8 minute read
Brackendale: The heart of
Brackendale: a continuum of community
By MELANIE GREEN
THE railroad bridge over the Mamquam River in Brackendale was frequently uncrossable in the 1950s. Ellen Grant, a long-time Squamish resident, fondly remembers taking a canoe across the river to visit her grandfather, Harry Judd, one of the first settlers in the area.
Brackendale, located north of downtown Squamish, developed around transportation.
With the railroad came houses, Grant says.
Judd was a farmer who settled after adventuring to the land years prior. Other farms existed throughout the community.
“Some had chickens, or fruit trees or somebody had a cow,” says Grant, a former school teacher of 40 years.
“Everyone looked after themselves because when they relied on the boats to bring the supplies, it just wasn’t feasible.”
The core of Brackendale is self-reliance and a sense of community, Grant asserts.
“I have a great love for this area,” she said.
The Judd Farm still stands.
It was sold to a lifelong local resident who refused to tear the farmhouse down.
Grant too still lives in Brackendale.
The Brackendale Art Gallery and its owner, Thor Froslev, are the strongest anchors of the community, Grant says.
Froslev’s dream was always to have a gallery in the woods. In 1969, while having a slice of pumpkin pie, Froslev saw a property out the window on Government Road for sale and bought it.
above: Brackendale Art Gallery owner Thor Froslev and Squamish Mayor Patricia Heintzman inside the Gallery.
page twenty: Thor Froslev introduces Dustin Bentall and Kendal Carson at the Brackendale Art Gallery.
Photos: David Buzzard
“So here I am,” he says nonchalantly. “I built it all with anybody I could lay my sticky hands on.”
The result is all wood, intricate and creative.
Froslev first opened the Brackendale Art Gallery’s doors in 1973.
Now, it’s a Squamish centre for live music, artistic expression, and community events.
“Once I figured out what to do, I just kept doing it,” he says.
Though Squamish totalled 6,000 people when he moved to Brackendale and currently boasts 20,000, Froslev says everyone is still friendly.
It’s bustling but still small.
He says he still has good neighbours.
His neighbours include hotspots such as the Bean Brackendale Café, a daily local stomping ground not just for locals seeking coffee, but also for meetups and visits by people just checking out the busy community board.
Next door, Republic Bicycles is a go-to, with bikes for all abilities and staff ready to help with a quick repair so people can get back on the trails.
There’s also the Bee Hive Hair Salon where almost every customer outside gushes about the quality of care and service or “Tanya’s perfect cut”.
But, there’s not quite anything like the art gallery, or “the BAG” as Squamish residents call it. And it’s up for sale. Froslev is 85 yearsold and ready to cross off a few things on his bucket list.
“The BAG is iconic,” says Mayor Patricia Heintzman. “It is the de-facto community centre of Brackendale and has been for almost 50 years now.”
It is part of the Squamish vernacular, she adds.
For Heintzman, the Eagle Run area of Brackendale along the Squamish River is also essential.
“Making sure we’re connected to the river and habitat and all that is associated with that, is really what Brackendale is,” she said.
In the early 90s, Squamish boasted the world-record count of eagles and is still home to one of North America’s largest gathering of wintering bald eagles.
The birds are visible all over town in the winter, though Eagle Run Park on Government Road in the heart of Brackendale is a prime viewing spot. Here, you’ll find a display of eagles and the lifecycle of their feed — the chum salmon.
A volunteer-run community initiative is stationed at Eagle Run Park every weekend during the peak season of November to January from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Trained volunteers are on hand to help people view the eagles and learn about the lifecycle of both eagles and salmon.
Eagle Run dike is accessible with a ramp at the south end, though it can be limited in winter months.
Heintzman says there will be a little more development coming to Brackendale in the future.
Much like in the days of the railroad, density will happen along highly travelled routes, she says.
But it will always have its Brackendale feel, she asserted.
“Brackendale has this neighborhood vibe to it and everyone has pride in it.” •
Winter weddings, Squamish style
By JENNIFER THUNCHER
ON Feb. 3, in front of 120 guests, Squamish’s Taylor LaRose will marry her fiancé David Foster at the Cheakamus Centre in Paradise Valley.
above: A couple celebrates moments after exchanging vows at the Sea to Sky Gondola. Photo: Gucio Photography
The pair met at a pub and have dated for nine years.
They got engaged last Christmas.
