DUSTIN QUEZADA WHAT? CHARLYNN TOEWS - The Store ere’s.a story my mom told me: she and just across the way, this was before the house was moved to the other side of town. She had done the floors, which meant: strip the wax, clean the floors, rewax the floors, polish. Used the Buffer, an electric device with a soft changeable chamois attachment. Then dad came home from work and it was so hot, it was mid-day,’ mid-July. _ floor, so cool! Aaaaah. | Then he went back to work.’ Since his sweaty body had melted the new polish, my mom redid the floor: she stripped the wax, then cleaned the floor, then rewaxed and polished. Used the Buffer. It was even hotter that afternoon, so when my dad came home for supper, he lay down on the floor again: so cool! . Aaaaah. - ery. You buy from Farmers and sell to Dairies. This is how we did it. \ . The farmers brought i in their milk from the farm in metal jugs the size of a small child. You might find one now, if you’re lucky, in an antique store -on the prairies, a big old steel cream can suitable to remake into a lamp stand or perhaps § an upright ashtray. _ Anyway, a pickup truck would be loaded with ‘these cream cans. My Uncle Earl would use a large metal ladle to scoop a taste. Standing on a cement floor with a sloping floor down to a built-in drain, he would take a mouthful, then like a wine taster, _ not swallow. (There’s a lot more. cream cans to clare whether or not it was something we would take to resell. Later the Milk Marketing Board brought stain- less steel bulk trucks right to the farm and drove them directly to the City. But at this point, we tast- ed each can. Sometimes there were mice in the can, we chil- dren, my cousins and siblings heard, or even cats.. Never saw either one. But if you’d ever been to a dairy farm, with the cows and the milk in the barn, _ and the cats chasing the mice all around so wild, you could almost picture one in a can. Why not? My mom says frozen veg were not as good as home- canned til well into the 70s in town, a modern cement block building, a new white-painted place. There were truck drivers in white who worked there, they were Milkmen who . delivered milk door to door. Imagine a smal}.prairie town in the 60s where at least the bread and milk were delivered, if not the mail. Easier to have only one car, even with a houseful of children. Breakfast is ready! lings and cousins, could wander in at any time and ‘ask for a Popsicle or Fudgicle. It was not a Retail place, but they all knew us kids. With the refriger- only milk and ice cream but frozen-goods. That is why at my house we had frozen shoe-string pota- toes and frozen jumbo shrimp. My mom says frozen veg were not as good as home-canned til well into the 70s. prairies: beer-battered shrimp night. My younger sister and I had batter-balls: battered shrimp with- out the shrimp. My big brother and parents had bat- tered shrirnp, the whole house full of oily smoke ish. My mom and dad “finished off” the beer not needed for the batter. It was summer holidays, and we kids could watch the midnight Chiller Thriller Double Feature. More perfect was a hot summer night with cousins staying for a sleep-over, when we could run around outside in the backyard in our pajamas after dark. — Maybe I am getting this floor-polishing story bakery, with all that heat, those big black ovens, my dad getting up at four in the morning. My sister and I playing tag and hide-and-seek among the oily monsters, huge hot bake ovens that made my dad sweat enough to lie on the floor twice a day. But by then the little house had been moved to a residential neighbourhood and sold, and we were all living in the big new house. And could my little sister have looked for mice at the old creamery, or only asked for Popsicles at the new one? It was the jama-clad children played on the expansive grassy yard on warm nights. I could be wrong, but it seems ‘to me it was al- ways mid-summer, in those days. Aa tiata cits ath, my dad were newlyweds. The Store was . He:ate his lunch then lay down on his back on the - _Inthose days, The Store was a Wholesale Cream- ° sample!) He would swish and spit and expertly de-., Then the Creamery moved to a different place Since my dad owned the creamery, we, my sib- _ ated trucks and big walk-in freezers, we sold not — Here’s a special time at my little house on the — for the evening, with-dip made from mayo and rel-: mixed up from the time when The Store was the . ‘new big house where shrimp was battered and pa- » By DUSTIN QUEZADA PEOPLE IN the Nass Valley are catching on to a food program that has run successfully here for : three years. It’s easy to see why. The Good Food Box program is tailor-made for the remote communities of New ‘Aiyansh, Gi- twinksihlkw, Laxgalts’ap and Gingolx, says the woman behind the initiative here. “There’s no food producer (in the Nass Val- ley),” says Agatha Jedrzejczyk, who adds that she knows of some. small-scale backyard agriculture and one lady who travels to Terrace’s | Farmer’ S Market to sell her produce. A trip to convenience stores in the four villages left Jedrzejczyk shocked at the iack of fresh fruits and vegetables. In Gingolx, the closest thing to a vegetable was a jar of pickles and in New Aiyansh, the only available produce was $.50-onions. °" The major stumbling block is transportation, says Rachel Robinson, human resources devel- opment coordinator for: the Laxgalts’ap govern- ment. “Tt costs $40-$50 for a two- -way trip to Ter- race,” says Robinson, explaining the rate people with vehicles charge riders. “People can’t afford the trips.” The Good Food Box program facilitates the purchase of quality produce by buying produce ‘TERRACE STANDARD The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 13, 2005 - B1 0 in bulk quantities and delivering it to prepaying | individuals and