In one year and out the other! Happy New year everyone! I will not be writing a column for next couple of weeks. See you Jan. 23.
This week’s column is dedicated to a dear long-time friend, Vern Burnell who passed Dec. 16. I will truly miss his smiling face, humour and whit when he visited the Ramada. Both Vern and Verna will be missed, but always remembered for the lives they touched in our community. Personal condolences to the family and many friends.
A Coca-Cola truck at Save-On-Foods
Drop into Save-On-Foods Orchard Plaza and check out their iconic Coca-Cola Holiday Truck Display. It’s absolutely incredible and will be on display until mid-January. Made by Save-On-Foods’ very own and very talented Eric Falkenberg, the full-size commercial transport truck is 50 feet long, was made with 5,000 Coca-Cola cases and is 13 feet tall to the ceiling of the store. The 5,000 empty cases are put together with clear tape and are sitting on a huge wooden frame. The project took Falkenberg four weeks to build and it is sized to scale of a real hauling truck and depicts the first commercial holiday truck with Santa that aired in 1995. You will certainly recognize the picture of Santa on the truck when you see it, bringing a huge smile for the holidays.
After 36 years in the business of branding your logo, conveying your image and staying one step ahead of the competition, Gordon and Brenda Hunting of well-known Apple Valley Promotions have sold the business to Chris Whitney of Kelowna-based Dynamic Promotions. Whitney has assumed management and ownership of Apple Valley and will retain the name and phone number. Gordon and Brenda, along with Norm Sandvik and Daphne Pretty will all be staying on and working with Whitney to help with the transition. www.applevalleypromotions.com
It’s… a Bakery has opened at No. 101 – 4629 Lakeshore Road in the new heritage development complex next to St. Andrews Church, just off the round-a-about in the Mission area of the city, built and restored by Shane Worman. Owned and operated by Kathleen and Joachim Nierfeld and Holger and Karen Nierfeld, this cozy, quaint, 600 square foot bakery is a perfect place to have a coffee, pastry or a quick lunch. Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, the bakery serves coffee, speciality coffees, fresh organic breads, pastries, sandwiches and soups. There is bar/counter seating for six and the patio will be open this spring. Dustin Nicholls is the bakery’s barista. Call 778-477-0010
After four years as Key Account Development Manager, Jon Bandringa of Coca-Cola Refreshments has moved on and accepted a positon with TELUS in Kelowna, also managing accounts. Colin Picheniuk is the interim manager for Jon’s position at this time. You can reach Bandringa on LinkedIn and Picheniuk at colinpicheniuk@cokecanada.com.
Distinctly Kelowna Tours former owner, Debbie Dupasquier has accepted a positon with BlueStar Coachlines as their outside regional sales representative. Bluestar Coachlines represents the next generation of motorcoach travel with experienced and professional drivers, proven quality maintenance, high safety standards and a modern motorcoach fleet with all the travel amenities. Founded by Jason Neale and Mark Krehel, and with its head office in Kelowna at a brand new facility at 1482 Velocity Street, the company services all of Western Canada. Contact Dupasquier at 778-478-3866 or debbie@bluestarcoachlines.com. Bluestar was a major sponsor of the Maxine DeHart – United Way, Ramada Hotel Drive-Thru Breakfast this past year and donated a full size BBQ, which was won by James Janzen. www.bluestarcoachlines.com
Kelowna Concierge Ltd. has taken over the Airport Shuttle Service from Let’s Go Transportation. In addition to Kelowna Cabs, Kelowna Concierge is the only other transportation company in the Okanagan to hold a Courtesy Shuttle License for curbside parking, pickup and drop off at the airport. The company also offers a traditional hotel style concierge service to all incoming visitors, the city’s only local concierge. They also specialize in destination management services, corporate event planning and operating wine, beer, cider and distillery tours. Owners of the company are Jillian Wegner, Chad Haller, Jon De Bruyne and Jessica De Bruyne. For more information visit www.kelownaconcierge.ca/airportshuttle or call 250-863-4213.
