Currents

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$ 25

K am lo o pS

March/April 2012

Cutting Edge Knifemaker’s childhood inspires him to make lasting works of art

HandcrafteD Living

Reclaimed wood gives Lac Le Jeune home a unique flavour

Hot chocolate

Making chocolate is not only a tasty hobby, but it’s downright simple!

Creating Community

Q&A with Sun Peaks Mayor Al Raine

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Currents March/April 2012

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Editor’s Message

Change is in the air

T

ime flies, especially when you’re producing a magazine that only comes out once every two months.

While creating the previous issue, I was focused on Christmas — decorating and shopping and willing myself into the holiday spirit.

Today, however, Christmas seems like it was years ago and I’m gleefully looking ahead to spring, to spending more time outdoors and to digging out and dusting off my flip flops.

It’s possible that winter will be stubborn this year — after all, it’s only the end of February, and I can recall a few years back, standing at my livingroom window in April, watching snow cover the tops of my budding tulips.

But I’m going to put my faith in Wiarton Willie and Shubenacadie Sam this year and predict an early spring.

Change, and looking forward — that’s the theme of this edition of Currents. Master Gardener Elaine Sedgman is with us once again, this time looking toward spring and helping those avid gardeners plan for the growing season.

While it’s tempting to get out on the first warm day of the year and plunge a trowel into that still frigid Earth, Sedgman would suggest developing a coherent plan for your garden before letting excitement take hold.

The plan should account for all the seasons, and if done thoughtfully, can make your outside space vibrant whatever the time of year.

Then there is knife-maker Elliott Reiter who has been fascinated by making knives and other weapons since childhood, but only recently turned his passion into a career, creating Reiter’s Edge Custom Knives. According to freelancer Jody Spark, the McLure-based artist has managed to not only create knives that are stunning and intricate, but also perfectly balanced and, most importantly, useful.

For the Q&A this issue, I decided to shine the light on Al Raine, mayor of Sun Peaks. Believe it or not, Sun Peaks was incorporated a mere two years ago, and already its mayor and council have managed to check several items off its to-do list. But there’s a long road ahead and much more to be done, says Raine, who details his lofty goals for the future.

And on the subject of change, this is my last issue as editor of Currents for awhile, as I will soon begin a year-long maternity leave. While it will be sad leaving Currents behind for a year, I can’t help but be excited to tackle my own next chapter.

-Danna

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March/April 2012

Currents

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Currents events

K am lo o p S

A sampling of happenings in the Kamloops region March/April 2012

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volume 4

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TRU to host CCAA Badminton Nationals Mar 01, 2012 - Mar 03, 2012 Thompson Rivers University was chosen to host the 2012 Badminton National Championships.

Number 7

INSIDE:

5 8 12 15 18 19 22

Hot Chocolate

Making chocolate is not only at tasty hobby, it’s downright simple!

Handcrafted Living

Reclaimed wood gives this family home in Lac Le Jeune a unique flavour

The Gallery: Rick Joyce The region's lakes and glacially sculpted hills provide inspiration

Cover Story: Cutting Edge Knifemaker’s childhood inspires him to make lasting works of art

History: Baking Bread Far from Simple Kamloops' first bakeries changed hands several times in the early years

All-Season Interest Q&A: Creating Community Editor Danna Bach interviews Al Raine, mayor of Sun Peaks

Catch Currents To catch Currents on the Kamloops Daily News website, go to www.kamloopsnews.ca and click on the Special Publications box. We welcome your story ideas for future issues of Currents. Drop us a line at currents@kamloopsnews.ca.

Currents Magazine is published six times a year by the Special Publications Division of the Kamloops Daily News, 393 Seymour St., Kamloops, BC V2C 6P6. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission. Unsolicited material will not be returned and the publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Phone: (250) 372-2331 Currents Contributors Writers: Amber Yake, Jody Spark, Elaine Sedsman, Meghan Low, Sherry Bennett Photographers: Murray Mitchell, Hugo Yuen Publisher Tim Shoults On the Cover: Supervising Editor Mel Rothenburger Knifemaker Elliott Reiter Editor Danna Bach, dbach@kamloopsnews.ca sends off sparks with his grinding wheel.

Art Director Shelley Ackerman Photo by Chad Graham.

Advertising Director Kevin Dergez Advertising Sales Keshav Sharma, ksharma@kamloopsnews.ca The Daily News is a member of the Canadian Media Circulation Audit, Canadian Newspaper Association, B.C. Community Newspapers Association, and the B.C. Press Council. Published daily except Sundays and most holidays.

