Straight From DeHart - Jan. 4, 2017

This week’s column is dedicated to a very special person. Nick Kardynal, my Kelowna dad, passed away December 29. He would have been 89 on January 11th. I met Nick and his wife Rose (my Kelowna mom) in 1974 when they owned and operated Churchill Fish & Chips in the Dilworth Centre. Back then I worked at Scotiabank and helped in the restaurant evenings and weekends. We have had a wonderful friendship ever since and there will be a real void in our lives without him. Personal condolences to Rose, daughter Ivy (Kevin), son Alvin (Brenda), their entire family and many friends, including Nick’s many friends at the Ukrainian Catholic Church. The service is January 9th at 10:00 a.m. at the Ukrainian Catholic Parish, 1091 Coronation Avenue.

Browns Socialhouse Restaurant and Bar has opened at #100 – 1544 Harvey Avenue at the corner of Harvey and Burtch. The premium casual restaurant is owned and operated by partners Derek Archer and Brent Bolin who are both well versed and well-known in the restaurant industry. The newly constructed restaurant has 145 seats with a mixture of tables, booths, bar and a large covered patio with heaters. Chef Shane Matheson and his staff offer every menu item fresh made-to-order, including their own homemade pizza dough. The menu is large with a good variety of starters, soups, tacos, salads, burgers, pizzas, healthy bowls, panned and grilled items, and desserts. I tried a bit of several dishes, including General Tao’s Chicken Soup, Chicken Quesadilla, Dynamite Roll and Crispy Calamari and Jalapenos. All the food was delicious. My favourite was General Tao’s Chicken Soup, which was a huge bowl and very hearty. All the menu items were generous in portion and well presented. Beverages include wine, beer, martinis and many specialty cocktails. On their opening thirsty rehearsal evening, Brown’s raised $3,000 for the food bank and are dedicated to give back to the community. Open seven days a week with brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Call 236-420-2292

Kelowna Community Resources are relocating from 120 – 1735 Dolphin Avenue to new premises at 620 Leon Avenue and will re-open on January 3rd. The phone number will remain the same at 250-763-8008. A single point of entry gives participants, service providers, funders and stakeholder’s access to all KCR staff, programs and services. These include immigration, family, employment, adoption and community services. One location means that KCR is easier to find and a downtown site is more centralized within the Central Okanagan region for people travelling from Lake Country or Peachland. Now all staff will be moving from four separate sites into the same building. KCR has served the community for 33 years and investing in a single location that houses all employees, volunteers and programming confirms the agency’s continued commitment to service in the Central Okanagan and beyond. Ellen Boelcke is the executive director and Dawn Wilkinson the Community Services Manager at KCR. www.kcr.ca

Pinned Boutique owned and operated by Katrina and Shawn Hansen has opened at 1332 Water Street, just down from Giobean Coffee. The shop specializes in pin-up and new retro styles of men’s and women’s clothing and accessories. Just think classic 1940’s to 1960’s styling. Most of their clothing comes from the U.S. and U.K. The bright and colorful boutique is chocked full of purses, wallets, sweaters, skirts, dresses, tops, petticoats and corsets along with stockings and pantyhose from Leg Avenue with back seams. There are also Gothic looks and Pinned is a licensed agent for Disney and Star Wars products. They carry Ginch Gonch men’s and women’ s underwear, 2 UNDR men’s underwear, Dickie’s brand men’s and women’s clothing, along with Grave Before Shave beard and moustache care for men. Although the shop is small, you will need time to browse as there is plenty to choose from with inventory arriving weekly. Open Tuesday to Saturday. Call 250-870-6661 www.pinnedboutique.ca

Certified lash technician Laurie Paxton owner of The Symmetry Studio at #13 – 1873 Spall Road is now offering YUMI Lash Lifts. Laurie received her YUMI certification by Jag, B.C.’s only YUMI Master trainer. YUMI Lash Lift is a revolutionary technique and product that enhances your natural lashes. There are no new lashes added, consequently there are no fills required. The procedure lifts, lengthens, curves, boosts and infuses a specially formulated YUMI tint to darken each eyelash. The results are incredible and last about eight to twelve weeks. Depending on the length and density of your natural lashes, the procedure takes about one hour or so to complete. Your lower lashes are protected using an anti-aging treatment gel pad while the keratin lifting treatment is applied, along with a lash boosting tint. Your eyes are then cleaned and prepped for the next 24 hours with a keratin treatment mascara. I was delighted to try the comfortable procedure as my lashes are naturally short and very light in colour. I walked out of the shop with dark curved lashes and actually there is no need to wear mascara after the treatment if you do not want to. If you want to enhance your eyes this is the way to go. I have not worn mascara since the treatment. Call 778-581-8848.

The Greater Westside Board of Trade is hosting their January Business After Hours at The Heritage Retirement Residence. The Greater Westside Board of Trade is hosting their January Business After Hours at The Heritage Retirement Residence, 630 Brown Road on January 19 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. No RSVP necessary. Call 250-768-3378

New School Sales Consulting is a new local business started by Mitch Stickney to help small business owners build better customer relationships. Today’s consumer is educated, sophisticated and has more places available to spend their money. New School Sales can help business owners increase sales through better relationship building. Mitch is hosting a women’s inspired, motivational and networking event on Friday, January 20 with the screening of the film “Dream, Girl”. It is a story of women that started businesses from their homes and have followed their dreams to be successful. There will be two showing that evening; one at 6:30 and one at 8:15 at the Creekside Theatre in Lake Country. Tickets available on Eventbrite.ca. www.newschoolsales.ca

The Legion Branch 26 is hosting Robbie Burns dinner and dance on January 25 at 5:00 p.m. There will be a roast beef dinner and Haggis, along with Scottish dancers and dancing to the music of Sierra. Tickets $25.00 available at the Legion office at 1380 Bertram Street. Call 250-762-4117.

Ninety local artists answered the call to explore the definition and concept of drawing for this year’s annual members’ exhibition at the Kelowna Art Gallery. The group show is fittingly entitled Drawn Together and submissions in a wide variety of media were welcomed, including painting, sculpture, photography, digital media and approaches to traditional drawing. The exhibition is on view in the Gallery’s Front project space, which is free and open to the public until February 5th.

Birthdays of the week – Happy 60th Cam McIntosh (Jan. 7); Stephen Fleming (Jan. 4); Cliff Shillington (Jan. 4); Monty Cordingley (Jan. 4); Cheryl McNaughton (Jan.4); Christy Lovig (Jan. 4); Brenda Gray Geen (Jan. 5); Howard Morgan (Jan. 5); Mike Borg (Jan. 5); Barb Douglas (Jan. 6); Theresa Allison (Jan. 6); Vern Tompkins (Jan. 6); Bill Logan (Jan. 7); Andrea Switzer (Jan. 10); Todd Sanderson (Jan. 11); Annie Kwong (Jan. 13); Bob Thompson (Jan. 15).

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