The Local Townie News April Green Golden Issue

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GREEN GOLDEN LOCAL HERO - LOCAL TOWNIE - MUSIC & MUSES - COMMUNITY CALENDAR - ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE - LOCAL LOVE - TOWNIE TECH - TOWNIE EATS - CLASSIFIEDS - BIZ LISTINGS - HOME SHOW - SNOW REPORT - GEAR GUIDE TRAVEL’N TOWNIE - SHOP LOCAL - LOCAL BIZ - BRIDGE 2 BRIDGE - GT RACE - ARTIST PROFILE - TOWNIE CREATIVE VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 APRIL 2012

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local Townies

EDITOR ~ SEAN (ROOKIE) NYILASSY: Does have a knack

for finding green jobs. In the summer he finds himself as the rookie guide near Ucluelet, BC working on zip lines, surfing and hiking through Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. This is picture of him after a St. Patties Day bash.

AD DESIGN ~ BARBARA ULRICH: Travels across big waters and distances half way around the world brought me to Golden some time ago. Golden is where we play; outside and inside—music, sports and lively games.

We know what matters, when the time is right to goof around and when we need to be serious about life. We are lucky to call Golden home.

CONTRIBUTOR ~ ALAINA LUITING: Over the last few years, her shopping addiction has become green. She enjoys all the same things she over-consumed in her past, but they are now local, organic and sustainable.

She now only drinks wine from green grapes. Her photo is a snap shot of her after drinking too many green squishies from the local Quicky Mart.

PHOTO: Kris King

GREEN GOLDEN:

The environment changes colour around us, but the concept of a green life is what going green is truly about. To me, Golden has been green since I moved here in 2006 after living and travelling through Western Canada. I was first inspired by the concept of sustainability from my teacher at the College of the Rockies, Laura Shaw, at the Adventure Tourism Business Operations Programme.

That time was full of a mental revolution for me in my thinking about the world. Not only were adventure sports introduced to me, but a whole way of thinking about the world around me and being one with the community and environment. I started to shop local, supporting local families’ businesses, and enjoyed nearby mountain adventures. After a while, I found all the things at Chinook Mall were what I didn’t want or need. I enjoyed finding local food, coffee and so forth, and knew that the few bucks I spent here would come back two-fold in the future.

Golden reminds me of my upbringing in various towns and cities across BC. Golden was, and is, a little rough around the edges, full of very happy and hardy people, and has a loving landscape. We all have to do our best at life to succeed in our mountain environment. A local gentleman once spoke with me when I first moved here and was working in a bar to make ends meet: He told me a simple quote from his mother that was fully life-altering and I had been searching for since leaving my home in Campbell River many years before. “To live in a community you have to be part of a community.”

Hence, the mantra of the Local Townie: It’s about you and our community.

PUBLISHER ~ KRIS KING |KrisKing@LocalTownie.com | 250-439-7123 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! SEND US YOUR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

CONTRIBUTOR ~ LESLIE ADAMS: I love green. As a green townie, I love to grow sprouts, make my own yoghurt and granola. I ride my bike whenever possible and reuse everything I can. I work hard to do my part to preserve the environment and the bonus is that I save money as well. It is easy being green.

AD DESIGN & CONTRIBUTOR ~ SARAH OSADETZ: Sarah and her daughter Lily have been surrounded by the incredible nature of Golden for more then 10 years.

Lily’s excitement for nature, skiing and the wonders of the future inspire Sarah to continue working with our community to create a special place for our youth and leaders of the future.

CONTRIBUTOR ~ KORY MONTEITH: After a short visit to Golden one summer I fell in love with the people and the mountains. I finished school and out I came. I started my business in Golden and was welcomed with tremendous support. I am truly blessed to live in such an amazing community.

CONTRIBUTOR ~ LUKE NICHOLS: While playing with computers, Luke looks forward to greener pastures and riding his many bikes. His trusty stead, Franklin is always ready to guide him along. Franklin is also green in colour. Franklin likes long rides on the dike and around town. He prefers to go slow and steady, nothing too fast for this town bike.

CONTRIBUTORS ~ MELISSA HUNTLEY, AZIZA & MIKE RUBENSTEIN: From ski touring our majestic mountains to bike touring, their self-propelled travels all over the world and our backcountry have inspired many to continue to learn about environment and our future.

iT’s aBouT you & our communiTy PUBLISHED BY EPIC MOUNTAIN LIFE EVENTS AND SERVICES PO BOX 2673 GOLDEN BC VOA 1HO 250-439-7123 KRISKING@LOCALTOWNIE.COM

they walk to school or the bus stop in the morning.

local hero

~ Leslie Adams

Luke Nichols

is Golden’s Active Transportation Coordinator.

Active transportation means encouraging Local Townies and visitors to our community to leave their cars and actively move about the community on their own steam. This includes walking, biking, skating, scooting, driving a wheelchair, anything that does not use an engine.

Luke says the greenest thing he sees in our community is a lot of people on bikes. Many Local Townies ride their bikes all year long, even on the chilliest days of winter. On an icy day in March, he may still see five or six people on bikes.

In 2006, Luke needed a break from his life in Australia, so decided to give Canada a try. He attended some Canadian resort job fairs and ended up with offers from Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and a couple of other hills. Upon consulting with a couple of more snow-experienced buddies, Luke was advised to go to Kicking Horse because it had good powder. “They said, ‘powder,’ and I said, ‘what is this powder? Is powder good?’” Luke explained in his Australian accent. They informed him that, in the ski world, powder is awesome so he decided to give it a try.

“There is research showing that kids are more focused and pay more attention when they get up and move in the morning,” according to Luke.

“Active children are more awake and their brains are more ready for the day ahead compared to the children who are crawling out of bed, getting plopped in the car and basically sleeping on the way to school.” Luke is currently working on a syllabus he hopes to be implementing with kids and teachers sometime before school ends in June.

The other project Luke is pursuing is community education in bike etiquette and familiarizing wheeled commuters with the rules of the road. He hopes to bring someone in from Bike Calgary to do some classes with interested locals. Issues such as riding on the sidewalks—which is against the Motor Vehicle Act—and how to ride across the Highway 95 bridge are some of the topics being considered. Luke would like to see policing done through education rather than the punishment of rule breakers.

Aside from the education aspect, the active transportation co-ordinator role consists of watching, advocating and advising. The powers that be are advised to implement changes and principles into their planning. Luke participates in committees such as the Kicking Horse Canyon Steering Committee and ensures attention is paid to proper paths for cycling and walking when planning transportation upgrades.

One of Luke’s interventions was adding to the shoulder when the Ministry of Transportation paved Highway 95 between Golden and Nicholson. “It was originally planned to have the same size shoulder as before, which is 1/6 of a meter,” Luke told me. “I managed to get that pushed to one meter each side using the Ministry’s own policy, making them aware through their regional director that it was what they were obligated to do. This was after the contract was awarded so quite a coup.”

Luke stayed in Golden because he loved the inviting, tight-knit community. He didn’t have a car the first year, so it didn’t hurt that it was small enough to walk everywhere.

He worked at the ski hill as a liftee and found a girlfriend. Sara and Luke married this summer. What continues to keep them here is “the community and location as well as the mountains and outdoor stuff, even though a lot is extreme—I’m not an extreme outdoor guy, but I do like getting out and hiking, and all that fun stuff,” Luke says.

“This is such a great example of the power of having someone that is on it, paying attention,” says Sara, who is also an active transportation fan.

“Luke being upset about something happening, paying attention, being Photo: Dibble Photography smart enough to look for the policies of the Ministry about active transportation and then being an advocate, using our local government officials and saying, ‘hey, they have a policy they are not following, can you look into this?’ Now there is a proper shoulder between here and Nicholson.”

Sara and Luke would like to raise their future children in Golden someday and that is one of the things that makes active transportation so close to Luke’s heart. He recently did a series of meetings with the Parent Advisory Committees at our local schools to promote walking children to school as opposed to driving every morning. At these meetings, parents were educated that kids learn better when they are more active, especially when

Hopefully this summer, there will be an audit of the active commuters on that route to see how much it is being used. The Ministry will use the audit to determine if a grade-separated path is required. A grade-separated path is physically separated from the highway by some type of barrier, cement or a fence to keep pedestrians and cyclists from veering into the highway.

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When I asked Luke what the best thing about this work was, he beamed. He related a story about a presentation to a Golden parents group regarding kids walking to school or the bus stop. Months later, he ran into a parent who relayed that the presentation had changed her family’s habits. After breakfast every day, her toddler jumps into her stroller, ready to walk her big brother to the bus stop. Seeing evidence that his work can help people make these healthy multigenerational changes is the best.

The worst is dealing with the bureaucratic systems of governments. Obtaining a ‘Share the Road’ sign on the bridge was a major challenge and ate up time with phone calls, emails and research into why we needed it when it just seemed like common sense.

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Luke is trying to shift a whole culture, many Local Townies are stuck in the belief and habits that the car or truck is the only way to get anywhere fast.

It is a job of questioning and having other people question why things are done the way they are and showing the benefits of doing things another way.

So bike, walk, wheel or skate; it is good for everyone on so many levels. The more we engage in active transportation, the more resources we get, the better we feel and the greener the Local Townie will be.

local Townie ~ Leslie Adams

Jordan Peterson:

VP Waste Solutions.

There is no way around it: we produce waste and it is a measure of our civilization how we handle it. Business partners Jordan Peterson and Parker Vaille of VP Waste Solutions are taking care of the Local Townies’ household wastes as efficiently as possible. I interviewed Jordan over coffee and, listening to him talk about waste management in our community, it was obvious that he cares deeply about green Golden.

Jordan, Parker and their one employee may have the least glamorous jobs in Golden. “Garbage isn’t our dream,” Jordan expressed, “but if we are going to be doing this, we might as well be making a difference to reduce our carbon footprint and protect the environment.” Waste management is important. If it weren’t for someone picking up the blue and green bins we put out, we would be in serious trouble.

“It’s a lot of work,” Jordan explained of his job. “I don’t drive as much as I used to, it’s more the business end of things but we are still pretty involved, it’s hands on trying to serve customers, we still like to have the hands on approach.” As the co-owner of a small business, he takes his turn at driving while working with Parker on their planning, marketing, organizing, supervising their employee and keeping all the equipment in good running order. They also have to educate the public and participate in contract negotiations and audits.

Photo: Leslie Adams

A day in the life of a waste management person starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends about 3 p.m.

Bins and dumpsters are picked up daily and delivered either to the local landfill or taken to the VP Waste Solutions shop to be dumped. The household mixed recycling, from our blue bins, is picked up once every two weeks and will go on to have new life

as a new useable item. The contents of the bin are dumped into the truck and unloaded at VP Waste Solutions into a large pile. A bobcat with a grappling bucket is used to scoop the recycling onto a conveyor, which leads to a bailer. When the bailer is full, a 1200-kilogram bail of compact mixed recycling, know as the commodity, pops out.

The bails are shipped to a company in Kelowna and from there it is taken over by another company who actually does the Photo: Leslie Adams sorting and may either keep or sell the commodity. Jordan stated that the company who usually does the sorting also created our blue and green bins from the recycling bails from the region. Most of the commodity is reused in Canada and the United States, producing a lower carbon footprint than shipping it overseas.

