What I really, truly, unironically think, is that the sign at the Wasa junction is just fine. And that if it is modified to include directions to Cranbrook through Kimberley, that’s perfectly fine with me. So much the better.
But after the original story appeared on Friday the 13th, about the sign and the idea of modifying it, I thought I saw here an opportunity for humour, over what I think is actually a pretty trivial thing (the sign).
And since the term “longstanding Kimberley/Cranbrook rivalry” was used in the original story, it was my intention to poke a little fun at that, because I agree with one Kimberley correspondent of mine, in response to Thursday’s column, that Kimberley and Cranbrook have a synergistic relation. I consider them practically one community, except sometimes I feel a little envious about Kimberley’s joyous vibe.
This is one of the things I was trying to achieve in my column “Kimberley, You Have Gone Too Far,” in comparing the great tourist aspects of Kimberley — the Platzl, the Ski Hill, the Nature Park — and how Cranbrook is currently in the process of reinventing itself the way Kimberley has been since the mine closed — with great success, I want to say. Having lived here 17 years, I have the greatest respect for Kimberley, its culture, its beauty, and the tourist punch it packs.
As for tourists, and the “competition” for tourist dollars, I believe what’s good for Kimberley tourism is good for Cranbrook tourism and vice versa.
By setting myself up as a ranter, as someone I’m not (something I do regularly in columns), I try to make a satirical point. Sometimes this style works well — for example, as when I write from the point of view of an angry illegal dumper, the point is made with great success. In this recent case, writing from the point of view of someone obsessed with an ancient rivalry between two towns, it was not a great success. Judging from the general tone of response, it was the opposite of success.
So I would publicly like to say that Kimberley is a great place, a shining jewel in the Purcells, that makes all the communities around it better. If a modified sign at the Wasa junction directs more traffic into Kimberley, so much the better for all of us, I say.