A division of Glacier Ventures International Corp. Publications Mail Registration No. 0681

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Currents March/April 2012

Cabane a Sucre 2012 @ McQueen Lake Mar 10, 2012 Different activities will take place from 1:305pm. From 2:30-4, maple taffy will be available for $2 per stick. The traditional dinner begins at 5pm. Tickets are available at the Association Francophone de Kamloops office.

Pavel Egorov - Piano Recital Mar 11, 2012 Chamber Musicians of Kamloops proudly presents the celebrated Russian Pianist Pavel Egorov. Works by Chopin, Schumann and Scriabin. St. Andrews Presbyterian Church (6th Ave & Douglas St) Comedian Lorne Elliot @ TRU Clockhouse Theatre Mar 15, 2012, 12:30-1:30pm. Free Admission. First come, first served.

Plan for a colourful garden that lasts all year long

Kamloops Film Festival @ Paramount Theatre Mar 08, 2012 - Mar 15, 2012 Tickets available at TRU Student Union desk, Bookland and both Moviemart locations. The festival is showing the best line up of festival films ever!

Western Canada Theatre presents Ubuntu @ Sagebrush Theatre Mar 29, 2012 - Apr 07, 2012 Western Canada Theatre presents Ubuntu (The Cape Town Project) created by Theatrefront. This acclaimed international production, featuring actors from South Africa and Canada, traces the ties that bind us all, with spirited storytelling, music and dance.

Kamloops Wine Festival Apr 05, 2012 - Apr 13, 2012 The 14th Annual Kamloops Wine Festival takes place at various venues featuring wine pairing dinners, seminars and culminating with the grand finale of the Consumer Wine Tasting on April 13.

For more information check www.kag.bc.ca or call 250-377-2400 A Cheesy Affair @ The Old Courthouse Apr 15, 2012 3:30pm. This is a Cheese Off for amateur chefs to win cash prizes. For the general public this is a grand tasting and auction of delicious dishes and a whole lot of cheesy fun. Open mic, and wear your cheesy attire if you desire!

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For more events and information, visit www.kamloops.ca/events/

Food & Drink

Hot Chocolate

Making chocolate is not only a tasty hobby, but it can also be downright simple

Story By Amber Yake photos By Murray mitchell

Above, chocolate covered strawberries from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Right, a selection of chocolate creations from the Sun Peaks shop.

M

ost delicious treats require a certain skill and precision; you need to have the right amount of flour and shortening to make the perfect pie crust and all your ingredients must be right for moist chocolate chip cookies or fluffy red velvet cupcakes. Chocolate, on the other hand, is easy. Melt, mold, and repeat.

Catanna Glennen has spent the last 23 years teaching people in the Kamloops area how to make chocolates. Glennen got started in the chocolate business when she attended a chocolate party – similar to a Tupperware or Mary Kay – while living in Prince George.

“I found it really interesting so I starting doing home parties too,” she says. “But I found it was very expensive going to people’s homes with all my stuff and not a lot of people were interested,

so I started teaching classes at home instead.”

Soon Glennen received enough inquiries from customers wanting to buy her chocolates that she opened a commercial kitchen in her basement so she could make chocolate and sell it. She also continued teaching others how to make chocolate from her home.

“It’s actually a very simple procedure and the biggest and most important thing is using a good quality chocolate,” she says. “The store bought chocolates work as well but it’s just not as superior of a product and sometimes the results aren’t as good.” ➤ March/April 2012

Currents

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Did you know?

• Just three countries – the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Indonesia – account for 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa production.

• Chocolate has long been used in survival kits, and for good reason. A single chocolate chip can provide enough energy for an adult human to walk 150 feet.

• 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are made for Easter every year • The first chocolate eggs were made in Europe in the early 19th century and remain among the most popular treats associated with Easter.

• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest Easter egg ever made was just over 25-ft high and made of chocolate and marshmallow. The egg weighed 8,968 lbs. and was supported by an internal steel frame.

• Each Easter season, Americans buy more than 700 million marshmallow Peeps, yellow being the most popular, shaped like chicks, as well as Marshmallow Bunnies and Marshmallow Eggs, making them the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy. In 1953, it took 27 hours to create a Marshmallow Peep. Today it takes six minutes.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store owner Lucy Guido adds a layer of chocolate to a Rocky Road Apple, which features caramel, layers of chocolate, nuts and marshmallows.

Facing page, Catanna Glennen spent 30 years in the chocolate business before shutting the doors to Personal Touch Chocolates in December.

6

According to Glennen, there are several different ways to make chocolate but the tried and true method she uses is the “dry method.”

“The method I use is with an electric frying pan and plastic squeeze bottles,” she explains. “Basically you would put the chocolate in your squeeze bottle, put it in your electric frying pan. They take about one and a half hours to melt. Once it’s melted you put it in your mold and let it harden.”

