Concert at UniTea
UniTea Café and Lounge announces the return of singer Aaron Halliday and the Alan Jackson Experience to Ashcroft. Few tribute artists are as capable of capturing the essence of the person they are portraying, and Halliday has been nominated for three B.C. Country Music Association awards.
The concert — an outdoor show — will take place on Saturday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. (seating starts at 6:30 p.m.). General seating tickets are $20 each, with groups of up to four able to sit together. VIP seating tickets are $30 each, with three groups of two to four people in the front row.
To reserve your tickets, or find out more, drop by UniTea at 210 Railway Avenue, Ashcroft, call or text (250) 457-1145, or go to www.uniteacafetakeout.com. There will be a maximum of 35 tickets available, with beer, cider, wine, pop, and water for purchase; washrooms and sanitizing stations will also be available.
Three volunteers to help out on the night are also being sought, with each person receiving a free ticket to the concert. If you are interested in volunteering, contact UniTea or email nadine_d@telus.net.
Outdoor Community Yard Sale
There have been a couple of changes to the Community Yard Sale taking place at the Ashcroft HUB on Sunday, June 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The sale will be held in the HUB parking lot, and while vendors can set up at a table (still available from the HUB at $10 per spot; $5 per spot if you bring your own table), people can also sell out of the back of their vehicle, “car boot sale”-style.
Vendors must register before the event and pre-pay, and COVID-19 protocols will be in place. For more information, or to register, contact the HUB at ashcrofthub@gmail.com or call (250) 453-9177.
The Equality Project
As of Monday, June 29 The Equality Project will be back to its regular hours at its clubhouse on Stage Road in Cache Creek: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, with the Essentials Room open, and lunch served, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day.
Ashcroft Pool news
The Ashcroft Pool is set to open on Saturday, July 4. There will be Aquafit classes, lane swims, mom and tot swims, and public swims each week until Sept. 6, but there will not be regular swimming lessons offered. Instead, private swimming lessons will be available Tuesday through Sunday (two half-hour slots each morning) and Wednesday through Saturday (two half-hour slots each afternoon). Instructors can teach any level a swimmer is at, and any age, from seven to 70+; they can also do adapted lessons and parent and tot lessons.
The front desk at the pool will be open from June 24 to June 30 from 9 a.m. to noon each day for pool pass purchase, lesson registration, and pool rental reservations. Due to the shortened season this year, all pool season pass prices have been reduced by 50 per cent, so a family pass is only $70 and an adult pass is $30. Swimming lessons are $10 per half-hour session.
For information about pool hours, lessons, rentals, prices, and more, visit the Ashcroft Pool and Park Facebook page, or call the pool at (250) 453-9031.
Child care available
School District No. 74 and Ashcroft Early Learning are proud to offer quality child care and early learning experiences for children at Desert Sands Community School in Ashcroft beginning on Sept. 8, 2020. The program offers daily and monthly child care from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; before and after school care from 7 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; and part-time child care with an early learning focus either three or four days per week from 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Registration packages can be found at www.sd74.bc.ca. If you have questions about registration or programs, contact program manager Shauna Laskey at (250) 457-7408 or Colleen Minnabarriet at cminnabarriet@sd74.bc.ca.
Drug alert
Interior Health has issued a warning about powder cocaine circulating in the Kamloops area that contains fentanyl and phenacetin (an old pain reliever which is also a carcinogen). Stimulants contaminated with fentanyl carry a high risk of overdose.
People using drugs should get them checked, buddy up when they are using, avoid using different drugs at the same time or using them with alcohol, test by using a small amount, and carry a Naloxone kit and know how to use it. For more information, go to https://bit.ly/3dsx39S.
Category 2 open fires allowed
As of June 19, Category 2 open fires are once again allowed throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre’s jurisdiction. Resource management fires, fireworks, sky lanterns, and burn barrels or burn cages are also allowed. Ongoing assessment of the need for prohibitions is occurring.
The BC Wildfire Service urges people to take precautions with any allowed outdoor burning. Ensure that enough people, water, and tools are on hand to control the fire and stop it escaping, and do not burn in windy conditions. The weather can change quickly, and wind may carry embers to other combustible material and start new fires.
Create a fire guard around the planned fire site by clearing away twigs, grass, leaves, and other combustible material right down to the soil. Never leave a fire unattended, and make sure that your fire is fully extinguished, and the ashes are cold to the touch, before you leave the area for any length of time.
Category 3 open fires are still prohibited throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre. Check with local governments to see if they have restrictions in effect before lighting any fire.
Work on Deadman-Vidette Road
From now through Nov. 6, road construction will be taking place from the junction of Highway 1 up Deadman-Vidette Road for approximately 13 kilometres. The site is located 35 kilometres east of Cache Creek, and there will be single lane, alternating traffic on Deadman-Vidette Road, with flag people guiding traffic through the areas where crews are working. Drivers are asked to be patient during construction.
Keeping wildlife, people safe on the Coquihalla
Construction crews have started work on a $1.2-million project to build nearly 25 kilometres of new fencing along the Coquihalla Highway, south of Merritt, that will help keep travellers and wildlife safe.
On average, there are approximately 160 wildlife-related vehicle accidents each year on Highway 5, 75 per cent of which are with deer. Wildlife-exclusion fencing is 1.2 metres (four feet) higher than livestock fencing, blocking larger animals such as deer, moose, and elk from provincial highways. The exclusion fencing works by redirecting the animals to existing wildlife underpasses, allowing for the safe movement of animal populations under the highway.
The fencing will replace current livestock fencing along both sides of Highway 5, starting at Comstock Road and running 12 kilometres southbound until it connects with existing wildlife-exclusion fencing. The project adds to the nearly 180 kilometres of wildlife-exclusion fencing already in place along Highway 5.
Have your say on recovery
British Columbians are invited to share their feedback as the Province continues to build a strong economic recovery that works for people. The government is looking for suggestions on topics including how to strengthen and improve the health care system, improving quality of life, improving work prospects, and whether or not the government is on the right track and reflecting the concerns and needs of individuals.
There are three main ways for people to share their ideas, experiences, and priorities:
* An online survey is the fastest and easiest way to provide answers to some important questions and give advice. Visit http://gov.bc.ca/recoveryideas to take part in the survey.
* Respond to the paper, “Building B.C.’s Recovery, Together: Have Your Say”, which was released on June 17. Ideas and responses can be submitted to recoveryideas@gov.bc.ca.
* Participate in virtual town halls. British Columbians can learn more about the virtual town halls at http://gov.bc.ca/recoveryideas.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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