|
JUNE 2016 continued from Jan. 12, 2017 |
Both Helen Fraser and Valerie Williams celebrated their retirement with co-workers at Barriere Elementary School on Thursday, June 23. Both ladies served a long teaching career within the Barriere community, and will be missed by all.
During the year end awards handed out on Thursday, June 29 at Barriere Elementary, Cathy McLeod, Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, presented Ty Hartman with the MP Youth Award for volunteerism. Intended for youth in elementary, middle and secondary school, the awards recognize local leader within the riding in a number of specific fields. Secondary School student Hannah Feller also received the MP Youth Award for agriculture.
JULY 2016
Dignitaries joined with Barriere area residents to celebrate Canada’s birthday on July 1. Although the crowd was smaller than 2015, the event was a success.
Members of the Clearwater U19C boys softball team (which includes Matthew Lee from Barriere) win the provincial championship July 1-3. The games were held in North Surrey in Royal Kwantlen Park. The team played six games during the three-day tournament, winning both their playoff games for the gold on Sunday.
As of July 2, the Barriere and Area Chamber of Commerce office and the Tourism InformationCentre had moved to 4629 Barriere Town Road (formerly the Barriere Employment Office on the north side of Interior Savings).
The Kamloops Exhibition Association (KXA) requested an injunction to halt the Provincial Winter Fair Society (PWFS) winter fair in Barriere in 2016 was denied by BC Supreme Court Justice Peter Rodgers on July 7, 2016. PWFS members said that they had already secured approximately 70 per cent of their participants for the September event at the fair grounds. The KXA stated they were going ahead with their event as well.
Virginia Laveau, of Barriere, and Janet Miller, of Kamloops, received the first-ever Dr. Robert and Elma Schemenauer Writing Awards at the Interior Authors Group summer social held at Chartwell Ridgepointe in Kamloops, on July 9. Miller won in the category Writing with a Kamloops Theme. Laveau won in the category Writing with a Nature Theme.
On July 9, at Riverside Park in Kamloops, three Yellowhead 4-H members competed alongside the top demo teams and speakers in the province. The demonstration team of Halle Smith and Kathleen Pilatzke brought home a strong third place, while Sara Kate Smith placing first in public speaking and then moving on to compete nationally at the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture competition held in Toronto in November 2016.
The 61st Annual Squam Bay Fish Derby on July 10, saw 169 entries and 52 fish weighed. The first place winner of the $600 was Kate Williams from Kamloops with a 13 lb 10 oz lake trout. Derby organizers said that according to their records, Williams is only the second woman to have won this derby in 61 years.
The Canadian Bluemoon Elvis Festival took place the weekend of July 15-17 at the fairgrounds in Barriere. The weekend featured a number of top Elvis tribute artists. The festival was competition, but an outstanding tribute to one of the world’s best entertainers.
A regular work week for District of Barriere staff soon took a crooked turn mid-month when the road lines were painted within the community core. What started out as a straight forward job seems to go sadly amiss. The white and yellow lines of paint on the pavement were a long way from being called straight, and area residents were quick to react with calls to the municipality.
The new well being installed for the District of Barriere in Bradford Park was tested for the condition of the water and the amount of water (gallons per minute) as per Interior Health requirements. Just one more step in the process of installing a new addition to the community’s water supply.
Barriere’s Ryan Fadear is now in the record books; a cougar he killed in 2013 had garnered recognition from the Boone and Crockett Club, making the big cat one of the top 10 in North America.
On July 16, the Fortier family celebrated the official opening of Uncle Freddy’s organic greenhouses, nursery and market garden in Chu Chua, with friends, family and customers in attendance.
Congratulations to Barriere residents Marina and Rolf Brem who participated July 15-17, in the 2016 West Coast Classic reining horse competitions, held a Heritage Park in Chilliwack. Rolf and his horse, Banana Pancakes, brought home the NRHA Non-Pro Derby LV1 and LB4 Reserve Champion award for their efforts.
Roadwork to create passing lanes on the Yellowhead Highway got started Thursday, July 21. Travelers were advised would be some delays as work progressed for those commuting back and forth from Kamloops.
A serious accident on Highway 5 in Louis Creek, just south of Barriere and the Agate Bay turnoff, happened around 3 p.m. on July 29. The head on collision involved an older GMC pickup driven by a local resident, and a black Dodge pickup with Alberta licence plates pulling a cargo trailer. Due to the emergency procedures for the victims, traffic analysis of the roadway and the removal of the vehicles and debris, the highway was closed for over seven hours, and going north was backed up all the way to the Station House Restaurant in Barriere.
AUGUST 2016
Clearwater residents Keith McNeill and Jean Nelson completed their first leg of a 350mk carbon cycle at the Bear Radio Station in Barriere the afternoon of Wednesday, Aug. 3. The pair are dedicated to promoting e-Petition 297, which is an online petition to Canada’s parliament that calls for nation-wide carbon fee-and-dividend as a way to help control global warming.
A local carpet bowling team of fours (Hector Denton, Donna Smith, and Pete and Linda Verhoeven) prepared to make the trip to Brampton, Ontario to represent B.C. in the Canada 55+ Games. There were seven carpet bowling teams competing in 2016 from various provinces and territories. The team was the only team traveling from B.C. to compete in 2016.
