55 YEARS AGO:
Weekly whist games held by Wells Gray Women’s Institute in Upper Clearwater had been terminated for the remainder of 1964. Games were to resume in January, reported Upper Clearwater correspondent Helga Premischook.
Kamloops Coach Lines was advertising daily, dependable motor coach service to Kamloops. The bus left Vavenby at 8 a.m., arrived in Kamloops at 11:05. It returned from Kamloops at 6 p.m., arriving in Vavenby at 9:15 p.m.
The following poem was an ode to the East Blackpool bus: A Rattlin’ Good Success, We have rented a bus, I fear, Supposed to last for half a year; Broken steps and muffler hole, I wonder if it has a soul. Without its brother trucks to start, It would stall or fall apart; One time a tractor gave a tow, A worn out battery was the foe.
As fate may have it, it caught cold, It stalled near Rutleys’, I was told; It coughed and sneezed and blew its hose,
Ford it had a big long nose. Well anyway, through thick or thin, Our driver always brought her in; Kids all think this bus is fine, They’d bought it quick for just a dime. Sure hope your troubles are over soon, And get a bus with lots of boom; One that will run with lots of ease, And on the road will never sneeze.
45 YEARS AGO:
Suze Krauseneck was master-of-ceremonies for the School District 26 Christmas concert. A band composed of students from Birch Island, Dutch Lake, and Vavenby elementary schools played Songs and carols. Paul Sonneson was the featured trumpet soloist with the Clearwater Secondary School band. The clarinet section of Joy Dickson, Linda Tonge, Sandra Whiteman, Joy Gregory, Lorraine Schulte and Debbie Zimmerman played a concerto.
The first ever-curling bonspiel was held at the new North Thompson Sportsplex.
30 YEARS AGO:
Police and relatives were searching along the Yellowhead Highway for two missing Alberta residents, Jim Hammond and Linda Gallant. The two had been traveling from Edmonton to Kamloops with a load of furniture when they disappeared. An unconfirmed report put their propane-powered pickup at a Clearwater service station.
“My job is the little spy in the backwoods,” was how Department of Highways area supervisor for the Clearwater area Jerry Beddington described what he did for a living. The highways maintenance contractor, Interior Roads, did their own management and equipment maintenance, he said, “I just monitor their performance.”
Featured CSS musicians during the annual Clearwater community concert were Merlin Reiter (trumpet), Rusty Clark (trombone), Shawn Richardson (guitar), Lisa Toma (flute), Laura Marshall (clarinet), Bill Liebe (bagpipes), Kari Montrichard (alto sax), Darcy Yurkiw (tenor sax), Sharon Strickland (saxophone), Lisa Odermatt (baritone saxophone), Barbra Wadlegger (alto sax), and Deanne Reiter (saxophone).
CSS students Ranviar Heer, Sheena Sargeant and Jennifer Shook took first, second and third places in the Christmas story-writing contest.
25 YEARS AGO:
Kevin Kriese was the newest operations manager in the Clearwater Forest District. As integrated management resource officer, Kriese had played a leading role in developing the Kamloops Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP). His grandfather had run the original small sawmill in the Heffley Creek and Falkland areas before coming to Clearwater, where he worked at Camp 2 until his retirement.
The Little Fort ferry was back in use after being closed for over two weeks due to ice on the river.
Then in its 14th year, Amalgamated Christmas filled 106 hampers for needy families in the Clearwater area. Secretary Lois Moss said a lot of the credit for the successful campaign should go to its chairperson, “Sgt. Major” Pauline Gregory.
20 YEARS AGO:
The end of the millennium was just a few days away, and local Provincial Emergency Program coordinator Tracy Wynnyk suggested it was a good occasion for people to review their emergency preparedness plans. PEP headquarters in Victoria was advising people to prepare for Y2K as they would for a severe winter storm or ice storm.
Former Clearwater Library manager Muriel Dunford published a new history book: “North River: the Story of B.C.’s North Thompson Valley and Yellowhead Highway 5.” The front cover featured a historical photo of pistol-packing poet Angus Horne and his associate, Jack Willis.
15 YEARS AGO:
Telus expanded its cell phone service so that it was continuous from Clearwater to Kamloops.
Residents of Wells Gray Country would go to the polls shortly to vote on a proposed aquatic center.
Sonya Beauchamp was picked to be tourism-marketing coordinator for Wells Gray Country.
Leonard Rilcoe of Barriere won $2.2 million in a lottery. The 59-year-old father of three planned to retire from logging.
EDAC released a logo for the North Thompson Valley. The logo highlighted the river and valley in relation to direction through the association with the compass symbol.
10 YEARS AGO:
Thompson- Nicola Regional District has sent a letter of thanks to Kinder Morgan Canada in recognition of the company’s employees Kevin Stetler and Kelsey Baskier. Wells Gray Country (Area A) director Tim Pennell put forward the motion to have a letter of thanks sent to Kinder Morgan during a TNRD board meeting held Thursday, Dec. 17. The letter was a follow-up on a spectacular crash that occurred Dec. 10 at Tum Tum Trailer Court.
“Their prompt action, professionalism and conduct while managing the cleanup following the semi-tractor accident near Vavenby was greatly appreciated,” he said. “The fact that the accident was in my personal backyard allowed me to monitor the cleanup efforts firsthand and see them in action.”
5 YEARS AGO:
It was a full agenda when Clearwater’s new town council met for the first time on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Possibly the most important item discussed, although not the most exciting, was a building permit bylaw. The new bylaw regulates the construction, alteration, repair, moving or demolition of buildings and structures.
Chief administrative officer Leslie Groulx noted that there has been no increase in building permit fees for 18 years. The new rates will begin on Jan. 1.
1 YEAR AGO:
Organizers in Clearwater were gearing up for the town’s first half marathon event, which would take place in the summer, giving running enthusiasts something to look forward to and plenty of time to train.
The Candle Creek Half Marathon was scheduled for Aug. 24, 2019, and was being hosted by the Wells Gray Outdoor Club, with all proceeds going toward maintaining the trails at Candle Creek as well as help to build new ones. Juanita Allen, race director and organizer, said the half marathon had been two years in the works and the idea was to make it an annual event.
