Community

A twist of the jig and a flash of the sash were part of the excitement and charm that filled Fort St. James on August 27. A celebration of the renewal of Métis cultural interpretation at the historic site was enjoyed by 300 people who listened to fiddles, threw atlatls, bet on chicken races and danced up a jigging storm.

Fort St. James National Historic Site also hosted the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) - Prince George chapter for a night of intrigue and outreach when it comes to stargazing.

Greening Up Fort St. James (GUF), is an organization on a mission. The group, within the past year, has literally brought the Fort forward in leaps and bounds. Late last year, the group received delivery of their first bins to begin a small recycling project in the Fort, for paper and cardboard. Since then, they have worked on public education about recycling opportunities in the community, helped bring a curbside recycling business into fruition, and gotten many businesses on board.

Joanne Vinnedge isn’t just any birder in the area. She’s also the regional coordinator for the British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas, an ambitious seven-year project to attempt to “determine the distribution and relative abundance of birds across British Columbia” according to the project’s website.

Organizers of the successful Robson Valley Music Fest offer some insight into making a successful festival.

As the weekend of Music on the Mountain drew closer, and organizer Rosemarie Conant worked to finalize the schedule of volunteers for the festival, help arrived. Help in the form of 12 to 13 Katimavik volunteers, from the Katimavik house in Prince George.

The Prime Minister's Volunteer Awards recognize the exceptional contributions of volunteers, local businesses and innovative not-for-profit organizations in improving the well-being of families and their communities

While celebrating the B.C. day with his family and friends, Birdi, a councillor for the District of Fort St. James, also celebrated the day he moved to the Fort on August 3, 35 years ago. Birdi, along with his mother, brothers and sisters moved to the Fort to join his father, Lachman Birdi, who had already settled in Fort St. James and started working at the local sawmill in 1972.

Renada Walstrom (in yellow) and Anne Sam (in blue) practice their paddling technique on a windy afternoon on Stuart Lake in preparation for a group trip organized by Nak’azdli to the Nation Lakes chain. The pair were brave enough to get in the water and learn how to do a canoe rescue, using one canoe to drain and right another overturned canoe.

Participants in the recreation programs offered by the District of Fort St. James and coordinated by Caitlyn Burdeniuk were out at Paarens Beach recently for the Kids Camp Out, one of a wide range of activity-filled days for kids.