When Glennen was making chocolate for retail she would turn her frying pans on in August or September and they would be going day and night until after the holidays to produce enough chocolate for the demand. She specialized in making chocolates in special shapes and sizes.

Over the years she’s made chocolate toothbrushes, chocolate golf sets and even chocolate hammers for a construction conference.

She cautions that you can’t just use any plastic squeeze bottles for this procedure, but must purchase special ones designed for chocolate making.

“When you use this method the chocolates will never burn. Life happens and sometimes you can be in the middle of doing something and have to run off somewhere but with the electric frying pan method you can come and go and leave it and you’ll be fine,” Glennen says.

Lucy Guido, owner of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at Sun Peaks, fell into the art of chocolate making almost by accident. An experienced business owner who’d owned a bridal shop

Currents March/April 2012

in the city, she was looking to open a business up at Sun Peaks and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory seemed like a good fit.

“I didn’t know anything about chocolate other than knowing that I liked chocolate,” she laughed.

“It’s a fun job.”

Rocky Mountain uses a tempering machine to make their chocolates. Most European chocolates come un-tempered and the tempering process is necessary to give chocolate its sheen.

“We make about 80 to 90 per cent of our chocolates in store and have a tempering machine that holds 40 pounds of chocolate,” says Guido.

The tempering of chocolate is a necessary part of the process because otherwise the cocoa butter will bloom and the chocolate will become covered with white patches. It will also crumble rather than snap. Tempering involves heating and cooling chocolate at the exact right temperature.

“Your average person who makes chocolate at home is not going to temper their chocolate,” Glennen says. “That’s why you need to buy molding chocolate which is already tempered. The top quality ones works the best. Chocolate from the grocery store will work too but it has a lot of wax and preservatives in it.”

While both women agree that making chocolate is a pretty straightforward process there are two things that can ruin it.

“Chocolate is finicky when it comes to heat,” Guido says. “It doesn’t like a lot of it.”

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“Water hurts chocolate. Just a couple of drops and the chocolate will get very gritty and hard,” Glennen says. “I always tell my students that if you accidentally get one drop of water in your chocolate the only way they can salvage it is to make something immediately.”

If there’s one thing Guido has noticed in her eight years as owner of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory it’s that chocolate never goes out of style.

“Milk chocolate is the most popular but there is a trend now of people buying dark chocolate because of the health benefits,” she says. “You can put chocolate on anything. We do chocolate with chili oil in it, we dip potato chips in chocolate and sea salt with chocolate is also becoming a really big thing.”

Even after all these years Guido still samples the treats almost daily and her personal favourite is the macadamia mogul, which is like a turtle but with macadamia nuts instead of pecans.

Without the complicated ingredient list and the need to follow a recipe, making chocolate seems like the way to go when it comes to making delicious treats at home.

“Chocolate is always there and it always tastes great, even a screw-up,” Glennen says. “The comment I get from a lot of people who take my classes is ‘this is so easy!’”

After 23 years in the business Glennen decided to close the doors to Personal Touch Chocolates on Jan. 1, and go back to the roots of how she got started in chocolate making; fun.

“I have three little grandchildren and they are excited to start making chocolate with me,” she says. “That’s how I started all of this, by making things for my children. I love to work with my hands and I’m very crafty so I will continue making chocolates personally.”

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March/April 2012

Currents

7

Homes

Handcrafted Living

Reclaimed wood gives this family home in Lac Le Jeune a unique flavour.

I

I

Story By Meghan Low photos By hugo yuen

If the walls could talk, oh what a story they’d have to tell.

It could be said that every home has a story behind it, whether it be of construction, location or just the promise of a new dwelling in which to build memories. The story of Mitch and Tracy Upton’s home has many chapters and plenty of twists and turns, evident from the stone laid fireplace to the rich timber that accounts for every floorboard, pole and wall in this Lac Le Jeune oasis.

The flooring is made up of timber from the Nicola Valley, and the oiled, well worn beams leading to cathedral height ceilings and windows come from the Pine Bridge in Chase, B.C. All the wood that has gone into the building of this home is reclaimed from a different structure, time and era.

Using recycled wood wasn’t a process Mitch or Tracy intended, but when opportunity arose in the form of an old bridge, it became the foundation for the home and opened the door to so many other possibilities. ➤

Mitch explained the how the plans to build the home came to fruition some 20 years ago when he and Tracy first purchased the property in Lac Le Jeune. While building the home, the couple lived in a trailer on the property. It wasn’t ideal, and the water lines routinely froze through the winter.

Building “was quite the process,” says Mitch, explaining the home’s first chapter.