The Golden recycling program is running well according to Jordan, and people are mostly following the rules. “There is a fair amount of garbage in the recycling, not as much recycling in the garbage. Which is good, the better option,” according to Jordan. However, too much garbage can contaminate the commodity. “We do see things like full mayonnaise jars or clothes or electronics or microwaves, but the biggest problem is still glass, which is recyclable, just not at curbside.”

As for VP Waste Solution’s future, things look bright. “We have tons of plans. A [community] composting program is a big one; there is a lot of interest in the community. We would love to be part of that.” A new truck for VP Waste Solutions is on Jordan’s wish list. He would like to see better mileage and ideally they would be able to use bio-diesel. “If there is a bio-diesel option that is viable, we will jump on it. It is pretty important to us.”

Jordan states the greenest thing in Golden is the community’s attitude.

“The majority of the [people], including the Town Council, want Golden to move forward with a light carbon footprint and there is a progressive attitude about the way they view future development. I’d have to say that’s the greenest part of Golden.”

If we Local Townies want to help with the green solutions to managing waste, we really need to be careful not to put garbage in with our recycling, recycle glass at the depot by Sears and encourage the town to develop a compost program, hopefully using our local businesses.

If you need more information or have any questions, please contact Jordan or Parker of VP Waste Solutions at www.goldengarbage.ca.

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Travel’n Townie ~ Melissa Huntley, Mike and Aziza Rubenstein Photos: Submitted by Melissa Huntly

Bhutan:

After three fantastic cycle touring vacations in northern India, China and South Amer-

ica, an opportunity arose for us to go on our dream adventure: a family cycle tour in Bhutan. One week before landing in Bhutan, their Minister of Foreign Affairs personally approved our visitors visas. An experience that costs most people US$250 a day and must be led by an official Bhutanese tour guide was being offered to us for no daily fee, with no guide or road permits. This freedom allowed us to travel self-supported from the capital of Thimphu in the west to the eastern-most city of Trashigang. As the first people to cycle across Bhutan with a daughter in-tow and no guide, it was a dream we thought would never come true.

Bhutan is the least populated country in all of Central Asia, nestled between Tibet and India, and is immersed in Buddhist culture and history.

The present government was formed in 2004 when the fourth King of Bhutan abdicated the throne to his son in order to create a democracy in this small country. The fifth King is known for developing a governing philosophy known as Gross National Happiness; an ideal that centres on creating a country and living conditions that allow the King’s Buddhist subjects to live a life worthy of attaining enlightenment.

In a refreshing change from most of the world this government has passed a number of laws they hope will move Bhutan towards a 21st century lifestyle without compromising the environment. For example, littering and selling or buying cigarettes is illegal, there is a ban on plastic bags and Bhutan must, at all times, retain 60 percent of its natural forests. Walking down the streets in the capital of this small country is a pleasant adventure full of culture and lacking in cigarette fumes and litter. There is a general sense of joy that emanates from the people of Bhutan and, from a visitor’s point of view, the ideal of Gross National Happiness definitely is working.

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We continued on our way, leapfrogging with the King’s entourage, until a earthquake registering 6.8 on the Richter Scale shook the country and the Royal duo were rushed back to the capital. We ended our trip in the small village of Bartsam where our good friends were spending the year teaching at the elementary and secondary schools. We experienced village and school life, something we had not done on any of our other trips. It was great to meet more people, drink Ara and trek in this remote Himalayan region.

On our return trip across the country we chose to rent a taxi. We took turns shuttling the passes. It was fantastic soaring down the long climbs we had only just gruellingly accomplished. The birds flew beside us and the monkeys ran out of our way as our bikes sailed down the highway. Once back in the west of Bhutan we climbed the Tiger’s Nest Monastery— a must for every Bhutan tourist. At 3140 metres this monastery is said to have been attached to the cliffs by magical hairs from demons that carried the materials to the top. Built in the 17th century, it truly looks like it is glued to the side of cliffs. Inside were lhakangs (temples) with amazing artwork and Buddha statues, although not as incredible as some of the very old pieces we were privileged to see in the east of Bhutan.

frogging with the King’s entourage”

On one of our more memorable days we cycled more than 120 kilometres up and over the Shertang La at 3950 metres to reach the small town of Lingmethang. We soon realized we were travelling the same route as the fifth King of Bhutan and his future wife. As we travelled in the torrential rain and eventual darkness we passed a number of beautifully decorated throne chairs. We learned that the King would stop at each of these sites, whether a town or a smattering of a few houses, and share Ara (local moonshine) with those gathered there.

We had been invited to the town of Lingmethang by some Americans who created the Hazelnut Project, a promising venture that presently employs over 150 people in a very small town in eastern Bhutan with otherwise lim-

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It was a surreal experience. The King was educated at both Harvard and Oxford and was on Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed List in the summer. He is a stunning man, taller than most Bhutanese, and his wife is equally stunning.

His Holiness was amazed we had cycled from Thimphu and had heard about our adventure already—confirming the small nature of the country. In impeccable English he told us all about a 700-kilometre bicycle trip he had just completed in the west of the country and how he hoped to travel our route one day. The Royal Bride was entranced by our three-yearold daughter. She followed us into a nearby restaurant and chatted with Aziza until the Royal Couple were whisked away by the security detail.

Only in Bhutan could you spend 15 to 20 minutes chatting casually with the Royal Family while covered in mud and wearing the only set of non-bike clothes you have for a month.

We continued on our way, leap-

We jumped on our bikes in Thimphu and headed 550 kilometres east, up, up and down over seven passes greater than 3000 meters in elevation. The National Highway in Bhutan is, at best, maybe the width of one and a half of our lanes and has an optimistic white line dotted down the middle with a hairpin turn at least every seven seconds. On this road we passed by Dzongs (fortresses)—most built in the 17th century—and visited Buddhist temples that dated as far back as 659 AD. Bhutan is a fantastic resource for centuriesold architecture and religious history that has not survived modern times in other countries like Tibet. We topped many high mountain passes and dropped hundreds of meters into lush jungles and arid valleys. We passed through forests home to cheetahs, bears, leopards and barking deer, and saw gigantic bird-size butterflies in vibrant hues, rare species of birds and both rhesus and langur monkeys.

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ited employment opportunities. Once arriving in this small town we quickly washed the many kilometres of mud off of our faces and headed to where most of the town was gathered to meet the King and wish him luck on his upcoming wedding.

And then the dream was over. After a short flight and a long train ride we woke up on a beach in Thailand and wondered if it had all really happened.

We hope that the sense of community and happiness that we felt from the people of Bhutan continues to pervade our lives in Golden, although we think most people who choose to live in Golden have at least mastered the concept of Gross Personal Happiness.

local BiZ ~ Kris King

Mountainside Gardens:

Just up on Barber Road is Mountainside Gardens, a very successful garden centre and landscaping business. Mountainside Gardens is a family operation spearheaded by Tyler Tetrault and his wife, Pamela, who have grown and adapted to their Local Townie clientele. The Tetrault family first came to Golden on their fourth wedding anniversary to do some side research on the market place for a garden centre.

“I grew up in Calgary looking at the mountains and I would spend time in Banff in the summers. When we did have an opportunity to start a business we didn’t just come to Golden as the next closest town, but did a thorough investigation of the community,” Tyler said. “It was our first real visit to Golden as a couple. We made a check to see if this community had everything to raise a family and be happy. We felt that there was an opportunity to move into a small town and grow.” This little vacation changed their lives as they embraced the Town of Golden even more after their trip. Tyler and Pamela, with their two young boys Isaac and Jacob, are all about the work-to-play mantra in our humble mountain valley after five years of steady growth and 99 percent customer retention.

Mountainside Gardens grew and adapted as Tyler noticed their clientele start to ask for more and more food. Mountainside Gardens listened to their clientele and started to grow more vegetables, fruits and herbs. “Golden knows what they want and they will tell you what they want,” he says. “If you don’t have what they would like to buy they won’t buy anything. They don’t want to be sold something. We were just going to grow flowers and make a lot of money; we later found out that we only sold about half of our inventory in the first year. We went from less than 10 percent produce to more than 30 percent, actually now close to 40 percent, in the past five years.”

Mountainside Gardens started bringing in seedlings for tomatoes, peppers, kale, parsnips and the like for our Local Townies to grow in their own

gardens. “If you sell a high-quality product for a fair value and the quality exceeds people’s expectations for what people are used to getting for their money, your customers keep coming back time and time again until they become friends,” Tyler noticed after attending a few Sustainable Golden meetings and realizing that individuals were ordering online from West Coast Seeds, who supply organic, heirloom and non-GMO products seeds. Now they are fully stocked with this amazing product and response has been great amongst avid gardeners. Local Townies can now find a wide array of organic fertilizers for lawns and gardens. Mountainside Gardens can provide everything you need to support an organic garden.

Tyler has had a connection to the mountain community for years. Spending most of his younger years in Calgary, looking at the mountains and working in Banff during the summer, it was natural for him to be attracted to Golden to raise a family.

“We are not rich: we will never be, financially speaking, in a community that is small, but we have more than enough time to spend in our garden, and tonnes of time with our family. We find time to ski and spend time with people in our community. We have time,” Tyler boasts. “We have time to do whatever we want to do as long as we do what we have to do too. Our kids are involved in the ski club, soccer, music and whatever community events they have an opportunity to enjoy. My wife is the president of the Parents’ Advisory Council at Alexander Park Elementary School, the head ski coach for the Golden Kicking Horse Alpine Team and runs our business. She is my partner and our business allows us the time to participate with the community. Some people just don’t have time.”

After their recent five-year business anniversary they feel they’ve been accepted as a stable and here-to-stay business by the community. Tyler is now finding time to give back to the community that supported them during their start up phase. He is passionate about local farming and sustaining the community.

Tyler is now actively involved with Sustainable Golden and is in full support of creating a community food garden and town-wide street-side composting system. I asked Tyler why there is a lack of local agriculture to support our needs in the Golden area. “Globalization, free market economics,” he began. “There are a couple local beef and buffalo producers, but farming is now hay for horses. That is not ranching for the community. It just costs too much to tool [for that type of operation].”

Mountainside Gardens has over 50,000 new seedlings for this summer’s operations and are gearing for their famous Mothers’ Day Tea Event. “It’s so popular we don’t have enough room in our parking lot,” Tyler warns.

“Whole families come to join us and see our garden.”

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Green Politics

~ Leslie Adams

Eleven months ago,

the Conservative Party of Canada gained a majority government, ending a five-year stint spent leading minority governments. Their 2011 platform had very little in the way of promises for ending climate change or enhancing environmental protection, especially in comparison to the Liberals, New Democrats and Greens. The fact that Canadians elected a majority government over the other parties suggests that many voters may be more concerned about the green of dollar bills than the ecological sense of green in today’s hard economic conditions.

I believe Golden is a community that believes the environment is important. Our community has a lot of involvement in environmental agencies.

In fact, Golden residents made a huge stand in spring 2011 against the provincial government’s unfriendly environmental policy, which supported local independent power projects. We live in a beautiful place and

“

mental performance is, by most measures, the worst in the developed world. We’ve got big problems.”

In 1997, Canada signed the Kyoto Accord, making us a world leader in committing to doing something on a global level about carbon emissions.