“I have always dreamed my wedding would be in the winter – hopefully with lots of snow,” LaRose said. “Squamish seemed like the perfect place for us. We moved here April of 2016 and fell in love with everything – the mountains, the trees, and the water. So, it all fit perfectly.”
The couple is not alone in choosing Squamish for their winter nuptials, according to local experts.
Squamish is becoming a “cool” place to wed.
For those who want a mountaintop, snow-covered view, the Sea to Sky Gondola is an increasingly popular locale for weddings.
By the end of 2017, the gondola will have hosted 50 weddings, the most since it opened in 2014, according to its sales manager Anne MacKenzie. While the majority were in the summer, winter weddings are gaining in popularity at the gondola, she said.
“The opportunity to be up there in the snow… and have fun with wearing fur stoles and the tables look beautiful and there are blankets on the backs of the chairs,” she said, explaining the draw of a winter gondola wedding.
During December, Christmas decorations are up in the gondola’s Summit Lodge and fire burns in the fireplace, adding coziness to the winter Squamish wedding, MacKenzie added.
above: Nuptials at the gondola guarantees a beautiful backdrop. Photo: Gucio Photography
below: A wedding place setting from Oh Lovely Deer wedding planners. Photo: David Buzzard
But to snag any beautiful Squamish venue, including the Sea to Sky Gondola, couples need to plan ahead and book early, warns local wedding planner Shelley Jacobsen, owner of Squamish’s Oh Lovely Deer Events & Design.
“Venues in Squamish book incredibly fast lately, almost two years ahead,” she said.
Another consideration with a Squamish winter wedding is the Sea to Sky Highway.
“You’ve got to think about the weather,” Jacobsen said, adding she suggests couples bring their wedding party to Squamish days in advance to ensure everyone has arrived for the big day and isn’t stuck on the highway due to a snow storm or accident.
Venue and highway issues aside, Jacobsen said with the extremely active demographic and reputation of Squamish, weddings in the winter months can be sporty and unique.
Couples may choose to ski or snowboard down the “aisle,” for example, she said.
“You can’t get that just anywhere.”
The snowy white backdrop of the winter months in the Sea to Sky Corridor also allows couples to play with colours in their décor and attire.
Fellow Squamish wedding planner Ashley Metcalfe of Harmony Wedding & Event Coordination agreed winter weddings in Squamish tend toward the use of darker shades of grey, blue and silver, as well as swaths of burgundy and forest green, sometimes used in capes around brides.
Closer to Christmas, metallics such as silver and gold make an appearance. Sequins on bridesmaids’ dresses can also add a festive flavour, she added.
Metcalfe predicts this season faux fur and velvet will be popular.
Smaller weddings with smaller budgets are common among Squamish locals, she said, as compared to the larger, ballroomtype weddings seen in the big city.
The average Squamish wedding includes between 75 to 100 guests, according to Metcalfe.
“It is quite pricey to live out here and most couples are paying for the wedding
above: Tables are set for a beautiful winter wedding.
right: Flowers from Billies Flower House showcase how beautiful a winter wedding can be.
Photos: Gucio Photography themselves so they want a more intimate and smaller group of people,” she said.
To fill the bellies of famished winter guests, craft beers and locally-sourced foods are a staple of the Squamish wedding, Metcalfe said.
Locally sourced favours are popular as well, such as Squamish-made wooden ornaments or packets of Squamish coffees or teas.
Of course, no wedding would be complete without flowers.
Downtown Squamish’s Billies Flower House is a popular spot for couples to source their local floral arrangements.
For Squamish winter weddings, greenery is a theme, according to the shop’s co-owner Alanna Wilson, who added the store helps design about 80 weddings per year.
“The more casual West Coast natural feel, which most people who get married here are looking for,” she said.
About 95 per cent of the couples that come to Squamish specifically to get married are looking to create a “rustic glam” wedding, according to Wilson.
“It is really popular,” she said.
Traditionally popular greenery includes eucalyptus and more recently ruscus.
Garlands of suspended greenery is a huge local trend, she said.
“Just to add to the sense of magic and a bit of an ethereal feeling,” Wilson said.
All of the Squamish wedding experts agreed the most important thing for couples to remember when planning their nuptials is to not get lost in what is popular or traditional, but instead to stay focused on who they are and what the day means to them. “You want them to focus on the ceremony and the love that they are building,” said Wilson. •
