Kelowna Toyota has officially moved to their new location at 1624 Carey Road at the corner of Highway 97 and Carey Road, with the entrance off Cary Road. Owned and operated by general manager, Jamie Kaban, the new building is over twice the size of their former building and is a whopping 47,000 square feet on five acres of land. Kelowna Toyota has been in Kelowna since 1970 and in their former location since 1993 on Leathead Road. Several amenities have been added to the new dealership. The drive-in service bays scan the tire tread and wheel alignment on every vehicle that comes into the bays and a large indoor delivery centre was added so that customers do not have to find their vehicles outside on the lot. They now offer two shuttles and a huge plus is that they offer shuttle service to West Kelowna. Kelowna Toyota now has the all new Tundra that has just been released and the hybrid Tundra will be released this summer. The all-electric SUV-BZ4X is coming soon. When you visit the new dealership, make sure you say hello to Waffles, their friendly shop dog. Indy Brar is the General Sales Manager, Johnny Yu, Fixed Operations Manager and Casey Mack is the Service Manager. www.kelownatoyota.com
The conclusion of my term of three years with an extension of eight months for a total of 44 months as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel attached to the Army Reserve Unit of the British Columbia Dragoons (BCD) is now over. It truly has been an honor to serve in this extraordinary position. For me, as a civilian who has never served in the forces, it was a huge learning experience and one that I will cherish forever. Although it definitely has been a difficult past two years, during COVID times, the first year of my appointment as the Honorary Lieutenant Colonel gave me a good sense of what the position entailed as being an ambassador to the public. Huge thanks to Colonel Mike McGinty, Regional Liaison Officer, Pacific Region Directorate of Employer Support Programmes' for putting my name forward for this prestigious position and to Commanding Officer Colonel Kevin Mead for his guidance and friendship. Huge thanks to Honorary Colonel Richard Hamilton for guiding me through thick and thin and taking the reins as he had a "green rookie" as an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel at his side. This has been an experience that comes only once in a lifetime and I am pleased that I will always be a part of the Regimental Family.
Heritage Week 2022 is February 21 to February 26.There are many events taking place around the city all week, which can be seen on Facebook@HeritageWeekOkanagan or www.okheritagesociety.com. The 2021 Heritage Award winners will be announced on Thursday evening, February 24th at 7:00 p.m. I will be announcing them in next week’s column.
Grizzly Bear Bistro & Bar owned and operated by Sundersh Iyer at #103 – 1750 Pier Mac Way in the Airport Village complex has a new chef, larger menu with more variety and new menu items. New Chef Steven Grant has added new menu items including Kung Pao Chicken Bowl and Triple Decker Chicken Club, along with Chicken and Waffles, Crème Brulee French Toast and the huge Grizzly Hibernator to their brunch menu, which they serve every Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Chef Steven says that the most popular menu item by far is their Grizzly Cheeseburger with two patties, along with fish and chips and gourmet mac and cheese. We shared the Butter Chicken and Kung Pao. Both were delicious with generous portions. Grizzly is now offering entertainment every Friday and Saturday evenings and during the Sunday brunch with the artists changing weekly. James Sehn is the manager of the restaurant. Open seven days a week. www.grizzlybearbistro.com
Congratulations to Pamela Pearson who is set to take over as chair of the board for the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce. The Director of Operations at Sentes Automotive was acclaimed as President-elect and will be sworn in at the Chamber's AGM on Thursday, March 17th. Pamela has served three years on the board, most recently as Secretary. The other table of officers were also elected by acclamation with Dan Price of Dilworth Quality Homes returning as Vice President and Maryse Harvey of MH2 Advisory Services will serve as Secretary. Current President Jeffrey Robinson will move into the Past President role following the AGM. www.kelownachamber.org
