July 04, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. John, Museums
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Since the travelling British Home Child Memory Quilt Exhibit is currently at the Fort St. John Museum, I went down to check it out while I had the opportunity to. Although the North Peace Museum mainly has local history of the pioneer days, it is wonderful that travelling exhibits frequent the museum to share a broader history with local residents and visitors. Whenever I visit our local museum, I always leave with a ton more historic knowledge about events that I didn’t even know existed.
Today, I sauntered out of the museum feeling surprised, shocked, and somewhat oblivious to pieces of Canada’s history that I was completely unaware of. The British Home Child Memory Quilt defiantly opened my eyes to a small portion of Canada’s immigration past. I discovered that not all of the 100,000 British orphans who came to Canada in search for a better life actually received one. Although there were stories of abuse, poor working conditions, and loneliness for many of the British home children, there were also uplifting tales of the many opportunities Canada provided these children. I took the time to appreciate and read each square of the hand-crafted quilt since each piece had a different child’s story or picture. The friendly staff at the North Peace Museum also played the accompanying documentary called “Nobody’s Child” for me so that I could soak in even more history. The British Home Child Memory Quilt Exhibit is moves onto another community at the start of September, so find the time in the next two months to go see this memorable exhibit!
July 02, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. John, Attractions
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To mark Canada’s 145th birthday, a huge celebration took place in Fort St. John. A pancake breakfast kicked off the festivities and soon after countless excited people lined the streets in anticipation of the parade The activities in Centennial Park attracted individuals of all ages. Children let out energized cries while playing games in the park and the adults especially enjoyed the Classic Cruisers Show & Shine. I personally enjoyed wandering and looking at all of the fancy old cars and listening to the music performances in the park. The Canada Day events continued into the evening with even more talented musicians providing entertainment for the community. Finally, Canada Day ended with a bang as the magnificent fireworks filled the sky. It really was uplifting to see the community uniting over a joint love for Canada.
June 27, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. John, Dining
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Yesterday was definitely one of those order-in kind of nights. After a long day of work, I was starving but it seemed as if my fridge was filled with absolutely nothing that was appealing to me. After one of my co-workers had nothing but praise to offer about her “nacho” pizza that she ordered the night before from Olio’s Pizza, I figured that I would try it out for myself. I decided on the one of the signature pizza’s, the “Olio’s Casa”. I was impressed how quickly it arrived to my door and even more thrilled when I saw the mixture of topping piled high on a fresh in-house made crust. I must say, I haven’t had a pizza this good in a long time. Personally, I believe that the local ingredients that they use in all of their pizzas contribute to the mouth-watering flavours. Although some of the other pizza’s, such as the “Sloppy Joe”, “Frankie’s Chicken”, and the “Donair Pizza”, sound a little too adventurous for my liking, I’m sure I’ll be calling Olil’s again for another great pizza.
June 25, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. John, Recreation Sports
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Lately, the weather sure has put a damper on my outside plans so I ended up asking myself the age old question, “what to do on a rainy day?” After my fishing and outside jogging plans literally got rained out the last few days, I found another recreational activity to do indoors. A wonderful indoor, heated, walking track was the solution to get me out of the house, but still dry from the rain. Fort St. John’s newest sport’s facility, the Pomeroy Sport Centre truly is a state-of-the-art building! This three level recreational centre houses two NHL-sized hockey arenas, a long track speed skating oval, and an indoor walking/ running track. I truly was stunned how enormous of a building it really is when I finally got inside. The countless windows provided so much natural light and a rarely seen birds-eye view of the city.
I had a great warm up by climbing several sets of stairs to reach Northern Vac walking track at the top level of the building. I surprised myself that I could actually jog for a solid hour in a circle, as I easily get bored with these types of activities. It was really nice to see the abundance of people of all ages taking advantage of a FREE way to stay fit! Additionally, I found the artwork displayed beside the walking track and the edible landscaping outside the building to add a little extra character to this stunning building. I left the Pomeroy Sport Centre feeling sweaty and tired…exactly what I wanted! After my wonderful experience at the Northern Vac Track last night, I’ll be sure to revisit the Pomeroy Sport Centre the next time Mother Nature provides nice weather for the ducks.
June 25, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. John, Art Galleries & Artists
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I was so excited that this past week marked the official beginning of summer with the Summer Solstice. Around this time of year, the North Peace Potters’ Guild in Fort St. John has an annual fundraising Summer Solstice Chili Bowl Bash. Saturday June 23rd marked the 5th annual Chili Bowl Bash which took place at the local Artspost. After pre-purchasing my $30.00 ticket, my mom and I stopped by to support the local potters and enjoy a tasty bowl of chili.
As I approached the Artspost, I could hear the chatter, feel the excitement, and see the countless pottery enthusiasts. We were invited to choose one of the many hand-made pottery bowls. I was astonished at the abundance of bowls to pick from! Since these bowls were made from hands of various skill levels, each one was unique in it’s size, shape, style, finish, and the techniques used. Next, we were invited to taste six different chilies, vote on our favourite, and then fill our new bowls to the brim with a delicious chili dinner. Also included in the event was entertainment, 50/50 draw, a door prize for free pottery classes, and a piñata for the children.
This event was a great way to show off the talent of local artists and to explore the facility where the Guild resides year-round. Furthermore, this fundraising event has contributed to the success of the local Potters’ Guild by assisting in operational costs and purchasing new equipment, such as the new kiln that was bought last year with the funds. I had such an awesome time at the Chili Bowl Bash that I’m already marking my calendar for next year! In the meantime, the North Peace Potters’ Guild is open to the public every Saturday from 10am-1pm where they feature a mug wall with new pieces each week. If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind, hand-made piece of local pottery, I highly recommend stopping by the Artspost, located at 10320-94th Ave.
June 24, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. John, Fishing
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Last night was so far the most enjoyable evening I have had so far this summer. The sun was still shining, the sky was a soft blue with few clouds, and the mosquitoes were at bay. This made for a spectacular, relaxing night of fishing at Chuck’s Puddle. I was determined to catch my first fish of the year so I scouted out the perfect fishing spot at a secluded area away from the boat launch and other fishermen. My excitement and purpose shown through as I took far more time than required to choose my fishing rod and lucky fish hook that actually smelled like a fish to be sure to provide me with a BIG catch. Since I haven’t been fishing in years, it was nice to have my boyfriend along to re-teach me the trick of the trade. It all came back to me quickly as it only took me a few tries before I could cast beyond the immediate weeds. Being out at Charlie Lake provided me with a sense of calmness and peacefulness that my daily life rarely offers.
After an hour of countless casts, finally a fish was on the line! Unfortunately, it was not my bait that had lured in a Jackfish. As you can see in the picture, my boyfriend was the lucky one, or as he likes to tell me, the one with the fishing skills. I snapped a few pictures and then the fish was released back into the lake since they apparently aren’t the tastiest of fish. By the time 10 o’clock approached, the sun had set behind the trees so we decided to pack up our gear and head home. I kept telling myself “just one more cast and you’ll get one” but I finally granted the fish victory for the night. Don’t worry though, I’ll be back to get my desired Walleye, or even better, the rare Yellow Perch.