Got your tickets for the Banff Mountain Film Festival, yet?
The always-amazing Banff Mountain Film Festival returns to Revelstoke this week with showings on Thursday and Friday nights, September 20 – 21, at the new Performing Arts Centre (PAC) at RSS.
Hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Wearabouts and Mount Begbie Brewery, the film fest will be the first public event at the new PAC.
Tickets are now available from the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce at 204 Campbell Avenue. They’ll cost you $20 per night or $35 for the double header and are — if previous years’ films are any guide — certainly worth the money.
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Help the Food Bank fight hunger!
Organizers Patti Larson and Krista Carnegie have their fingers crossed as they hope Revelstokians respond generously to the big Emergency Services Fight Back Against Hunger Food Drive organized for Wednesday and Thursday evening this week.
This is the second food drive of its kind and the Community Connections Food Bank is hoping to at least equal last year’s total of 8,000 lbs of non-perishable foods.
Volunteers will be by between 6 pm and 8 pm both nights. You can watch or listen for them coming and meet them at the door with your donation or you can leave it at the door.
The most needed items (and please only include undamaged, unexpired products) are:
- Tuna, salmon, other meats;
- Pasta and sauces;
- Chunky soups;
- Meal in a tin (stew or SPAM);
- • Cereal;
- Fruit juice;
- Canned vegetables and fruit;
- Canned or powered milk;
- Peanut butter;
- Toothpaste, toilet paper;
- Shampoo and soap;
- Laundry detergent;
- Diapers and wipes;
- Baby food; and
- Juice boxes, granola bars, fruit cups, cracker snacks, fruit leathers
For more info please click here to visit the campaign’s Facebook page.
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Singers seeking Food Bank Donations
Speaking of the Food Bank, local businesses and even some entertainers are stepping up and helping out.
Singers Judy and Bruce Wing will be performing at Benoit’s Wine Bar at 8 pm this evening and are asking people to bring cash or a food donation.
As well, this Thursday Revelstoke Florist on Mackenzie Avenue is taking donations for the Food Bank during its Good Neighbour Day 2012 campaign. It’s encouraging people to get six roses and give five away.
Click here to see their poster.
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New ‘Focus Group’ to critique City’s 2013 budget
City Council is preparing to reactivate its so-called Focus Group to provide input for next year’s budget.
The group consists of six people. Members of the previous two groups can reapply if they like as can other people in the community. Council will have the final word with regard to the group membership.
The Focus Group will act as an advisory body to the Finance Committee and will only meet in association with the Finance Committee during budget discussions.
Members of the focus group will be expected to attend all City budget planning meetings until the final Financial Plan is presented to the public for comment next year.
They will also be expected to review financial material provided to them during the budget process, to actively provide comment and observations, and to ask questions during the general discussion of the budget.
When a recommendation is moved by a Councilor, either at a Council meeting or a Committee meeting, members of the focus group will not be permitted to engage in the discussion before the vote.
Members of the focus group may request additional, relevant information, during the budget process. These requests should be submitted to the Finance Committee, which will direct staff accordingly.
The focus group will cease to exist once Council has voted to present the final budget to the public for review and comment.
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Oh, those stupid stencils…
Just in case you were wondering what was going to happen with those hideous signs stenciled on almost every street corner in the city core, don’t get your hopes up that they’ll disappear any time soon.
Council decided last Tuesday to let time — the usual winter weather — take its toll.
With any luck they’ll be only a weathered memory by next spring.
City Planner John Guenther took responsibility for the signage debacle as the decision to apply the stencils came from his department.
However, Council had little to say about whether the rules about cyclists, skateboarders and unleashed dogs on the sidewalks will be enforced.
City bylaw enforcement officers and RCMP officers are rarely seen walking — or cycling — around the downtown area even though a more visible and publicly accessible official presence might actually make a difference.
Ours is not a large city. Do our law enforcement officers really need to cruise everywhere in vehicles?
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Hospice Society needs our help!
The Revelstoke Hospice Society performs a lot of very good work on behalf of individuals coming to the end of their lives but it’s hving trouble attracting new volunteers.
“Recently we have had to delay our fall training as we didn’t get a good complement of people interested in our PALS and Palliative Programs,” Society President Vivian Mitchell said in an e-mail to The Current.
Helping Hospice is an important way people in our community can help their friends and neighbours.
If you think you can make a difference please contact the Hospice Society at 250-837-2568 or via e-mail at revhosp@telus.net.
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Meltdown results now available
The full results of last weekend’s Meltdown at Martha Creek are now available online at http://www.liveitloveit.org/2012-results.
Billed as “BC’s most bad-assed DH” the event attracted plenty of competition for its 2,100-metre descent from Sale Mountain.
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City backs four tourism initiatives
City Council has voted to approve four initiatives that required funding from its Resort Municipality funds.
Councillors approved an allocation of up to $30,000 to the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club for its planned improvements to the Frisby Ridge cabin.
They also okayed $10,000 to the Revelstoke Museum and Archives for planned improvements to its facility at First Street and Boyle Avenue.
And they said “yes” to a request for $154,000for the purchase of a new 60-seat bus to enhance the ski hill shuttle bus service. There are already two buses, but even so many skiers whop had wanted to use the bus service last year were unable to do so because there were not enough seats available. A third bus should alleviate that.
Community Economic Development Director Alan Mason told Council that demand for the service almost doubled last year to 45,000 riders from 29,000 the previous year.
“It doesn’t look good when you leave people standing on the side of the road,” he said.
And finally, Council has directed staff to investigate the feasibility of leasing a bus using Resort Municipality Funds to transport visitors from Calgary and Kelowna airports to Revelstoke during the ski season. The City won’t run this service, though it will help finance it. The service will be operated by an independent contractor.
There will, no doubt, be residents who will question the wisdom of these expenditures, but these funds do not come from local taxpayers. These are funds raised through the provincial hotel tax and are specifically intended to improve tourism infrastructure and services.
