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Legion Week celebrated by presenting commemorative pins

Community news happening around the Forest Grove area of the South Cariboo
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Canim Lake Band Elder Antoinette Archie posed with the special pin she received from the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #261-Forest Grove during Legion Week. The pin recognizes the significant contribution of Aboriginal veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Legion Week has just passed and it gave the Forest Grove Royal Canadian Legion-Branch # 261 a chance to tell the public what RCL stands for.

The Royal Canadian Legion (RCL) supports veterans and their families through various national charities and lobby the Minister of Veterans Affairs to improve veterans benefits.

Branch 261 also supports local charities and community groups. As part of Legion Week, it welcomed the Canim Lake Band Elders to be their guests for lunch. After lunch was served, each of them was presented with a beautiful commemorative pin.

The RCL created this pin to recognize the significant contribution of Aboriginal veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as their families. Canada’s Aboriginal people have a long history of military service with more than 200 men from the Shuswap Nation defending this country.

Canada Day

More than 50 people got together at Ruth Lake Park on July 1 to celebrate Canada Day.

The park was polka dotted with red and white as people roamed around chatting and meeting new friends. A potluck lunch was set out for everyone to enjoy, as well as the usual summer treats.

Young, old and not so old paddled in the water, strummed guitars, lounged in the sun and just enjoyed the day.

At 3 p.m., an air horn sounded and everyone joined in on a raucous version of O Canada.

Performing arts

Sixteen cast members have been chosen for the hilarious comedy, Office Hours written  by Norm Forster, that 100 Mile Performing Arts will be presenting this fall.

Marie Hooper will direct this project and says the audience will be rolling in the aisles. Even though it won’t be the usual musical production and it will be a fall performance, Marie says she is confident all three performances will sell out.

Familiar faces will be in the cast and it will be a two-hour performance.

The show will run Oct. 25-26. Saturday will have two performances – a matinee and an evening show. Mark this date on your calendar and don’t miss the comical hijinks that takes place in an office setting.

Graduation day

I caught up with Michael Van Osch while he was splitting wood with his uncle Dan.

Mike graduated from Forest Grove Elementary School and will be starting Grade 8 at Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School in the fall. This will be a real change – now he will be taking the bus to school after living so close to the school all these years.

Some of the courses he will be taking are metal work and wood work, which he is looking forward to.

Mike was the only Grade 7 student in his school this past year. Next year he will be with dozens of other students his age, some of whom he’s already friends with.

Mike excels at, and enjoys, all sorts of sports, and this year, he received the Athlete of the Year award. He participated in running, high, long and triple jump and shot put.

He was presented with a nice plaque to add to the other awards he’s received over the years, including citizenship awards for six consecutive years.

He has a summer job with his uncle and is saving for a new dirt bike or a gun. Some of his summer activities will be going to camp, visiting friends in Kamloops and camping with his family at Quesnel Forks.

On top of this, he and his sister, Renee, have 12 chickens they share responsibility for. They sell the eggs and are saving their money for their summer.