By Maxine DeHart

Galleria Fashions Boutique, owned and operated by JC Plett has opened at 107 – 3480 Carrington Road in West ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç. The shop offers women’s clothing in sizes from XS to plus sizes and for ages of 30 plus years. The store is bright, well-appointed and inviting with Lola Jeans, dresses, tops, scarves, jackets and designs from Canadian designer Tonia Debellis. They also offer Bamboo wear of T-shirts, tops, slacks and leggings. Galleria Fashions will be hosting the fashion show at Divas & Diamonds Ladies Night Out on April 22 at the Westbank Lions Hall, hosted by the Peachland Lions Club. I am delighted to emcee the event and will be wearing a super outfit from Galleria. This event sold out last year. Along with the fashion show, there is a dinner catered by The Beach Avenue Café & Tapas Bar, libations by The View Winery, champagne reception, reverse draw with every 10th ticket winning and a grand prize draw at the end of the night. Proceeds to the KGH Foundation. Tickets $85 by calling Lynne Herrin at 250-767-6225 or Shelley Sweeney at 250-212-2015.

Bruce McAuliffe, president of the BC South Division for Black Press based in ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç is retiring on April 14. Bruce has worked in the community newspaper industry for 28 years and for Black Press, who owns and operates the ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç, for 21 years. He held his most recent position with Black Press for nine years. Bruce is now going to spend more time with his family in the lower mainland and would like to travel and see our entire country during Canada’s 150 birthday. He is presently the chair of the KGH Foundation. I’m sure Bruce’s wife Shelley will also appreciate more help around the house.

Congrats Bruce McAuliffe on your retirement from all of us . We will miss you in the office. ,

— Kevin Parnell (@KP_media1)

°ä±õµþ°ä’s Katie Newman is back in the Okanagan. Relocating from the Kootenays where she was the general manager of the CIBC Nelson Banking Centre, Katie is now leading the retail banking and imperial service teams at CIBC Orchard Park. She is no stranger to the Okanagan having lived in Penticton for years during her tenure as senior financial advisor at CIBC Cherry Lane. Call 250-470-1650 (222).

Sean Watson is the new store manager at the downtown Safeway on Bernard Avenue. Sean has been with Safeway for 22 years and has recently relocated from 100 Mile House. Sean’s career with Safeway spans all over B.C. including the Island. Call 250-860-0332.

Congratulations to lawyer Garry Benson, Q.C. who was a recipient of the prestigious 2017 BC Community Achievers Award named by Premier Christly Clark and Scott McIntyre, CM, Chair of the British Columbia Achievement Foundation. The award was given to 26 recipients around the province celebrating the efforts of extraordinary people who strive to make our province a better place to live through their work and volunteering.

Cora ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç in Orchard Park has new owners. Original owners, Pam and Warren MacPhee have sold the restaurant to Douglas Chan, and husband and wife team Wendy Cheung and Kenneth Chau. The primary owner/operator of the franchise is Chan who has relocated from Toronto and has been in the restaurant industry for the past 16 years. He will be taking care of the day to day operations in the restaurant. Cheung is a solicitor at Schwartz & Company and Chau is a professor at UBCO. Cora is open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week.

Joanna Bernath is an independent dental hygiene practitioner who has just opened ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç’s only dental hygiene studio, Fresh Dental Hygiene at 206 - 1139 Sutherland Avenue. Joanna has been a local dental hygienist for 12 years. The studio specializes in preventative dental treatments like cleaning and oral cancer screening as well as ZOOM teeth whitening. There is no dentist on site and they operate in a calming environment which makes them unique and appealing to clients who dislike or fear traditional dental offices. On April 8, Joanna and a few hygienists will be participating in the annual Gift from the Heart event, which provides dental hygiene services at no cost to people who are unable to afford it otherwise. Families who cannot afford dental care, persons with disabilities or the elderly on a fixed income are all eligible for this service. Visit www.giftfromtheheart.com or call 250-763-7374 and leave a message to book an April 8 appointment.

Jenna Kiesman is the new event coordinator at Canadian Blood Services. Jenna previously worked for a number of years on Vancouver Island as the programs and collections coordinator at the BC Forest Discovery Centre. Her territory will span from Kamloops to Penticton and will also include the mobile clinics. Call 250-859-1373 or jenna.kiesman@blood.ca.

