day. A total of 247 votes were cast in the Chili Cook-off, which saw a total of seven entries. Using a 'people's choice' format, First Place went to Riverside RV Park with Second going to Shore Farms and Third taken by Team Intrigue of Richmond. A total of eight sauces were entered in the Hot Sauce Contest which saw Gregor's Gourmet of Cawston win Best Special Sauce, Sara Harker of Harkers Organics in Cawston win Best Green Sauce, Intrigue Sauce of Richmond was selected Best Red Sauce and East Vancouver Smokin¹ 666 was chosen Best Overall Sauce. The judges for the event, Amber Herbison, Jason Stashko and George Elliott were impressed with the variety of sauces entered in the competition. A short rainstorm passed over Memorial Park, dumping enough rain in a matter of minutes to scatter the crowd and cause a breaker to blow shutting down all sound to the stage at the end of a set featuring Mat Duffus. Following a short break, and the return of sunny skies, live entertainment shifted to The Blackbirds. A total of 21 brave souls entered the Sear Factor Hot Pepper Eating Contest, but not all of them competed. Four contestants did not stay for the event and another four could not finish the three jalapeno peppers required for a qualified time in the event. Dan Ragula of Toronto won $100.00 (First Place) with a time of 40.2-seconds. Second Place ($75.00) went to Luke Vesprey of Keremeos with a time of 48.8-seconds. Third Place ($25.00) was won by Anthony Klinkera of Vancouver with a time of 51.6-seconds. The rest of the qualified times were: 4th Sandor Koleszar (Vancouver) 56.9-seconds, 5th Salvador Munoz (Mexico) 58.2-seconds, 6th Joshua Mendelsohn (Keremeos) 58.4-seconds, 7th Gerald Gillies (Olalla) 1:01.4, 8th Karoly Puskas (Summerland) 1:23.9, 9th Nigel Brusch (Penticton) 1:29.5, 10th Lauren McKay (Toronto) 1:30.0, 11th Michael Whittaker (Ghallagher Lake) 1:30.2, 12th Bob Lucy (Keremeos) 1:46.7 and 13th Andrea Mirtoe (Italy) 1:51.9. The Sizzle Committee will likely meet one more time in the next month to review Saturday¹s event and start planning for the 13th annual event for September 2014.
Posse Off To An Interesting Start!
Copyright 2013 Bengel Publishing Inc.
Princeton Posse kicked off their 2013/14 KIJHL Regular Season with a 4-3 win over Kelowna September 13th and lost the following four games. This past weekend has also been an interesting one for the team which lost 5-4 to Kamloops at home Friday, September 20 and 6-0 to Kelowna on the road the following night. An afternoon game Sunday, September 22 in Armstrong against North Okanagan Knights was CANCELLED due to electrical issues resulting in a possible safety hazard. No word at press time when that game will be rescheduled.
How To Win $100 Eating Peppers!
September 17, 2013 - News Leader
BOARD AUDITS FOREST PRACTICES
The Forest Practices Board will examine the forest activities of Ka-Bar Resources Ltd., along the Princeton-Summerland Road near Osprey Lake, on September 16. Auditors will examine planning, timber harvesting, road construction and maintenance, as well as silviculture and fire prevention practices, carried out by Ka-Bar Resources Ltd., under six forest licences to cut, for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act. The harvesting work has been mostly to salvage beetle-killed pine, but was also aimed at protecting the community from wildfire by reducing forest fuel hazards created by the dead trees. Once the audit work is completed, a report will be prepared, and any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board's final report and resulting recommendations will then be released to the public and government. The Forest Practices Board is B.C.'s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. The board audits forest and range practices on public land, as well as appropriateness of government enforcement.
