News Leader News for July 15, 2008
PETROBANK DEFERS DRILLING SCHEDULE
Petrobank is voluntarily deferring its proposed drilling schedule for coalbed gas (CBG) in the Princeton area.
The community has demonstrated an interest in CBG and questions remain about the continuation of the company's CBG evaluation program. Petrobank will use the extended time to respond to individuals directly and encourage interested community members to contact the company with their questions.
"To date, we have sought to be totally transparent with the community and we want to take the time to hear from individuals and answer their questions," says Gregg Smith, Vice President Canada, Petrobank.
"Contrary to rumours, this is totally our decision. No government body has requested we take this action."
The company will continue sharing information about CBG and the company's operational commitments.
Additionally, Petrobank will publish the questions asked of them through answers in advertisements in the local newspapers. Public meetings hosted by Petrobank will be delayed until a more firm drilling schedule and program is available for discussion.
Petrobank has been invited to present to the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen to provide a brief overview of its evolving plan to drill two wells (one north and one south of the Town of Princeton) as part of a study of the local CBG basin that began with a test well 4.5-kilometres southeast of Princeton in 2004.
The company has requested that the meeting include the involvement of all relevant parties including government, the regulator, third-party industry representation and environmental non-governmental organizations.
"Petrobank's proposed evaluation project is only one part of the story when it comes to CBG," says Smith.
"A good discussion means that everyone needs to be involved. If that can happen, we will be there to participate."
Petrobank maintains a dedicated toll-free call service (1-866-764-4571) and an exclusive e-mail address (PrincetonCBG@Petrobank.com) for Princeton residents to ask questions about CBG and the company's role in the community. Petrobank also posts information about the project on it's website which is located online at: www.petrobank.com/princeton.
The BC Oil and Gas Commission (OGC) manages some of the strictest regulations in North America, which are designed to protect the community and the environment.
The OGC uses these regulations to carefully monitor industry activity for compliance and Petrobank is pleased to meet or exceed these regulations. On the web, the OGC can be found at www.ogc.gov.bc.ca and the province's Energy Plan, which includes CBG, can be found at www.energyplan.gov.bc.ca.
Further information about CBG can be found through the Canadian Society for Unconventional Gas at www.csug.ca. Petrobank operates under the British Columbia Coalbed Gas Code of Practice which can be found on the Ministry of Environment website through www.gov.bc.ca.
TRADITIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL JUST A MONTH AWAY
If you're walking down the streets of Princeton on August 16th and 17th, don't be surprised to hear fiddle tunes wafting across Bridge Street. If you look west onto Billiter, you'll see a big tent with a stage and people sitting in chairs tapping their toes or maybe even dancing in the street. Turn right and walk down Vermilion towards the Museum, and you might hear bagpipes or cowboy poetry or perhaps a song about sailing on the tall ships.
All of this and much more is the kind of music you'll hear at the first annual Princeton Traditional Music Festival.
Some seventy musicians will be in town that weekend, some of them local, many of them from the coast, and some from as far away as Seattle, New York and San Francisco. There will be music from noon until 6:00 PM on two stages one on Billiter next to the Pharmasave and one in front of the Museum.
And it's all free! No admission will be charged.
Over the next five weeks this column will feature profiles of some of the performers who are coming to the festival. Today's column will look at two bands, one local and one from California.
Celtic Spirit is a band that many Princetonites will have heard locally. The band led by Karen Smart on piano and flute together with button accordion, fiddle, banjo and guitars, plays a combination of upbeat Celtic tunes as well as performances by individual members of the band. During their concert you might hear anything from a rousing Irish jig to a song about a shipwreck.
Across the Pond is a band from San Francisco that describes itself as an "English-style pub band" that plays "high-energy music for dancing, listening and drinking." They are part of a thriving English music and dance scene in the San Francisco Bay area. With two button accordions and several wind instruments you'll hear lots of rollicking dance tunes. You may even hear a drinking song or two extolling the virtues of good ale.
These are just two of the many groups and individuals who will be performing on August 16th and 17th at the first annual Princeton Traditional Music Festival. The festival kicks off with an opening ceremony at 11:30 AM on Saturday. Then there is non-stop music on two stages from noon until 6:00 PM on both days. One stage will be on Billiter right next to the Pharmasave at the bottom of the zigzag steps. The other will be in front of the museum. And the best thing about it is, it's free!
The reason it's free is because it's run entirely by volunteers. To make the festival a success we will need lots of volunteers. We need people to carry and transport stages, chairs and other equipment; people to help sell performers' CDs; people to billet performers; people to be stage managers or MCs at one of the stages. If you'd like to get involved please contact us. Even if you have only a couple of hours available we would welcome your help. Give us a call and we'll welcome you aboard.
IT WAS A GOOD BLAKEBURN!
Local ghost town historian Terry Malanchuk's second book on Blakeburn is titled "It Was A Good Blakeburn" and explores the stories of the people who once lived and worked in the tiny coal mining town near Princeton.
"It was necessary to devote the first book to the factual history of this community and to provide the complete and accurate historical record that I felt was lacking," Malanchuk says about the interest he had in what he considered one of the richest ghost towns in British Columbia which led to his first book 'Blakeburn - BC's Forgotten Ghost Town.'
"After it's release I felt that its historic record was not as complete as I would have liked. The facts were there, the map was accurate, the mysteries solved; but what was missing was the people."
Malanchuk continues, "More than their names was required, I needed to pass on the essence, their soul if I dare say. For some time I did not think that this would be possible, but time gave me a chance. As more and more former Blakeburnian's and their descendants hunted me down, the stories they passed on began to take form."
Similkameen News Leader Owner/Publisher and ghost town author George Elliott endorses the Blakeburn project.
"I have had the honour to read - and I consider it an honour - to read the second manuscript long before it was in publication form. What impressed me the most was the way Terry managed to weave the stories and allow the former residents to tell their stories. The contents of the manuscript gave me a whole different view of Blakeburn. To me it was always just a bunch of remains of a town that passed it's peak. To Terry, and in his book, it becomes much more than that. 'It Was A Good Blakeburn' brings to life the struggles, the hardships, the realities and the spirit of Blakeburn. It's an incredible collection of incredible stories."
It Was A Good Blakeburn is a compilation of stories, memories, historic fact and anecdotes supported by over 100 photographs, many from private collections that have never been published before.
The book includes an up-to-date Blakeburn Directory and a list of GPS coordinates of prominent locations within the area identified as Blakeburn.
For more information on how to order your copy of It Was A Good Blakeburn, e-mail the author, Terry Malanchuk, at terry@blakeburn-forgottenghosttown.ca.