The Mission Thrift Store, formerly Bibles for Missions at 120 – 1889 Springfield Road (next to Deli City) have closed for a major expansion and renovation. They will still be accepting donations at the rear of the store from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday to Saturday except Easter and May 20. Mission Thrift Store has rebranded across Canada and is celebrating their 25th year anniversary this year. The newly renovated store will open in June.

Suzanne Henderson has opened Smallprint Okanagan, a home based business which specializes in the production of handcrafted jewellery that captures the fingerprint of your loved one in silver. Smallprint creates necklace pendants, bracelet charms, dog tags, cuff links and keyrings, all with a real difference. The keepsakes are made by gently pressing a person’s fingerprint directly into the silver, with the item then fired in a kiln to form solid silver. No molds are taken, which means the silver keepsake has literally been touched by your loved one. Hand and footprints, drawings and love notes can also be turned into silver keepsakes. Smallprint is set up at local events and stores in the Okanagan with details posted on the Smallprint Okanagan Facebook page. For personal appointments call Suzanne at 778-215-4992 or Suzanne.henderson@smallprint.com. www.smallprint.com.

The Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board (OMREB) has a new board of directors for 2017/18. They are Tanis Read, ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç (president), Anthony Bastiaanssen (past president) and Marv Beer, Salmon Arm (vice president). Directors are Erin Leek (Salmon Arm), Kim Heizmann, Bill Hubbard and Joe Pearson (Vernon) and Sheryl Lobsinger, Kent Jorgenson, Michael Loewen, Brent Pay and Cliff Shillington (ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç).

ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç Women in Business is hosting a Social Media Channels Overview at their April 12 luncheon at the Ramada Hotel from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The speaker is well-known business woman Nikki Csek of Csek Creative. Her presentation will give you a high level overview of which social media channels to use for business and offer some tips on what to do and when. Register at www.kwib.org.

The ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç Palette Club, a painting group of 25 local artists are hosting their annual spring Simply Art Show at the Harvest Golf Club on Saturday, April 8, from 1 to 9 p.m. and Sunday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is a toonie with a raffle draw in support of United Way on Saturday at 8 p.m. The winning ticket will be drawn by yours truly and the winner will choose from a designated group of original paintings valued at $500.

The BC Interior Sportsman Show is April 7 to 9 at the Capital News Centre. There will be guest speakers, hunting and fishing exhibitors and lots of door prizes. Visit www.bcinteriorsportsmanshow.com.

Sons of Italy Galileo Lodge are hosting Italian Language Classes. Si Parla Italiano! Beginners Italian is April 18 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. and advanced is 8 to 9:30 p.m. at the Canadian Harmony German Club, 1696 Cary Road. To register call 778-477-5505. Cost $160 or $120 for SOI members. www.sonsofitalyokanagan.com.

Sip & Savour Okanagan, hosted by Fermented Dining is April 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Laurel Packing House. It is a fundraiser for the Central Okanagan Food Banks featuring some of the valleys top chefs, wineries, breweries and more. Tickets $30 and include 10 tokens for samples. Event is 19 plus years and tickets are on Eventbrite. Contact Cody at fermenteddining@outlook.com.

Lone Pine Ranch on Commonage Road in Vernon is hosting the very first audiences to watch real couples marry live onstage during the debut performance of Tony N Tina’s Wedding on Thursday, April 13. This is a classic Italian wedding with a country twist and everyone will dress the part. Each ticket holder will be divided into two families, The Ricardo’s and the John Wayne family. This is an interactive stage show featuring a cast of over the top family members. For a one-of-a-kind experience visit www.lonepineranchbc.com.

Birthdays of the week – Garth Johnstone (Apr. 6); Brenda Erickson (Apr. 8); Rienhold (Tiny) Gerl (Apr. 8); Alan Jenks (Apr. 8); Jeff Kumagai (Apr. 9); Catherine Wilson (Apr. 9); Suzanne Basson (Apr. 11); Jeff Hoffart (Apr. 9); Wendy Sanderson (Apr. 10); Stephen Cipes (Apr. 10); Shelley Smith (Apr. 11).

Maxine DeHart is a ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç City Councillor and local hotelier. Phone her at 250-979-4546 or 250-862-7662, fax 250-860-3173, E-mail maxdehart@telus.net.