Podunk Below the Masthead (Friday, March 5, 2010)

It's almost time to celebrate Prince Rupert's 100th, Nathan Cullen offers up more thoughts on the speech from the throne and Fish plants on Haida Gwaii get a go ahead from Environment Canada, some of the items of interest from the Friday news files.

Daily News, front page, headline story
2010 TASK FORCE MOVES INTO HIGH GEAR AS CENTENNIAL APPROACHES -- Prince Rupert's 100th birthday arrives on the 10th of March, with a full day of activities planned, including the launching of a new time capsule and the grand finale of the evening at 8:30 pm with a fireworks display set for the evening viewed from the Civic Centre. A review of the planning for the event and a look at what's on the day's agenda was outlined in a front page story.

A look back at the life of Mia Scholten was provided,  the long time resident passed away on Thursday morning at the age of 96.  A well known gardener in the city, she translated that talent into a long running column in the Daily News and provided her experiences during WWII in a book published in 2009.

The Daily News takes its turn at providing a forum  for NDP MP Nathan Cullen who provides his thoughts on the recent Conservative throne speech. On Wednesday, The Northern View outlined the MP's impressions of the speech. For the Daily he once again finds the Conservative having wasted their re-calibration break and providing a blue print nothing more than a recycling of old ideas, he expands on his thoughts on page three.

The Sports section provides a preview of the upcoming All Native Junior Basketball Tournament set to take place during Spring Break and getting underway on Monday.

(Archive for Daily News Articles for March 5, 2010 )

The Northern View
No new items were posted to the Northern View website for Friday

CBC News British Columbia, Daybreak North
Daybreak did not broadcast out of the Northwest on Thursday, so there is no new material posted to the website.

You can check out the archive for the week from this link to the CBC Daybreak site.

CFTK TV 7 News
No new items were posted to the CFTK TV 7 website for Friday.

Queen Charlotte Islands Observer
Good news for local fish plants -- Environment Canada gives the go ahead to four Haida Gwaii fish plants to operate this season, providing they can show that plans for composting their fish waste are in the works. (see article here)

Daily News, front page headline story
2010 Task Force moves into high gear as centennial approaches
By Monica Lamb-Yorski
The Daily News
Friday, March 5, 2010

Prince Rupert is on a roll and the celebrations keep coming.

There’s been the Olympic Torch Relay, Northern B.C. Winter Games, the All-Native Basketball tournament, Hobiyee, Chinese New Year, the upcoming Junior All-Native Basketball starting Monday, and the City’s 100th birthday on March 10.

The birthday will include a pancake breakfast, a children’s parade, lunch with former Rupertite and historian Dr. Bill Hick, a family swim, a concert at the Lester Centre of the Arts, and a free barbecue with hotdogs and pop - and, of course, there will be birthday cake.

The 2010 Task Force, assembled two years ago, began formulating ideas on how to throw an all-day party.
“We knew we’d have many other community events leading up to the birthday and coordinating funding would be a challenge. It’s harder than you think, when the Olympics is on, because access to funding wasn’t easy,” said task force chair and city councillor Kathy Bedard.

Those realities forced the group to focus back on the community. The City had committed $30,000 and couldn’t be asked for more than that, in light of budget restraints.

“A lot of ideas went under the bridge and in September 2009 we started planning officially. This community really gels well when you get the right people at the table,” Bedard added.

While the community supported all of the events that have occurred, it stepped up to support the birthday.

“It’s amazing,” said Bedard. “It shouldn’t be, but with the economy the way it is, it’s been wonderful to receive so many donations ranging from $100 to $5,000. And if we raise more money than we need, we’ve already decided it will go back into the community and not into City operations.”

The party will be an opportunity to honour mayors and chiefs from other communities, Bedard said.

And as people arrive at the Lester Centre of the Arts for the concert and barbecue, Charles Melville Hays, manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, and the city’s namesake, Prince Rupert himself, will be there to greet them.
At the Chamber luncheon, said Bedard, people will hear Dr. Hick speak about Prince Rupert - past, present and future.

The evening line up for the theatre show will include the Prince Rupert Rotary Community Choir, a scene from the upcoming community musical, Duran Wilson, Sall Gibson, Kimberly Truong, Ray & Ronnie with Celtic Dancers, Reborn Dancers from the Dance Academy of Prince Rupert, a jazz group, also from the academy, Frances Riley and Sarah Burgess and Karin, Wolf & Mark.

Men Who Listen will debut its offering for Rupert’s centennial, Prince Rumour, and as requested by Lorette, Trooper’s “Here for a Good Time”.

“In January, I started putting together the lineup, but it’s been tricky because the birthday falls on spring break and many members of different cultural groups are away,” said Lorette.

The lobby will be filled with tables with what’s being called, The Rupert Store, and people will have the opportunity to purchase the Rupert Songs CD, the Prince Rupert cookbook, the Prince Rupert City & Regional Archives’ centennial history coffee table book, and many more items.

In addition, the Prince Rupert Community Arts Council’s centennial quilt will also be unveiled that day. Forty-two quilters, both residents and former residents, have contributed squares to create the quilt.

Lorette said there will be a few free draws and the evening will end with a huge fireworks display nearby, from the golf course.

There will also be the launching of a time capsule for Rupert’s 200th birthday in 2110.