“I spent many nights working on the house. That one winter Tracy went to work and I took the winter off and took care of (their daughter) Caitlin … then Tracy would come back from work. She’d come in the house and I’d go outside and start working…”

“We tag teamed,” Tracy said with a laugh.

They moved into their home in the spring of 1994.

Many of the materials came their way from being at the right place at the right time. At the time of the build, Mitch was contracted to help take down the Pine Street bridge in Chase (the irony of the home’s current location on Pine Street in Lac Le Jeune is not lost on either of them) and through that found himself on the receiving end of an excess of building material.

“I had no idea and then I got on the job and after the first couple days work, once we exposed all these big timbers, it just seemed like an obvious thing to build a house out of them.”

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Currents March/April 2012

Mitch and Tracy Upton, pictured above, spent years constructing their unique Lac Le Jeune home out of reclaimed wood. The flooring is made up of timber from the Nicola Valley, and the oiled, well worn beams leading to cathedral height ceilings and windows come from the Pine Bridge in Chase. They moved into the home in 1994, and since embarking on their own home build, Mitch has launched a successful woodworking business using recycled wood.

Adds Tracy: “He came home and said, ‘I found a bridge and we’re going to build a home out of the timbers,’ and I went, ‘Okay!’ You know when you’re young and you don’t think of things you can’t do, you can do it.”

Mitch got the house standing with the help of two log builders — an ambitious feat for a man with no previous experience in home building. But neither Tracy nor Mitch was in a rush to have the home finished, giving them the luxury of planning each step along the way.

They slowly started designing their dream home, and it slowly began taking shape. The build wasn’t without hiccups along the way, namely in the form of changing building plans — like the location of the stairs — to fit their concept.

“They said it couldn’t be done and I said, ‘they put a man on the moon, I’m sure you can put these stairs around,’” says Tracy.

Today, the staircase is exactly as they wanted it.

Throughout the years the house has come together, bit by bit and piece by piece. It has been a labour of both love and of patience for the couple and their two children. They can’t help but reflect on the positive of the experience, and how they enjoy sharing the home with others.

“More than anything when we built this place, it was going to be a fam-

ily home, but it was also going to be a home we could entertain in. So people love to come up here and hang out and get away from Kamloops,” explains Mitch.

It’s easy to see how the home would appeal to visitors. The large windows show a postcard landscape of a country home, with glimpses of nature surrounding it. The wooden floors and open fireplace are a cozy place to have a conversation or cup of tea, and it is hard to believe this serenity is only 25 minutes from Kamloops.

Working with reclaimed wood may not have been something that either Mitch or Tracy were expecting when starting the process, but it’s taken them to their dream home and more.

Since building Mitch has started a successful woodworking business using recycled wood to create custom pieces — including flooring — for his clients.

It’s all come full circle from his days of tree-planting to woodworking and then starting his business, Solid Wood Products. Much of his business comes from his website, and he couldn’t be happier with the direction home building has taken him in his career.

“When he says ‘hand-scraped wood’, it actually is hand scraped by Mitch.

I mean every piece of wood. It’s art.

Every floor,” Tracy says. “It’s sort of a shame that everyone is into all of these foreign wood species they want to

bring into B.C. homes. They’re all just looking for these exotic woods, when we live in wood central.”

“It just makes sense to put in place that’s a part of your heritage.”

Most of the wood Mitch uses in woodworking comes from old barns and canneries and buildings on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

He likes to show people the work he has personally done in his own home to open people’s eyes that old wood can not only be useful and lesson their (Carbon) impact, but be beautiful to any home.

Along with the beauty of natural, aged wood, also comes the relief of not having to worry about any scrapes or ‘dings’ in the wood as it already have so much character.

“They (customers) love the idea that they get to put their own distress in on it. The floor comes the way it is and it gets dinged during demolition and it leaves markings, but now they get to live on it and put their own history into it. It just keeps growing with history and it’s cool,” Mitch says of the flooring.

With a floor straight from a bridge from the 1930’s, which has grown to be a part of a family home with footsteps and dog paws and everything else in between treading on it, the Upton’s floor is writing pages to its history every day, and luckily it’s a story they’re grateful to share with others.

March/April 2012

Currents

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The Gallery

Rick Joyce

R

ick Joyce is a retired secondary school teacher with a long running and continuing interest in photography.

Throughout all seasons the many lakes and the glacially sculpted hills south of Kamloops are his favourite locales.

Other places where he finds photographic inspiration is the rugged Lillooet area, the beautiful West Kootenay and the ranch lands of the South Cariboo.

Before concentrating primarily on landscape photography, Joyce was involved in sports photography including cross country skiing, motocross and rodeo events. In recent years Rick has had the opportunity to accompany riders on local cattle drives where he captures their skills in gathering and moving cattle, while at the same time discovering new areas to portray in photographs.

