Old Man Winter still hung around and made his presence known during the month of February! Unreal weather – we have had cold snaps, freezing rain and even more days of heavy snowfall than we expected.
The weather fortunately did not put a damper on the big fundraiser happening at the Rolf Zeis Arena. There was Co-ed hockey action at the arena all day and after that, there was a social and dance at the Community Hall.
Mega thanks going out to Rob and Bev Fry and their volunteers for organizing this fundraiser, it was challenging work collecting up prizes for the silent auction and then of course for the bucket draws. New Age Entertainment provided the music for the dance, the evening event was a super wonderful time for all! The results are in – a whopping $4,000 was raised for our arena! Special thanks go out to everyone who helped make this fundraiser such a success and for the generous donations of the silent auction items and prizes.
A steady stream of shoppers came through the Community Hall on Sunday, Feb. 25. Once again, the Flea Market was an enormous success and the selection of wares available was plentiful. Since Easter is coming early this year, the next Flea Market will be a week earlier, on Sunday, March 24. See you all there!
There is always ongoing work happening at the arena. The concession has had a few modifications done and has now passed the health inspection and therefore now permitted. I know it is at the end of the ice on season, but all good things take time, don’t they? A new sign has been installed on the outside wall of the arena indicating which way to the entrance of the building. More folks are coming out to the Public Skating sessions held on Sundays from 1-3 p.m., so if you have not been by yet, stop in and check it out.
And to end our season there will be another big tournament scheduled for March 9, the plan is to have ice off after that time.
Chadwick Everett works at the local transfer station and is always reminding folks to be aware of the new rules in place regarding the share shed. Here are some of them – no clothing allowed, the share shed can not look overfull or crowded, please remove items from boxes and put the box away, if the bookshelves are full – take yours back home and finally no children’s car seats are allowed as they have expiry dates on the warranty. Chad invites people to either text him at 250-945-4583 or to send him a message on Facebook Messenger if they need clarification on any of these rules. Everyone loves the share shed so please be diligent and follow the rules, if not certain, please ask or message Chad, we certainly do not want to lose the share shed or have it closed.
The LLH Community Club held its regular monthly meeting on February 20 as well as the Annual General Meeting. There were no changes to the executive board with Heather Mereniuk as president, George Lee as vice president, Brittany Waastrom as treasurer and Barbara Hansen as secretary. We welcome new directors Teresa Wager and Russ Neher, and thank Jeanette McCrea, outgoing director, for her years of service in the club.
Mark Lewis, principal of Lac La Hache Elementary School shares that the children were super busy the last week of February. On Monday, Feb. 26 the students under the guidance of several Canim Lake Elders constructed indigenous drums. People from the community were invited to help the children with this project, after which time everyone enjoyed a nice lunch of Bannock tacos.
Rachel Drager, Education Assistant at the Elementary School shared that students worked hard on their Pink Shirt Day presentation. They accept everyone and feel that their school does an exceptionally excellent job at modeling what acceptance looks like. The staff and students describe acceptance, anti-bullying and anti-racism. Everyone has a sense of belonging and having the best assumption of someone else. They are aware of and accept the land they reside in called the Unceded Territory of the Secwépemc Indigenous people. They value the interconnectedness of nature and beings, and acceptance means including everyone and everything.
There are upcoming events to mark on your calendars – there will be a crib tournament held on March 16 at the Pioneer Centre. The registration fee is $20 and includes a spaghetti lunch. Doors open at 10 a.m. and play commences at 10:30 a.m. Since this is an extremely popular event, the maximum number of players has been set as seventy-six. Either come early or preregister by calling Paul or Mary at 250-396-4093, you will have a super fun time!
There will also be a Quilting Workshop on March 23 and 24 at the Pioneer Centre, please contact the OAPO for more information.
Plans are in the works for an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 30, details are not finalized yet but there will be some activities for the children and even some snacks. Parents, please stay tuned for more details on Facebook later this month as they become available.
Looking further ahead, the second annual Spring Fling of Homemade Things will be held on April 6 and 7 at the Community Hall this year. There will be face painting, free gently used books for kids and the kitchen will be open for snacks and refreshments. Come check out all the vendors and their crafts.
Taylor Ann Fitness is changing the classes down to once per week at the Pioneer Centre, on Thursdays at 6:15 p.m. the fees are $9 for OAPO members and $10 for nonmembers.
Condolences go out to the family and friends of Terry Buckoll in his sudden passing. Terry was a wonderful volunteer and will be missed by all.
