There’s an appealing atmosphere here in the West Kootenays that’s probably been described countless times over the years, and is being mentioned again here from the viewpoint of a relative newcomer. It’s a quality-of-life kind of thing that relates to the proximity of our three major centres, along with the fact that no community in the region is really too far to head to if there’s something to draw you there.
This idea was hatched after contact with a caller from a city west of here who was looking for information on whether we have a community-owned theatre in Castlegar. Anyway, the theme veered into general conversation and, sure enough, the home base never looks better than when it’s being described to an outsider.
He was calling from nice city in a nice area, but it’s maybe a little isolated, even given its handy location as compared with Kamloops and the Lower Mainland.
Here it’s like a large spread-out town... the cities are like neighbourhoods, each unique and each offering something of value to the others.
We may not have it all, but when there’s something special going on anywhere from Salmo to Grand Forks... from Trail to Kaslo... we can all feel right at home if we choose to show up.
The love is here, through thick and thin, and is usually easy to find and celebrate... well... unless we’re talking about hockey.