PAC meetings
The next meetings of the Cache Creek Elementary School and Desert Sands Community School Parent Advisory Councils are at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 9 at their respective schools. All parents and guardians of students at both school are welcome to attend.
Pickleball skills and drills
On Friday, March 10 Manta Sport is bringing two pickleball workshops to the Ashcroft HUB. From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. there will be a recreational workshop for those who play just for the fun of it, while the session from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. is aimed at those who play competitively, and who want to take their game to the next level. The cost is $20 for one or both sessions; for more information or to register, call the HUB at (250) 453-9177.
Health, Education, and Career Fair
The Bonaparte Indian Band is hosting a Health, Education, and Career Fair at the Cache Creek Community Hall from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14. Local and regional exhibitors will be on hand to talk about healthy living and finding a career you love. Trevor Day, an addictions and traditional wellness worker with the Bonaparte Band, and one of the organizers of the event, says the band held a similar event in 2015.
Among the exhibitors attending the event are recruiters from the RCMP, Corrections BC, and Thompson Rivers University; local artisans; Interior Health; Okanagan College and the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology; traditional healer Mary Louie; massage therapists; and the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council.
There is no charge for the event, which features door prizes and a “Passport to Health” grand prize draw. Lunch and snacks will be provided. To find out more, call Julie Antoine or Trevor Day at (250) 457-9624.
Accounting software course
Thompson Rivers University is offering a “Simply Computing: SAGE 50” course at the Gold Country Communities Society office in Cache Creek starting on Friday, March 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. (the course continues on March 11 and 12, March 24 to 26, and on March 31 and April 1).
Attendees will learn the fundamental features and concepts of the SAGE accounting software program, and how to design, establish, and manage an accounting system for a small business. The course is not intended to teach accounting principles. Participants will need to bring a flash drive, and computer file management skills are a prerequisite.
The fee will be prorated depending on the number of attendees. For more information, contact Margaret Hohner at (250) 256-4296 or at mhohner@tru.ca.
Destination Development planning session
Destination British Columbia is offering a planning session in Ashcroft on Thursday, March 16 to give an overview of the Destination Development Program, provide context for the tourism operating environment, identify and assess tourism development issues and operations relevant to the area, and have a preliminary discussion on the tourism vision for the Gold Rush Trail.
The program will facilitate the collaboration of local, regional, and provincial agencies, First Nations, destination marketing organizations, tourism operators, and other community interests to guide the long-term growth of tourism experiences and revenues. The information and content obtained during the March 16 session will provide much of the framework for the Destination Development Strategy in this region.
There is no charge for the event, which will be held at the River Inn in Ashcroft ftom 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch and refreshments will be provided, but pre-registration is necessary. For more information about the program, or to register, contact Amy Thacker, CEO of the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association, at (250) 392-2226 or at amy@landwithoutlimits.com.
WorldHost workshops
Gold Country Communities Society (GCCS) is able to facilitate a one-day WorldHost workshop for community groups, businesses, or organizations within Gold Country, as long as there are a minimum of eight participants.
The workshop is aimed at front-line employees, and provides participants with an understanding of the importance of excellent customer service skills. Those taking part will learn how to communicate with customers more effectively, improve their attentiveness to customer needs, understand the role tourism has in the economic health of their town and province, and learn the five key commitments that help B.C.’s tourism workforce go that extra mile.
The workshop is usually between $85 and $110 (plus tax) per person, but GCCS is able to offer it for $35 (no tax) per person. For more information email goldcountry@telus.net.
Lighting rebates
BC Hydro is offering in-store discounts on select energy-efficient LED bulbs, lighting fixtures, and controls between now and April 13. These energy-saving products use at least 75 per cent less energy than conventional equivalents, and can last up to 20 years.
Residential lighting can account for 15 per cent of a household’s electricity use, and BC Hydro is encouraging customers to take advantage of these in-store discounts to make the switch to energy-efficient lighting that will help save on electricity costs in the long run.
Customers can get up to a $10 instant rebate on select ENERGY STAR LED bulbs; $5 on select lighting fixtures; and $3 on some lighting control systems, like dimmers, timers, and motion sensors. The rebates are available at Canadian Tire, Costco, Home Hardware, London Drugs, Lowes, Home Depot, and RONA outlets.
Sound library
Have you ever wanted to know what geysers sound like when they erupt, or the noises that grizzly bears make to indicate you’re too close? What about the relaxing sounds of meadowlarks, loons, ruffled grouse, or sandhill cranes, or the cries and calls of moose, wolves, elk, foxes, and other animals? All these sound files, and many more, are available in the Yellowstone National Park sound library (http://bit.ly/2bdh1W9), and all can be downloaded and used without limitation. All the files were recorded within Yellowstone, which became the world’s first national park in 1872.