This week’s column is dedicated to my long-time friend Ken Good who died suddenly on April 16. Chris and I have known Ken and Donna and their family for over 40 years, having met them through our good friends George and Linda van Wilde Rode, who have both since passed. We had many good times together over the years, but personally I always enjoyed how knowledgeable Ken was about his community, province, country and other events around the world. He always had many good (and some not so good – Ha!Ha!) questions about Kelowna and our civic politics. You can imagine some of those conversations! There was always something interesting to chat about with Ken and I will certainly miss those conversations. Personal condolences to Donna, sons Terry and Jeff, their families, their extended family of Tammi and Jodi, and Ken’s many friends.
Sweet Repeats Consignment Co., formerly Jens 14+ Consignment, located at 130-1889 Springfield Rd. (next to Bulk Foods) has been purchased by Deb Liebholz.
The store has been completely rebranded, instilling Deb’s vision into the store. Sweet Repeats offer women’s clothing from sizes of small all the way to 5X and is one of the only consignment stores to offer those sizes. Deb’s vision is for the store to be a safe, healthy, respectful, inclusive shopping experience for all women of all sizes. The store is bright and inviting and you can also book an appointment with fashion stylist Benita Rangno. Sweet Repeats is chock-full of every type of women’s apparel, and they are right in the full swing of spring and summer wear. They offer jeans, dresses, light weight jackets, sleeveless tops, light weight sweaters, capri’s, bathing suits, shorts, golf wear and skirts. They also carry party dresses and mother of the bride and groom wear, and lots of linen items. Accessories include hats, purses, jewellery, wallets and shoes from sizes 5 to 12.
Deb says they have a massive turnover in purses, so if you see one you like, it’s best to purchase it right there and then. Sweet Repeats is one of the largest jewelry consignment shops in the valley. To celebrate the revamped store, a reopening party is set for Saturday, May 11, which also happens to be Mother’s Day. Please join me for the ribbon cutting at 11:15 a.m. There will be draws, live music, promotions and door prizes. Open Monday to Saturday.
Natures Fare Market Kelowna (NFM) has had some changes in its store leadership. Previously co-managing the Kelowna location together, Kyle Hosker and Andre Desrosiers have both moved into other corporate roles with Nature’s Fare. Beginning his career with Nature’s Fare in 2006, Kyle is now the operations improvement manager.
After 17 years with NFM, Andre has taken on the corporate position of director of retail operations. Allison Wormell, previously the assistant store manager, has stepped into the role stepped into the role of store manager at Kelowna NFM in November 2023. Allison’s passion for people, wellness and supporting small and local producers aligns perfectly with the way Nature’s Fare seeks to serve local communities. Allison is joined by Nicole Rose and Shirley Britz,the new assistant managers.
Nicole comes to NFM from Safeway as well as recently owning and operating a hot pot in Costa Rica. Shirley joins NFKM with an extensive background in customer service and wellness from Community Foods in Alberta.
As an FYI for your protein drinks, if whey does not agree with you, I tried the Vega Sport Plant-Based Protein drink mix in chocolate to blend with blueberries and banana. It was delicious with no reaction.
Wine Growers Canada (WGC) and Wine Growers British Columbia (WGBC) have announced the recipients of the 2024 Canadian Wine Industry Awards and the 2024 Wine Grower British Columbia Industry Recognition Awards. It was exciting to see that our very own local Bram Bolwijn, guest and VIP experience manager at Mission Hill Estate Winery received the prestigious Wine Growers British Columbia Ultimate BC Wine Ambassador Award. The award, new this year, celebrates a frontline winery individual who is passionate about sharing their love of the B.C. wine industry with their guests making a positive impact on their winery experience.
The popular free spring issue of the Sunshine Savings Coupon Book is coming to Kelowna households, filled with coupons for local businesses with some old favourites and some new faces. If you have been feeling the pinch like all of us, these coupons will help you save money and help support our local businesses. Extra issues will be available at all of the participating businesses as well as the local library and community centre locations. Most of the coupons are available online at www.sunshinesavings.ca. Amanda Homeniuk is the owner/operator of the coupon book.
If you are looking for some good entertainment this weekend, An Intimate Evening of Magic with Ryan Michael is coming to Porter’s Brunch on April 27, from 7 to 10 p.m. Only 35 tickets will be sold to attend this one-of-a-kind magic show.
Michael has won many awards, including Stage Magician of the Year 2022 and Mentalist of the Year 2022. Sean White is the owner/operator of Porters and Copper Brewing Co. Tickets available online at www.porterskelowna.com.
