To celebrate Canada鈥檚 150th anniversary, Parks Canada is offering a free discovery pass to all national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas in 2017, so order your pass now. Also enter their Discover Canada contest to win a variety of trips and merchandise. There will be bi-weekly draws until Sept. 15. Every winner gets a 2018 Parks Canada Discovery Pass and a merchandise package. The draw Oct. 2, 2017 will award a grand prize of a seven-day, six-night trip to Deer Lake, N.L. The address to enter and learn more is parkscanadacontest.cato.
Another repeat of Contract bridge winners this week, Feb. 6, when Linda Ard and Eric Callbeck had top scores.
Duplicate bridge played in Meota on Feb.7 found top score by Maureen Campbell and Eric Callbeck, followed by Gerry Craig and Mary Greenwald. Third were Robert Iverson and Linda Ard.聽
I really do enjoy the life stories printed in this paper each week written by Richard Hiebert, president of the Battlefords Heritage Society.
When I searched Google for a gluten free recipe it suggested cookies made with cricket flour. So I searched, 鈥渨hatever is cricket flour?鈥� It is flour made out of crickets which contains more protein and less starch than grain flour. It takes 5,000 crickets to make a pound of flour. They even went on to emphasize that they are killed humanely by cooling them. Because they are cold blooded, the crickets go into stasis and are then processed. My granddaughter who just holidayed in Mexico says they are standard fare down there. She tried them and found them OK. They add a nice crisp topping on any dish.
Access Communications has a proposal out to build a new antenna system at Meota. Hopefully this will lead to improvements and choices in packages and programs available. Maybe then we will be able to get the programs on Channel 7 that now are unavailable to us, yet appear on the program schedule.
The monthly meeting at the Do Drop In was held on Feb. 10 with more than a dozen folks out. The shed out back and the storeroom off the kitchen have been cleaned up. The shuffleboard tournament held Jan. 18 was a success and the next one is slated for Feb. 18. Two new tables have been purchased. John Jangula, credit union representative, addressed the group explaining the new policy of combining equity accounts. The name Elmer Hall will be added to the plaque in the hall, as he was a veteran from this area, and is now 97 years old, but his name was missed when it was made up in 1946. The nominating committee named for this spring are Lawrie Ward and Nestor Fransoo. Members discussed whether to buy an outdoor shed for storage or to build onto the building. A speaker from the oil patch could not be found to explain to our group what is still going on out there. We are all interested. Happy Birthday was sung to February celebrants.
The library reported there are 5,303 books that all need to be scanned when they are doing the annual inventory. There were 299 patrons in January and the library was open 59 hours.
There are new photographs hanging in the library by Roger Geisbrecht. They still need granny squares and dog food for the animal shelter. The yearly book budget used to be $500 four times a year, but this has been cut to $417. The annual library meeting is set for Feb. 27 at 1:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.
Invitations were delivered to every resident in West Park Place to join us for lunch after our meeting and we were disappointed to have only two come. There surely was lots of good food and good company that they missed out on. The next meeting will be on March 10, at 10:30 p.m.
The next noon meal at the Community Complex is set for March 17. See you there.
ADRA is trying to get the outdoor rink in operation and have set the date of Feb. 28 to have a party. If the rink isn鈥檛 ready by then it will be held in the big hall instead will include lunch for everyone.
Canasta was played at the Do Drop In on Feb. 10 with four tables in play and one table of cribbage. Top score was earned by Charles Walker and John Soloninko. Second high were Marion Ottas and Bev McCrimmon and third were Evelyn Dutton and Dave Ottas.聽
When British Columbia had that heavy snowfall last week and the Coquihalla Highway was closed, one vehicle stopped in its tracks carried a group of hockey players. They got their sticks out and were playing hockey on the icy road surface. Other folks stayed in their cars overnight, listened to their radios or played video games.
The Sons of Norway, Nisse Lodge No. 4-567 held their Norwegian noon meal in the Pioneer Hall on Feb. 12 with about 65 people attending. A delicious buffet was enjoyed by all, with tasty Norwegian dishes offered. Three tables stayed on and played a game of Canasta and then cleaned up the hall. Two draws were made. The picture was won by Dave Ottas and the gift basket was won by Jane Policha.
There was a huge pod of pilot whales beached in Golden Bay, New Zealand near Farewell Spi, off the north end of the 麻豆传媒AV Island. About 500 volunteers gathered and made a human chain to keep more than 100 from coming to shore. They saved many by doing this. It is a mysterious occurrence and it's not understood why they do this. It doesn鈥檛 happen often, but has a few times in the past.
Norwegian whist was played in Meota on Feb. 2 with top score tied by Marie Bruynooghe and Linda Ard, followed by Yvonne MacPherson and Eric Callbeck.
