2021 March Focus

[email protected]@elkfordlibrary.org March 2021 Volume 15 Issue 2

Fat biking in Elkford. See page 4 for Elkford Trails Alliance article.

March 14th is Daylight Saving Time. Remember to move your clocks ahead one hour!

residential - commercial - industrial

Jason Heyboer, FSR electrician [email protected] Box 1278 Elkford, BC V0B 1H0

Provincial and Federal News Links and Other Resources COVID-19 Provincial Support and Information https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support BC centre for Disease Control http://covid-19.bccdc.ca/ Interior Health https://www.interiorhealth.ca/Pages/default.aspx Government of Canada https://www.canada.ca/en.html Important Phone Numbers: 1-888-COVID19 (1-888-268-4319). The line is for non-health COVID-19 information. 811: For health-related information on COVID-19. 211: Seniors looking for help (or volunteers willing to help), can call 211 or visit http://www.bc211.ca/ Crisis Line: 1-888-353-2273 Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868

Elkford Public Library

Send us an email: [email protected]

Website: http://elkford.bclibrary.ca

Find us on Facebook: Elkford Public Library

Hours:* Tuesday and Wednesday 10:30 am - 4:30 pm Thursday and Friday 11:30 am - 5:30 pm Saturday 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm *Hours may vary due to COVID-19.

We wish to thank those who distribute the Elkford Focus: Our goal is to cultivate a Focus on Elkford and we welcome your submissions of events, announcements, classifieds, ideas and ATCO opinions to [email protected] or bring your legible copy to Chauncey Ridge Food Mart the Library. The Elkford Focus, Board and Staff of the Library do Elkford Conference Centre not promote the opinions expressed. We reserve the right to edit Elkford Mini-Mart/Fas Gas or refuse to print submissions due to legality, length, religious or Esso political reasons, good taste or discriminating beliefs. The Focus Elkford Motor Inn & Restaurant is published on the web and may be accessed and searched by Kapps Pizza Place anyone. We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of Kootenay Market submitted information. Copyright of all material remains with the District of Elkford author. BC Elkford Liquor Store Elkford Drug Store

Richard & Darlene Mosiondz In business since 1990

4165 Highway 43 EAST KOOTENAY LUTHERAN PARISH PO Box 69 Phone: (250) 865-2236 Cell: (250) 489-8967 Elkford, BC V0B Serving the Communities of Cranbrook Invermere Fernie & Elkford

Mt Zion, Cranbrook 920-11th St S Sunday Worship & Kids’ Church 10:00 am

St Peter’s, Invermere 110-7th Ave Sunday Worship 1:30 pm

Trinity, Fernie 691-4th Ave Sunday Worship 1:30 pm

Immanuel, Elkford 500 Alpine Way Sunday Worship currently on hold due to Covid-19

250-426-7564 ww.eklutheran.ca

The Elkford Trails Alliance Secures Funding for a Snowdog Machine

The new Elkford Trails Alliance (ETA) is a group of volunteers that have a passion for outdoor recreation. We’ve got a Board of Directors, Executive, and members that are committed to advancing the use and state of the non- motorized trail network within and around the community of Elkford, B.C. We’ve got a few projects on the go, and one of them is to purchase a Snowdog so that we can groom some of Elkford’s trails in the winter months for all types of non-motorized use: snowshoeing, fat biking and back-country ski access, among others. Currently, the only trails maintained in the Elkford area for winter use are for members of the Elkford Snowmobile Association (ESA) and the Elkford Nordic Ski Club. Fatbikers, snowshoers and winter hikers cannot travel the Boivin Creek trails maintained by the Nordic Ski Club because those trails are groomed specifically for Nordic ski use. When non-motorized users are on the ESA trails there is risk for interaction with the motorized users and the conditions can be challenging. The ETA would like to reduce the risk non-motorized users face on shared trails and help make more of the community’s extensive trail network accessible for all community members. Trails that we are looking to provide winter grooming for include the existing Mountain Walk Trail, the Great Trail, Elk Valley Trail, Josephine Falls Trail, and possibly another trail on the golf course that is separate from the Nordic ski track. We are also actively working towards constructing new trails for multi-purpose and multi-season use. We are well on our way to making this winter trail grooming project a reality thanks in huge part to the Elkford Project Society for their generous donation of funds to purchase our new Snowdog single-track groomer. As more non-motorized trails are established, the scope of trail maintenance and grooming in our community will continue to grow, thus embracing the growing culture of our healthy outdoor lifestyle. Now more than ever, community members are exploring their own region for outdoor recreational enjoyment. We hope that our group can help get more Elkfordians exploring our community year round and foster the community’s “get intimate with nature” lifestyle. Are you interested in volunteering, joining our meetings, or even just receiving updates on what we’re up to? Send an email to [email protected] with the subject title “add me to your mailing list” and also join us on Facebook @elkfordtrailsalliance. We’d love to see photos of what you’ve been up to this winter, stay tuned for a photo contest! -submitted by Katherine Russell