In 2012 Canada withdrew from the agreement, realizing our nation was not close to meeting its obligations. The Conservatives were in power for the last six years of the Kyoto accord and chose to withdraw rather than implement policies designed to reduce our carbon levels or pay the penalties for not meeting targets.

Closer to home, there is a constant stream of support from Harper and Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver for the shipping of raw bitumen from the Alberta tar sands to both the United States and China. Across the border, the people of Nebraska stopped the Keystone project cold. They did not want any chance of environmental disaster in their backyard. The project did not pass a United States Environmental Assessment in 2010 due to numerous green concerns, yet it passed all Canadian environmental assessments. As well, the federal government is well-documented in its support for the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, which is opposed by many Northern Canadian Aboriginal people as well as large numbers of environmentally conscious Canadians.

Locally, the policies presented by today’s government come in the form of national Eco-grants designed to encourage builders of new homes to invest in greener building techniques and owners of older homes to invest in retro-fitting with green technology. Giving ordinary Canadians grants to save water and become more energy-efficient are great programs.

These incentives have been very popular and the program just reached

Canada’s environmental performance is, by most measures, the worst in the developed world” -Stephen Harper

are certainly impressive at using the area around us. However, making a living here is important as well and, with the downturn in the forest industry and the world economic issues, many in Golden are worried about work and wonder if they will be able to continue to live our laidback, clean green lifestyle. On the flipside, we also like to drive our cars and, for many of us, climate change is less important than maintaining our carbon-rich lifestyles. Despite our mostly green attitude, Golden—as part of the Columbia-Kootenay Riding—followed the trend by electing a Conservative Member of Parliament with 55 percent of the vote. It seems many of the local citizens felt that the platform put forward by the ruling party was the best solution to deal with the perceived economic situation, overriding concerns about climate change.

The Conservative government’s record on the environment on a world scale is completely dismal. The United Nations’ 2012 Environmental Performance Index rated Canada 37th in the world—well behind most industrialized countries except the United States, Australia and China— out of 132 countries. The EPI is a method of quantifying and numerically benchmarking the environmental performance of a country’s policies.

This index was developed in 2002, and designed to supplement the environmental targets set forth in the U.N. Millennium Development Goals.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has candidly admitted, “Canada’s environ-

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its target of 250,000 applicants, so is unable to take new applications at this time. Hopefully, the government will continue this program in their 2012 budget to be announced in the spring.

Ottawa is a long way from Golden, but our Conservative Member of Parliament spends many months in his Cranbrook office. It is easier now to communicate your opinion than any other time in history. You can write letters, emails, Facebook posts or Tweet your opinions. There are frequently places to comment on web pages regarding news stories.

As many locals agree, the environment does not have to be sacrificed for the economy. John McConnell, founder of International Earth Day states: “Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure.” International Earth Day is celebrated April 22 all over the world.

Be Tongue in Cheek Get Metaphorical How about Downright Irreverent??!!

local Green BiZness ~ Kris King

Photo: Submitted by Suddwick Homes

Home Show:

Spring is a time to start thinking about springcleaning and greening your home to make it more energy efficient.

The Golden Spring Home and Lifestyles show at the Golden Arena takes place April 14-15 and is a full community event showcasing eco-friendly businesses. BC Hydro is sponsoring our green-friendly Local Townie businesses to expose their new and innovative products. You can identify these special vendors by a placard placed at their booths.

This family event will offer free on-site daycare brought to you by our local Early Childhood Development Centre (ECDC) with special guest entertainers, the local Imaginicians. Local builders and contractors, who have spent considerable time redefining their services and products to move towards a greener future, will be present. Tim Suddaby of Suddwick Homes is famous for his majestic dwellings at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, but is also an innovative renovation contractor who can do all your eco-upgrades from geo-thermal exchange systems, to passive solar heating systems meeting LEED specifications. Suddwick Homes have worked, educated and certified themselves with courses from all over the world to bring these new and old technologies to Golden. They will go through all the cost-analysis for you to see the long-term benefits.

“So many new home buyers are more concerned with the costs in the initial build. Many people think that building green is for the rich, but I show them that spending an extra $10,000 on a $300,0000 home can create savings in the long run,” Tim explained. “Going forward, we are not about phoning the Bob the solar guy or the George the geo guy, we are doing it ourselves.

We can control and understand the whole system; we can play with it.”

Suddwick Homes helped to install solar panels for Golden Secondary School and other innovative green technologies that students study and work with.

Many contractors like Suddwick Homes agree that initial investment is key to energy savings and smart business.

Ned Johnson of Innovation Building Group has opinions that resonate with Tim Suddaby’s. “Green today is 80 percent about energy, 10 percent water and 10 percent for the rest. Energy efficiency is the new generation,” Ned says. “When looking at all the new systems available, often times people are overwhelmed with choices and costs of green technologies. Geo exchange, closed loops, open loops, pond-based, drilled, solar PV panels and so much more, are all possibly great technologies depending on the home.” Here in Golden we are very concerned with energy efficiency. A little research and time can go a long way to bring our homes from the 50s and older up to an energy-, moneyand carbon-efficient standard.

Blaeberry Valley Plumbing is on board with newer technologies as well, including low-flow toilets, water-saving technologies and efficient water heating systems. There are many new products providing savings for the long run and programs out there to sponsor these retrofits. All it takes is a bit of homework to make your pocket book a bit thicker and reduce your carbon footprint.

Supporting local business is supporting your neighbor and our local economy. Come to the home show to find local entertainment, food and friends you haven’t seen since that epic ski tour in Rogers Pass or just passed by at the post office.

For information please contact Ruth Hamilton at the Kicking Horse Chamber of Commerce: 250-344-7125 or info@goldenchamber.bc.ca.

Why kind of dog always has a fever? – A hot dog

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TUNE UP YOUR BODY, MIND and GOALS CONTEST!

Write to us at Contests@LocalTownie.com to win a prize package worth over $2000 for eight weeks of personalized coaching from a personal trainer, nutritionist, holistic allergist and life coach. We want to share your story with Golden in the May and June issues of The Local Townie.

To enter please write us an essay on why you think you need a Townie Tune Up by April 15, 2012.

Winner will be announced April 16, 2012. e-mail Contests@LocalTownie.com

OVER $2000 SERVICES DONATED AND PROVIDED BY INSIDE OUT COACHING - GOLDEN CLEAR - BALANCED BODY WORKS - SHAPE UP FITNESS Inside Out Coaching can help you discover what’s really most important to you in your life, help you design a plan to achieve those things, work with you to eliminate any obstacles or blocks that stand in the way, partner with you all the way to success and then celebrate the success with you.

Leslie Adams, Certified Life Coach, can be reached at 250-344-6919 or leslieadams@telus.net. To find out more, see the website at www.coachinsideout.com.

Shape Up Fitness offers a variety of group exercise classes and Zumba, as well as personal training, small group personal training and ZumbAtomic (kid’s Zumba).

I am excited to take part in recruiting an individual who is looking to make a significant lifestyle change. My job is helping people reach their goals and I have experienced that it is extremely rewarding when a client or participant succeeds.

I am super motivated to make a difference in someone’s life.

Shape Up Fitness 250-439-9687

Golden Clear can help you eliminate any and all symptoms easily with no needles and no drugs. I personally guarantee results and can attest to the success, having had my Celiac disease and many other physical issues and emotional stresses cleared completely. I have been symptom-free for over three years and am healthy as ever.

Physical and emotional stresses cause all ailments, diseases and disorders. With Golden Clear’s BioEnergetic Intolerance Elimination and Quantum Healing Hypnosis you can clear stresses from the body, eliminating toxins from the cells and ultimately helping the body find a balance or homeostasis.

Golden Clear 250-344-9855

~ Kori Montief

BALANCE:

Small steps are all it takes to improve your health and well being. Ultimately a green spring body cleaning is in order. When I think of spring-cleaning your body, detoxes come to mind. I’ve devoted much of my focus to doing one a few times a year or with the change of seasons and realize that taking small steps, making little adjustments to routine and living in balance, is how we can live a healthy, happy, stress-free life and maintain our health.

Balanced Body Works

Now a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, I understand the body more thoroughly as a whole and love teaching my clients the necessity of natural whole foods to empower them to take their health into their own hands. Beginning my full-time practice in Golden during Spring 2011, I now offer services for massage, holistic nutrition and personal training.

This project is important to me because it will help people develop a better understanding, while diminishing fears or skepticism of holistic and natural health care and encourage a healthier community.

Balance Body Works 250-272-0141

when possible and drinking plenty of water. We are composed of more than 70 percent water, so drinking one to two liters a day keeps our bowels regular, helping to eliminate toxins from the system and keep our cells healthy. Other beneficial small steps include daily meditation—even if it is only taking time to focus on your breathing for a few minutes—and exercising by doing the activities you enjoy.

If we eat healthy and take care of our mind, body and spirit on a regular basis, we can indulge and enjoy what we want every once in a while without the need for detoxes. It’s up to you to live your life, make your own decisions and choose what is best for you and your family.

Choosing the right cleanse can be daunting; there are so many out there and what is good for one person may not be good for the next. Detoxes can be very hard on our system if we are not used to them. If you go from eating crap to doing a detox, you will have a severe healing crisis from toxins being removed improperly and too quickly from the system, causing extremely unpleasant symptoms. Why suffer when you can live in balance on a regular basis?

Making small changes to what you have always done will help you in the long run.

If I recommend a cleanse I always tell people to do as much of it as you are willing to—any changes for the better, are for the better. My personal eating habits are based on a yeast cleanse I used often and now recommend to people. I’ve adapted it to fit my lifestyle, using the same guidelines as the strict cleanse: We get our energy from the sun, so eating plenty of foods and herbs that use the sun to grow ensures we are getting enough nutrients to maintain our health. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes are prime examples, including as much organic as you can afford. Organic and raw foods, in their purest form, keep the most nutrients we need: Anything processed, from sugar to flour, has had most or all of its nutrients removed; you might as well eat play dough. Also avoid additives and preservatives, the longer the shelf life the shorter your life—I loved KD as much as anyone, but now knowing how toxic additives and preservatives are to our health I make my own mac and cheese.

Changing your lifestyle to take care of your body means eating nutritious foods

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Over 40 years of Experience Ned Johnson - Builder innovation Building Group Inc. Golden 2146 Blaeberry School Road, Golden BC V0A 1H1 Office 250.344.2780 Cell 250.344.8530

njohnson@innovationbuilding.com

www.innovationbuilding.com

BriDGe2BriDGe ProJecT ~ Sarah Osadetz

Flooding:

Golden is a divergent and sculpted town. Our waterways have been rerouted, diked, funnelled and choked to create a more liveable, prosperous town. What drives this town seems to be passion and vision to live amongst nature at the confluence of two waterways, albeit on a flood plain. There are many ways we adapt ourselves or change the world around us to fit a feasible outcome, but it seems we have consequences on our hands and a responsibility to maintain what we have. The Bridge2Bridge project is the solution the Town of Golden and Town Council will propose in the coming weeks.

Town Council voted in favour of improving the north side of the Kicking Horse River, between Highway 93/95 and the Pedestrian Bridge. Town Council and the Town Administration have initiated an Alternative Approval Process, giving town residents an opportunity to voice their support or refusal of the project.

Up to 10 percent of the voting population of Golden would have to express their negative opinion for it to go dead in the water. The next step would be referendum.

