Response to Pam Beech, Summer Stomp letter, printed in Oct. 19 EVN:
While the Summer Stomp may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it does bring visitors to theShuswap and all of the attendant financial benefits that go along with it.
We are a tourism based economy, good or bad.
Comments that an event such as the Stomp brings with it an unsavoury element needto be qualified with actual proof. Given the vastly increased police presence that goesalong with the Stomp, I find it hard to believe the crime rate increases over the courseof this one event, but that’s just my opinion.
Not everyone is a fan of the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival either – many repeatparticipants affectionately refer to it has the Hoots & Booze Festival – but dropping theevent because of a perceived unsavoury factor denies the many financial benefits thateveryone in the Shuswap enjoys.
Since Sicamous became the site of the Stomp, I have attended parts of the event – theMain Street festivities specifically. I have never gone to the dog park portion of theStomp, but it’s narrow-minded to think this one event taints the overall image of avisitor-friendly community that anyone who lives here already knows.
Maybe instead of trying to remove the event under the auspices of a negative reflectionof the type of community Sicamous is, a more positive and proactive approach isneeded.
Maybe relocating the Stomp grounds is the answer. I don’t know.
What I do know is that pigeon-holing everyone who attends an event like the Stomp isjust wrong.
I’ve been a rider for close to 40 years and I’ve experienced a lot of animosity solelybased on the fact that I was on a motorcycle.
I do fully agree that public consultation is key to finding a suitable compromise, and Ilook forward to seeing the results of the survey that Sicamous council is preparing.
As for the comment that it should be anonymous because some people fear reprisals? Itshould be anonymous because that’s how unbiased statistical data is compiled.
Jocelyn Crouse
