Maxine Dehart

Straight from DeHart

Date: August 29/2007

The Caricature is back and you know what that means. The Maxine DeHart, United Way – Ramada Hotel Drive-Thru Breakfast is approaching fast on September 20th from 6am-9am. This year is our 10^th Anniversary which is even more unbelievable. To celebrate, we have some really big things in store for you with all our fabulous existing sponsors and some wonderful new sponsors. This year we are welcoming “Tim Horton’s on board. Yes, you read right! You will receive a freshly brewed cup of the famous “Timmie’s” coffee along with fresh “timbits” in your breakfast bag. Other new sponsors are Jacobson Pontiac Buick, Okanagan Strata Management Corp., Lakeland Oil (Ross Gilley), Café Soleil on Bernard and a large group of I.A Pacific Life’s financial agents, which you will hear more about later on. We are hoping to raise over $50,000 in just three hours for the community. Another exciting addition is that both Standard Radio stations 101-5 SILK FM and 99.9 SUN FM will be on location, one on Highway 97 and the other on Enterprise Way during the whole event. Keep tuned, I’ll be updating you each week.

It’s been a while coming and it’s finally here. The Club at “Tower Ranch” is officially opening in the spring of 2008. Had a great chat with the new head professional of the course, Neil (Steamer) Schmidt, formerly of Predator Ridge and The Kelowna Golf and Country Club. Tower Ranch is a Thomas McBroom designed course, who are the same developers and designers of the new course “Tobiano,” which has just opened in Kamloops. The front nine is fully seeded with all bent grass, including the tee boxes and greens and the sand traps are filled with white silica sand. The clubhouse will also be ready in the spring and apparently the views from the course are spectacular. Gord Sarkissian formerly of the Bearspaw Country Club in Calgary is the new general manager. Memberships and course tours are now available. Call Neil at 491-8211 or neil@golftowerranch.com

Pauline Murray, administrator extraordinaire is celebrating her 10^th anniversary with Thom and Associates Financial Planners Inc. She must be extraordinary to work with Ken Thom (ha!). Ken and I have been friends for over 30 years and I only get a chance to get a shot in once in a while. He has also been a major sponsor of the Drive-Thru Breakfast for many years. Well done Pauline!

Jordan and Allison Kulik of the Lovin' Oven Restaurant Co. Inc. the owner/operators of the Laughing Moon Restaurant on Lakeshore Road in the Mission for over 11 years are moving to Rossland, B.C. and have bought a little house that they are renovating to be the Lovin' Oven Bistro. It will be ready and open for the ski season and they are very excited about their new venture. They will be located at 2033 St. Paul Street, Rossland BC VOG 1YO and their web-site is www.lovinoven.ca. Their last official operating day at the Laughing Moon is Sunday, September 2. Call 764-0674 or cell 717-7160.

Illichmann’s Gourmet Foods at 1937 Gordon Drive has been in business for 40 years and are now undergoing a major expansion. They are taking over the bakery space, continuing to offer fresh bread and baked goods, but also providing “hot foods” to go and gourmet sandwiches to order. They have some reno’s to endure, but will open the new section about mid-October. Meanwhile, its business as usual at the deli. Call 860-6604

Ace Plumbing and Heating, now a Division of Bricor Mechanical Ltd., owned and operated by Brian and Corallee Walters are in their new location at 1778 Baron Road. The new premises of 3,600 sq. ft. is triple the space they previously occupied on Banks Road for the past nine years. Ray Walters, Brian’s dad started the company in 1976 and now, over 30 years later they are still going strong with their staff of nearly 100. The company provides one-stop shopping when it comes to residential, commercial and industrial service. Their grand opening is Saturday, September 8th from 10am-4pm, showcasing the new showroom of plumbing, heating and fireplace products. Call 861- 6696.

Kyle and Janelle Taylor have started their own construction company, KWT Construction. Kyle has been working in the construction industry and is presently taking his third year apprenticeship in carpentry at Okanagan College. KWT specializes in both interior and exterior construction, renovations, additions, decks and even sheds. They mainly handle jobs for one or two people at the present time. The company is a partner proprietorship with Janelle doing the books and advertising and keeping her present day-time employment at the Regional District as a planning clerk. She also received her Applied Business Technology Certificate through Okanagan College. Sounds like this young couple really has it together. Call 717-3714.

The KGH Auxiliary has a new board. Congratulations to Marilyn Strachan (president), Cathie Harnett (vice-president), Marie Dick (secretary), Joan Leslie (treasurer), Jean Fraser (past president), Alex Recsky and Ray Folk (public relations), Lorraine Taylor (social convener) and Rosalyn Ellett (equipment buyer).

The Rotary Centre for the Arts has announced that local artist Tari Dodd DiBello will occupy Studio 202 on October 15 as a resident artist. Painting for over forty years, she is an accomplished artist who continued to find time to paint and sell her work, even while working abroad. DiBello relocated to Kelowna in 2000 with husband Tom, a winemaker at CedarCreek Estate Winery. She has now painted full-time for well over seven years.