“The Alternative Approval Process is cost-efficient and can be done in a timely manner for us to see the next step of improving the safety of Golden’s waterways and downtown core,” David Allen of The Town of Golden states. “Our mandate is to start a conversation with community members about the project—inform, educate and move forward. We would like to start breaking ground on this project by the late summer of 2013, with voter support. A referendum would take longer, and is usually done when we are voting for Town Council.”

Part of the vision is to protect $25 million worth of assessed commercial value in our downtown core. Just this week, we had the last six property owners on the north side of the Kicking Horse River sign off in support of the project,” David explains. He is spearheading this project as requested by the Town Council. He has presented the issues that Golden faces with flood protection to the province. “There are many communities all across BC that are applying for the same provincial flood prevention dollars and, this time, after at least 12 years of approaching government, it was our turn to be approved. I have to say we were really thorough with our presentation and I think it resulted in Golden being approved for $2.24 million worth of river-side upgrades.”

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At the moment, our downtown core sits 1.5 metres below the provincial standard height approved for the flood protection. The Town of Golden plans to create a protective barrier that will mitigate any 200-year flood level issues coming from the Kicking Horse River in any potential ice flow situation. Remember driving over the 10th Avenue Bridge or walking along the river in 2008, constantly checking to see whether the Island would be consumed? The ice flow spawned an ongoing conversation, with residents and visitors alike wondering when it will flood again, what will go first, what about dredging the river and how did this happen?

Some of it was human intervention and some was nature just doing its thing.

We have to live by and adapt to Mother Nature’s demands and limitations.

That being said, it’s absolutely relevant to say that the funds applied for can only be used toward the river-side upgrade. The project is going to cost a total of $4,011,278 and has been broken down as follows: Engineering and site supervision, $516,876; environmental, $37,000; construction, $1,740,529 and materials, $956,359. The above fees, plus HST, bring this running total to $3.3 million.

BC Flood Protection, a one-time payment, is only available for our community in the sum of $2.24 million. BC Hydro and Telus have kicked in $100,000 and $37,000 respectively. The Town of Golden will ask to borrow $918,764 for our contribution to the project. The last amount of $715,514 will have to be approved by residents for beautification of the Kicking Horse River.

The final product will extend the Spirit Square towards Highway 93/95, keeping the same theme. A retaining wall will be poured, telephone and hydro lines will buried, and parking will not be encouraged along the lane way. This opens up space for walking, riding bikes and enjoying the natural beauty of the river, along with the fire lane staying open. Businesses can also consider creating another frontage facing the river, like Bacchus Books and The Rockwater have done.

“We’ve gone from a dilapidated dust bowl by the Kicking Horse River at the Riverhouse Tavern, to a fully animated, beautiful, park-like feature in the centre of town. This is going to enhance what our downtown core has to offer to residents and tourists alike, creating more ambiance,” David says.

Townies will respond with feedback in regards to spending this kind of money and what our next priorities should be: swimming pool, road upgrades, better roadside signage on Highway 1, what about Highway 93/95 or the bridge itself?

“I was mandated to come up with a proposal by the Town Council to bring closure to this issue that has been on everyone’s minds since 2008,” David explains. “The work involved here is considered long-term and strategic planning on the part of local government. We’ll be hosting information gatherings soon enough to get the public involved in the process, to educate and respond to questions. There are many pros and cons; I’ve considered them all. Christina Benty and I will be on hand to discuss these topics at our information sessions in the coming weeks.”

GET CREATIVE WITH US! KrisKing@localtownie.com

250 439 7123 What do you call a musical automobile – A cartoon

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GREEN GOLDEN

~ Kris King

Sustainable Golden:

The cozy basement suite greets me with books, musical instruments and the sweet smell of roasted carrots, organic roasted goat and home-brew beer.

Diana Toufer’s open arms welcome me to their home. Blair Hudson and Diana are an energetic couple who moved to settle in Golden five years ago. Blair and Dianna have recently been scheming a great new group dubbed Sustainable Golden.

“I saw a lot of movements going on in town and a lot of like-minded peers in town,” Blair explained.

“I wanted to throw out a bunch of emails to a bunch of people and see where it would go.” Every second Monday, Sustainable Golden meets at the Centre for Peace, a shared space at the United Church on Ninth Street, to discuss many ideas that could benefit the community as a whole. It was inspired by the concepts of a community model that Blair was excited to share and was his inspiration to move to Golden.

“Transition town was started in the UK by Rob Hopkins,” Blair described. “This is a community model whose goal is to transition from oil-dependency to local resources. There are few towns around Canada that are on board.”

The concept of Sustainable Golden is to bring a large group together to help smaller interest groups be successful. “It is about connecting people in Golden to create a connection to a sustainable Golden,” Dianna stated.

“It’s a big pool of resources for smaller initiatives.”

Blair and Dianna came to Golden five years ago after an inspirational backpacking trip in central America and a permaculture course in Costa Rica. “Golden was just one of those communities that had opportunity to the ‘enth degree,” Blair said.

The main themes that have taken the centre of attention in their discussions so far include a community food-producing garden, community composting centre, labour and skills, a work time bank, heirloom organic seeds, local wild edibles, canning and many more.

The community garden has grown to be the focus of energy, with great contributions from Tyler Tetrault and his gardening skills and resources.

There is an active group of Local Townies taking the lead in researching land, materials and labour organization to get this project into the ground, though more involvement is needed from the community to really push this endeavour to its full potential. Produce grown would be practical, year-round staples and food for canning, and at least 10 percent would be donated to the food bank, which seems to have more users recently.

est as well. The Centre for Peace community kitchen is in the works to host canning workshops and share other methods of food preparation. The desire is to bring back traditional methods of food preparation that, after centuries, have been lost in our daily lives over the past few decades. Sustainable Golden realizes our culture of homegrown food preparation and storage is dwindling due to easy stores with ready to eat meals and pre-packaged foods. The Centre for Peace is excited to see this movement happening in the near future and hard at work on other workshops.

Time Bank is a concept that instigated a stimulating discussion based on many other organizations across the world. Joy Orr explained how this model could work to benefit our community by increasing volunteerism and community spirit. This form of organized community volunteerism is a way of sharing basic trade skills and general labour without the use of money—just like a small community would be neighbourly in the past. Today, in big and small towns, it seems we have lost some of our connections with our neighbours and seems increasingly difficult to get basic things done. As a basic example, let’s say that you responded to a call to help baby-sit for one hour.

You receive one hour of banked time at a central registry. In the spring, you put out a call for help landscaping your garden and someone who owes an hour can come by with their skills to help you out: hour for hour of work. You also get to make new friends, network and learn new skills.

Blair’s vision is not just his individual objectives, but transformed through idea jams with other community members. “Bring the people together, give them a structure to take on a leadership role and draw on a support network,” Blair says with enthusiasm. This is a process to lead the way onto larger projects. He wants to gather all these people who didn’t know each other to help each other. Through facilitation of connecting people he hopes they will take the lead into their own hands, gathering together to showcase their skills and share ideas with other community members on their own time.

The vision of Sustainable Golden is still a work in progress, with hopes to continue to join like-minded people to share and exchange ideas, create lasting friendships and to impact our community for a positive, self-reliant future. If you are interested in joining in Sustainable Golden please join the Facebook group Sustainable Golden, email blair@risingsunpermaculture. com or come by the Centre for Peace every second Monday at 6:30 p.m. to join in.

Canning has received attention within the group and community inter-

GREEN HOMES ECOVATIONS RENEWABLE ENERGY

www.suddwickhomes.ca

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clothing including socks and underwear, jewellery, and any shiny new item that catches my eye—setting me back another $30.

shoP local

Gas and Walmart put me out $192 and my trip has just begun. Thanks to a big bowl of oatmeal before my journey and a packed granola bar and apple as a snack, I’m only going to need dinner with some friends to fill my appetite for the duration of my day.

~ Alaina Luiting

Local Bucks:

One of the allures to living in the city is having numerous shopping centres right at your fingertips. Whether you’re shopping for toys or life’s necessities, you will generally find things cheaper within a city. But what if you’re living in a small town like Golden? It seems everything that isn’t produced locally comes with high extra transportation costs, leaving us with a tricky, million-dollar question: is it cost effective to leave town to do your shopping? The money you’re saving on tax you’ll more than likely be paying in fuel and entertainment costs, let alone your carbon emissions.

I admit I’ve fallen victim to the crime of shopping outside the town limits of Golden and, with gas prices at $131.9 per litre, a quick trip to Calgary seems to save me little to no money at all. Let’s put this in perspective and see what it actually costs me.

“

I’m not huge on appetizers, but I am big on wine, so a bottle is most definitely ordered for about $40. Most restaurants downtown are pretty comparable with the cost of food, so I’m going to estimate that dinner with wine, including tip will cost me $105.

As the night begins, I’ve already spent $297. It could end there, but I must visit other friends and see what kind of trouble we can get into—I keep my wild side semi-tame within the small confines of Golden, so it’s time for me to let loose. Shots are usually the first drink of preference, “Jack Daniel’s please,” not to mention the numerous vodka waters I’ll be downing and whatever random shots I’ll be consuming throughout the night. This great time will cost me, more or less, another $75 with generous friends. I’ll probably end my evening splitting a cab ride to a friend’s house for the night, goodbye $20.

Grand total for my shopping trip to Calgary: $392, give or take. That excludes wear and tear; Penelope has cost me way more than she’s worth in the five years I’ve had her. If mileage, tires, harnesses, pumps, oil changes, suspension, mufflers, arms and legs, and so on were considered, my shopping cost would multiply. It’s safe to say my money is better saved shopping in Golden.

The moral is go green and

shop local”

To fill up my Pontiac Sunfire, Penelope, costs roughly $65.

Driving the 262 kilometres to Calgary uses just over half a tank. Upon arrival to Walmart, my favourite cheap amenity supplier, I’m searching for these items: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razors, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, hair gel, hairspray, mascara, facial cleanser, concealer, powder, eyeliner and let’s throw in a 300-pack of Excel gum. The grand total for all of these amenities including five percent sales tax is roughly $97. Being a recovering shop-a-holic, I will likely grab other things along the way—random

I’ll stick with Overwaitea for my frozen fruits, groceries and hair gel, Sobeys for toiletries at the hostel I’m running, Bargain Shop or True Value for socks and even undies, and any shop like Darkside, Plain Wayne and Jane or Top Notch for the addiction I have to purchases involving my snowboard or style. I’ll probably spend less or match any money I’d spend in the city, be giving my liver and wallet a break, and be supporting a town I love and call home. The moral is go green and shop local.

is attending

Golden Spring Home & Lifestyle Show Booth C-3

We sell and install Energy efficient products Low flush Water Closets Low Flow Faucets & Shower Heads Tankless & High Efficient Water Heaters High Efficiency Water Softeners High Efficiency Boilers

250 344 7209 819B 9th St. N. www.blaeberryplumbingltd.com Why did the orange stop in the middle of the road – It ran out of juice.