LEGION L. A. START NEW YEAR
After a summer recess, members of the Legion Ladies Auxiliary met September 10 to begin the 2013-14 year of activities. The meeting began with a minute of silence to remember Marion Marsel, a member who passed away September 4. There was discussion of upcoming events, including the work party for the dinner held September 14. The October meeting will be on the regular date, October 8, but the November meeting is scheduled for the first Tuesday, November 5, to finalize plans for Remembrance Day, which falls on the following Monday. The Auxiliary will confer with the Legion to determine a date for Poppy Day, when Auxiliary members give lapel poppies in return for a donation to the Poppy Fund. Legion member Chuck Whitlock began a work project cleaning a storage space and discovered a number of Ladies Auxiliary photo albums. These are now on display in the lounge where they bring back memories of events during years past. A number of certificates of appreciation were part of the find in storage, and Auxiliary members approved hanging these in the lounge. A further discovery was a box of license plate frames with the Legion identifier on them. These are available by donation at the Legion office weekdays.
The Forest Practices Board will examine the forest activities of Ka-Bar Resources Ltd., along the Princeton-Summerland Road near Osprey Lake, on September 16. Auditors will examine planning, timber harvesting, road construction and maintenance, as well as silviculture and fire prevention practices, carried out by Ka-Bar Resources Ltd., under six forest licences to cut, for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act. The harvesting work has been mostly to salvage beetle-killed pine, but was also aimed at protecting the community from wildfire by reducing forest fuel hazards created by the dead trees. Once the audit work is completed, a report will be prepared, and any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board's final report and resulting recommendations will then be released to the public and government. The Forest Practices Board is B.C.'s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. The board audits forest and range practices on public land, as well as appropriateness of government enforcement.
LEGION L. A. START NEW YEAR
After a summer recess, members of the Legion Ladies Auxiliary met September 10 to begin the 2013-14 year of activities. The meeting began with a minute of silence to remember Marion Marsel, a member who passed away September 4. There was discussion of upcoming events, including the work party for the dinner held September 14. The October meeting will be on the regular date, October 8, but the November meeting is scheduled for the first Tuesday, November 5, to finalize plans for Remembrance Day, which falls on the following Monday. The Auxiliary will confer with the Legion to determine a date for Poppy Day, when Auxiliary members give lapel poppies in return for a donation to the Poppy Fund. Legion member Chuck Whitlock began a work project cleaning a storage space and discovered a number of Ladies Auxiliary photo albums. These are now on display in the lounge where they bring back memories of events during years past. A number of certificates of appreciation were part of the find in storage, and Auxiliary members approved hanging these in the lounge. A further discovery was a box of license plate frames with the Legion identifier on them. These are available by donation at the Legion office weekdays.
Councillor Joins FortisBC Energy Diet!
Copyright 2013 Bengel Publishing Inc.
Town of Princeton Councillor Kim Maynard was one of the first Princeton area residents to sign up to participate in the Okanagan/Similkameen Energy Diet program hosted by FortisBC. They made a community presentation September 11th at the Skills Centre. If you missed it, you can find out more at www.fortisbc.com/energydiet.
Fire Destroys Motel Room!
Copyright 2013 Bengel Publishing Inc.
Hours after the early morning fire September 12th at Cedars Motel in Princeton, volunteer firemen were on scene doing mop up and making sure there were no hot spots remaining as a result of the incident. The fire, which started at about 6:00 AM, destroyed one room and damaged another. The incident is still under investigation and a cause has not yet been determined. There were no injuries.
September 10, 2013 - News Leader
COUNCIL AWARDS WATER MAIN UPGRADE CONTRACT
Town Council accepted the tender from Bree Contracting Ltd. to upgrade water mains on Mayne Avenue and Warren Street at their September 3rd regular meeting. The 2013 Town of Princeton budget included the amount of $200,000.00 for the project and Bree Contracting Ltd. submitted a tender in the amount of $163,095.00. One other tender was over the budget. A third tender was withdrawn. Public Works Manager Kevin Huey told Town Council the project would replace steel water mains that are forty years old and at the end of their life expectancy. In fact, they are "subject to frequent leakage." Huey was asked what material was being used instead and how long it would last. He responded that PVC piping is the current standard and that it would last "way longer than any of us will care." Huey says the water mains will be roughly six feet below the surface of the roadways.