Open 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (Monday to Friday)

Random Thoughts from Father David of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church

One of my uncles who lives alone was in hospital recently. When he was discharged his local surgery arranged for a therapist to come to his home to help him with his walking, and very kindly they also arranged for a lady to come in and help with some of the basic housework. And my uncle hated this! I would phone him and he would say, “I have had people in and out of my house all day!” On days when he had no visitors he was much happier. Then today I was listening to the radio and there was an item about both adults and children who, during Covid-19, have lost some of their ability to socialize. The program was talking about how these people would have to go through a process of being retrained in their social skills. I found this interesting because while I have been aware of the issue of loneliness – those who long to interact with others – I hadn’t thought about the other side of the problem, those who are apprehensive about going back into social environments. Inside myself I think I have a bit of both of these characteristics; there is a bit of me that rejoices at having the house totally to myself and being alone, and a bit of me that craves at least a little person to person contact. Of course, part of this is me just being lazy; I have to say that it is nice getting up in the morning and not having to think about dressing smartly, rather my priority can be on being comfortable. But more than this, I do really enjoy my own company and being left to myself, and I can feel myself internally having to wind myself up in order to interact with others. Hopefully soon we will be able to start mixing more freely, but I wonder for how many people this actually might be a bit of a struggle? We are living through odd times.

A Big Thank You To Our Sponsors The Elkford Snowmobile Association would like to thank all the businesses, clubs, and people that sponsored, supported, and believed in us. You helped us complete our latest project. It started as a dream and some table talk at a few club meetings over six years ago. We dreamed of a newer, bigger, more powerful groomer/snowcat than we had. Our old machine at the time was just that—old, tired, and underpowered for the terrain and trail we needed to continue to safely maintain for snowmobiling residents and tourists of Elkford. We committed to the long, grueling process of grant writing, fundraising, and community work to obtain the funds to purchase our “new to us” groomer. On January 16th, 2021 we welcomed to Elkford our 2007 Prinoth BR350 complete with tiller bar snowcat. Our first grant was received in December 2017 to start us off. For the next three years many members both present and past worked tirelessly volunteering at fundraisers, volunteering at the softball tournaments, writing and sending hundreds of letters and grant applications around BC and AB to many people and businesses. Finally, in December 2020 we obtained the last grant that would put us at our target and allow us to purchase the Prinoth groomer that, for so many years, we had talked about in every meeting. We would like to thank the following businesses and companies for their donations over the last three years in support of our goals to improve the snowmobile community experience in Elkford. Without you this would not have been possible.

Platinum Sponsor – over $10,000 The Elkford Project Society Gold Sponsor – $5,000 - $10,000 The District of Elkford The Elk Valley Thrift Shop Flaman Sales, Rentals and Fitness, Lethbridge Regional District of the East Kootenays Teck Coal Silver Sponsors – $1,000 - $4,999 Elkford Community Fund East Kootenay Community Credit Union Bronze Sponsors – $500 - $999 Thunderstruck Films Richardson Oilseed Ltd Elkford Lions Club Additional Community Supporters Banner Recreation and Marine Willow D Enterprises Ltd Site Direct CNP Waste Disposal Elkford Congregational Church Cooks Electric Elk River Crossing Car Wash Prinoth, Calgary Sparwood Legion Elkford Minor Ball If we have forgotten to mention a company or business we are very sorry, we are extremely thankful for the community support in the past years and currently. We endeavour to continue to improve the snowmobiling experiences in Elkford as well as continue to provide well maintained and groomed trails for all residents and tourists alike, whether you walk, hike, snowshoe, run sled dogs or snowmobile, we welcome the continued use of the trails and the support for the Elkford Snowmobile Association’s grooming program. Thank you once again. -Past and Current Executive and Members of the Elkford Snowmobile Association

DAISY mp3 player available to borrow! Do you know someone who has a sight impairment or is print disabled and would like to listen to books but does not have the equipment at home to do so? We have just added a Victor Reader Stratus 12 talking book player to our collection. It plays multimedia books and music from CDs, SD cards, and USB drives. Contact the library for more Did you know? information and to borrow. We can purchase e-books and e-audiobooks on OverDrive exclusively for Elkford Public Library patrons. Looking for a specific title? Let us know!

Don’t have an e-reader but would like to try one out? We have those, too! All you need is a library card.

If you previously accessed your magazines, e-books, and audiobooks through RB Digital, you can now access them through OverDrive by downloading the free Libby app or by going to libbyapp.com to use in your web browser.