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~ 824 10th Ave S

Family Recreation

Golden, BC 250-344-6630 ~

APRIL COMMUNI Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

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8 10:00 - 15:00 KHMR The Sun Splash Funk Festival End of Season

9 19:00 - 2100 Purcell Mountain Orchestra Rehearsal - GSS Band Room New Members Welcome

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16 19:00 - 2100 Purcell Mountain Orchestra Rehearsal - New Members Welcome GSS Band Room

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Bizarro Days Bizarre Entertainment Music Lovers Day: Buy 1 CD & Get A Second At Half Price

Bizarro Days Bizarre Entertainment May Day: Local workers bring in a recent local pay-stub for 25% off all in store merchandise

Bizarro Days Bizarre Entert Toddler’s Day: 30% Off All Mel One free childr rental w/each purchase (limit one per

Public Skate - Arena Wednesdays / Fridays 19:00 - 20:15 Sundays 16:00 17:15 $4.50 / $3.00 / $2.50 ADULT PUBLIC SKATE - Arena Fridays 12:00 - 13:00 $4.50 Parent n Tot Shinny - Arena Thursdays 10:00- 11:00 am $Free Parent n Tot Skate - Arena Fridays 10:00- 11:00 am $Free

Tim Huss w/ Mike the Ripper Hung Like a Horse Party 19:00- 0200 @ Civic Centre tix $15 in advance only ask your ski patrol

Jr Climbing Club - Dogtooth Climbing Gym Sundays 12:30 - 14:00 Develop and improve climbing skills within a fun setting and under the supervision of our 15 staff. www.dogtoothgym.com 10:00 - 18:00 $45 Golden Spring Home & Lifestyle Show - Golden Arena Parent n Tot - Mt 7 Rec Plex With Rhonda Smith & Hildegard Gerlach Wednesdays 10:30 - 12:00 $4.00 AQUAFIT - Sportsman Lodge Tuesdays and Thursdays 15:30 - 18:30 $6 Drop In

FREE LISTINGS FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS Events@LocalTownie.com

Wedne

4 12:00 13:30 Kicking Horse Cham Let’s do Lunch BRIDGE 2 BRIDGE P ruth@goldenchamb Jam Night with Jer Bar & Grill 18:30 - 20:30 Options for Sexual Golden Health Clin

Bizarro Days Bizarre Entertainment

T-Shirt Lovers Day: All T-Shirts $15 12pm – 6pm Magic: The Gathering Avacyn Restored pre-release intro pack Tournament $15 Entry Pre Registration is Available Don’t Miss Out

Jam Night with J @ Rockwater Bar

Jam Night with J @ Rockwater Bar

18:30 - 20:30 Options for Sex Clinic. @ Golde Clinic $Free / L

Jam Night with J @ Rockwater Bar

Jam Night with J @ Rockwater Bar

Community

Home made Bread s Yummy Baked Goods s Home made Currie and Chai Tea Open 7am - 6pm Tuesday -Saturday

T. 250-344-3660

UNITY CALENDAR

esday

Thursday 5

Ben & Eric Jam Night @ Golden mber of Commerce Taps

PROJECT ber.bcc.ca remy @ Rockwater

Friday 6 10:00 - 15:00 KHMR The Sun Splash Funk Festival End of Season

Saturday 7 10:00 - 15:00 KHMR The Sun Splash Funk Festival End of Season

Health Clinic. nic $ Free /lowcost

Jeremy r & Grill

Jeremy r & Grill

xual Health en Health Low Cost

Jeremy r & Grill

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Ben & Eric Jam Night @ Golden Taps

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Ben & Eric Jam Night @ Golden Taps

13 10:30 - 11:30 Mother Goose Songs & Rhymes Golden Library $Free - includes snack

14 10:00 - 18:00 Golden Spring Home & Lifestyle Show - Golden Arena

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Cheesecake Burlesque Kicking Horse Culture @ Civic Centre

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28 10:00 - 15:00 Winter Golden Farmers’ Market @ Seniors Centre 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

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tainment

Bizarro Days Bizarre Entertainment

Bizarro Days Bizarre Entertainment Free Arcade Day: 4pm – 9pm Arcade is Free Free bag of popcorn for each customer renting videos

Bizarro Days Bizarre Entertainment Free Comic Book Day: Prizes for best super hero or villain costume

llissa & Doug ren’s video merchandise customer)

Ben & Eric Jam Night @ Golden Taps Recycle Day: All Previously Viewed Movies = $5 All Previously Viewed PS2 & Xbox Games = $10 All Previously Viewed PS3, Xbox 360, & Wii Games = $20

Beavers & Cubs Meeting - Golden Legion For more information Karissa Palletier at 250-344-8960.

Thursdays 18:00 19:15 Royal Candian Army Cadets- Civic Centre Mondays16:30 21:00 Youth 12-18 Adventure, Leadership, Sports, Band and summer activites More Info 250-344-5552 $Free Golden Volunteer Fire Department Practice

Tuesdays 18:30 - 21:00

Info 250-344-6401

Sundays 19:00 -21:00 Documentary Night

6:00 - 22:00 Golden Dolphins Swim Club Fundraiser Mad Trapper Pub

Ben & Eric Jam Night @ Golden Taps

After school Shakedown - Lions Den Tuesdays / Wednesdays 15:00-17:00 This program is facilitated by certified teachers and aims to help students in grades 3 to 7 with homework and areas of difficulty such as reading, writing and math. Fun activities and healthy snacks are included.

Contact: Monica De 250-439-9665 mde@cbal.org $Free

Bizarre Entertainment

11:00 14:00 Golden Womans Centre The Clothesline Project BBQ - Cumsheen Park Everyone invited for food and to see the project.

Blackie + Rodeo Kings Kicking Horse Culture @ Civic Centre

Jeremy r & Grill

Funked in da’Butt @ Golden Taps

Teen Action Group - GSS Thursdays 17:00-18:30 This program aims to create more opportunities for youth in Golden! Ideas and projects are youth-driven.

Contact: Monica De 250-439-9665 mde@cbal.org $Free

$5 Admission, proceeds to the Golden Food Bank

Bizarre Entertainment Mondays 18:00-21:00 Heroclix League $Free Bizarre Entertainment Tuesdays: 00 New Release Film In Our Theatre $5 & Includes Popcorn Bizarre Entertainment Wednesdays 18:00 - 21:00 Drop-in Dungeons & Dragons Encounters (Beginner – Expert) $Free Bizarre Entertainment Thursdays 18:00 -21:00 Drop-in Dungeons & Dragons Lair Assault (Intermediate – Expert) $Free Bizarre Entertainment Fridays 18:00 -21:00 Drop-In Magic The Gathering $Free

Gear Review

~ Sean Nyilassy

Start another chapter writing your own adventure story with our Quality Used Gear

Photo: Supplied by Nyilassy

Layers:

The daylight hours seem to be endless compared to four months ago as we slipped deep into December, starting and finishing work in darkness. With increasing light, those who voluntarily banished themselves to months indoors to avoid the snow start to break out of their shells like spring chickens. There are also increased hours of playtime in the snow for those with skis, snowboards or sleds. Now the sun arches as high in the sky as a unicorn soaring over a rainbow—hard to come to terms with isn’t it? Also hard is staying cool and dry as the sun’s rays sprinkle down like piercing daggers of joyfulness from the sky, making us sweat and the snow around us melt.

So how does one dress to continue to enjoy all the outdoors has to offer in comfort? Let’s start with staying cool. Throw your insulated, baggy, coolguy coat in the back of the closet until next winter. There’s nothing cool about it anymore. Under any level of activity insulated clothes will have you sweating like Rocky Balboa training in a garbage bag suit. Stick with shells and thin mid- and base-layers that wick moisture, are breathable and have plenty of zippered vents to promote airflow when your pits, loins and cracks start to sweat. There’s always the skin-to-win mentality: if you’re roasting like dinner at 6 p.m. on Easter Sunday, don’t be ashamed to reintroduce some of your skin to the sun and start working on your summer base tan if you’re walking or lounging on a hot afternoon.

As for staying dry, the layers above should help keep your sweat in check, now the problem is the rapidly melting snow attacking your gear. Denim is out, so are terry-cloth robes and spandex Capri pants. Stick with light Gore-tex or similarly waterproof outerlayers. Make sure you’ve used gaiters, Velcro or excesses of duct tape to close all the gaps tight between pants and boots, jacket and pants, gloves and jacket and so forth to prevent a slushy mass of doom from streaming into your awaiting undergarments and accessories.

Let’s not forget safety: avoid that peeling, burning red skin, freckle explosion or skin cancer with a nice splatter of sunscreen. Sticking with the green theme, look for one that is biodegradable and free of environmental contaminants so, when you wash it all down the drain of your shower, it doesn’t harm any of the delicious fish in our rivers. Once you’re all lathered up, don’t forget your tan lines. The liftees all have sweet azz goggle tans already so, instead of competing with them, do your own thing.

Perhaps with a big bushy beard or moustache, you can have a wonderful lasting impression even after it’s gone; or maybe cut your initials in an old shirt or pair of tightpants for a custom temporary tan-too; but a personal favourite for those playing in the snow is to spend as much time sitting on your sled, ski touring or booter-sessioning wearing just your pants and avalanche transceiver for the ultimate beacon tan.

With all these tips in mind, those of you who have been unable to brave the elements since before Christmas can crawl back to civilization, and those who have been playing all winter don’t have to start whining about being hot and wet. Shred on spring.

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~ Veronica King

Fed Beef burgers, good ol’ sliders and sodas for sale throughout the day, rockin’ tunes, and a huge bonfire. The event goes down April 14, 2012.

Everyone is greatly encouraged to bring a transceiver, probe and shovel.

Even though the race venue is not in avalanche terrain, participants are still in the wild backcountry with no human control of the dangers of the mountain environment.

Ever wonder what Local Townies do once the ski hill closes but the bike trails are nowhere near dried out? They don’t stay home and sit on the couch, that’s for sure. There’s a crew of overgrown kids who participate in a not-so-secret sport called GT snow racing: It’s not just for the kids anymore.

If you don’t own a transceiver, try to borrow one from a friend or rent one for a minimal fee in Golden from Avalanche Safety Solutions or a snowmobile rental company. Then grab a buddy to practice using your new-to-you transceiver, probe and shovel with your super-human rescue skills in an avalanche scenario or, better yet, take an introductory Avalanche Skills Training course provided by the Canadian Avalanche Association.

GT snow racing at its best takes place deep in the mountains, away from the scene-sters, with good friends and really good times. Quartz Sessions GT or Die is an annual race on a custom course that keeps competitors and spectators gripped and giggling right to the finish line—if they cross the finish line.

The race takes place in Golden’s most popular snowmobile area, Quartz Creek. The course is roughed in through the trees that run down to the cabin by snowcat and hand shaped to high standards by dedicated volunteers. It is clear of any avalanche activity and is built and designed by locals that have been GTing most of their lives.

To compete, you’ll also need to bring a GT snow racer—mods are welcome but limited to the GT-style frame—a helmet, hopefully a costume, your own Band-Aids, wax or secret lube for speed, and cash for entry to the race. Don’t forget about the GT Powder Race, Insane in the Poo Stain. There are cash prizes for the winners, plus a tonne of swag from the growing list of sponsors. The defending champs are Jair Stolz, from Golden, and Michelle Tucker, from Nelson.

QuarTZ creeK sessions

GT RACE:

“Last year’s race was the best one yet,” says Brian Lavoie, Quartz Sessions event organizer and sponsor. “With Photo: Supplied Brian Lavoie a different course every year, we keep it interesting. We will likely use the same route this year but have some different ideas to make it even better.” Expect features like the infamous over-under gap, a tunnel, step-up jump, set of snow stairs, high-speed banks, and other various jumps and things to knock you down.

