Hundreds of participants got a taste of the action at 108 Mile Ranch Saturday.
Ingrid Meyer, chair of 108 Mile Ranch Community Association, said she was blown away by the turnout for the 108 Mile Fair, which featured events at the 108 Community Centre, Mile 108 Elementary School, the South Cariboo Regional Airport, the 108 Heritage Site and the 108 Mile Ranch Fire Department.
“We’ve done many business fairs in the past and a few years ago we did our 50th anniversary and that happened all over the 108,” Meyer said. “I thought, especially after that long haul of COVID, everyone deserved a celebration. I tried to get everybody on board and that’s what happened.”
Al Richmond, Cariboo Regional District director for Area G (108 Mile-Lac La Hache) said he enjoyed the chance to interact with his constituents in person. Richmond also thought it was a good idea to have the fire hall and airport host open houses at the same time.
“Those are places that aren’t always open. So for example at the fire hall they get to tour it, meet the firemen and actually see the equipment they’re paying for,” Richmond said. “At the airport, it’s the same thing, you can talk to the airport manager and get a better sense of how things work.”
Both airport manager Ross Donahue and fire chief Chris Haddad welcomed the chance to show the public what they do on a regular basis. At the airport, Donahue showed off a dozen planes as well as several pieces of airport equipment. He also invited the 100 Mile Model Flyers Club to do some demonstrations.
At the fire department, children explored the inside of fire trucks, while Haddad used his open house as a recruitment drive. The department currently has 17 members and he’s hoping to get that number up to 25. Those interested can apply online at cariboord.ca.
At the elementary school, the Parent Advisory Council organized a series of carnival games for children, including a potato sack race and a tug of war, as well as offering face painting and a cotton candy machine. Principal Elaine Colgate also led her students in a bicycle parade.
“It’s great seeing families coming together again around the school and having a fun day,” she said. “This is about bringing kids together, parents together and really uniting the whole school community.”
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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