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The re-awakening of Harrison Hot Springs

Grass mowers, motor boats, motorcycles and more keep Harrison hopping
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Norma Smith

Well, the elections are finally over and our village seems to calm down again. Congratulations are in order to John Buckley. I have high hopes for him and consequently for all of us Harrisonians.

I always have been, and still am, very thankful to all men and women who offer to tackle the job of mayor or councillor, be it for a village or city.

There is so much to do and the time is short. There are so many wishes and hopes and it will never be possible to please everybody. But, while we are going from "John A" to "John B," I know I will miss John Allen's "Election letters No.s. l, 2, 3 and even 4. John knows so much about the history of this area and especially our village and has a humourous way to tell it all.  He could be our own Stephen Leacock who became famous writing a book about the "going-ons" in "Mariposa" which supposedly was actually Orillia, a small town on the shores of Lake Simcoe, Ontario.

Of course, it is not easy to write such a book - the author has to be careful to "write" a fine line between humour and sarcasm, else people can get hurt or harmed.

But back to Harrison Hot Springs!  On the first day of the Victoria weekend I was unusually tired and sat on our deck listening to the sounds of "reawakening" all around me. The whining of the grass mowers, motor boats cruising on the lake, cars and motorcycles coming and going, dogs barking —  all welcome sounds after the long winter.

Later in the day I went out for dinner with my daughter, Yvonne, and her husband and we passed the "Harrison Art Show" at the Memorial Hall just when they were packing up for the day. I did not make it to the show on Sunday either, but investigating reporter, Carol, told me that the show was as great as before if not better and she knows a lot about art.

I, however, gave in to still being tired, went back to my balcony and celebrated the weekend with a bottle of Imperial Pale Ale named "Total Eclipse of the Hop", a strong ale from the John Mitchel Series brewed in the Howe Sound Brewery. And in my state of daydreaming I could see the "Hophead Festival" I had read about becoming Harrison Hot Springs' very own version of the "October Fest"!

Heck, we could even have our own brewery!  Just think of the names we could give our beers such as "Agassiz Hops Pale Ale", "HHS Dragon Boat Brew" or "Sturgeon Porter".  I am sure we could come up with more!  However, I was glad that I had a good rest, because just a week later I was part of a team representing the HHS Multicultural Choir at the first "Harrison Hot Springs Health and Wellness Fair".

I am glad I did because the fair was excellent and hopefully it will become an annual event.  Health and wellness is a broad subject, important to all of us whether we would like to achieve a healthier lifestyle or improve on the one we already have. The day passed very quickly due to the very knowledgeable representatives of different aspects of health and wellness one could talk to, as well as a number of demonstrations they gave, including a yoga exercise at the end of the day by Elizabeth Mueller of the Spirit Yoga Wellness Center and Cheryl Redfern of Crystal Spirit.

The event was hosted by the HHS Recreation Committee led by Mayor Leo Facio, with the help of an excellent new team of volunteers headed by Elizabeth Mueller.

Another very healthy activity will take place next Saturday, June 2 when teams will take part in the "Relay for Life" to raise money for cancer research. The activities take place aound the Harrison Lagoon. Come out and join in the fun!  Harrison is also presenting another activity in the HHS Memorial Hall which is very healthy for body and soul:  it is the HHS Multicultural Choir's Spring Concert and FundRaiser which takes place on Sunday, June 3 at 3 p.m. Admission is $10, children 8 and under are free.  The price includes coffee and refreshments after the concert and door prizes.  There will also be a raffle to help in our fund-raising efforts.

It will be nice to see you there to "make new friends and keep the old ones" as the song goes.  Tickets will be available through members or at the door from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. prior to the concert.  For more information call me at 604-796-2084.

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To read Ruth Altendorf's most previous column, click here.