Quartz Sessions is a family event and is growing every year. This year’s facilities include a barbeque pit, with Bite Beef Brand’s Slow-Grown Grass-

There are three entry classes: mens, ladies and kids under 14. Access is by snowmobile but, if you don’t have that luxury, there is a party wagon pulled behind the snowcat that will take you to the event in the morning and back down at the end of the day for a small fee. Otherwise, you may be able to hitch a ride with a friendly snowmobiler. Be a green sledder and double up.

Quartz Sessions is always looking for volunteers to help out building the course, signing up or shuttling racers, or doing some barbequing, plus you’ll get to watch the carnage. To find out more, stay informed and check out videos and photos from previous years join the Facebook group: Quartz Sessions GT or Die.

The Riverhouse Tavern

Chuck Norris bought a pig farm & a chicken farm, just to play Angry Birds

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Townie creaTive

~ Kristen Page of Ingrained Woodworks

I have been living in Golden for Woodworker: 10 years. I love the mountains and the people: Golden has such a wonderful community and is filled with inspiring and happy people. The elements of nature have always inspired me and I’ve loved creating things since I was a little girl. My first nine years here I was a massage therapist and, although I love massage, my individual artistic spirit was not satisfied.

I spent a year studying at Selkirk College in Nelson, BC, well known for its Fine Woodworking program. There I learned many of the skills I utilize in my work. My goal is to produce objects that combine art with everyday function.

The project that I am most proud of is the table I created while in school. It was so wonderful seeing it come to life.

My love of creating things out of wood comes from years of watching my Dad build wonderful wood furniture. I love that wood has a character and a past. Wood has aroma, texture and natural beauty that can be shaped in almost any way your mind can devise. ~ Catherine Parent of Willowbank Soap Co. I’ve lived in Golden since the fall of 2000 and I like it here. Just over 10 years ago I started making soap because a Soap: library book caught my eye. I love being crafty and making things for myself. I’ve sewed and knitted clothes, made jam, pies, yogurt and bread, so why not soap?

I also make shampoos and am most proud of them. Commercial shampoos can be irritating, made with too much perfume-scented chemicals and expensive. The bottles are also cluttering and wasteful. My shampoo bars are gentle and your hair stays cleaner and feels softer, longer. There’s no bottle to worry about and they are easy to travel with. I love the shampoo bars.

When you make your own products, they can be all-natural and exactly how you want. I use only natural scents and blend them from many inspirations: trips to Vancouver Island visiting my parents, from a customer, but usually from being outside.

The people are mellow and approachable, the scenery is stunning and I love the wilderness surrounding us. There’s something comforting about bears, owls, cougars and so forth in their natural environment thriving so close to us. The air here is so crisp and clean. I love the smell of the alpine, wood smoke, the forest and my garden.

Zodiac Hemp Company Spring Lines Arriving Now! Hemp Comp iac an od

y

Z

“Natural Organic Fabrics & Products” Fresh New Bongs BC Blown Glass Papers & much more Annual 420 Sale & Giveaways with every purchase April 20, 2012 250-344-4871 10th Ave S Golden, BC

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Townie Tech

~ Luke Nichols

It’s no secret

that most technology is not really good at saving you money. The expendable computer, printer or any other rapidly outdated tech device you desire seem prone to cost you more and more money. The industry revolves around cheap plastic that breaks, hard drives that fail on a slight bump, or anything that can make you buy something new.

However, there are some things you may not know that are quite good at saving some valuable pennies: routers and switches that turn off ports or regulate power depending on the length of the cable, the shorter the cable run, the less power supplied to push the data along the line; hard drives that turn off when not in use; and operating systems that monitor light and adjust the screen’s power. These are all examples of minor adjustments companies can offer to be more green.

Power consumption is a huge problem most manufactures are trying to address. Everything in technology relies on power.

The central processing unit that got all dusty last month is getting smaller, faster, smarter and turning off parts of its brain to run with less power.

“

Everything in technology relies on power”

Do some research to find ways you can reduce your technology power consumption, but buyer beware: while we like the advantages technology bring us, the marketing behind these devices can deceive us. Sometimes things cannot be made more efficient. This is where the wool is pulled over the general public’s eyes, green-washing them. Watch for products offering green, environmentally friendly features in advertising that sound too good to be true. Many factors resulting from daily use can eliminate any green benefits. Perhaps your screen keeps on dimming when you’re using it, causing you to pump the brightness way high and eliminating the benefit of the feature.

Still, with an eye on the market for ways to make your technology run more efficiently and an even keener eye watching for green-washing there are ways out there to save you pennies and keep our environment green.

.

CHEER ON YOUR FAVORITE TEAM NHL PLAYOFFS ON 5 BIG SCREENS Cheep domestic bottles of beer throughout the playoffs

Open for Lunch & Late for Food BEST BEEF DIP IN TOWN

Omega Bar & Grill 906 11th Avenue N Golden, BC 250 - 344 - 7806

Hours Mon - Sat 11am-2am Sun 11am-12pm Chuck Norris is allowed to talk about Fightclub

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snow rePorT

~ Sean Nyilassy

With Quartz Sessions this month

and the inevitable games of one-ups-manship taking place amongst dudes during the dwindling days at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, a snow report focused on speed seems fitting. The text that follows will take you deep into the mysterious world Texture and taste: Fluffy and delicious like cotton candy. A good handful will melt in your mouth if you give it time, but if you bite down hard you can compress it into a little chunk of sugar—or, in this case, ice.

Snow type: Stellars – while new snow comes in many forms—tongue differentiation requires an advanced palate beyond the scope of this article—this is the Frosty the Snowman perfect snowflake.

Speed: Pretty slow unless your ski tech is on the ball. If it’s easy to compress it into ice, either the crystals are large or heavily rimed, both making you slower.

Texture and taste: Very difficult to scoop in your hand and then chalky to chew, leaving a similar film on your teeth to a nice dry red wine and a mild aftertaste of ammonia.

Snow type: Fertilizer – used on race courses and jumps to hinder melting and keep courses and landings hard and fast.

Speed: Fast, and also a good source of Nitrogen I guess.

Texture and taste: Fill your favourite 7-11 big gulp because this has the sweet consistency of a slurpee—sandsized grains with just the right amount of liquid to slide up your straw—and a variety of flavours depending on what fell with the snow.

Snow type: Slush Speed: Slow, hitting a patch of this can throw you over the handlebars.

Texture and taste: Like a delicious watermelon flavoured snow cone with nice peppercorn- to raw sugar grain-sized ice.

Snow type: Snow algae – found in the spring, reddish or pink in colour due to the presence of an algae species that thrives in freezing water.

Speed: Can give you some fast runs, both on your feet and on the toilet from overconsumption.

of snow crystals and their properties that encourage speed. Amazingly enough, you won’t even need to look like a nerd with a magnifying loupe and snow crystal card; under my expert tutelage, you can identify fast and slow snow types with no fancy props.

“How is this possible? Don’t I need to be a scientist in a lab with the proper training to figure this stuff out?” you ask. Rest assured, scientist is a term that can be thrown around loosely, the mountains are your lab and you’ve been training all your life for this. It’s as simple as finding an undisturbed patch of snow, reaching down to fill your dominant hand and raising that hand to your mouth to take a good caveman bite. Chew and compare your findings to the descriptions below.

Texture and taste: Similar to a day-old bakery puff pastry for a ski bum, not as light and fluffy anymore, but still gone in a couple bites.

Snow type: Decomposing particles – new snow broken up by wind, groomers and so forth.

Speed: Faster than stellars, but you’ll still require a wax job fit for a Maxim covershoot.

Texture and taste: Like a paper-thin wafer of seaweed that is delicate and brittle but melts in your mouth and seems to disappear forever.

Snow type: Surface hoar – the pretty, shimmering, triangular crystals typical on the surface after a cold, clear night.

Speed: Slow, but fun due to the sound of shattering glass as you cruise down.

Texture and taste: Imagine taking a bite out of a firm, half-frozen granola bar and having it break into loads of hard, popcorn kernel- to salmon roe-sized chunks.

Snow type: Melt-freeze, ice, sun or rain crust Speed: Mighty fast if it supports your weight, shin-crushingly slow if you can break through.

Texture and taste: Either small crunchy particles like a package of Nerds or, if fresh, similar to a milkshake that’s a bit too runny.

A taste remnant of the public pool urinals.

Snow type: Mammal urine – yellow in appearance and foot or paw prints usually nearby.

Go home.

Speed: Very slow, especially when fresh due to a tendency to stick to your bases.

Take this infallible new knowledge on the tip of your tongue to your favourite ski tech and tell them what kind of snow you need to travel fastest on.

They’ll be able to wizard you up a waxy concoction appropriate for that day’s snow and send you careening down the slopes on whatever vessel you choose so fast you’ll go plaid. Remember the Alpine Responsibility Code and ski, snowboard or GT in control.

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local love

~ Betty Rides

Friends with benefits

relationships seem to be an ongoing trend with today’s society and, I have to say, they’re a great option for someone who isn’t willing to settle down. You get companionship, out of some; intimacy, that’s the point, right; friendship, maybe they know people; but most importantly, the freedom to do whatever you want without ever having to answer any questions.

“

for love, but I wasn’t opposed to it either—I had just gotten out of a serious relationship so the possibilities were endless. Half a year in I found a compatible partner, but his idea of a relationship involved little to no involvement in each other’s day-to-day lives. Fine, I thought, but when the right guy came along, it was time to move on. In the beginning, he continued to tell me on a weekly basis not to fall in love with him. He was under the impression that was a possibility for me. Of course, I’m female; obviously the only thing I think about is love, marriage and babies.

After a summer of reckless friendship with this man, a cold winter approached and matters that are of no need to discuss brought him to live with me for a few weeks and share my life day-in and day-out. As I’m out on a date, trying to find someone who actually wants to be with me, I get a phone call from my friend telling me he has to talk to me about something. Upon my return home, he informs me that he’s in love with me. “What?” was my initial reaction. “Don’t fall in love with me,” was my second. I had pushed all of those feelings aside after repeatedly being told that our relationship was only one of friendship. I told him sorry, but I didn’t feel the same way and I had already planned to move to Golden, BC so that I could snowboard everyday and continue my quest to find myself. It left him heartbroken and curious if he had let the one get away. I’m happy to say that half a year later, he found the one and they’ve since planned to get married somewhere near Australia in November. I recycled him onto the next woman and they’re going to live a very happy life together. He learned a lesson and, though there was a bit of a lull in between, it all worked out for him.

Recycling is somewhat harsh, but in most regards is the truth”

These casual relationships rarely work out. It’s hard to set boundaries so casually and far apart and then expect them to come together when you’ve decided exclusivity is what you want. I’m not saying exclusivity is the prospective outcome of these relationships, but once you put a lot of energy into a relationship, serious or not, it’s hard to move onto the next without trying for something more first. On the other hand, once you’ve had the casual relationship, who’s to say you can’t fall back on it again when the next one isn’t working out? This fits very well with the green theme of this issue.

Reuse friendships you’ve had in the past so that you can reduce the number of players you have on your roster and then recycle so that when you come back to the repeat, they may have learned a few tricks to share with you. I feel a story coming on.

