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RIDGEWOOD HOSTS SPECIAL CEREMONY
We hosted a "Renewal of the Wedding Vows" Ceremony on Thursday, July 27th. There were seven couples renewing their vows: Dorothy and Carl Stenvold (October 10, 1942), Winifred and Bill Huyssoon (November 27, 1946), Esther and Bill Shopshire (February 24, 1947), Helen and Tom Sheppard (April 12, 1948), Lydia and Bob Compton (November 1, 1953), Charlotte and Rex Moffatt (June 8, 1968), Anne and Charles Casperson (April 13, 1996).
This was a program that was celebrated throughout the month of July with all the residents at Ridgewood Lodge. Some of the other programs that incorporated the wedding theme were, reminiscing (thematic bag), tea and chat, trivia, creating invitations (with our creative writing group and crafts).
We talked about how weddings had changed, the amount of money spent then and now, what they would wear for their renewal (and yes the men were also involved with this), how many marriages some people had, and of course divorce and losing your loved one. The Grooms were seated facing the audience with a space between them for their brides. Each bride was escorted in by an attendant, many being their daughters and some staff who were honoured to assist. The look on the groom's faces when they saw their brides was so full of love it made us all weepy.
Eric Goodfellow officiated at the ceremony which was very touching. After saying the vows he had the group say "I do." Each couple was presented with a certificate commemorating the event by Goodfellow and the medals were pinned on each of the brides and grooms.
There were many family members in the audience from Princeton and many from out of town. This was what it was all about and how the idea originally began.
I had attended too many memorial services and funerals where I met, for the first time, sons, daughters, grandchildren and other family members, from not only far away but the community. It seemed that this was happening far too frequently in our busy lives that we weren't taking the time to enjoy the special things in life.
I wanted to see the families get together for something special and happy and celebrate it with their parents. And this was a huge success at Ridgewood Lodge. We had many family members from out of town as well as family and friends from Princeton.
I was also impressed with the stories I was hearing from my remarkable residents. Stories like: getting married and then having their husband shipped overseas to war just days later (and some soldiers returning wounded or never coming back), getting married during the Depression and never having a big ceremony because they just couldn't afford it, the hardships of raising a family while settling in some very remote areas of Canada, getting married in another country and immigrating to Canada for a better life for their families and the list goes on.
The ceremony ended with Eric saying "and you may kiss your bride" and the audience bursting into applause. I had purchased bubbles (instead of confetti or rice) and that was enjoyed by all ages. Jan Goss made the toast to the happy couples and we all raised a glass of champagne to their health. Dorothy and Carl Stenvold cut the wedding cake which was made by our dietary staff along with trays of other goodies.
All the departments, from housekeeping, dietary, care aids, nurses and management attended and participated from decorations, brides maids, makeup and hair preparations, dressing (with that extra flare) to serving the champagne and goodies.
It was once again a wonderful afternoon and a day filled with lasting memories for all thanks to the help of all my co-workers. This is why Ridgewood Lodge is such a special place to live and work.
LEGION HOSTS BIG WEEKEND
For every Legion gavel passing, there is a theme. Princeton's Branch 56 chose a Roman theme, but the real theme is always the same.Legion President Bud Sadegur expressed it as socializing between Royal Canadian Legion members and American Legion members.
"We remember comrades lost in war, and the many times our nations fought side by side. We remember our friendship and unity of purpose," Sadegur summed up.
More than 120 members registered for the weekend of golf, games, auctions and entertainment. Americans came from Brewster, Ephrata, Moses Lake, Bridgeport and Oroville, the American Legion 9th District. On the Canadian side of the border, Legion members came from the Okanagan Zone as well as from Chase and Merritt.
The official opening ceremony followed a big dinner at the Legion Hall last Friday evening.
Mayor Randy McLean gave a welcome from Princeton.
"It's a great event anytime Legionnaires get together," he began, and then received a round of applause when he said he is a Legion member of many years and his father was a veteran. He thanked the veterans for all they have done to ensure the next generations did not have to go to war.
Mayor McLean went on to joke about how Americans steal our hockey players and baseball teams, then added, "But there ain't nobody sneakin' up on us in the middle of the night. We're very happy to have you here."
Zone Commander Chris Yarbro commended Princeton's Legion for a fine job of hosting the gavel passing. District #9 Commander Ken Lee said, "Thanks for extending your hand across the border."
Past Deputy Commander and member of the National Executive of the American Legion, Dick Smith, joked about how long he and his wife had been members, and expressed his pleasure at being in Princeton.
Bud Sadegur thanked the executive team who had done all of the planning and work in making the gavel passing a success. He recognized Chuck Whitlock, John Haayer, Bob and Sharon Paterson, Roberta Baron, Pat Clarke and Maria Sadegur as the host committee.
HOW TO EXHIBIT YOUR PRODUCT IN THE FALL FAIR
A lot of people who have never entered an exhibit in the Fall Fair have not done so because they do not know how.
It is easy.
First, find a Fall Fair prize list booklet and follow the instructions.
Let's use canning as an example. You canned peaches. You decide to enter your peaches in the canning class. Turn to page 15 in the booklet. It tells you the rules - have proper jars with new lids and make sure the jars are clean. It will tell you your peaches will not be tasted, so you know they will be judged on appearance, good seal, texture of fruit and even distribution of fruit in the jar.
This is really easy so far.
The front and back cover of the booklet are made up of an entry form. Carefully remove the cover and fill out the entry form.
On page one of the booklet, you will find the general rules. Read them. You will find you can enter your exhibit (peaches) between noon and 8 p.m. on Friday, September 8, at the fairgrounds.
You take your exhibit and entry form to the fairgrounds on September 8, and go to Building #1. You will be at the registration desk. The people there will take charge and check your entry form. You will have to pay 50 cents to enter your jar of peaches. The volunteers at the registration table will then exhibit your peaches in Building #2, and your peaches will be judged that evening. Judges are qualified people from the community and their decisions are final.
If your peaches are among the top three, you could win $6 for first, $4 for second or $2 for third.
In each class, you will see a $25 prize for top points. First place earns three points, second two points and third one point. This is for the entire canning class, so if you were to enter all of your canning, jellies and jams and pickles, you might accumulate enough points to win an extra $25.
This procedure described above applies to all classes of exhibits. Livestock classes have a few variations, but in general, are much the same. You may remove your exhibit on Sunday after 3 p.m. or you can donate it to the annual Fall Fair auction which takes place at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
Fall Fair prize list booklets are available in several locations around Princeton, Hedley and Keremeos.