Before the digital revolution, Rick taught courses in darkroom photography at the secondary school and adult levels in addition to his work as an English teacher.

As well as photography, his interests include fly-fishing, amateur paleontology and geocaching.

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Currents March/April 2012

Facing page: Photo taken on Trapp Lake Road. This page, clockwise from top left: Hoodoos along Shuswap Road. Frost on the trees along Jackson Road.

Foggy morning along Ross Moore Lake Road. Cattle in hoar frost on Separation Road.

March/April 2012

Currents

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Currents March/April 2012

Cover story

Knifemaker’s childhood inspires him to make works of art with a lasting edge

Cutting Edge

Elliott Reiter of Reiter's Edge Custom Knives displays one of his most recent works of art.

Story and photos By Jody Spark

Y

ou’re lost in the woods for an indefinite amount of time. Who would you rather have with you? The engineer, the tracker, or the guy with the kickin’ knife?

The guy with the knife — no question.

The fact is, there’s not a hunter, cook or sportsman alive who doesn’t appreciate the value of a good knife. It has been the must-have tool since the inception of man.

And if it combines endurance with attractiveness?

Bonus.

It’s nothing new to make functional objects beautiful models of craftsmanship, and that’s where knifemaker Elliott Reiter of Reiter’s Edge Custom Knives excels. He has taken a family appreciation for a good knife and turned it into a passion for making knives that aren’t just works of art, but also rise to the call of duty.

“I’ve always enjoyed being able to create and ➤ make March/April 2012

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Top: Knifemaker Elliott Reiter grinds the blade of one of his latest knives before treating it with liquid nitrogen, which will make the blade hard and flexible.

Above: Though still a work in progress, this hunting knife has a damasteel blade with a vineland pattern. Reiter also made the accompanying leather sheath.

16

Currents March/April 2012

things myself,” said Reiter.

As a boy, Reiter played along the banks of the North Thompson River and the surrounding lakes.

After school, his dad would ask his four sons (Elliott being the youngest) if they had homework.

“Nope” was the reply, even though they sometimes did, and off they went with rods slung over their shoulders, tackle and a good fishing knife in hand.

Childhood was all about fishing, hiking and hunting, always with a knife in tow.

Even from a young age, he recalls his grandfather calling his brothers over for a special surprise and producing a pocket knife for each.

He was too young to get one at the time, but his father eventually gave him his own pocket knife when he was five.

“He was probably inspired by my dad,” said Randy Reiter, speaking of Elliott’s grandfather.

“He was an avid hunter and always looking for a good knife. He said if he could dress an animal without having to sharpen (his knife), that was a good knife.”

Little would his grandfather know that years later his grandson would make such a knife.

Reiter, 31, said he made his first knife three years ago out of a file. Using only a bench sander and a hacksaw, it was relatively crude compared to showpieces he would later produce, but it was then he realized his calling. He had a history of making weapons — bows and arrows, slings — analyzing how they worked, aiming to make them better. But making a masterful knife was king.

There are a few marks of a good craftsman: one who uses quality materials, employs unique design and can create the product from start to finish with excellence. That’s what sets Reiter’s knives apart. Short of creating the stainless steel, mining the marble and harvesting the horns himself, every part of Reiter’s knives are handmade and unique from the knife itself, to the sheath that covers it. There’s no outsourcing, no cutting corners. He sketches the design, decides on the materials, and even uses a diamond file to do intricate file-work on the blade’s spine.

Based in McLure, he primarily produces hunting knives and likes to use damasteel (or Damascus steel that is stainless) blades. An alloy thought to have originated in Damascus, Syria, damasteel can be treated in muriatic acid to produce stunning patterns depending on how the alloys were folded and twisted. Because of the patterns and strength it produces, it has been used in anything from bracelets to Samurai swords.

Reiter often uses the vineland pattern which looks similar to a gnarly woodgrain or swirled oily water. But beyond its appearance, damasteel also makes for an extraordinarily durable blade and abiding edge. A lasting edge is important to Reiter, who will also treat blades in liquid nitrogen to ensure his steel is flexible, but hard.

Some of the details he incorporates, however, would only be noticed by those in the know. How

the blade is slightly concave, how the handle tapers to provide perfect balance in the hand. These are details unnoticed by the untrained eye, but of great value to those who collect knives and those who use them for varied tasks.

Because of the work he puts into their creation, and the quality of material used, these knives don’t come cheap. A couple have sold for as much as $1,000, and seem too pretty to skin and gut, though they’d do a mighty fine job if recruited to the task.

