This week’s column is dedicated to a very good friend, Mike Docherty, who passed away on his birthday, March 28, while in hospice care. I had lunch with Mike just a couple of weeks ago, and at that time he was still working for First Transit. He loved working and I couldn’t even tell that he was ill. I was glad to have had that lunch with him. Personal condolences to his wife Susie, his entire family and many friends. We will surely miss him. His funeral service is April 6, 1 p.m., at the Evangel Church.
Two local meat shops, Johnny’s Fresh Meats and Deli in Rutland, at 190 Hollywood Rd., and in West Kelowna, at 1777 Ross Rd. have been sold.
The new owners are Lance and Audrey Rowell, who relocated from Pitt Meadows to purchase the two shops. (In case you were wondering, this sale has nothing to do with the Johnny’s Meat Shop at the corner of KLO and Benvoulin in Kelowna. It is no longer a Johnny’s Meats store.)
The Rowells are not new to the meat industry as they owned and operated the same type of family meat shop in Pitt Meadows for seven years. Also, Audrey comes from a farm/cattle background, so they are well versed in the industry. They will be making a few changes, bringing in a few new items for their customers. The Rowells will change the logo for the two shops but not the name. Call 250-860-5646 (Rutland) or 250-769-7178 (West Kelowna).
Robinson Lighting, 4-1495 Dilworth Dr., has also relocated, moving into the former Beachcomber location at 410 Banks Rd. in July. Leigh Robinson tells me there are many exciting things happening at the store in conjunction with the move. More announcements to follow. Call 250-860-9626.
Brian Reardon has been appointed the new chief administrative officer for the Regional District of Central Okanagan, effective April 15. The decision comes in advance of the end of the one-year interim appointment of Paul Macklem, who is returning to his role as general manager of corporate sustainability for the City of Kelowna. Reardon was formerly chief administrative office for the North Okanagan Regional District and has spent the past five years as administrative leader of the Strathcona Regional District.
Brian Tull, general manager of Sears for the past five years, has been transferred and promoted to Sears Brentwood Mall in Burnaby. His replacement will be announced shortly.
After 10 years of owning and operating the popular Brown Bag Bistro and Catering Company at 100-1854 Kirschner Rd., Karen and Bill Wiggins have sold their restaurant. The new owners are Peter and Julie Ma. Call 250-762-7178; email petermasj@gmail.com.
Ken Wiebe, real estate agent/broker/owner of Century 21 Kelowna, has joined Kelowna Condominium Services Ltd. as a broker. Kelowna Condominium is one of the oldest strata management companies in the Okanagan. The company has been owned and operated by Greg and Bev Smart since January, 2011. Call 250-860-5445.
Gallery 421, owned and operated by Susan Einerssen, celebrates its grand opening today at a new location, 560 Raymer Ave., from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Gallery 421 welcomes art lovers to come and celebrate with the gallery’s artists.
Barbara Rhodes, of Barbara Rhodes Interior Designer, has a new website. Take a look at www.brhodesinteriordesigner.com. Rhodes has been an interior designer in Kelowna for the past 12 years and in Canada for 40 years. She works by appointment only. Call 250-860-8968.
Robert (Bob) McGowan has become a new member on the Okanagan College board of governors. Appointed by the province, he will serve a term ending July 31, 2014. McGowan was the chief financial officer for Sun-Rype Products.
Famous Dave’s BBQ is coming to Kelowna. It is an award winning BBQ restaurant concept with 200 locations in the U.S. with their first Canadian location in Winnipeg. Along with Kelowna, the chain plans to open up to 50 other Canadian locations. Famous Dave’s is looking to open the franchise in nine to 14 months in Kelowna, and is currently scouting for a restaurant location.
Sitting on the new executive of the 2013 Kelowna Chamber of Commerce will be: Dave Bond, president (KPMG LLP); Curtis Darmhoray, executive vice-president (Pushor Mitchell LLP); Ken Carmichael, vice-president (BDO); Ian Stuart, vice-president (UBCO faculty); Peter Angle (Astral Medial) and Karen Hawes, past president (Interior Savings).
The Kelowna Chamber committee chairs are Curtis Darmhoray (governance); Tom Dyas, T/D Benefits (provincial/federal); Peter Angle (membership); Ken Carmichael (municipal); Carmen Sprag, Total Office, Rob Siddon, Coast Wholesale and Dyas (Canadian Chamber AGM various committees); Ian Stuart (finance) and Ben Pidskalny, SW Audio Visual (young professional). Other directors on the Chamber board include Gladys Fraser, Scotiabank; Sally Ginter, Canadian Cancer Society; Sherri Chapman, Platinum Personnel; Andrew Gaucher, G Group Development, and Freedom Bannerholt, JDS Mining. Peter Raja (Norelco), Bryan Gilbert and myself are the Chamber’s advisory board. Caroline Grover is the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer.
Well-known Okanagan executive chef Paul Cecconi, previously with Local Lounge and Grille in Summerland, is opening a new restaurant in Penticton, to be located at 484 Main St. (formerly Amante Bistro). Cecconi is busy renovating at this time for his restaurant to open sometime in May. He has lived in the Okanagan for 11 years and formerly worked at the Harvest Golf Club in Kelowna for seven years before moving on to the Summerland restaurant.