FUTURE BUS ROLLS INTO VALLEY
The RDOS (Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen) along with the City of Penticton, Town of Osoyoos, Town of Princeton, Town of Oliver, Town of Keremeos, District of Summerland and BC Transit are inviting the public to get on board with the region's 25-year Transit Future Plan. From September 10 to 15, BC Transit is bringing the 'Transit Future Bus' to various locations throughout the South Okanagan-Similkameen region to connect with community members about area-specific transit needs, priorities and concerns. The 40-foot decommissioned bus has been transformed into an interactive public consultation tool. The Transit Future Bus features educational displays that include a draft of the South Okanagan's 25-year transit plan, Post-It note boards for rider-led initiatives, an iPad station and a Kids' Zone. The Transit Future Team will be travelling with the bus to answer questions and help visitors learn more about public transportation in the region. "To meet the growing demands for transit in the South Okanagan-Similkameen, we at BC Transit, must listen to what our customers and community partners want and need," said BC Transit President & CEO Manuel Achadinha. "Bringing the Transit Future Bus to popular community events and destinations, allows us to hear from more people on how to best grow a regional transit system that we can all take pride."
TRANSIT FUTURE BUS SIMILKAMEEN SCHEDULE:
September 10, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Similkameen Country Visitor Information Centre, 417- 7th Avenue, Keremeos. September 11, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Princeton Town Square, 185 Bridge Street.
Town Council accepted the tender from Bree Contracting Ltd. to upgrade water mains on Mayne Avenue and Warren Street at their September 3rd regular meeting. The 2013 Town of Princeton budget included the amount of $200,000.00 for the project and Bree Contracting Ltd. submitted a tender in the amount of $163,095.00. One other tender was over the budget. A third tender was withdrawn. Public Works Manager Kevin Huey told Town Council the project would replace steel water mains that are forty years old and at the end of their life expectancy. In fact, they are "subject to frequent leakage." Huey was asked what material was being used instead and how long it would last. He responded that PVC piping is the current standard and that it would last "way longer than any of us will care." Huey says the water mains will be roughly six feet below the surface of the roadways.
FUTURE BUS ROLLS INTO VALLEY
The RDOS (Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen) along with the City of Penticton, Town of Osoyoos, Town of Princeton, Town of Oliver, Town of Keremeos, District of Summerland and BC Transit are inviting the public to get on board with the region's 25-year Transit Future Plan. From September 10 to 15, BC Transit is bringing the 'Transit Future Bus' to various locations throughout the South Okanagan-Similkameen region to connect with community members about area-specific transit needs, priorities and concerns. The 40-foot decommissioned bus has been transformed into an interactive public consultation tool. The Transit Future Bus features educational displays that include a draft of the South Okanagan's 25-year transit plan, Post-It note boards for rider-led initiatives, an iPad station and a Kids' Zone. The Transit Future Team will be travelling with the bus to answer questions and help visitors learn more about public transportation in the region. "To meet the growing demands for transit in the South Okanagan-Similkameen, we at BC Transit, must listen to what our customers and community partners want and need," said BC Transit President & CEO Manuel Achadinha. "Bringing the Transit Future Bus to popular community events and destinations, allows us to hear from more people on how to best grow a regional transit system that we can all take pride."
TRANSIT FUTURE BUS SIMILKAMEEN SCHEDULE:
September 10, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Similkameen Country Visitor Information Centre, 417- 7th Avenue, Keremeos. September 11, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Princeton Town Square, 185 Bridge Street.
Posse Tailgate Party?
You read that correctly. Princeton Posse will mark the official start of the 2013/14 Regular Season this weekend with a pair of tailgate parties. The first one will see food served at 6:00 PM on Friday, September 13th ahead of the home opener against Kelowna. The Steak and Prawn Fundraiser is being sponsored by Billy's Restaurant and will feature a parking lot beer garden and live music provided by Princeton's "The Switch-Men of the KVR" blues band. The second tailgate party is set for the following night (Saturday, September 14th) prior to the game against North Okanagan. It is being called a VIP Game which will feature a smokie BBQ serving at 6:00 PM and another parking lot beer garden. This event is sponsored in part by the Posse and Cooper's Foods. The Posse are also putting a shuttle bus service on the road for both games picking up residents in various locations around the community for the tailgate parties and games. The full schedule with times and pick up locations is listed in the large Posse Ad on Page 7 of this issue of the News Leader. The new executive are putting some new life into local hockey and you are invited to ride with the Posse!