Local residents are invited to the annual Kelowna Vaisakhi Parade, presented by The Okanagan Sikh Temple, on Saturday, April 27, 12 p.m. The parade will start and end at the Okanagan Sikh Temple, 1111 Rutland Rd.
The event is to celebrate the beginning of the Sikh New Year and the baptism of the first Sikh with a parade. Philip Patara is the parade chair.
The next URBA After Hours is Wednesday, May 1, at Stylize Hair Studio & Nails by Upashna, 180 Asher Rd., from 5 to 7 p.m.
Geert Maas Sculpture Gardens and Gallery, at 250 Reynolds Rd, celebrates International Sculpture Day on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be free snacks, as everyone is welcome.
This weekend the Adult & Teen Challenge BC, Okanagan presents Celebrate the Journey – Hope Springs Forth Gala on April 27 at the Evangel Church, 3261 Gordon Dr. in Kelowna. Doors open at 5 p.m. for an evening filled with great food, powerful testimonies of transformed lives, and a riveting presentation. Music by Mountainview Worship Team and keynote address by Colin Lancelot, a 2014 graduate of the Okanagan Men’s Centre. For tickets, contact Grace Absolom, regional director of operations, at 1-888-575-3950 (412) or online at www.teenchallengebc.com/event.
The Kelowna Liedertafel Choir will present its Spring Concert Extravaganza on Friday, May 3, at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2091 Gordon Dr., with special guests The German Canadian Male Chorus of Calgary. Admission by donation.
The Kelowna Breast Cancer Paddling Team, Bust’n Loose celebrates their 25th anniversary this year. The team has come a long way from a homemade boat holding 10 paddlers to a team that has 32 returning and new members.
The team will host its ‘Spring Opener’ fundraising event Saturday, May 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. Join them for a cheeseburger, fries and a drink evening for $35. There will be a silent auction, door prizes, 50/50 and trivia game. Tickets at email info@bustnloose.com or Wendy Aitken at 250-864-6253.
The Kelowna Garden Club will host its annual plant sale Saturday, May 4, at Guisachan Gardens, 1060 Cameron Ave. The plant sale opens at 9 a.m. and is a cash only event. The plants, shrubs and garden related items have been nurtured, grown and donated by members of the club. There will be a good selection and the prices are exceptional.
The TOKARA 20th anniversary World Tour – KOBUSHI is Sunday, May 5, 7 p.m., at Mary Irwin Theatre, presented by the Kelowna-Kasugai Sister City Association. It’s been five years since members of one of Japan’s most renowned Taiko Drum groups TOKARA has toured in Canada. This year is a special celebration in Kelowna for both Tokara’s 20th anniversary tour and leader Art Lee’s 30th anniversary. Lee is the only person in the world from outside of Japan to win grand champion status of the Tokyo International Odaiko Competition, the Top Taiko competition in the world. Tickets at Rotary Centre of the Arts or online at https://rotarycentreforthearts.com/events/tickts/336202/.
Watch for the Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers paper shredding fundriaser May 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the regional district adminstrative office parking lot on KLO Road. Shredding is $10 per box, provided by Okanagan Paper Shredding.
Birthdays of the week
Happy 75th Phyllis Litz (Apr. 27), happy 80th Con Litz (Apr. 27) – yes, husband and wife on the same day!; happy 80th Jim Oakes (Apr. 18); happy 80th Steve Cipes (Apr. 10); happy 60th Alana Francis (Apr. 24); happy 50th Maria Rizzo (Apr. 25); Norm Felty (Apr. 24); Hermina Klajnsek (Apr. 25); Alan Dolman (Apr. 25); Myrna Telford (Apr. 25); Aria Yen (Apr. 25); Sia Koutsantonis (Apr. 25); Lynn Kratzer (Apr. 26); Chuck Dixon (Apr. 27); Raghwa Gopal (Apr. 27); Lois Serwa (Apr. 27); Richard Erickson (Apr. 28); Ron Labossiere (Apr. 28); Linda Verna (Apr. 28); Lynn Tamaki (Apr. 29); Jim Hedman (Apr. 28); Dave McLean (Apr. 29); Brett Kryskow (Apr. 29); Alison Love (Apr. 29); John McCormack (Apr. 30); Bryan Sargeant (Apr. 30); Tony Peyton (Apr. 30).
Maxine DeHart is a Kelowna city councillor and local hotelier. Phone her at 250-979-4546 or 250-862-7662, email max@maxinedehart.ca.