Skogie's Auto Spa at 1830 Underhill Road and Skogie’s on Clement at 1189 Ethel Street are hosting a car wash fundraiser to support the Salvation Army. On Saturday, February 19th from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Skogie's are donating two dollars from every deluxe wash at their two locations to The Salvation Army. It’s a wonderful way to help others and get a clean vehicle too. www.kelownasalvationarmy.ca; www.skogies.com
Chic Creative Community is an education based business that has a mission to bring people together through learning in a modern exciting way, offering in-person and virtual basic business, social media and marketing workshops and classes. Owned and operated by co-founder and creative director Amy Nicole Cohen and co-founder Courtney Miller who bring over 20 years combined years of experience in both education and business, Chic Creative was created as a guiding light in modern education with an inspiring community of everyday people and creative entrepreneurs who want to learn and evolve. Their mission is to ignite confines in others to empower themselves and to build a community of like-minded entrepreneurs. New and exciting to Chic Creative Community is that as of this month, they have partnered with Staples Studios to collaborate through efforts around community happenings such as classes, events, workshops, content space and so much more. www.chiccreativecommunity.com
There is now a Provincial Okanagan Self-Advocate Group who will be performing eight Zoom presentations this year for all adults aged 19 and older with Autism or a diversability who registers, starting this month from any community in B.C. The zoom's take place on the last Saturday of each month from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. until June and then again from September to November. The first guest speaker is on February 26th with all speakers are donating their time. Some of the topics that will be covered this year are How to Stretch Your Budget and Save with Denise Martell, Marketing Director of World Financial Group; Job Employment Help with Jacob May, Kelowna WorkBC Centre, Anxiety: A Common Barrier to Social Inclusion with Becky Molly, Pacific Coast Community Resources Inc. and Clearing the Clutter with Corey Anderson of Organize My Space Kelowna. All presentations are free and are open to self-advocates, adults with Autism or a diversability as well as parents, caregivers and professionals. To register or for more information contact Linda Youmans at okanaganselfadvocategroup15@yahoo.com or 778-478-3436.
Pink Shirt Day Breakfast presented by TELUS is a virtual event on February 23rd to support bgc Okanagan. (Boys & Girls Clubs) at 7:30 a.m. with a Breakfast in a Box. It is a day to celebrate kindness and raise some funds to support children and youth in a safe inclusive environment. They will also be auctioning off Pink Wine lots starting in mid-February.
Naturopathic physician, Dr. Alana Hendrickson has moved her office to Orchard Plaza at #132 - 1876 Cooper Road and has introduced some new health and aesthetic services. If you are concerned about your skin and general well-being, Dr. Hendrickson is introducing a one of a kind health and beauty service that offers aesthetic and healing treatments for both men and women of all ages who wish to have glowing skin that is free of wrinkles and blemishes. Some of the services offered are cosmetic injections, dermal fillers, acupuncture and fire cupping, vampire facials, micro needling, Botox and Xeomin and IV therapy and vitamins. The Aquagold 24 kt Finetouch Facial is a game changer as it brightens the colour tone of the skin and makes lines diminish. Dr. Hendrickson and her team use the right techniques and equipment to give you a vibrant look. A complimentary 15 minute consultation with a naturopath is offered to discuss your beauty goals. www.dr.alanahendrickson.com
Birthdays of the Week - Happy 80th Dick Auty (Feb. 21); Seymour Zidle (Feb. 16); Rob Siddon (Feb. 16); Phil Patara (Feb. 17); Bill Cook (Feb. 17); Arlene McClelland (Feb. 18); John Peacock (Feb. 18); Tal Jandali (Feb. 18); Tom Dyas (Feb. 20); Rodney Gray (Feb. 20); Matt Scaife (Feb. 21); Carmen Prive (Feb. 22); Karen Bernath (Feb. 22); Lori Sanderson (Feb. 22); Michael Lavigne (Feb. 22); Grace Naka (Feb. 22).
Maxine DeHart is a Kelowna City Councillor and local hotelier. Phone her at 250-979-4546 or 250-862-7662 or max@maxinedehart.ca