Tech Thursdays will return Tales for Tots th th when Covid-19 regulations allow March 4 and 11 Thursdays at 10:30 am

If gatherings are prohibited, we will post a Feeling obsolete? video or a link to one on our Facebook page. Tired of unplugging from your social life? When in-person sessions Need help using technology? can be offered, they will be drop-in only and limited to Want some tech support? nine participants due to Help is at your library. Covid-19 health restrictions. Don’t be disappointed, come early! 3;30 pm to 5:00 pm every Thursday in the library

Borrow a Radon Detection Kit from the Library

Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in Canada and is responsible for as many as 16% of lung cancer deaths. We have one Corentium Home model radon detector which is about the size of a mobile phone, and has a digital display which produces readings in about an hour. The device needs at least 7 days for highest accuracy. You can borrow it for up to 28 days. The Radon Detection Library Lending Program is provided free through support from Health Canada, the BC Lung Association, Simon Fraser University, and Airthings.

E-books, graphic novels, Tumble Tunes and more! You don’t need a library card to access Tumble Books. Just go to our library webpage, click on the Tumble Book Library icon in the “Quick Links” column and start reading or listening!

Learn something new! CURRENT SERVICES AVAILABLE AT All you need is a library card. ELKFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY: Questions: [email protected] Curbside service is always available. Please phone 250-865-2912.

• Digital materials including e-books, audiobooks • eLearning platforms • In-person browsing during open hours • Printing, scanning, faxing, and copying • Photo scanning and printing • Public computer by appointment or drop-in • Free Wi-Fi • Interlibrary loans

We can also invigilate exams at the library. Contact us for more information.

Scan and print photos, slides, and negatives at the Elkford Public Library’s new DIGITIZATION STATION

SCAN PHOTOS, NEGATIVES AND SLIDES: PHOTO PRINTING:* Save scans of photos, slides, or negatives to a 4×6” 75¢ per print digital file on your USB device or send them in an 5×7” $1.00 per print email. 8.5×11” $3.00 per print Scanning is FREE *cash or cheque only

Bring your photos, phone, SD card, or thumb drive and learn how.

Thank you to Teck Coal and the Columbia Basin Trust for funding this project.

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Coming Events

Remember to return your entry to the library from “Blind Calling all gardeners! Now is the time to rent a bed at Date With a Book” by March 9th for your chance to win a the Community Garden. Email us for more info at prize. elkfordcommunitygarden.com.

Knights of Columbus draw results: https://kofcdraw.net/results-2020-2021-draw

Smart Mom Program: prenatal text messaging program for all moms in the Interior Health region. Visit https:// www.smartmomcanada.ca to register online or text Did you know you can access our Wi-Fi from outside the “interior” to 12323. library? Select Public Library - Guest, the password is #Reading101! (don’t forget the exclamation mark). Any Lengths Group AA meetings 436 Pine Avenue, Sparwood, BC Sparwood Christian Centre (church basement). For dates and times please contact Betty-Ann S. Do you have an idea about something you would 250-433-6510 like to see in the Focus? If so, let us know! Food Bank If you need assistance from the Food Bank, or you know somebody who does, please call 250-910-7088 and Online BC Library Clubs and Classes leave a message along with a return number. Our new Read Local Book Club - This is an online book club hours are 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. featuring local authors from the Kootenays. Youth Creative Writing Class Elkford Search and Rescue Kootenay Teen Book Club Practices held first and third Tuesdays at 6:00 pm at the Contact the Elkford Public Library for more details. SAR hall (behind the Fire Hall). Everyone welcome to attend.

Share your pictures of Elkford Lions Club: Come join us - everyone welcome. Elkford events in the Focus Monthly meetings the first and third Thursdays 6 - 8 pm. We’d love to see photos and Winter meetings at Union hall, back door (Nov. to Apr.) news about sports teams, school events, happenings or Summer meetings at campground office (May to Oct.) celebrations on these pages. Contact us at [email protected].

Email to Elk Valley Hospice [email protected] 250-423-4453 Ext. 309

Or call us at 250-865-2912 Elk Valley Safe Homes if you have questions. Women’s Shelter & Helpline 1-800-200-3003

Did we mention that classified ads are Elkford Women's Task Force free? 250-865-2031 Short descriptive ads, no more than 50 words. Kids Count Too Kids Counselling If you wish to add a picture, then we 250-425-4202 charge you our regular ad rates (see below). Elk Valley Critical Incident Response Team Critical Incident Emergency Contact 250-423-4226 Advertising Rates per month effective January 1, 2017 Deadline for submissions for the next issue of the Black & White Colour Elkford Focus is the 20th of each month. Please email your classified ads to Business Card $ 7.00 $12.00 [email protected] and put classified ads Quarter Page $15.00 $30.00 in the subject line. If you are sending us a coming Half Page $20.00 $45.00 event, please put coming event in the subject line. Full Page $25.00 $80.00 15