Some of his biggest sales have been through Arizona Custom Knives (www.arizonacustomknives.com), a go-to place for knife artisans and collectors alike.

George Roberts, a Whitehorse-based master knifemaker with more than 30 years under his belt, said he has seen those interested in the craft come and go. He mentors those who want to sharpen — pun intended — their skills, but says few persist in knifemaking. This is due partly because of the high expense of equipment and materials, and because making an excellent knife is a skill that takes years to refine. But a little drive, support and talent can go a long way.

“Elliott is a good, young emerging knifemaker. He has a good eye for the lines, and understanding for the function of the knife,” said Roberts. “(His knives) have good balance and proportion of blade versus handle . . . and he pays attention to the fit of the parts.”

A knife that balances well in the hand and is

smooth and uniform to the touch is what collectors look for, and these elements take experience and attention to detail, said Roberts.

And it’s these elements collectors are seeing in Reiter’s knives. One knife in particular was bought by a New York-based collector who had only a picture to go by. When he received it, he was compelled to track down Reiter to say the photograph did not do it justice – “Elliott is a good, the knife was beyond expectation. young emerging But as tempting as it is to use the best materials and make every knife a top-ofknifemaker. He the-line work of art, most knifemakers agree collectors can’t be the sole focus. has a good eye Making a good, yet affordable, knife for for the lines, and the everyman is important. These works of art are meant to be used. This is why understanding for Roberts and other master knifemakers are encouraging those new to the craft, the function like Reiter, to also serve the avid sportsman. of the knife.”

“My grandpa said everyone needs a good knife,” said Reiter. “And he was right.”

You can catch Elliott Reiter at the Kamloops Custom Knife Sale during the Gun and Antique Show and Sale at McArthur Island Park on April 21 and 22 or see his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/ Reiters-Edge-Custom-Knives/129135573793459?v=info

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March/April 2012

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History

Photo: ??????

Bakery business far from simple Circa 1937 – The Model Bakery continued until 1950, at which time it was bought out by McGavins. Left to Right: Santy Fuoco, Claude Fippolo, Arthur Cavazzi, Domenic Fuoco, Benny Fuoco, Ray Fuoco, Giacoma Fuoco, Ivo Cavazzi. pect of owning a professional business, plied with pastries until her retirement in the 1950s.

Andrew McClughan bought Stevens’ Operating out of the former Inland Bakery. But a tinsmith by trade, he ran Cigar Company building at the corner the store into oblivion. of First Avenue and Seymour Street, Despite attempts to lure customers the Model Bakery was with exotic tags like the managed by the proficient Sugar Loaf, the Criterion, By 1928 ... the Fuoco brothers. the French American Model Bakery’s By 1928, doubled in size and the Vienna, most of eight employees and fully-automated, the the bakeries that popped were churning out Model Bakery’s eight emup in the downtown ployees were churning out core during the first two 6,000 loaves of 6,000 loaves of bread each decades of the 20th cenbread each day – day – enough bread to protury were short lived. enough bread to vide a loaf for every person Two exceptions to the provide a loaf for living in the district; at a cost rule were the Woman’s every person living of 4 cents per 16-ounce loaf. and Model bakeries And as if producing 900 born in the mid-1910s. in the district; at a loaves of bread an hour Through modern baking cost of four cents wasn’t enough of an accomequipment and conper 16-ounce loaf. plishment, a decade later, on tracts with retail outlets, April 8, 1938, Model Bakery both were able to make a bread truck drivers proudly delivered successful go of it. what many argue the greatest invention Located in the 700 block of Nicola ever – the city’s first sliced bread.

Street, the Woman’s Bakery was run Information contained in article exby Albert and Jane Day. Assisted by tracted from Inland Sentinel articles and an her father, an experienced baker from essay by Elisabeth Duckworth.

England, Jane kept townspeople sup-

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ith the average person consuming a pound of bread a day in the 19th century, it’s no wonder so many enterprising locals tried their hand at the bakery biz in the city’s early days.

Operating in tandem with a grocery store and café, the city’s earliest bakery – the Kamloops Bakery – began advertising its breads, pies and cakes in 1885.

But as the owners of the Kamloops Bakery learned in short order, keeping shelves lined with a constant supply of fresh baked goods, in an era of wood stoves and hand mixing, was no easy task.

Recognizing that everyday grocery items yielded better profits than yeast products, owners Suitto and Martino sold the bakery portion of their business to D.B. Stevens, a baker by trade.

Operating as the city’s largest bakery until 1897, when Stevens was appointed customs official at Trail, Kamloops lost its best baker. Lured by the pros-

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Gardening with Elaine

All-Season Interest story and photos by Elaine Sedgman

Question:

I’d like my garden to look colourful all season long. How do I manage that?

