Christina Lake all cleaned up as Welcome Center opens its doors to the public
By Andy George
Roughly 25 volunteers were on hand to scour the neighbourhoods and highways for all forms of trash and debris at the 11th annual Christina Lake cleanup, organized by the Christina Lake Stewardship Society.
Of particular note on Saturday, May 28, were the efforts of six time volunteer seven-year-old Allison Palmer. Allison, who has been cleaning up her hometown since the age of two, was by far the champion cleaner on the day.
“It’s really a lot of fun to come out and help out,” she said. Being assigned the grounds commonly called the ‘sand pits,’ she went about cleaning up rubbish left over by a number of bush parties.
“There were so many beer bottles and fireworks,” Palmer pointed out. When her Aunt Candi Palmer commented on how alcohol can be a bad thing, she agreed, “People are so dumb for making a mess like this.”
It turned out her efforts were rewarded with a nice new backpack, as Palmer’s name was picked during the draw prize giveaways.
The Christina Lake Stewardship Society directors had worked for some time to gather a lot of prizes for the volunteers. Fields, The Huckleberry Market, The Invasive Plant Council of BC, Home Hardware, Mariposa, Jogas, Durans Nursery, Smoochies, Kaleidoscope, and Village Video were all proud supporters of the event.
All told, there was less trash accumulated than in previous years – which is a good thing.
“People recognize how great our community is,” commented Brenda Lacroix the society’s co-ordinator, “We are fortunate to live in such a beautiful – and clean – place in this world.”
Christina Lake Welcome Center Now Open
The volunteers - and accumulated trash - gathered at the kiosk across from The Christina Lake Welcome Center.
The Center, which has been a tremendous community endeavour, has officially opened its doors to the public. It is a certified green building and features: murals, a story pole, an art gallery gift shop, and tourism information. It will soon host a restaurant and the local chamber of commerce office.
The Christina Living Arts Center is open and ready to welcome people six days a week.