News Leader News
MUSEUM WELCOMES WORLD
Visitors to Princeton's museum come from around the world. Last month, museum staff welcomed tourists from Switzerland, the Phillipines, England, Tasmania, Chile, Germany, and from Princeton, Montana (birthplace of Calamity Jane).
In addition to visitors from abroad, the number of local school pupils has increased. The museum was a field trip for 40 pupils from John Allison Elementary School in Princeton.
A total of 1,313 visitors were signed in during May, an increase over the 1,277 recorded during the same period last year. It is worth noting that 2004 set a record for museum visits. The increase in numbers was reflected in a slight increase in donations from visitors (admission to the museum is free of charge, but many people make small donations). The museum web site has recorded 1,000 hits.
Councillor Kathy Clement attended the June 14 Museum Society meeting and presented the annual $2,000 grant to the Museum Society.
The Town of Princeton has done a number of improvements to the building, including an upgrade of the alarm system and painting the door and window frames.
The Blakeburn Reunion will be held July 2 at the Legion Hall. Evelyn McCallum is registrar for the event. The Museum Society will be involved as Terry Melanchuk will do a book signing at the museum that day. Melanchuk is the author of "Blakeburn - B.C.'s Forgotten Ghost Town". He has sent a copy to the museum for its files.
A kiosk depicting the driving of the last spike of the Kettle Valley Railroad will be constructed along the old railbed, now the TransCanada Trail. The location of the kiosk will be near A&W, along the Similkameen River. The project was described to Museum Society members, who enthusiastically support the new development.
Two new faces were at the June 14 meting: Nicole Bertrand, who is employed for the summer, and Rob Mills, President Nick Mills son, who is visiting the area from England.
Nick Mills said he had taken his son out to Granite Creek, and was dismayed at the condition of the site. Plans are being made to improve the area.
Museum members are being asked to do volunteer work on weekends to welcome tourists and show them around the museum. This is a pleasant task for volunteers, as they learn a lot from visitors.
Large signs advertising the museum have been ordered. One will be placed at the west end of town, and the other near the Tourist Information Centre at the east side of town.
The next meeting of the Museum Society will be held at the museum on July 12 at 2:30 p.m. These meetings are open to the public, and anyone wishing to become involved in museum activities is welcome to attend.
WHAT WAS RACING DAYS THE FIRST TIME?
The first Racing Days was held July 15, 16 & 17, 1965, after the formation of the Racing Days Association in October, 1964.The first objective of the association was to "assist, develop and foster community spirit" and to create an annual celebration for the town.
Main organizer of the weekend celebration was the late Ernie Walsh, with special commendation given to the late Rudy Kozak and the late William "Pinky" Foster, and Carl Stenvold. Enthusiastic booster, Laurie Currie, later became known as "Mr. Racing Days" due to his long association with the organization of the races.
The biggest project was building the track, turning rough ground into a racetrack, using volunteer labour and equipment. Princeton Light Horse Club members took over this project with the help of many community volunteers.
Princeton Rotary Club put on the parade (they still do!) while local "elders" repaired and refurbished the Welby Stage for the parade. The stage coach, now the only authentic stage coach in Canada, is housed in a coach house on the grounds of Princeton Museum.
The selection of a Racing Days Queen received the support of Princeton Secondary School Student Council. The coronation of the queen took place at the old school on Vermilion Avenue (Princeton Plaza area) in the auditorium. Edna Boulet was the first Princeton Racing Days Queen. A big dance followed, admission $1.50.
The first Similkameen Cup winner was Man o' Mark, ($350 purse) owned by Bob Elliott of Vancouver. He promised to come back the next year, as did many other racehorse owners.
Their intention would be prophetic: Racing Days went on, year after year, until there were not enough horses to fill the racing program.
The first races included a Pony Express race. Glen Sellers of Princeton won it, followed by R. Sahara (Merritt) and Alfred Webster (Princeton). Alf Webster has spent a lifetime racing horses. So has Jack Powell, who had a stock horse winner named Poco at the first Racing Days.
The first Racing Days held a pancake breakfast at Frosty's, a fast food business located across from the Chevron station (now a paint supply business). The Elks featured a huge bingo with $800 in prize money. The big game boasted a $500 jackpot!
A "Gayway" was set up on the school grounds. Rotarians built and manned many booths, where everyone could play skill games such as ring toss, softball throw, and so on, to win prizes.
The event was a huge success, and in later years, would see additions in some activities, and other activities reduced. In the 20th anniversary year, Racing Days featured a dance and casino night, river raft race, a footrace from Coalmont, a pancake breakfast, a golf tournament, a ball tournament, a parade and coronation, and the races, of course.
