PEACHLAND VIEW
OCTOBER 14, 2016
15
COMMUNITY
FUNNYMAN LORNE ELLIOTT will be talking about his new lifestyle of living off the grid during his performance at the Frank Venables Theatre on Oct. 22.
Lorne Elliott talking vegetables at the Venables DAN WALTON EDITOR
dwalton@aberdeenpublishing.com
Lorne Elliott will be coming out of his yurt in the forest to joke about his new off-the-grid lifestyle. “I’ve become much more vegetarian, simply because, well taking down a moose is kind of a labour intensive program.” After suffering a heart attack five years ago, the Canadiana comedian decided to stop living like an industrialized consumer and adopt an agrarian lifestyle. “It provides a lot of material for the show,” he said “It’s very real farming – it’s frustrating, mostly work, slogging work.” But the tedious labour required to live off the land is worth forgoing the frustration of workplace politics. “You’re up against the reality which doesn’t bear any politics. It grows or it doesn’t,” he said. “ I really don’t know how people do it for money.” The yurt was an exaggeration and Elliott actually lives on a farm outside of Montreal. On it he produces
maple syrup, mushrooms, and picks wild grapes. “You can pretty well live in the summer off of what we grow and that’s fairly easy to do, but getting enough stuff stored for the winter, that’s pretty tough to do.” He said his new lifestyle involved major challenges, but the fruits of his labour are worth it. “I’ll go out there, toss some seeds in the soil. Except then chipmunks eat them,” he said. “Every bite you take you know where the food comes from. There’s something meaningful about eating the food you’ve planted yourself. It makes you feel connected; connected to to the things you’re eating because every mouthful has a story to it.” On top of to improving his diet, Elliott also made positive lifestyle changes. “Turns out giving them up cigarettes after the heart attack was the smartest health thing I could have done. Who knew? If only someone had information about that for me beforehand. “My doctor told me that I’m actually healthier now than before the heart attack,” he said, though he found the comparison unsatisfying.
“Of course I’m healthier now. Before the heart attack, I was about to have a heart attack – that’s not very healthy.” Because of warmer weather in the Okanagan, it might be a little easier to live off the grid here compared to his province, he said, but he doesn’t want to leave Quebec where his family has lived for three or four generations. “My mom and dad took the wrong boat I guess. Nobody gave me a choice before I was born, I would have certainly said Oliver.” Nevertheless, he loves visiting the mountains. He says British Columbia has the best roadside restaurants in the country, and he’ll also be foraging for walnuts while he’s here. “Last time I came through I got a huge bag of walnuts. I can get them here (in Quebec) but they’re not the same. So I’ve got a whole route where we can forage on our way to Oliver.” Elliott performs at the Frank Venables Theatre on Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $35 for adults and $15 for students.
Service dog fundraiser Bernadette is back! RCMP seek suspect after Beginning at at 3 p.m. on Oct. 21, Lambly Neighbourhood Pub in Peachland, will be hosting a fundraiser to raise money for a service dog for resident Corina Saebels. Tickets are available at Lambly’s for $25 which will include dinner and entertainment, provided by Alfie Galpin of the Headpins and Rick Girard of the Slam Dogs. Please come and help us support our cause to help someone who has no funding options available to her. Saebels’s friends decided to do a fundraiser to assist her in acquiring a seizure service dog. She was diagnosed with a small “Meningioma in the parasagittal area of her brain”, and more recently diagnosed with epilepsy. Because of her age and living alone, her doctor told her that she required a seizure service dog. Auction item donations are are greatly appreciated. The event runs from 3 p.m. until closing. Lambly’s is located at 5500 Clements Crescent, Unit 10 in Peachland. For more info call 250-767-2238 or visit facebook.com/ServiceDogForCorina.
The Library is going to the dogs…. Well, not really. It is just having dogs come in and have children read to them. Starting Wednesday Oct. 19 and running until Nov. 2, children will be able to cozy up to a therapy dog named Bernadette and read to her. Why? Research shows that reading to dogs can increase reading skills as well as help children socially and emotionally. Reading to dogs is stress less and helps emerging readers gain confidence. Petting dogs is known to be calming and can reduce stress levels, blood pressure and anxiety. School aged children are welcome to sign up for a fifteen-minute session.
restaurant targeted by arson RCMP and the West Kelowna Fire Department continue to investigate an apparent attempted arson overnight in West Kelowna. On October 12, 2016 at 1:59 am, the West Kelowna RCMP were advised of a commercial alarm at the Thai Fusion restaurant located at 3041 Louie Drive. Emergency crews arrived on scene to find the business insecure and its sprinklers expelling water as the interior fire suppression system had been triggered. RCMP continue their investigation into what appears to be the latest targeted attack against this local business, says Cst. Jesse O’Donaghey. Investigators encourage anyone with any information to come forward or call Crime Stoppers, you may have a
key piece of information, O’Donaghey adds. The scene, which has sustained extensive damage mainly due to water, has been secured by the RCMP. Fire investigators with both the RCMP and West Kelowna Fire Department plan to attend and examine the scene, along with the RCMP’s Integrated Forensic Identification Section (IFIS). Anyone with any information is urged to contact the West Kelowna RCMP at 250-7682880. Or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477, leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net or by texting your tip to CRIMES (274637) ktown.