Dear Canimites,
Recent heavy snows took us from pleasant fall to full-on-winter in one day, but it was spotty at first.
The first heavy snow brought barely an inch to the folks living at tropical Mahood, while eight to 12 inches blanketed the South Canim Lake Road.
It gave motorists a sight as they navigated around trees brought low. "It was like driving through a white tunnel," one said.
BC Hydro has been busy shuttling around the area freeing power lines, much to the relief of residents.
On the plus side, there won’t be much mowing for the next few months.
Large flocks of geese have been circling in through snow squalls to rest in Guenther Dangela’s fields, before continuing on south.
Trumpeter swans also arrived, loudly proclaiming their presence at the mouth of Bridge Creek with a stentorian bugling worthy of a 12-cylinder Pierce Arrow. They will stay until the ice pushes them off their weedy feeding shoals.
Fire Hall #2 gets a sign
Forest Grove Volunteer Fire Department (FGVFD) members recently had a work bee at Fire Hall #2, tuning and taking inventory of their equipment.
One happy task was the erection of a sign commemorating the 2007 construction of the building by the community.
Back then, it was the Canim Lake Fire Department, operating under the auspices of the Canim Lake Fire Protection Society. Funding then came from memberships and grants from various levels of government. Service was provided to the same area now covered by FGVFD Fire Hall #2.
Over three sunny days on the May long weekend, the community pitched in to convert a pile of materials to the ‘lock-up’ stage of the hall you see today. The women baked and cooked up a storm, piling long tables with food of all kinds, as the men built walls in a number of teams under the direction of foreman Pat LaBossiere.
The trusses went on under the careful hand of Garry Baker operating Pete Van Osch’s mobile crane.
It was a terrific effort for a relatively small community. Many companies assisted by donating materials and services.
That’s all recorded on the new sign attached to the hall, with 80 names of people and firms who helped, and a picture of the building in its early stages. A number of people who participated have since moved south, and sadly six of our number then have passed away. They are Ken Charles, Norm Crocker, Al DeVries, Pat LaBossiere, Egon Peterson and Olga Pugsley.
The sign reminds us of the strong character of our community that lies unseen beneath the beat of daily life. It also reminds us of the contributions of people past to what we have today. For that we can be thankful. Stop by and have a look.
People News
Terry and Shannon Wagner celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary Nov. 4 at their home on Canim-Hendrix Lake Road.
Terry says their first date was to the wedding of a mutual friend in Camrose, Alberta.
Shannon was in the last years of high school and Terry was this handsome dude working in automotive service. The wedding theme stuck as five years later they married.
Both loved the outdoors, so their choice of Canim Lake is a natural one. They moved here and built their new home in 2008/09 and are now both active members of our community.
Road work
The late arriving snow gave Interior Roads a chance for some last-minute work patching holes in the Canim Lake Estates pavement, and beginning the task of road repair and gravelling at Mahood Lake.
That’s all for now. Until next time, here’s wishing you many blessings.