Answer:

C

onsider foliage when choosing shrubs and perennials. The texture and colour of leaves can add a dramatic difference to the garden.

I’ve drawn a plan that will extend colour throughout all four seasons. The framework of this garden plan is created with shrubs and trees, both deciduous and evergreen. The dogwood, Cornus alba ‘Prairie Fire’ is repeated throughout the garden. In spring, bright chartreuse leaves conceal the orange-red stems of the past winter. In the fall leaves turn a bright red. Prune by a third each spring to encourage bright new stem growth.

I’ve chosen a small Saskatoon tree, ‘Autumn Brilliance’ because of its spring blooms, edible berries and brilliant fall colour, but any small tree would work such as a small cra-

bapple or a ginnala maple. Under-plant with Hostas or the perennial Geranium macrorrhyzum.

Bulbs planted among the perennials and grasses in the fall, such as naturalistic-looking botanical tulips, daffodils, and crocuses bring colour to the early spring garden and will contrast nicely with the rugged greens of the tall junipers and dazzling blue grey contorted spruce.

Some perennials look good from spring through to fall.

One of my favorites is the catmint Nepeta ‘Dropmore Blue’. I use it as a repeat edger to tie the garden together. It appears in early spring as a shy fuzzy grey-green fragrant ball but soon transforms into a blowsy dame with multiple stems bearing clusters of blue bell-like flowers. Shear back in mid summer and it will re-bloom. Other long blooming plants ➤ March/April 2012

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A. Saskatoon Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’ Small tree: white blooms in spring; dark purple edible summer berries, orange red leaves in fall, full sun to part shade; 8m tall x 5m wide (26x16 ft.)

B. Dogwood Cornus alba ‘Prairie Fire’ or ‘Aurea’ Shrub: gold foliage in spring and summer changing to red in fall; white spring blooms and white summer berries; red winter stems; full sun to part shade; 1.5m tall x1.5m wide (5x5 ft.)

G. Juniper Juniperus virginiana ‘Idyllwild’ Conifer: rugged upright branching evergreen; full sun to part shade; 5m high x 2m wide (16x7 ft) H. Blue Oat Grass Helictotrichon sempervirons Grass: spiky intense blue clump-forming grass; full sun; 60cm high x 70cm wide (23x27 in.)

C. Juniper Juniperus virginiana ‘Skyrocket’ Conifer: narrow upright bluish green evergreen; full sun to part shade; 5m tall x1 m wide (16x3 ft)

I. Feather Reed Grass Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ Grass: tall upright grass with golden coloured plumes; full sun to part shade; 1.5m tall x 70cm wide (5 ft x 27 in.)

D. Hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata ‘Pinky Winky’ Shrub: blue-green leaves, red stems; mid summer large white 30 cm blooms turn pink as they age; full sun to part shade; 1.75m tall x 2.5m wide (6x8 ft.)

J. Daylily Hemerocallis ‘Hall’s Pink’ Perennial: dense clump of grassy green foliage; upright stems bear large, light pink trumpet flowers; late blooming; full sun to light shade; 45cm tall x 60 cm wide (18x23 in.)

E. Spruce Picea pungens ‘Sester Dwarf’ Conifer: intense blue, dense, conical, slow growing evergreen; full sun; 3m tall x 1.5 m wide (10x5 ft.)

F. Smokebush Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ Shrub: dramatic rich purple leaves; can be treated like a perennial in small gardens by pruning in early spring to 12 inches; un20

pruned it will develop pink-tinged smokelike flower clusters; full sun to part shade; 3m tall x 3m wide (10x10 ft.)

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K. Silver Spear Grass Acnatherum calamagrostis Grass: graceful, summer-flowering clumpforming grass; a cascading halo of seed heads remain all winter; full sun to part shade; 50cm tall x 70cm wide (20x28 in.)

L. Catmint Nepeta ‘Dropmore’ Perennial: fragrant grey-green leaves; bright

blue flowers bloom spring to fall; full sun; 25cm high x 45cm wide (10x18 in.)

M. Yarrow Achillea ‘Moonshine’ Perennial: clusters of bright canary-yellow flowers; blooms early summer through the fall; silvery-grey leaves, non-spreading; full sun; 45cm high x 30cm wide (18x12 in.)

N. Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’ Perennial: vibrant pink flowers; central orange-brown cone; blooms summer through fall, full sun, partial shade; 75cm high x 45cm wide (29x18 in.)

Peachleaf bellflower Campanula persicifolia ‘blue’ Perennial: low mound of bright green leaves; tall stems bear large, bright-blue bellflowers; summer blooms; full sun, partial shade; 60cm tall x 30 cm wide (23x12 in.)