Ambassadors Take Oath of Office!
Copyright 2013 Bengel Publishing Inc.
Youth Ambassadors Carmen Brodie and Destiny Earle, along with Friendship Ambassador Morgan Whelpton, took their official oaths of office at the September 3rd regular meeting of Princeton Town Council. The brief ceremony formalizes the selection of the trio as Princeton Youth Ambassadors. The Oath of Office reads: "I swear that I will faithfully and truly perform my duty as Ambassador of the Town of Princeton, and that I will, in all manners connected with the discharge of such duty do all things, and such things only, as I shall truly and conscientiously believe to be adopted to promote the objects for which the Youth Ambassador Committee was constituted, so help me God." Each Ambassador signed two individual copies of the oath, dated September 3, 2013, co-signed by Mayor Frank Armitage. One copy goes on file at Princeton Town office with the other being presented in a folder to each Ambassador as a keepsake.
September 03, 2013 - News Leader
FAIR EXHIBITORS DOWN, MONEY UP
Competition at the annual Princeton Agricultural Fair was down this year, which made money for most exhibitors except in the Photography division, which offered its customary high level of competition. There were only 43 adult exhibitors and 42 junior exhibitors this year. The number of exhibits in many divisions were not down, due to some exhibitors entering great numbers of items. A total of $1,245 in prize money was paid to the adult exhibitors and $813 was paid out to Junior Fair exhibitors. The following is a list of top exhibitors in each division: Needlework - Janice Ashby (Penticton resident), Leisure craft - Sharron Rose, Photography - Margaret Fraser, Art: tied - Jennifer Bernard and John Sandness, Flowers - Melissa Manning, Vegetables - Ben Mazzarella, Fruit - Ken Heuser , Home Canning - Melissa Manning, Home Baking - Melissa Manning, Wine & Beer - Dorothy Lauder, Eggs - Loretta Gardiner, Poultry - Karen Fulton. The adult overall Top Exhibitor was Melissa Manning, who took home $289 in prize money. The Top Junior Exhibitor was Piper Manning, who won $157 in prize money. Winners of the Bike Parade were: Tied for first - Tavin Gibson and Jazlyn Gibson; Tied for second were Jesse Menard and Marissa Menard, and third place tied were Paige Graves and Andrew Graves. Winners of the Pet Parade were Ella Halipchuk with Daisy in first place, and rated Best in Show. Mary-Elizabeth Bond and Purple placed second, and third place went to Nathan and Haley Anderson with Bubba and Sammy. The overall success of the fair will not be known until all of the receipts are counted. Fair Board members will meet in the near future and will release that
information after members are informed.
DR. SMITH EXAMINES 'FRAMEWORK'
Similkameen News Leader recently spoke with Dr. David Smith about a number of recent developments related to local healthcare issues. News Leader: Thanks again Dr. Smith for granting us this interview. Dr. Smith: It's always a pleasure talking to you. News Leader: Since our last interview many things have happened. Would you like to bring us up to date? Dr. Smith: Well I think that the biggest news, which everyone now knows, is that we have three new doctors coming to Princeton. This is confirmed. The last one should be here by the end of October and the first one has already arrived. We are all very excited at this news. News Leader: Are they all going to have to work out of the Cascade Clinic? Dr. Smith: Yes, Dr. Adams and I had offered to house some of the new doctors in our present clinics, but Interior Health (IH), or the new Action Framework Committee have shown no interested at all. News Leader: Do you think this is a good thing that they are all housed together in one Clinic? Dr. Smith: Well you know, we all thought that this was a great idea at first (centralization of services, based on eg. the Keremeos model of four doctors per facility!). Now I am afraid that I am having second thoughts. News Leader: Why do you say this? Dr. Smith: Well this takes me back to the "The Action Framework" which was brought out by various stake holders in the community such as RDOS and others, which pro-ports to "Sustain an effective health care model for Princeton and surrounding areas". The framework was based on a series of meetings led mostly by Dr. Tregellus from IH over the past 14 months, together with numerous other stake holders. An "Action Framework Committee" was subsequently formed which would basically lead us onwards towards Nirvana. Now part of the projected future of this "framework" was that IH were going to completely revamp the present Cascade Clinic to provide the following: a) two consulting rooms each for the four physicians as well as the Nurse Practitioner, and another for the visiting specialists (this is pretty standard fare in any modern day clinic); b) a large waiting room to accommodate at least 3-4 patients per doctor (room for about 15 to 20 patients at any one time), which again is pretty standard fare; c) a general coffee/relaxation room for the staff. .....continued in the printed edition
