Jonas Gagnon
Caledonia Courier
Wow.
That pretty much sums up my feeling after the Tony Pacheco Spaghetti dinner.
When I got there the old gym at the high school was nearly full. And that was just the beginning.
People just kept on coming. The ladies that organized the night were in top gear just to keep up with the steady influx of people.
It’s a wonderful thing to see a community come out with such overwhelming support for someone.
Everyone there, from the cooks, to the young men in ties, did a great job as well.
That was probably the grandest of the fundraising events I’ve seen here, but not the only one.
David Hoy Elementary also took did their bit to help the people of Burns Lake with their Skate to Burns Lake event last Thursday. It was a great, fun way to get out there, enjoy the winter weather, and give a little money to those in need.
And though I haven’t got any pictures, I’ve seen quite a few people out rocking the reflective bands from the Be Seen Be Safe initiative. I’m sure the kids from Sowchea school feel like they’ve had an impact every time they see someone wearing one of their bands. Just one more Fort St. James Success story.
On the other side of the coin things get sad very quick.
As you’ve probably read, either in the paper or on Facebook, there’s a walk scheduled on February 25 in remembrance of Fribjon Bjornson. Though it’s not as hopeful as the Pacheco dinner Fribjon’s mother will be here for it, and she would appreciate a little bit of community support right now. And if anything this town has shown it has the heart to join together and support those in need.
All the information can be found in the pages of the Courier, or on a Facebook page.
On a less sad note, the Fields is closing. Though there are other stores in this town that does put a significant dent in the number of vendors here. It’s also the only place that this town has to buy clothes. That makes everything just a little bit harder for residents of the Fort. It’s not just a Fort St. James thing though, Fields as an entity is being shut down across Canada.
Hopefully that spot won’t be empty for long, because, while clothing stores might be, clothes are not optional here in the Fort.
It always does well to end on a high note though, and there’s plenty of those here. So while we keep in mind those that need a little support, we look forward to all the activities that are coming up.
I for one am looking forward to the poker ride, because who doesn’t like to become a streak of colour painter onto the blank canvas off pure white snow?