This week’s column is dedicated to Doreen Nielsen Ross, 82, a long-time best friend who passed away Oct. 9, the day of our drive-thru breakfast. Doreen and I met at a place where many people meet and become friends; over coffee at the Long’s Drugstore coffee counter in 1971 (it was on the corner of Ellis and Bernard). We remained good friends throughout the years and she will be dearly missed. Doreen’s service is 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Everden Rust, 1910 Windsor Rd. Personal condolences to Jim, her family and many friends.
Thanks a million Kelowna! You did it again. In just three hours we raised $53,153, which works out to $17,717 per hour at the 17th annual Maxine DeHart, United Way – Ramada Hotel Drive-Thru Breakfast.
The event was just before the Thanksgiving weekend and let me tell you, I am extremely thankful to all of you who came and “opened your hearts and your wallets.” It was overwhelming!
Personal thanks to all the sponsors, RCMP, police auxiliary and staff, City of Kelowna staff, volunteers, media, Ramada Hotel and everyone who helped in the bagging to make this event a huge success. The tremendous amount of support from you, the community, is nothing less than overwhelming. All sponsors, volunteers and contributing businesses will be formally thanked and listed in a special “Thank you” to be published in the Kelowna Capital News. All donations raised stay right here in our community to help the agencies of the United Way.
Congratulations to the major grand prize winners: Clarence Johnson, Claremar Delivery Service (“Have a Heart Diamond Bracelet” donated by Michelle Urbanovitch); Don Holland (Westjet Travel Voucher); Bill Sim (Mario’s Towing—$1,000 travel voucher); Melvin Liu, Interior Savings Credit Union (Creative Mortgage—$500 travel voucher); Shanon DeSchutter, Expanding Horizon’s Preschool (Progressive Waste Solutions—Samsung Galaxy Tab 4);
Val Ritchie (Sleep Country Gift Certificate); Anita Meldrum (Tom Harrison—Samsung S5 Smartphone); Samantha Neilson (Heritage Office Furnishings—leather chair); Barb Calli, Okanagan Halfway House Society (Okanagan Strata Management Ltd.—Samsung Galaxy Tab 4); Johnathan Morrison (Interior Savings—bathrobe and slipper basket); Nikita Armstrong, Interior Health (Trawlings—Halloween Gift Basket); Kalie Boden-Cote (Interior Savings—Fat Cat Prize Pack); Bea Carignan (Trawlings—Okanagan Fall Wine Basket); Deanna Tuokko, Shelley McNeil and Gerry Moller (Sears—Roots Watches). There are still a few of grand prizes that have not been claimed. Please check your bags.
City councillor Gerry Zimmermann has been appointed to the Agriculture Land Commission as vice-chair of the Okanagan Coast Regional Panel by Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick. He joins five other vice-chairs and 12 commissioners who were all also appointed. Zimmermann had previously served on the ALC before stepping down to run for Kelowna city council in the last election.
A new Pizza Hut is opening beside M&M Meats on Harvey Avenue. Keep tuned for more info and grand opening date.
Macdonald Realty Kelowna will move into its new office at 2700 Richter St. the first week in November. The company has sold its existing office building on KLO Road to move into the new building at the corner of Richter and Osprey, across from Osprey Park. Shane Worman is just putting the finishing touches on the new building, which will house 3,400 square feet of state of the art offices on two floors. Macdonald Realty, owned by Don Gerein and Wayne Judiesch, is part of the Macdonald Realty Group. The Kelowna group has been in operation for 25 years. Call 250-860-4300.
The general manager of Sandalwood Retirement Resort, Dennis Campbell, is joining his wife Denise in retirement at the end of October. With his 70th birthday coming up in June 2015, he wants to spend more time on Rotary work, see a bit of the world and straighten out his golf game. Campbell is president-elect of the Rotary Club of Kelowna and will become president next year. His successor and new general manager of Sandalwood is Mark Ketler, who has 20 years experience in the industry and for the past 15 years has been the executive director at the Dorchester Retirement Residence in Kelowna. Call 250-717-1884.
The Rutland Seniors Activity Centre, 765 Dodd Rd., will host a Christmas Craft Sale on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pancake breakfast for $3 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Barbershop Chorus to perform at 1 p.m.
Nikki Gaskell, formerly of Penticton, is the new store manager of the downtown Safeway. Gaskell is not new to Kelowna as she started her career with Safeway in Vancouver, then transferred to the Island, Nelson and Kelowna (downtown Safeway). She then went to Penticton and she is now back in Kelowna at her old stomping grounds. Call 250-860-0332.
Voyager RV in Lake Country has won the Dealer of the Year Award from the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association of BC. The award is in recognition of customer service and satisfaction, dealership operation and contribution to the industry and community. Jason Friesen is the vice-president of Voyager RV.
If you ever come across the food truck, Surf Side California Tacos (Southern California Street Food), make sure you try the fish tacos, their signature dish. I sampled them at the Rutland Scarecrow Festival and they were delicious. Call 250-899-3045 or info@surfsidecalifornia.ca if you would like to book them for your event, festival or catering.
Alison Yesilcimen has joined the team of Catalyst Healthcare Ltd. as president. Catalyst is a provider of software to support medication accuracy for pharmacists, facilities, providers and patients.
Abaco Health is celebrating nine years in business. Owned and operated by Shauna and Steve Jones, and located in Mission Station at 3818 Gordon Dr., Abaco offers vitamins, supplements and health and beauty products. The store also now specializes in mail-order items and are offering anniversary sale specials.
The inaugural extremely successful Sandhill Winemakers Dinner with master winemaker Howard Soon, chefs Rod Butters, Bernard Casavant and Jim Armstrong was held in the Sandhill Barrel Room. They served appetizers, five courses, dessert boards and six different wines including five small lots. During the event, the chefs were instructing six culinary students on how to prepare the courses. Casavant and Armstrong are at Okanagan College as culinary manager and chef instructor respectively, while Butters is the co-owner of Raudz Regional Table and Micro.
Keith Funk, a Kelowna based artist and founder of Studio Funk, will host a month-long exhibit at the Rotary Centre for the Arts to introduce his latest collection of paintings, called “Perspectives on Realism.” The exhibit will be on both the main floor galleria and the atrium.
Birthdays of the week: Happy 80th Althea Babcook (Oct. 12); Derek Bottomley (Oct. 15); Jim Csek, Csek Creative (Oct. 18); Charlotte Springgate (Oct. 19); Ken Good (Oct. 20); Dennis Perley, Café Soleil (Oct. 20); Dieter Oldendorf (Oct. 20); Roxy Paul (Oct. 21); Anneke Dunn (Oct. 21).