Competition at the annual Princeton Agricultural Fair was down this year, which made money for most exhibitors except in the Photography division, which offered its customary high level of competition. There were only 43 adult exhibitors and 42 junior exhibitors this year. The number of exhibits in many divisions were not down, due to some exhibitors entering great numbers of items. A total of $1,245 in prize money was paid to the adult exhibitors and $813 was paid out to Junior Fair exhibitors. The following is a list of top exhibitors in each division: Needlework - Janice Ashby (Penticton resident), Leisure craft - Sharron Rose, Photography - Margaret Fraser, Art: tied - Jennifer Bernard and John Sandness, Flowers - Melissa Manning, Vegetables - Ben Mazzarella, Fruit - Ken Heuser , Home Canning - Melissa Manning, Home Baking - Melissa Manning, Wine & Beer - Dorothy Lauder, Eggs - Loretta Gardiner, Poultry - Karen Fulton. The adult overall Top Exhibitor was Melissa Manning, who took home $289 in prize money. The Top Junior Exhibitor was Piper Manning, who won $157 in prize money. Winners of the Bike Parade were: Tied for first - Tavin Gibson and Jazlyn Gibson; Tied for second were Jesse Menard and Marissa Menard, and third place tied were Paige Graves and Andrew Graves. Winners of the Pet Parade were Ella Halipchuk with Daisy in first place, and rated Best in Show. Mary-Elizabeth Bond and Purple placed second, and third place went to Nathan and Haley Anderson with Bubba and Sammy. The overall success of the fair will not be known until all of the receipts are counted. Fair Board members will meet in the near future and will release that
information after members are informed.
DR. SMITH EXAMINES 'FRAMEWORK'
Similkameen News Leader recently spoke with Dr. David Smith about a number of recent developments related to local healthcare issues. News Leader: Thanks again Dr. Smith for granting us this interview. Dr. Smith: It's always a pleasure talking to you. News Leader: Since our last interview many things have happened. Would you like to bring us up to date? Dr. Smith: Well I think that the biggest news, which everyone now knows, is that we have three new doctors coming to Princeton. This is confirmed. The last one should be here by the end of October and the first one has already arrived. We are all very excited at this news. News Leader: Are they all going to have to work out of the Cascade Clinic? Dr. Smith: Yes, Dr. Adams and I had offered to house some of the new doctors in our present clinics, but Interior Health (IH), or the new Action Framework Committee have shown no interested at all. News Leader: Do you think this is a good thing that they are all housed together in one Clinic? Dr. Smith: Well you know, we all thought that this was a great idea at first (centralization of services, based on eg. the Keremeos model of four doctors per facility!). Now I am afraid that I am having second thoughts. News Leader: Why do you say this? Dr. Smith: Well this takes me back to the "The Action Framework" which was brought out by various stake holders in the community such as RDOS and others, which pro-ports to "Sustain an effective health care model for Princeton and surrounding areas". The framework was based on a series of meetings led mostly by Dr. Tregellus from IH over the past 14 months, together with numerous other stake holders. An "Action Framework Committee" was subsequently formed which would basically lead us onwards towards Nirvana. Now part of the projected future of this "framework" was that IH were going to completely revamp the present Cascade Clinic to provide the following: a) two consulting rooms each for the four physicians as well as the Nurse Practitioner, and another for the visiting specialists (this is pretty standard fare in any modern day clinic); b) a large waiting room to accommodate at least 3-4 patients per doctor (room for about 15 to 20 patients at any one time), which again is pretty standard fare; c) a general coffee/relaxation room for the staff. .....continued in the printed edition