December 9, 2013

Shuswap Trail party tickets hot item for Christmas

Shuswap Trail party tickets hot item for Christmas

The Shuswap, British Columbia – The combination of growing regional greenway trails and having a whole load of fun has become something of a tradition for communities throughout the Shuswap each winter. Now into its eighth anniversary, the annual Shuswap Trail Alliance fundraiser dance and silent auction kicks into gear with tickets going on sale this week just in time for Christmas stockings. The $30 tickets help to secure the annual base funding needed to allow the Shuswap Trail Alliance to support trail projects with partners throughout the Shuswap. 

This year’s Shuswap Trail Party and Silent Auction is set to roll Friday, February 7th at the Salmon Arm Recreation Centre Auditorium. The perennial dance band favourite, Scarecrow, is booked, along with EZ Rocks, Patrick Ryley, spinning his DJ magic. And local foods will once again be featured, this year thanks to the talents of Blue Canoe Bakery Cafe. The call for auction sponsors is out inviting local businesses and leaders to get their name out on the auction tables. And tickets go on sale this week at Lakeside Insurance and Skookum Cycle and Ski in Salmon Arm. 

The event sells out weeks before the dance floor lights up the first Friday night of February. “We anticipate the same challenge as last year,” says Trail Alliance chair, Winston Pain, who encourages everyone to nab their tickets early. “We were fielding calls for three weeks prior to the event telling folks there simply were no more tickets. We’d reached capacity. So stuffing stockings is a good way to guarantee a spot at the event.” 

“It’s a great problem to have,” notes Winston. “Support continues throughout all the communities of the Shuswap to see better connections made for walking, cycling, and all the self-powered ways to move.” The funding from both ticket sales and the silent auction, combined with private donations, ensure base costs of working with community partners are in place. This includes funding for insurance, tools, equipment, the ShuswapTrails.com website, the trailreport hotline, and volunteer events. 

“We’ve seen an incredible transformation in support of trails and pathways over the last nine years,” says Phil McIntyre-Paul, Executive Director of the Shuswap Trail Alliance, noting that this past year saw over 40 regional partners work together to create more than 12,000 meters of new trail at 15 different locations around the Shuswap. Maintenance alone saw over 160 kilometers of existing trails cleared, improved, and signed. And the engagement of volunteers continues to grow through the efforts of regular volunteer events, the new trailreport hotline, and the continued work of partner stewardship organizations like the Larch Hills Nordic Society, Shuswap Outdoors, the EQ Trail Association, and the new Shuswap Bicycle Society. 

“We’re excited with the emerging projects on the horizon for 2014,” says Winston Pain, which includes continued planning support with CSRD Parks, the City of Salmon Arm, the Village of Chase, the District of Sicamous, the joint commission of Enderby and the Regional District of North Okanagan’s Area F (Mara/Mabel Lake Road), and the four Lakes Division communities within the Secwepemc Nation territory. “We’re also very proud of our continued work with both BC Parks and Recreational Sites and Trails BC,” says Winston, acknowledging the recent recognition by Environment Minister Mary Polack of the Shuswap Trail Alliance partnership with BC Parks. 

Pick up tickets at Lakeside Insurance or Skookum Cycle and Ski. To make a sponsor contribution to the silent auction and for info on the February 7th Shuswap Trails celebration call Winston at 250-804-6451, or email wpwinston2@gmail.com. 

To find out more about Shuswap Trails throughout the region and the Shuswap Trail Alliance, visit www.shuswaptrails.com. 

***
For further background on this release, please contact:

Winston Pain (Chair)
for the Shuswap Trail Alliance
250-804-6451
wpwinston2@gmail.com

Phil McIntyre-Paul (Executive Director)  
for the Shuswap Trail Alliance
250-804-1964  
phil@shuswaptrails.com
www.shuswaptrails.com

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