If you are looking for some accessories for your new cellular phone or other device that you received at Christmas or if your existing cellular phone needs repair, EK Cell Repair owned and operated by JW Lee at 2079 Enterprise is the place to go. Some of the services offered are screen repair, battery replacement, unlocking and water damage. They also specialize in soldering and have a full line of up-to-date accessories with the latest trends and protection to make sure your phones are protected and stylist. Call 250-712-2029. Say Maxine DeHart sent you.
Kelowna salon wins award
Kelowna Hair Design at 1525 Gordon Drive owned and operated by Colleen Woelders has won the coveted BC Hair & Beauty Awards 2018 – Hair Salon of the Year – Okanagan/Boundary and Top Color Technician of the Year by Creative Oceanic Events. Colleen who has had the shop for eight years took all her staff to the event in Vancouver.
The Orchard City Amateur Radio Club is hosting a Basic Qualification Course for Amateur Radio. They are looking for interested parties who may wish to obtain the Industry Canada license. The course runs from Jan. 16 to April 17, 2019 for a fee of only $50 and a course manual for $50. Many people acquire their license in order to be able to assist with communication for community events, provide additional communications beyond that of cellular phone coverage in the backwoods for the outdoor enthusiasts, as well as talk to people all around the world. The course is Wednesday evenings from 7 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. at the Kelowna Fire Department Station on Enterprise Way. For more information, contact course co-ordinator Gord Hawkey at courses2019@ocarc.ca or register on their website at www.ocarc.ca.
The Hospitality Industry Blood Drive at the Kelowna Blood Donor Centre at 103 – 1865 Dilworth Drive is January 1st to 31, 2019. Book appointments at www.blood.ca or for groups of three or more email bookagroupbc@blood.ca or call Gayle Voyer at 250-979-8053 or gayle.voyer@blood.ca
A kind thank you
Here’s an Easy Act of Kindness Story. Huge thank you to well-known Kelowna guy, Chris Cowan of KF Aerospace. I was out walking a couple of weeks ago and forgot to put money in my pocket in case of an emergency. It was really cold and pretty late. I ran into Chris at Urban Fare. He was volunteering at the Salvation Army Kettle in the shopping center and not only did he give me $5, he passed on his hand warmers as he had finished his shift at the kettles and I still had a long way to walk to my destination. Chris, I forgot to pay you back when I was at KF Aerospace last week. Get you later.
Walk for Alzheimer’s
Mark your calendars for the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s on May 5, 2019 at City Park. As well, January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. This year, Craig Burns is the Honouree for the 2019 Walk who is even more keenly aware of Alzheimer’s. Craig is on the journey for a second time; first as a caregiver and now as a patient. Guy Bird is the 2019 Team Chair. For more information on the walk call Guy at 250-317-4446 or 18alzwalkkel@gmail.com.
Rent free. The Friends of Fintry Society is taking applications from history buffs, heritage lovers and people who embrace rural living. In exchange for free rent at the Fintry Manor House, you are expected to take visitors on house tours, supervise student guides in summer and do a little gardening. Friends of Fintry need a presence for security purposes and they want the house to have a heart. The caretaker job suits a couple but individuals are also eligible. To apply contact Kathy Drew at info@fintry.ca or call 250-542-4139. Deadline is Jan. 31, 2019.
Birthdays of the week
Birthdays of the week – Happy 60th Canady Hamilton (Dec. 25); Wayne Pierce (Jan. 1); Laurie Paxton (Jan. 3); Austin Hawkins (Jan. 3); Mitch Carefoot (Jan.2); Elaine Reiben (Jan. 2); Carol Wardrop (Jan. 3) Stephen Fleming (Jan. 4); Monty Cordingley (Jan. 4); Brenda Gray Geen (Jan. 5); Howard Morgan (Jan. 5); Barb Douglas (Jan. 6); Vern Tompkins (Jan. 6); Paul McIntyre (Jan. 6); Rick Halisheff (Jan. 6); Angela Nagy (Jan. 7); Kirk Stott (Jan. 7); Cam McIntosh (Jan. 7); Len Tonn (Jan. 10); Todd Sanderson (Jan. 11).
Maxine DeHart is a Kelowna City Councillor and local hotelier. Phone her at 250-979-4546 or 250-862-7662, fax 250-860-3173, E-mail maxdehart@telus.net.
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