I moved to the great west two and a half years ago now; packed up my car, snowboard, curiosity, and left my inhibitions behind. I wasn’t looking

Recycling is somewhat harsh, but in most regards is the truth. One woman’s trash is another’s treasure, and vice versa. You can only tell someone not to fall in love with you so many times, don’t expect that they’re going to do the opposite when you decide you’ve had a change of heart.

Just sayin’.

SERVICES INCLUDE:

w 24 hour crisis line 250 344 2101 w w w w

Confidential shelter for women and children fleeing violence Accompaniment and advocacy Referrals Assistance, support, and information

All Services FREE of charge

For Women who: w Have been sexually assaulted w Are experiencing physical/verbal/emotional abuse w Are experiencing other forms of violence and harrassment

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local enTerTainmenT GuiDe ~ Todd Menzies

Sun April 1

Big John Bates - rockabilly

Mon April 2

Blist - live hip hop and funk

Tues April 3

John Jenkins & Friends - acoustic mountain folk

Wed April 4

Jam Night with Jeremy - open mic, poets, artists, spoken word and musicians welcome

Thur April 5

Ben and Eric Jam Night @ Golden Taps

Thur April 5

Rita Chiarelli Band - Kicking Horse Culture @ Civic Centre

Thur April 5

Sweatshop Union live hip hop

Fri April 6

Rob Tayler - live acoustic @ Winston Lodge KHMR

Fri April 6

DJ Momentum - all requests

Sat April 7

Rob Taylor - Live Acoustic @ Winston Lodge KHMR

Sat April 7

the GAFF WakCutt Presents Ohhh yyyeeaaah

Sun April 8

Tim Huss w/ Mike the Ripper - Hung Like a Horse Party @ Civic Centre tix $15 in advance only ask your ski patrol

Sun April 8

DJ Momentum - All Requests

Mon April 9

Animal Nation - laid back west coast indie hip hop

Tues April 10

John Jenkins & Friends - acoustic mountain folk

Wed April 11

Jam Night with Jeremy - open mic, poets, artists, spoken word and musicians welcome

Thur April 12

Ben & Eric Jam Night @ Golden Taps

Fri Apirl 12

Cowboy Dave Whyte - country music @ Winston Lodge KHMR

Fri April 13

DJ WakCutt

Sat April 14

Funked In Da Butt @ Golden Taps Pub

Sat April 14

Shred Kelly - Fernie’s Foot Stompin Good Times Band

Mon April 15

Dinner with the family

Tues April 17

Pot luck at your neighbours

Wed April 18

Day of rest

Fri April 20

Cheesecake Burlesque - Kicking Horse Culture @ Civic Centre

Fri April 20

Slim Pickins - 420 Reggae Party!

Sat April 21

One Way State - Indie Rock Pure rock n’ roll. http://www.myspace.com/onewaystate

Sun April 22

Phone your Mom

Mon April 23

Dog walking day

Tues April 24

John Jenkins & Friends acoustic mountain folk, rock, reggae, improv

Wed April 25

Jam Night with Jeremy - open mic, poets, artists, spoken word and musicians welcome

Thur April 27

Ben & Eric Jam Night @ Golden Taps Pub

Thur April 27

Free City Collective Live Alternative Rock & Electronica http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8rNXZbkHfE

Sat April 28

DJ Mike the Ripper Ski Jay Sweeetnesss! Rippin up Funk, Punk & Hip Hop

Sun April 29

Spring clean your house

Mon April 30

Create your own music today

Tues May 1

John Jenkins & Friends acoustic mountain folk, rock, reggae, improv

Wed May 2

Girls Girls Girls UK Touring Band - high energy dance your socks off! & Jam Night with Jeremy

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22

Shred Kelly:

When I think about banjo music, I typically relate it to folk and roots music, or the mysterious young hillbilly who rips a mean banjo in the 1972 classic film Deliverance. I don’t usually think of punk rock.

Even though Shred Kelly are far from your typical punk band, they share many characteristics, especially the drumming style of Ian Page-Shiner. From the moment they take the stage the energy level is high and, by the second song, front man Tim Newton is dripping in sweat and the dance floor is full.

The Fernie-based band got their name from the Irish-Australian folklore Ned Kelly, combined with their love of shredding powder. Shred Kelly have the essence of any good ski town band, from rocking out on stage in their Sorel’s to guitarist Steve Polit’s Grizzly Adam’s-esque beard. As much as they are a ski town band, their fan base extends far past the mountain towns of British Columbia. Shred Kelly have travelled from coast to coast of Canada and have even crossed the 49th parallel a few times to play shows in Montana and Washington. In March, they headed east again for a short tour of Ontario and Quebec including a showcase for Canadian Music Week in Toronto. CMW is one of the most recognized music festivals that focuses on the best independent up-and-coming talent across Canada. This won’t be the first time Shred Kelly have been in the spotlight: they had the honor of performing in front of thousands in Vancouver as part of the 2010 Winter Olympic celebrations.

Recently Shred Kelly have toured throughout Alberta and BC and have not gone unnoticed.

They have been nominated for four Kootenay Music Awards including best artist, album, song and folk/country act of the year. Golden has always been a regular stop for them and for good reason; Golden loves Shred Kelly. They will be returning Sat., April 14 at The Rockwater to conclude another winter season. This time around Golden locals Stellar Radio Choir will join them. These two bands have an ongoing friendship that has found them sharing many stages, motel rooms and even collaborating in the studio together.

“We just love Golden,” keyboardist and singer Sage McBride exclaimed when asked about our town. “Most towns we have played we had to build up a following, Golden has been great to us since day one.”

The future looks bright for Shred Kelly, who started as three friends hosting a jam night at The Brickhouse in Fernie and have now played on the main stage at a number of festivals this summer including Salmon Arm Roots and Blues. In spring they plan to head into the studio and record the highly anticipated follow up album to Goodbye July. “We are taking a new direction,” Sage explained, “some darker songs and even a few that are on the indie-rock side, but we are still a banjo-infused band.” Even though I couldn’t get a confirmed release date, she assured me I will have one in my hands at some point this summer. Looks like I know what will be blasting from my open truck windows.

For more visit www.shredkelly.com.

music & muses

~ Todd Menzies

GREEN COUCH SESSIONS: Living in Golden, I find it a lot easier than living in a city to be environmentally conscious and think about what I throw away and the effect it has.

everything and put it in storage keeping the green couch as their only piece of furniture.

The first session was filmed June 2010 with The Zola’s. They continued to host a number of sessions in their apartment including The Boom Booms and Maurice. They realized the project had the potential to be much bigger, so took it to the streets.

“The whole project was simply about our love

Along with the list of performers the Green Couch crew grew as well, soon including writers to review shows and blog, a photographer to capture each session as well as a sound guy, giving the videos a higher sound quality.

for music,” claims Jonathan. They found themselves in a city full of immense talent and it wasn’t long before word started to spread.

So far 2012 shows no sign of slowing down for these two and their project.

They plan to take the couch beyond the city limits of Vancouver and the lower mainland, offering musicians from across Canada the chance to sit on their magical couch.

What started as an idea to capture musicians in their own environment and offer something back to the music community that Jonathan and Michelle loved so much, is now a dream come true. This just proves; one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Jonathan explains how it was a real community effort to get The Green Couch Sessions to where it is today. Soon the couch began to show up everywhere: shooting sessions throughout the city, making appearances at shows and

For more on The Green Couch Sessions visit www.greencouchsession.ca www.facebook.com/greencouch Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/greencouchsesh

For Michelle Allan and Jonathan Krauth in Vancouver, they found their inspiration in the form of an old green couch that someone had thrown away. Just over three years ago, the couple were leaving their apartment when they noticed the couch beside a dumpster in an alley off Davie Street. They thought the couch was sweet and shouldn’t be thrown away, so they took it.

Jonathan had already established himself as a creditable videographer, working on music videos with bands such as Hey Ocean, The Zola’s and Mother Mother, to name a few. He began to use the couch as a prop in as many music videos as possible. It wasn’t until returning from a trip to South America that Jonathan and Michelle had the idea to start filming stripped down music videos in their own living room, with the couch as the center for them all, thus the birth of The Green Couch Sessions. Michelle laughed as she told the story of how they packed up

even hosting a stage at Live Squamish Music Festival. In 2011 the list of performers to sit on the couch grew immensely, having everyone from Elliot Brood to Bedouin Soundclash.

~ Todd Menzies

COAL CREEK BOYS:

The debut album from Lethbridge-based Coal Creek Boys brings it back to the basics. “It had to be real, it had to be three chords and the truth,” lead singer and front man John-Paul Smith says in the footnotes.

Hard at it in Old Town is everything good country music is supposed to be. In a world of overproduced pop-country, it sends a chill up your spine with tracks like Old Number Seven, with the sound of whiskey pouring over ice and the rasp of Smith’s voice as he sings about a gun-slinging, train-riding cowboy named Samuel Cobb. Strong musicianship shines through in every track including a guest appearance from Roger Marin on pedal steel. The stand out track for me is Snow, Smith has written a gem of a song with this track and the harmonizing of vocalist Ali Stuart brings it to life. For anyone who has spent any time out on the road, whether you’re a trucker, musician, salesmen or just a wanderlust soul, this one will make you want to turn your car, truck or airplane around and head home.

This is an album that would make Willie Nelson proud, an accomplishment in itself. In the song Ruined, Smith sings: “Well I’ve been chasing this life for so long, singing sad songs in bar after bar.”

Well I think it’s finally paying off, with albums like this Coal Creek Boys are going to be around for a long time to come.

For more visit http://www.coalcreekboys.com/ or http://www.reverbnation.com/thecoalcreekboys.

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Local ARTIST ~ Sarah Osadetz

Sometimes Tammy Castonguay: it’s all about the love. Love of leather, for a man and, of course, love of a hometown.

Tammy Castonguay was born and raised in Golden and lives with the Notorious Shea, her charming and wandering dog, Raspberry, her cat, and always fun, cool roommates. Between commutes to see her man in Invermere and working to further her artistic goals, this is one busy lady.

Back in 2004, her career in art started as a fledgling first-year student at the Kootenay School of the Arts, in Nelson, BC. Living in New Denver and Nelson gave her more than just inspiration, it fuelled her lifestyle. “I loved the culture, the people and the ideas that were being shared,” Tammy says with a sparkle in her eye.

She started using mostly recycled corduroy material from thrift stores and creating beautiful works of art—hoodies, pants and tank tops—sewing by hand or with a self-propelled sewing machine because she lived with no electricity. After moving to a place with power, she invested in an industrial sewing machine and never looked back. As her skills increased, she was off to the races, building her own web site and taking her own photos for Rainbow Threads in 2005.

“When I put my energy and an intense effort into my website and Etsy online artist sales websites, I got positive feedback and sales right away,” Tammy explains. Etsy is an online artist store where artists of all kinds can post and create their own business. From handmade items to antiques, this site sells almost anything and is a growing entity that has gone international. “I’ve had interest in my work anywhere from the United States to Brazil,” Tammy mentions.