Barriere Search and Rescue received an emergency call out from BC Ambulance the afternoon of Aug. 11 to rescue a pair of jet boat skiers who had collided with a sandbar in the North Thompson River. It took Barriere SAR about 60 minutes to put together a rope rescue and get the injured skiers into an ambulance.
Over 30 youngsters turned out for the free Teddy Bear Picnic at the North Thompson Fairgrounds on Aug. 13, which was hosted by Barriere and Area Literacy Outreach. Families accompanied their children who brought favourite teddy bears or stuffies to take part in the teddy bear parade and get their favourite stuffies checked out by the teddy bear doctor.
On Aug. 12-14, at the Tete Jaune Community Hall, over 70 people gathered to mark the anniversary of an historic event. The event was held to mark the 100th anniversary of the forced removal of between 60 and 70 band members to Chu Chua. Many of those taking part in the event were descended from those removed.
Chinook Cove Golf have won back “The Big Woody” Tournament trophy. The annual event between Chinook Cove Golf and Lacarya Golf Course in Clearwater was held over two days with a round of golf on each course.
The only fours carpet bowling team from B.C. to compete at the Canada 55+ Games in Bramptoon, Ontario, earlier in August has returned to the North Thompson Valley victorious. The team actually tied for the gold medal, but then lost the gold due to officials taking into consideration that the other team had earned more points in a preliminary round.
Local business, Gabion Wall Systems, with Barriere crew members Jason Harper, Alan Sabyan, Jazz Sterling and Jake Summers, completed construction of an architectural gabion wall feature at the new Royal Inland Hospital Clinical Services Building in Kamloops.
An informal opening of the ‘Splash In The Past’ splash pad in Barriere took place Friday, Aug. 25 with a large number of enthusiastic youth and their parents on site. After eight years of fundraising the facility was fully functional, but landscaping, furnishings and fencing are not yet in place.
The Thunder Alley 9th Annual Stomp’n Toy Run took place in Barriere on Saturday, Aug. 26, with well over 50 bikes taking part. The run ended in Bradford field (across from Bradford Park), where fun bike games took place throughout the afternoon; then a dinner and dance at the Legion. Total dollars raised for the local food bank from the run, games, etc., came to $8,273.
Bev and Bill Fraser, who stared B&B Alternative Heating as a small operation back in 1998, sold their business to Jolene Wright and Dean Barker, owners of Lofty Ambitions Farm and Garden Market. The new owners renamed the business LA Alternative Heating.
The North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo Ambassador Program held their Speech and Talent Night the evening of Aug. 25, followed by their Coronation Night on Aug. 26, both in the Fall Fair Hall. Newly crowned North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo royalty were Vice-Ambassador Geri-Lee Genier and Ambassador Sara Sabyan, both young ladies from Barriere.
The carpet bowling team of Hector Denton, Donna Smith, and Linda and Pete Verhoeven, had previously tied for the gold medal at the Canada 55+ Games in Brampton, Ontario, only to lose it when officials broke the tie by taking into consideration that the other team had earned more points in a preliminary round. However, team members reported they were informed the tie for the gold medal had been reviewed and the tie would stand.
Chinook Cove Ladies Golf hosted their annual Golf for Cancer Fund Raiser on Tuesday, Aug. 23. The final tally was over $5,300 was is to be used by the Canadian Cancer Society to assist families with the expenses that arise when a person is receiving treatment for cancer.
SEPTEMBER 2016
Barriere’s Royal Canadian Legion announced their members would be hosting the 2016 International Gavel Passing on Sept. 9-11, within the community. The event included Legionnaires from the Ninth District in Washington State and the North and South Okanagan Zone in B.C. who would all gather in Barriere for the historic event.
According to organizers, the 67th annual North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo was a great success, and the rain didn’t seem to keep folks away, nor stop them from enjoying events that were held outside, such as the lumberjack show.
The week of Sept. 5, a Kamloops man, who used to reside in Barriere, was confronted by members of Creep Catches who say the man was meeting a minor boy at Riverside Park in Kamloops for illicit purposes. No name has been published due to no charges laid.
Local teen athletes, Kiera and Taylynn Eustache, competed on the U18 Interior Heat Soccer Team at the Aboriginal Provincial Soccer Championships in Prince George, B.C., and brought home bronze medals for their team efforts. Eustache was also name to the All Star Team at the closing ceremonies.
Pat Brown of Barriere was the lucky winner of half a cut and wrapped lamb from the Provincial Winter Fair Society draw, held at the North Thompson Fall Fair. The other half of the lamb was donated to the food bank.
The District of Barriere held a volunteer appreciation barbecue at the Barriere Bandshell on Sept. 11, where there was food, refreshments and entertainment performed by local band Lunafix.
The 2016 Barriere Community Terry Fox Run was a huge success. The 118 participants raised $12,540 – the best year ever.
The Thompson Valley Players announced the 2016 recipient of the ‘Rising Star’ award was Savanna Watson. This award is presented each year, in memory of Huntley Cooper, to a student who has a passion and good work ethic in the field of drama and improvisation.
On Sept. 28, the annual Raise-a-Reader campaign once again took to the streets of Barriere to raise funds earmarked to promote literacy within the Barriere area (McLure to Little Fort). Thanks to volunteers who hawked special edition newspapers, and the generosity of those who made donations, the local Raise-a-Reader campaign raised over $4,466.
Ernie Yungen and Sharon March were the only medal winners in Zone 8 Carpet Bowling, bringing home silver from the 55+ B.C. Games.
…continued next week
