Rather than having a regular meeting, Deka Lake & District Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary (LA) members treated themselves to a Christmas party Dec. 5.
Some 40 ladies attended, including guests Jocelyne Colbert, Marion Horton, Natalie McCaw, Vanessa Ooms, Nancy Pinder and Michelle Turley.
In addition to the usual silly games and wondrous eats, the ladies held an in-house raffle of self-donated items. Fifteen of the ladies won one of the gift baskets, and the raffle made $428, which will be donated to a good cause.
The LA’s Jan. 9 meeting will determine who is to receive the money.
New business
Newcomers to Higgins Lake, Vanessa Ooms and Vincent Zadworny, otherwise known as “V-Squared,” have opened a small engine repair shop.
Located in what was Wildmans at lnterlakes Corner, the shop repairs snowmobiles, ATV’s and motorcycles, as well as all small engines.
Vincent has been a mechanic for 12 years, and Vanessa, whose background is in business management and graphic design, is apprenticing with him.
The LA was delighted to welcome Vanessa to its Christmas party and looks forward to seeing more of her, and the community wishes V-Squared the very best of luck in their new venture.
Citra on fire
Many congratulations to the lnterlakes’ most famous children’s author, Becky Citra, on recently being awarded the readers’ choice Red Cedar Book Award for her novel, After the Fire, which was published in 2010.
This came about after a panel of librarians selected 10 books, and then children had to read five of them and vote for their favourite.
The children voted After the Fire best in the fiction category, which was particularly rewarding for Citra.
Recycling
100 Mile’s Gold Trail Recycling (Exeter Road on Sollows Crescent) has always accepted hard plastic No. 2.
Now, after some two years negotiating, residents will be delighted to know they are accepting all hard plastics. This would include most household containers of consumables, such as ketchup, bleach and vinegar.
Naturally, all must be washed and cleaned before sending them in to be recycled. Gold Trail is now also accepting all electronic items.
Further information and product lists are available on their website at www.gold trail.sfobc.com, or call 250-395-1041.
Raffle winner delighted
Congratulations to Interlakes resident Marallyn Oerlemans who is a happy camper after winning more than $1,100 in the recent local CrimeStoppers raffle.
Marallyn and her husband, Morris, recently celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary, and can now look forward to an extra-special Christmas.
Celebrations
Congratulations to Tom and Joan Foster who will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary tomorrow, Dec. 20.
Birthday bubbly goes to Maria Watt for her 84th and Russ Ross for his 83rd.
Birthday wishes also go to Denise Waldner, Andy Nixdorf, Kris Verheul; and especially to Piper Loft who becomes a teenager on Dec. 20.