“This is the 1172th column I have written for the Lake Country Calendar newspaper. In the autumn of 1995, Jack McCarthy called me. ‘How’d you like to write a column for us?’ he asked. That’s how it began. Jack was the owner and publisher of The Calendar, a weekly...
A specimen of the Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis) was identified in Lake Country on Sunday, May 27th 2018. At 10:15 pm, it was seen in an open pathway area with artificial lighting. Between 8 and 10 inches in length, the distinct head and sharply pointed tail distinguished it at once from the...
Lake Country Museum given Mary Bull painting by David Madison Vernon artist Bob Kingsmill made a purchase at a recent auction of some local paintings. One of the works proved to be an original, by the late Kelowna artist Mary Bull, of the cabin in which Father Pandosy had lived. Kingsmill donated...
Applebox Belles presents the stories of the pioneers, the Summer Girls, and the champion Apple Wrapper Flappers of Lake Country’s early apple packing industry. These determined women quickly became the workforce of the packinghouses, sorting, wrapping, packing, and stamping, and they transformed a...
This song “Canada” was written by Jack Kenny. The song, an ode to Canada, was sung by Oyama Elementary School children in 1990.1 Happy Birthday Canada! 1 #2014.86.1. One Cassette and two compact disks; also available in WAV format. Lake Country Museum and...
The vision of a recreational corridor depends on residents digging deep. Fundraising for the Okanagan Rail Trail between Coldstream and Kelowna began Tuesday, May 17, 2016 with the launch of a $7.86 million campaign. “This is a lot of money. However, if we each give what we can and encourage...
Washrooms higher priority than paving for respondents to city survey on Vernon-Kelowna trail amenities1 By Ron Seymour, The Daily Courier Paving the Vernon-Kelowna railway path is both the most popular and the least popular idea among respondents to a City of Kelowna survey. One-quarter of those...
The mayor of Lake Country says it’s something he was hoping for right from the start of the acquisition of the former CN Rail corridor. James Baker says it was a good news announcement from the Okanagan Indian Band that they are joining the inter-jurisdictional development team (IDT) that will...
In June 2013 a blog was posted about a letter from Okanagan Centre written by pioneer Dorothea Scott-Coward. That post, and the letter it contained, initiated a number of interesting responses — one from a relative in the UK. Now, a collection of these letters has been added to the Lake...
Ducks Unlimited: A longtime Okanagan family has donated two parcels of marshland to Ducks Unlimited Canada, ensuring the wetlands will be maintained for wildlife in perpetuity. The Young and Lloyd families, which settled in Oyama more than a century ago, were granted the parcels in the 1930s, when...
Twenty years ago, on May 2, 1995, the District of Lake Country was incorporated. Local orchardist Bob McCoubrey was installed as the first mayor. McCoubrey served as mayor from 1995 to 1999. He was followed in the mayor’s chair by Rolly Hein (1999 to 2005), who was followed by James Baker...
A symbol of Canadian identity The official ceremony inaugurating the new Canadian flag was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on February 15, 1965, with Governor General Georges Vanier, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, the members of the Cabinet and thousands of Canadians in attendance. The...