Ashcroft Boil Water Notice
The Boil Water Notice put into effect on May 5 for all users of the Ashcroft water system was downgraded to a Water Quality Advisory on June 29, after consultation with Interior Health. This means that the turbidity level is below 5 NTU (which triggers a Boil Water Notice) but above 1 NTU.
Testing shows that the current water quality is Fair. Owners of public facilities are requested to post Water Quality Advisories at all sinks or drinking water fountains accessible to the public (or turn them off).
Belly dance display
The Desert Moon and Desert Dawn belly dance troupes are holding an end of season show at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 6 at the Ashcroft Community Hall on Bancroft Street. This dance display is open to everyone, and features a range of belly dance styles from classic to modern, with routines choreographed by the members. Admission is by donation.
Music and Magic in the Park
Don’t miss the fabulous line-up at Music and Magic in the Park in Ashcroft on Wednesday, July 12. The event at the Heritage Park kicks off at 5 p.m. with everyone’s favourite clown, Uncle Chris the Clown, who will be back to delight children of all ages.
At 6:15 popular songstress Jennifer Ferguson from Back Valley will take the stage, accompanied by a three-piece band. Jenny and the Gents will be putting their own spin on many favourite songs across a variety of genres. At 7 p.m. headliners the Kyler Schogen Band from Edmonton will perform guitar-based, feel-good music that’s all about flowing grooves and heartfelt deliveries.
The Sunpatch food truck will be on-site from 4:30 p.m., selling their delicious homemade pizza, so bring the whole family down for an evening of fun, food, music, and laughter. Admission is by donation.
The Equality Project
The Project is looking for helpers to assist with the group’s many activities. Specifically, they are looking for a janitor to clean the clubhouse on Stage Road in Cache Creek; a relief driver to help bring people to the food bank in Ashcroft on the first and third Wednesdays of each month as needed; kitchen relief people able to volunteer once in a while (on Mondays and Tuesdays); volunteers for a gleaning crew who can go to people’s homes and harvest unwanted or surplus fruit and vegetables for use at the Project; someone to help fold clothing and restock shelves in the essentials room; and rag makers who can cut old clothing into rags (this can be done in your own home).
If you can help, contact Shelley at (250) 457-6485.
Drop-in at the mosaic studio
Most weekdays from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., Marina Papais and Daniel Collett are at their mosaic studio at the Ashcroft HUB; and they invite anyone interested in finding out more about the projects they are working on, or learning about the art of glass mosaics, to drop by and pay a visit.
Coquihalla delays
Drivers using the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt can expect delays this summer, as work continues on two major projects.
Work is ongoing at the Box Canyon chain-up area 40km north of Hope, while 13km north of that, crews are resurfacing the Dry Gulch Bridge. Travellers can go to www.drivebc.ca to check live travel conditions.
Motorists are asked to watch for and obey posted construction signs and traffic management personnel, and to adjust their driving speed.
Free kids’ theatre shows
The Rivertown Players’ Children’s Summer Theatre season has started in Kamloops, so come on out and see their free shows, hear songs, play games, and make crafts.
The Players will announce their performance times and venues, plus any updates, daily on their Facebook page (Kamloops Arts Council’s Rivertown Players - in partnership with Project X), where the July schedule is now posted. You can also visit the Kamloops Arts Council website (www.kamloopsarts.ca/) for more information.
First Nations Youth Multi-media and Arts Conference
The second annual Youth Multi-media and Arts Conference (summer school) will be taking place at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in Merritt from August 8 to 18 (dorm rooms are available). It is an opportunity for First Nations youth to engage with, and be mentored by, successful artists, filmmakers, actors, writers, directors, and Elders in exploring and expressing their culture, history, and universal themes through filmmaking, art, and other mediums.
For registration forms or further information, contact Citxw Nlaka’pamux Assembly at (250) 378-1864, or go to www.cna-trust.ca.
BC Parks licence plates
You might have noticed three new licence plate designs, all celebrating BC Parks, on vehicles around the province in the last few months. The plates were launched in January 2017, and it had been projected that by 2022 some 37,000 sets would have been sold.
That target was reached in June 2017, smashing sales projections and generating more than $500,000 for the BC Parks enhancement fund. The most popular of the three designs has been the Kermode bear (14,600 plates sold), followed by the Purcell Mountains (12,000) and Porteau Cove (10,300).
The BC Parks licence plates cost $50 for the initial purchase and $40 for each annual renewal. $15 from the initial sale and 100 per cent of every annual renewal will go directly into supporting BC Parks. The plates can be purchased at Autoplan broker offices across the province. To learn more, visit www.icbc.com.
Atlas Obscura
Atlas Obscura (www.atlasobscura.com) is a website that bills itself as showcasing “Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations” from around the world. Now and then one of the sites is within striking distance of our region, so travellers might want to check them out.
The Hall of Mosses is the name of a distinct hiking trail in Olympic National Park, located in the Hoh Rainforest 20 miles from Forks, Washington State.
Plucked straight from a storybook, the trail is a wonderland of stupendous old moss-covered trees draped in green and brown. Along the main trail there is a particularly otherworldly 200-foot side path that leads to an enchanting grove of giant maple trees, cloaked in hanging moss. One visitor to the trail wrote that “the trees stand like green-robed figures of eld.”