O. Aster Symphyotrichum x frikartii ‘Mönch’ Perennial: bushy mound of light green leaves; branching stems bear lavender-blue daisy flowers; blooms mid summer through fall; full sun, light shade; 60cm tall x 23cm wide (23x23 in.)

P. Stonecrop Sedum ‘Purple Emperor’, Sedum ‘Matrona’ and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ Perennial: tall mounds of fleshy-leaves with dusty red or pink multiple flowers; beloved by pollinators; full sun; 30cm high x 45cm wide (12x18 inches)

are the yarrow Achillea ‘Moonshine’ and the tall fleshy-leaved stonecrops: the broccoli heads of Sedum ‘Autumn Joy;’ the pale purple-pink ‘Matrona;’ the multiple deep purple stems and heads of ‘Purple Emperor.’

Repeated use of grasses also tie my garden together – my three favorites are Silver Spear Grass, Blue Oat Grass and the upright Feather Reed Grass. All three are summer bloomers so I don’t have to wait until fall for their floral display. I’m especially fond of the Spear Grass, Acnatherum calamagrostis,(despite its name, my dogs have never had problems with it) because of its smaller size (2x2 ft.) and its light graceful seed heads that dance in the lightest breeze and look fabulous with yarrows and sedums. This grass is usually listed as a Zone 5 plant but it survived in my Knutsford garden (zone death).

Tuck in some annual Bishop’s Weed seeds (Ammi majus) among the coneflowers and bellflowers. Its lacey umbels attract pollinators and other beneficial insects. Plant summer blooming allium bulbs (Allium sphaerocephalon) among the catmint. You will have an amazingly colourful garden all year round!

Above: A rendering of a garden that has been planned for all-season colour and vibrancy.

Left: A plant list showcasing exactly what types of plants to purchase and put together in order to create a garden that works nicely together.

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Q&A

with Sun Peaks mayor Al Raine

Creating Community

Q. What were you doing before you became mayor?

A. Right before I was retiring, but prior to that I’d been up here in the hotel business. (Being mayor) is sure cutting into my skiing and my golf!

Q. Did you have any experience working as a civic politician previously?

A. Yes. I was on the (inaugural) municipal council in Whistler … back in 1978 or 1979.

Q. What’s your foremost priority for Sun Peaks?

A. To develop a sense of community. We’re working on that with the start of the school here, so we’ve been able to retain a lot of families that would normally have to leave because they didn’t want to bus their children an hour-plus a day, especially the younger ones. Now we’re looking at a health clinic and those types of facilities that would really benefit the people in Sun Peaks.

Q. What would you term your biggest accomplishments?

A. I’d say we’ve set the tone that we’re fairly lean, we’re not a big organization, we only have 2½ or 3 people in the office, we have a very well run fire department, and the council has supported the establishment of the school. We went from 22 children in the first year to 36 the next and close to 50 the next. We now have a committee that’s hard at work designing a health clinic and we have made an application for a recreation facility grant. We’re working on the design of a multiplex sports facility.

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Photo: murray mitchell

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n a resort community it might seem like life’s one big vacation, but that’s not the case for Al Raine. Sun Peaks was incorporated two years ago, and already Raine has run for mayor twice and won both times. As the first mayor of Sun Peaks, he’s got a tough challenge ahead of him, but he’s pleased with his council’s accomplishments to date, and looks forward to what they can achieve in the months and years ahead.

Q. Any regrets so far?

A. I’ve been hopeful that we could develop a working relationship with the aboriginal bands — the Little Shuswap, Adams Lake and Neskonlith. While we have a very good relationship with Little Shuswap, I’ve been trying to establish a relationship with the Adams Lake Indian Band, but unfortunately that’s in the hands of lawyers, and my experience in life tells me that most lawyers are deal breakers not deal makers. They are advocating so strongly for their client to the point where, unreasonably, the other party walks away.

We’re hopeful to have a community-to-community forum.

Q. How does the future look for the health clinic?

A. That’s one of our little disappointments. We applied for funding to help on the health clinic side, but were turned down. We hadn’t done any polling or surveying in the community. We are just winding up a community survey where we were looking at a community recreation facility and we were very surprised at the strong percentage of people who feel the No. 1 community service is a medical clinic. I think it’s almost 90 per cent. That motivated us to dust off the file and get working on it again.

Q. What do you enjoy most about this job?

A. The fun part of it is there is definitely a good community spirit. People are working very positively and we’ve had several public meetings over controversial issues like parking, short-term rentals and things like that. We’ve had good turnouts and people conduct themselves at a highlevel. There’s no yelling or screaming. That’s been very rewarding.

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March/April 2012

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BEST RETIREMENT HOME

8th Year in a Row