SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME 65 - ISSUE
WHAT’S INSIDE:
NO. 39 • S U M M E R L A N D, B.C. • T H U R S D AY,
The Summerland Steam added a pair of wins over the weekend.
SEPTEMBER
27,
2012
•
20
PA G E S
•
$1.15
INCLUDING
HST
Quick response to fire by John Arendt
Hockey action
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
Quick response from firefighters brought a grass fire in Garnett Valley under control before it had a chance to damage buildings. George Pugh of the Summerland Fire Department said the fire, on Wildhorse Road, was reported around 3 p.m.
Three trucks and 23 Summerland firefighters responded. The province also provided a helicopter to assist with firefighting efforts. Pugh said the light winds made it easier for firefighters to control the blaze. The fire, which covered around 0.8 hectares, grew quickly and moved
towards a home in the area. “It was about 10 feet from my house,” said Shelly White. This is not the first grass fire in the area. White said last year, a grass fire came within half a kilometre of her home. This year’s fire was much closer and much faster moving, she
said. As the fire approached, White and her family left the house and were in the process of evacuating the 24 horses on the property. “We had given up on the house,” she said. “We thought we had lost it.” The fire melted White’s irrigation line, so as a result, she used a garden
hose to try to contain the fire. She said the quick work from firefighters kept the fire from reaching her house. “Hats off to the Summerland Fire Department and Forestry,” she said. “They saved my home.” The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Page 14 Playground zone A new playground, financed by the Summerland Lions Club, has been officially opened.
Page 3 Bike race Test of Humanity mountain bike challenge.
Page 16 Fall fair winners Adult winners in the Summerland Fall Fair are listed.
Page 7 Fire crisis Summerland opens its doors to Peachland fire evacuees.
Page 16 It’s official Interim chamber manager appointed to post.
Page 3 Gallery shows New exhibitions at art gallery.
Page 11
YOUR SMILE Grandparents: Changing the world one forwarded e-mail at a time.
Bike race start
Carla McLeod Special to the Summerland Review
Mountain bikers were off to a fast start at the Test of Humanity mountain bike race Sunday. Around 250 competitors, most from B.C. and Alberta, took part in the ride over the grueling course. The event raised money for aid projects in Ethiopia.
July weather hits tourism traffic by Barbara Manning Grimm After a strong visitor season this spring, the cool rainy weather of July reduced tourism travel to Summerland and the Okanagan. Then in August the visitor counts rose almost to the 2011 levels, according to the Summerland Cham-
ber of Economic Development and Tourism. “Tourism numbers have fluctuated this year with spring visits (April, May, June) to the Summerland Visitor Centre strong,” said Chamber Manager Christine Petkau. “Those months showed an increase of 23 per cent over 2011 numbers of vis-
its for the same period and 18 per cent higher than the Thompson Okanagan regional network of visitor centres as a whole.” July visits to visitor centres were down 10 per cent throughout the region, and 15 per cent in Summerland. “This decline has pri-
marily been attributed to poor weather conditions.” August numbers for visitors to the Summerland Visitor Centre were slightly reduced by 2.5 per cent in Summerland and 3.3 per cent in the region compared to 2011 visits. From January to August
this year 7,460 people visited the Summerland Visitor Centre, compared with 8,531 for the same period in 2011 “with the decline coming from the low July numbers,” said Petkau. These figures do not include online inquiries or use of the online visitor guide.