The 6^th Annual Celebrity Tennis Classic and Bocce Ball Tournament is September 21-23 at Centre Court, 2302 Abbott Street. All proceeds are dedicated to a full Medical Cardiac Center at KGH. This year’s event will honour the late Ron Patryluk who suffered a fatal heart attack this past year. He was a medal winner of the tennis classic in 2005. The tournament is filled with a number of events, starting Friday with the top ladies tennis commencing at 4pm, followed by the tennis pros and celebrities. The annual grudge match between the doctors and the lawyers will follow. The doctor’s team of Kelowna’s Keith Yap and Mark Fromberg has won five years in a row, but this year the lawyers are bringing in the heavy hitters, international competitor Marvin Storrow Q.C. and former Canadian junior champ, John Fraser. The tournament continues on Saturday and raps up with a banquet that evening. Sunday morning features pros playing the tennis enthusiasts. An added feature is the Herb Capozzi Bocce Ball Tournament on Saturday afternoon for non tennis players. For more info or to register call Walley or Marietta Lightbody at 762-2783 or e-mail luxcorpus@shaw.ca

Happy 40^th Anniversary Wayne and Julie Evans, Evans Gallery (Sept.2).

The Water Street Seniors Centre is again offering a variety of computer classes for seniors commencing in September. This modern volunteer based Computer Lab offers the seniors of the Okanagan a variety of courses ranging from basic beginners to photo editing as well as classes for printers, scanners, digital cameras and computer maintenance. The Lab provides each student with a computer to practice along with the instructor’s overhead screen examples. A nominal fee is charged. All monies raised are diverted back into the computer Lab. Call 762-4108

Happy 36^th Anniversary Lorina and Peter Dick.

Many of us are unaware that Kelowna’s professional ballet company is much more than tutus, pointe shoes and men in tights. Their talented performers have a diverse repertoire of modern and jazz dance as well. Check them out at the OK Corral on Friday, September 14th at 9pm where you can meet and see these professional dancers’ line dance and two-step like you have never seen before. Come in your jeans and dance with the artistic director, David LaHay. This talented dance group knows how to make dance entertainment fun for all and how to hold a good party. There will also be many draws for prizes. It’s a deal for only $30. Call 762-6105 or www.balletkelowna.com

Kudos to Sharon Montpetit on her first hole-in-one on the 4th hole of Shadow Ridge Golf Course - 148 yards

Kelowna Community Music School Youth choir Auditions will be held Wednesday, September 12 from 4-5:30pm at St. Paul’s United Church, 3131 Lakeshore Road. Boys and Girls 7-13 are invited to join this dynamic children’s choir. The cost is $215 for the year plus $20 registration. Call 860-1737 or e-mail kelownacommunitymusicschool@shaw.ca to book an audition time.

The Bay is celebrating the Third Anniversary of their new HBC Jewellery Department and is inviting "everyone" to join in for their gala event on Tuesday, September 4th (Seniors Day) from 8:30 - 9pm. There will be lots of refreshments, hourly door prizes, early morning door crasher specials and sales, sales, sales.

The Canadian Cancer Society in partnership with the Kelowna Firefighters is hosting "Kelowna Firefighter's Cruise for Cancer" on Sunday, September 16 on the Executive "Boardroom" Houseboat. The three hour cruise departs at 2pm and features fun, food, refreshments and live music. Tickets are only $45 and available at www.selectyourtickets.com with limited numbers being sold. Call 762-6381 ext.103

Thanks to Merv Weiss, Michael Sproule, COO of educationcanada.com and Kelly Foster of The Treasure Chest Boutique in Peachland for being such gracious partners in the Sindi Hawkins Charity Golf Classic last week.

TaylorMade Golf Tip of the week – By Jon Kadin - “Lifting Up” Keep your head down! How many times have we been told to do this? Pretty soon every golfer out there will be wandering around aimlessly with their eyes towards the ground! The reason we are told to do this is because we have just topped the ball. We’ve hit the top of the equator on the golf ball and it has scurried along the ground no more than 20 yards from it’s initial position. Everybody does it, and once it occurs, panic sets in! What happened? Something awful is wrong with my swing! Relax… remembering one basic fundamental will help you fix the situation then and there. Your posture! When we “lift up” or “top” the ball we have come up and out of our posture. I have never understood or agreed when someone has mentioned to keep your head down to another player because what we need to do is keep our entire body down and maintain the angles in our posture. These angles include our legs and spine. If you remember to stay in your proper posture throughout the hitting area you will see an immediate improvement in your ball striking and a reduction in topped shots. (Jon is the Head Professional at Gallagher Canyon Golf Club (jkadin@golfbc.com) and Greg Murtland is the territory manager for TaylorMade).

Birthdays of the week – Happy 80^th Yvonne Belanger (Aug.29); Happy 50th Gerri Weninger-Soetaert, Wightman Mechanical (Aug.23); Happy 40^th Zena Tucker, Enterprise Flower Studio (Sept. 4); Ione Yeager (Sept.4); Walter Gray (Sept.4); John Marritt (Sept.4)

Maxine DeHart is a Kelowna hotelier. Phone her at 979-4546, fax 860-3173, E-mail maxdehart@telus.net and web-site www.welcometokelowna.com (click on Business)