More recently, Tammy has realized shining moments for her artistry and the shift of concentrations in her art forms was initiated at the same time: Rain-

bow Threads began to evolve into Raven Mountain. Being involved with the Amuse Troupe, Tammy was contracted to develop and create costumes for the Snow King Festival. Raven Mountain received a grant from Kicking Horse Culture and the Columbia-Kootenay Cultural Alliance. After the full year of planning, organizing and designing, Tammy hosted crafting nights at her house with the Amuse Troupe creating their own parts of their attire. Coordinating and collaborating with the Amuse Troupe on choreography, music and costumes, Tammy brought the theme—Alice in Winterland—into fruition.

Each performer had a costume that fit the vision from felted hats and sewn jackets to under the bust corsets. The night was a culmination of collaborative success; the Amuse Troupe was born into a new era of performing and contributing to the community in many ways. Tammy has moved on from performing with the Amuse Troupe at the moment. “I know I’ll rejoin the Amuse Troupe and play with the hula hoop again, yet, right now, my focus is Raven Mountain. I can’t spread myself too thin,” she lamented.

As time marched on, the unveiling of Raven Mountain began November 2010. After Alice in Winterland, Myth Makers from Nelson, BC were hired to mentor the Amuse Troupe to create their own masks, costumes and routines for the Snow King Festival. From that point, Tammy was inspired to create her own works of leather art, starting with masks and moving on to moccasin projects with friends Dianna Taufer and Alison Stadnyk. “We worked hard and there was a lot of trial and error,” Tammy explains. “After that, we committed to making more as we had spent so much time learning and teaching ourselves as part of our creative process.”

Teaching and hosting her own leather mask-making workshops, she refined her skills and also inspired other mask makers to start their own businesses. The spin off; a whole lot of people were amped about leather. Depending on the venue and event, unique styles of leather making pop up here and there throughout Golden.

Tammy, with her amazing work ethic and drive for all things creative, endured. She discovered the unlimited potential in leather. From sculpting, forming and painting masks, she moved onto designing under the bust corsets, wallets, belts and contour belts. Tammy uses a mix of new leather purchased from suppliers mixed in with what she can recycle, for example recycled leather furniture samples from Sears. She creates a work of wearable art that has longevity and meaning using products such as bison hide, cow suede and veg-tanned cow hides; tooling the leather; sewing on appliqués and hand-sewing with artificial sinew and leather cording. There is always symbolism and visual beauty incorporated into her work. Recently, she started working with fur—an opportunity to custom-order red fox pelts opened the possibility for yet another skill set to be mastered.

When asked why she creates and what inspires her to make the designs that she does, Tammy says: “Each piece I make is one-of-a-kind—even if I might repeat the tooling into the leather, the finish colour or appliqué will be different, I prefer to think of my work as green—functional, wearable, quality art that lasts. Each time I start working with leather, I get so many ideas running through my head, I pick one focus. I use visual resources like nature-based encyclopaedias and guide books to inspire me.”

She shies away from placing her work in retail stores, because of consignment markups. Her work is in one store in downtown Vancouver on Main Street, otherwise it’s websites, her festival tables and in-person purchases.

Tammy has started to take Raven Mountain and her leatherwork on the road. Last year was her first visit to the Calgary Folk Fest. “My plan is to apply for Calgary, Edmonton and Canmore Folk Fests, including Ness Creek in Saskatchewan this year,” Tammy exclaims. “I’ve got a lot of inventory to make and it’s an exciting time for me.” The future of her businesses is filled with ambitious plans for 2012: local Christmas craft fairs in Banff, Golden and more. “Ideally, I want to be self-sufficient with operating Raven Mountain and Rainbow Threads year round, as a full-time artist,” she explains.

At the moment, Tammy augments her income, working weekdays at Bacchus Books Cafe as a one-woman show—cafe cook and barista extraordinaire.

Additionally, Tammy plans to take her adventures on the road and do some mushroom picking in the Yukon for six weeks in June. From there, it’s time to get ready for the busy season of artistry, folk music festivals and sales.

Watch out world, Tammy’s here to add a little bit more meaning and culture into your everyday life.

Clothes from Rainbow Threads are available online at www.rainbowthreads.net, on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/rainbowthreads and in person.

Leather works from Raven Mountain are available online at www.ravenmountain.ca, on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ravenmountain and in person.

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Photos: Dibble Photography

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Townie eaTs

~ Leslie Adams

When Popeye

wanted to increase his strength, he ate a can of spinach. While canned spinach is not our favourite vegetable anymore, as a green food, spinach may be perfect to write about for the April Local Townie.

Spinach is green in a couple of obvious ways: It is green, even dark green, except when it’s yellow, but I usually compost the yellow bits, and is almost always available as an organically grown vegetable. In the summer, it is grown locally and is almost stupidly simple to grow in any garden.

Why did Popeye eat spinach? This is actually quite a controversy. Some feel it is because the creator of Popeye believed that spinach had more iron than other foods—a mistake attributed to a misplaced decimal point.

Saag Paneer—low-fat cheese with spinach and curry Recipe from Kuljit Jaswal Directions: 1. Heat ghee or oil in a heavy-bottomed pan, add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the onions and green chillies sauté them until light brown. Don’t burn them.

2. Add ginger garlic paste and fry another three minutes. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder and combine well.

3. Add the tomato and let it cook for 5-6 minutes on medium heat. Add the blended spinach and let it cook for another 4-5 minutes.

4. Add the fried paneer cubes and combine. Cook covered on low heat for 3 minutes. Add the spinach water and salt and cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes.

5. Add cream, garam masala powder, fenugreek powder and mix well.

6. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 2 minutes.

7. Serve hot with rice, rotis or naan

Others believe it was because Spinach has a lot of vitamin A. There are numerous papers and debates on these theories, but no debate on the fact that spinach is a very healthy vegetable.

Spinach does contain both iron and vitamin A. It is also high in vitamins B1, 2 and 3, C, E, and K, folates, manganese, magnesium, calcium, potassium, tryptophan, copper, phosphorus, zinc, choline, selenium, omega-3s and protein. It is low in calories and high in fibre. It is good hot, cold, frozen, fresh and Popeye even thought it was good out of a can.

Spinach has been attributed to helping protect against inflammatory, stress-related, cardiovascular and bone problems, as well as cancer; Popeye may have known what he was doing. You can throw a handful of spinach into spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, stir-fry, smoothies, salads or almost anything, including the following recipe.

Ingredients: 9 ounces (250 grams) paneer—cubed and lightly fried until brown in a tsp of ghee 3 big bunches of spinach—discard the coarse stems—blanch uncovered in hot water, for two minutes, drain water into a container and blend the spinach into a paste.

1.5-2 tbsp (22-30 mL) ghee (clarified butter) or oil 1 tsp (5 mL) cumin seeds 2 finely chopped onions 2 chopped green chillies 1 tsp (5 mL) ginger garlic paste 1 tsp (5 mL) red chilli powder 1 tbsp (15 mL) coriander powder 2 pureed big juicy tomatoes 1 cup (235 mL) water—use the water in which spinach was blanched salt to taste 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) garam masala powder 1/4 cup (60 mL) whipping cream (optional) 1/4 tsp (1.25 mL) fenugreek powder (optional)

Moberly PUB 10 mins west of Golden, Hartley Road

Wednesday~ Burger Night Thursday ~ Wing Night

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p. 250 344 6566

• check out the rib dinners every night • great prices good portions

Local Biz List

Townie Trades

Wendell Johnston Painting Professional Painter “All aspects of the trade for 25 Years” C 250-344-1087 L 250-344-6411

Classified Townie FOR SALE

Barely used 190cm Elan Boomerang skis with 5-14 DIN Marker bindings great condition $450

Sean 250-344-7855

Volunteers

Clean | Comfortable | Affordable A great place for groups & families info@cariboumountainadventures.ca

250-344-4870 Kicking Horse River Lodge “Rugged & Rustic Luxury in Heart of Golden” 801 9 St N 250-344-6633

Explore | Discover | Relax

Local Flowers

Flowers from Home

Floral Designs for All Occasions Tues - Sat 12-5 or by Appointment 962 Jacob Rd Nicholson 250-344-5855

Computer Repair

PURCELL I.T.

We are experienced, highly qualified, with many years of experience. Purcell IT is able to manage all aspects of your IT 1007D 10th Street, Golden, BC | (250) 344-8992

THE LOCAL TOWNIE NEWS ADVERTISING DESIGN | CONCEPT | SOLUTIONS KrisKing@LocalTownie.com

250-439-7123

krisking@localtownie.com

Stars: To all those green people out there in Golden

Gotta star or stinger email krisking@localtownie.com

Stars: All the supporters of the Local Townie News THANK YOU

STINGER: bacon prices going up Boo $7.50

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Hillside Lodge & Chalets

250-344-7281

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Writers | Photographers | Artists Kris King 250-439-7123

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Stunning Wedding Venue, Idyllic getaway in beautiful cabins

MSR DENALI Snow Shoes $80.00 Kris King 250-439-7123

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Bizarre Entertainment Buy | Sell | Rent | Trade | Movies 824 10 Ave S 250-344-6633

$100.00 Kris King 250-439-7123

Little Mittens Animal Rescue

Foster | Adopt | Building | Daily Care Alannah 250-290-0279 - Diane 250-344-1641

Townie Entertainment

Garmont Endorphin Touring Boots Size 10

Every month The Local Townie Editor, Sean, gets a bit wary-eyed and forgets to fix the spelling of some words. If you can find a spelling mistake that Sean missed you get his job. Well, no, but you can win a great gift certificate from one our advertisers Just e-mail us Contests@LocalTownie.com Time is ticking, it’s first come first serve!

Prizes this month: $40 The Island Restaurant $25 Elite Nutrition natural body care products $50 The Moberly Pub $60 Squeaky Clean Dog Grooming $20 Movie Rental Bizarre Entertainment $25 The Omega Lounge Free 1hr Maven Connector Group Virtual Business Coach Session Free one month rental Stash Your Stuff Storage Free Golden Clear Holistic Allergist session Free computer diagnostic Purcell IT Free Pilates Classes with Sarah Osadetz Join our facebook page be entered to win a special prize!

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national Masters

~ Sarah Osadetz After a few years of hard work, devoted volunteerism—including hours and hours of labour—a labour of love has been realized. Golden's cross country skiing community gathered in droves to participate in the Canadian Masters Cross Country Championships hosted here in our humble small town.

Our brand new Dawn Mountain Chalet was christened with an event that brought 168 competitors from over 11 provinces and territories to us. It was the best turnout for a Canadian Masters since 1991. The competitors and volunteers experienced the timber-frame, pine beetle log building, featuring geothermal heat.

That's only the beginning of what it takes to run an event like this. “Contributions were made completely by Golden residents and business owners taking a primary role in delivering medallions, two bands, caterers, embroidering, emblems, stickers, advertising, event management, design and posters, and event structures,” Jeff Dolinsky, President of the Golden Nordic Club mentions. “The two words that come to mind to describe how we feel now that it is over are pride and relief.”

One hundred and fifty seven volunteers, nine chiefs of volunteer teams and 67 sponsors indicate the event was not only a hit, it was an immense success. The vision it takes to manage an event of this size takes an enormous amount of time and energy with the reward being that the marketing value of Golden just got a whole lot greater. “There were many people who had never heard of our venue and were very impressed with our facilities, so will return with friends,” Jeff said.

“There was an estimated $1600 each racer spent being here for the week.” Congratulations Local Townies for a job well done for our community!

Photos: Darcy Monchak ~ One Sparrow Images