The commercial side
Although service clubs formed the backbone of the volunteers for the first (and most) Racing Days celebrations, the business and industry sector of Princeton and area threw themselves into the celebration. They put entries in the parade, they sponsored races, gave prizes to the winning Queen Candidate, and dressed the windows of their shops and their storefronts so no visitor was in any doubt that this town was the place to be that weekend.This support continued throughout the history of Racing Days until the 1980's, when business people began to feel less inclined to become part of the spirit of the celebration.
This was an unfortunate trend, as the celebration had been created to promote Princeton, and it worked. Before Racing Days, Princeton was a depressed area. After Racing Days began, the town began to grow and thrive. More people came here, invested, and joined in the fun.
Compared to the Princeton of the first Racing Days, the Princeton of today is much more attractive, and looks far more prosperous. Whether it has the same kind of community spirit is something to be tested this year as the town emerges from three years of no horse racing celebration weekend.
REDUCTION PROJECT GAINING GROUND
(Exclusive to the News Leader - By. W. George Elliott, Publisher)
The Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection implemented a fuel reduction project in Manning Park last December.A number of partners are involved in the project, including Ministry of Forests, Gibson Pass Resort Inc., BC Hydro, Ministry of Transportation, Upper Similkameen Indian Band and Eastgate Fire Protection Society.
The partnership hosted an open house June 11th to review the project and provide anyone interested in a tour of some of the work completed as part of the fuel reduction project.
A Fire Management Plan was developed in 2001 with the project team established in 2004. The group has met monthly since April 2004.
The project has two objectives: to reduce the risk to human life and property by removing hazard trees near developments and reducing the fuel complex to prevent catastrophic wildfires and for ecological restoration.
From 1981 to 2000 at total of 10,000 trees were removed from Manning Park. The Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic had to be addressed and in 2002 trees were removed from three campgrounds.
To date over $250,000 has been spent on fuel reduction.
Two major elements are being focused on with this project. The Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic has killed so many lodgepole pine trees that it has added far too much fuel - in the form of dead trees - to the existing parkland.
Fire Ecology is also an element of concern. Forest fires are going to happen every year and the increased fuel created by the Mountain Pine Beetle has brought the need for this fuel management program, implemented for public safety by creating fuel breaks. The 'fire guards' are a precaution taken to reduce the risk of wildfire.
You've probably heard talk every Summer of the 'big fire' expected to wipe out Manning Park.
The Manning Fuel Reduction Program will eliminate that from every taking place by managing the risk.
WLAP Ecosystem Biologist Judy Millar took the News Leader on a private guided tour of the Hampton Campground area in Manning Park. She referred to the closed campsites as the worst hit location in the park, which required extreme action.
Bug killed trees were removed leaving some of the campsites bare and without shade. A couple of locations had wide swathes cut through them.
"This is the type of area we'll be putting in deciduous trees as it will be replanted."
Although the sites looks less than attractive from a campers perspective, Millar says it's only a temporary sight.
"In five years you may not notice this as a bare spot. It'll be open but it won't be bare."
Part of the reduction plan is to not remove every dead tree from Manning Park. A priority protocol has been developed in deciding what trees go and what trees stay.
"We're looking at fire protection."
Treatments emulating natural processes were used wherever possible, while tree removal was used where it was considered to be the most appropriate treatment option.
There were a few burn piles used at the Hampton site, with all marketable wood removed. The remaining fuel was burned off during February of this year.
"I view this area as a place for people to recreate so their safety is first," Millar pointed out.
Ecological concerns also play a large role in how the fuel reduction program attacks certain areas of Manning Park.
The Hampton Campground presented an interesting challenge.
"Because of the fuel load here a fire would burn so intense that it would sterilize the soil."
This is one of the reasons why fuel reduction is required and often includes the use of prescribed burns of designated areas.
Other areas at Hampton saw a form of selected logging where just the bug killed trees were removed, often cut to a 20-centimetre stump, and the surrounding area virtually untouched.
Millar says the main thrust of the program at this point is focused on keys areas.
"We're looking at high risk areas only. Blackwall, Lightning Lakes, the Highway Corridor and the Resort area."
There are plans in place for a total of four fuel breaks in the Region with one of them to be placed outside the park. These fuel breaks will greatly reduce any chance of a wildfire causing extreme damage to Manning Park.
For more information on the project you can contact Judy Millar, Ecosystem Biologist or Dave Goertzen, Parks Area Supervisor at the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection office in Penticton. The number is (250) 490-8200.
Statistics show that the majority of wildfires in British Columbia are people caused, so remember, be careful in the forests this Summer and report any wildfires you see.