After many years on Banks Road, Beachcomber Home Leisure has relocated to 2457 Highway 97 North. Owned and operated by Kent Melvin, the store has a whole new look with the outside of the building having been completely renovated. The new Beachcomber is unbelievably larger with 40,000 square feet (old store was 11,000 sq.ft.) and has tons of new display room for everything you could imagine to furnish and accessorize your home. Along with a huge outdoor furniture area, inside and outside, which the store has always been famous for, Beachcomber now offers display rooms for home offices, hot tubs, a mattress gallery, bedroom gallery and an entire youth section. The entire store is displayed beautifully and there are hundreds of accessories to choose from, along with their vast display of indoor furniture. If you are looking for a unique piece of furniture, I can’t imagine that you would not find it at Beachcomber. Make sure you have a sufficient amount time when visiting the store to look around. You will need it. Call 250-763-8847.
Chase Jestley and Don Jack have brought a new publication to our community, called the “I Love Rutland” magazine. The Rutland community has worked to stand out as their own entity, and Jestley and Jack have started their new magazine with the intent to highlight that strength and spirit of Rutland within the City of Kelowna. It is a free monthly publication, distributed via direct mail within the Rutland corridor (UBCO to Mission Creek and Joe Rich, Ellison and Belgo as well). Their distribution is close to 17,000 direct mail with additional copies being placed in key locations for pickup. The magazine will draw heavily upon Rutland residents and business owners to provide content as Jestley and Jack want it to be a community oriented publication, seeking to highlight people, businesses and the history of their little corner of the world. Their inaugural publication will hit the streets on April 10. They also support the Wish Come True Society.
Dr. Benjamin Stevens and Dr. Amanda Stevens have opened the Valeo Health Clinic, 1591 Sutherland Ave. Joining them as health care practitioners will be Lindsey Austin, RTM, and Brendan Moekstra, RAc. Dr. Amanda Stevens specializes in advanced training in paediatric and maternity care and in working with special needs (autism spectrum, ADHD, learning and behavioral difficulties). Dr. Benjamin Stevens is becoming recognized as a movement expert, mixing biomechanics with practical knowledge from his training and athletic experience. He teaches people how to move better for their sport and for a pain-free life. The office has walls of zero-VOC paints and the floors in the movement studio are made of recycled rubber tires. They boast closed treatment rooms, no x-rays in-house, 60 minute initial exams and 20 to 30 minutes for subsequent visits. Call 778-484-5790. Check out www.valeohealthclinic.com for more info.
The new executives of FRAHCAS (Abbott Street Heritage Conversation Area) are James Avery, president; Paddy Hall, vice-president; Ian Creighton, secretary; Wayne Ross, treasurer and Maureen Stevens, membership. Remaining directors are Anne Laure, Dick Durban, and Marietta and Walley Lightbody.
Viva Musical Society has officially changed its name to the Kelowna Summer Theatre Festival Society. The name change comes on the heels of a successful inaugural season of outdoor repertory theatre last summer. The Viva Musica name has been in place since 1994, but actually it is the third name that group has had over its long history. New members joining the board are former Kelowna mayor Sharon Shepherd and Jane Fletcher. The group is now hoping to establish a marquee event for downtown Kelowna that will attract locals and visitors featuring a comedy/mystery called Private Eyes, by Steven Deitz, and the Tony nominated musical by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Ball. Ticket info posted on the KSTF website at www.kelownasummertheatrefestival.com. Peter Kascak is the president of the society.
Gals, if you are looking for something fun to do Friday, come celebrate with me as MC at Scruples Hair Design, 1566 Pandosy St., for their grand re-opening from 7 to 9 p.m. There will be a fashion show hosted by Georgie Girl, SWAG Bags and product giveaways with wine and appies. It will be a great evening. Donations for the Women’s Shelter. Call 250-861-3848.
In support of BrainTrust Canada, the Hergott Law “One Crash is Too Many” Dinner is Saturday, April 20, at the Delta Grant supported by sponsors Kelowna BMW, Chances and Trial Lawyers of B.C. Enjoy a reception (Sumac Ridge), chance to win a diamond (Sandberg Jewellery); four course meal, entertainment by Herb Dixon, live auction including a trip to Mexico, fun casino and viewing of a special “poker play” produced by CATO with local members of the community. Taking part. For tickets call 250-762-3233, or check out www.braintrustcanada.com.
A reminder that Saturday is Small Shop Saturday in downtown Kelowna. There will be complimentary parking provided by the city and lots of great bargains offered by downtown stores.
Spring Fling Fair is Sunday, April 7, at Parkinson Recreation Centre, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sponsored by Connect, a businesswoman’s networking group, there will be a variety of local artisans, crafters and home-based entrepreneurs on hand. Donations of cash and food items will be accepted for the food bank.
P.S. Thanks to the person (anonymous) who left me a Lindt Gold Bunny Easter chocolate every day on my desk. They were delicious and much appreciated.
Birthdays of the week: Jack Gourlie (April 1); Rienhold (Tiny) Gerl, Century Restoration (April 8); In memory of Alex Hunt (April 6); Garth Johnstone (April 6); Rose Klingspon (April 8); Jeff Kumagai (April 9); Lesia Achtymchuk (April 10); Ed Loeppky (April 10).
Maxine DeHart is a Kelowna hotelier and a city councillor. Phone 250-979-4546 or email maxdehart@telus.net.