groups. Each $15 box ($20 for boxes delivered to the Nass) is identical in its contents, with fruits and vegetables and occasional dry foods. Jedrzejczyk says Jeanette Costello, a social de- velopment advisor with the Nisga’a Lisims Gov- ernment, immediately recognized the benefits of the monthly food orders that started in May. “It’s a real worthwhile project,” says Costello, who adds that her government has agreed to pro- vide a driver, a cube van and pay for the fuel costs each month. May’s order was ‘for 33 boxes, June’s jumped to 170 and, this month, 100 boxes were delivered up the valley. Jedrzejczyk’s hope is for administrators — like- ly social or health workers — to take over the pro- cess entirely for the four Nisga’a villages. _ Two days before last week’s order was picked - up in Terrace, Jedrzejczyk trained Robinson and fellow Laxgalts’ap health worker Theresa Yeo- . mans in the ordering; pricing, budgeting and pri- oritizing involved with Good Food Box. Laxgalts’ap in particular, says Jedrzejczyk, has ~ zyk seeks locally-grown produce when it fits the. smaller ‘scale, as people simply don’t have as » ~ much time as previous generations did, Says Cam- , shown a willingness to take over the program’s . delivery in the Nass. Accompanying Robinson and Yeomans were | several volunteers for loading, packing and dis-. RACHEL Robinson, a 2 social development worker from Laxgalts’ ap; picks cherriés destined for the Nass Valley. She and other social workers oe and volunteers were in Terrace last week to pick up bulk produce a as. ‘part of the Good Food Box. program: oe Good food catches « ra tributing the boxes. o As is the case with the program here, Jedrzeje- budget. With cherry'‘trees in full bloom at this time of | year, Jedrzejczyk got the OK from a local resident to harvest two loaded trees, The health benefits of fresh produce are par- ticularly needed in the Nass: Valley, where First . Nations people suffer from high rates of diabetes and heart disease, says Robinson. Canadians in general have diets that are high in salt and fat, says Donna Cameron, a New Ai- yansh-based- community health nurse, but the problem i is exacerbated when access to’ produce is a challenge. Cameron says the traditional diet of First Na-- tions here was excellent, with wild celery, berries,. rice and mushrooms available for harvest. - - That harvesting still goes on, but at a much eron. Robinson says the program has been greeted ‘with nothing but positive reaction. She says she hopes. to double the number of monthly trips to Terrace and to listen to suggestions from the com- munity as it becomes solely administered by Nass ‘Valley residents. a Dare dreamers net close to $50K WITH $48,919 raised this year, the Dare to Dream Foundation continues to reach its goal of keeping Grades 6 and 7 band programs alive. Dare to Dream board members Peter Okimi and Tawnya Schuster presented the cheque to the school board at a June 22 meeting. In 2002, the school district agreed to pay for half of the cost of the program to a limit of $30,000. Okimi said the money raised this year, through raffles, an Jan Bagg comedy show and the ongo- ing Spirit of Terrace mural project, will cover half of the program’s cost from 2003 to 2005. Wordsmith workshop returns in August | BACK BY popular demand, NorthWords Creative Whiting Camp i is making another showing during the first week in August. This year’s camp special guests include local author Sarah de Leeuw, local journalist and col- lege professor Dina von Hahn and local artist Na- dia Stella Guerreiro. Northword magazine found- - a er Lottie Wengelin from Smithers and children’s author Margaret Thompson from Victoria will also be sharing their knowledge at the camps. The kids camp runs in the morning from 10 . a.m. to 1 p.m. and will end with a field trip to To- tem Press to make a book of their work. The adult camp is from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will focus on writing exercises and tips on how to get published. The free event is open to the 30 children and 25 adults who are lucky enough to register early. Those interested can register at the Terrace Public Library in mid-July. Around Town Art work to benefit Farmer’s Market _ FROM NOW until the end of August, an original piece by local artist P.J. Vaalhenke will be on display at the Terrace Art Gallery in a silent auction. The piece, a depiction of the ‘Skeena Valley Farmer’s Market, has a starting price of $250 and the proceeds of its sale price will go toward en- hancement to the market’s grounds. ‘Market society member Lynne Christiansen says improvements, such as planting a hedge and building a fence, could be in the works for the area off of Davis St. The society will retain the rights of the work to make cards and calendars. CITY councillor Lynn Christiansen artist P.J. Vaalhenke’s work. Park yourselves at Lakelse Lake | CELEBRATE CANADA’S Parks Day, a national ‘event showcusing parks and historic sites across the country, locally: at Lakelse Lake Provincial ~ Park on Saturday, July. 16.. There are two events planned for Furlong Bay. At | p:m., it is the site of a family sand sculp-- ture contest and, between 8:30 and 10 p.m., two videos will be screened at the amphitheatre. “Life on-the Vertical” is a look at the landscape. and majesty of the unique mountain goats of the Stikine Canyon, while “The Story of Gunanoot” is an account of the trapline outlaw story 0 Gu- nanoot. Celebrated on the third Saturday of July, Cana- da’s Parks Day was first.celebrated in 1990. Cast your line for loot. KITSUMKALUM TEMPO’S Sth Annual Fishing Derby gives locals a chance to land a big catch on or off the water. The July 16-15 fishing deiby offers $5,000 in prizes, with all proceeds going to the Terrace. Search and Rescue, And, you don’t need to fish to win a prize. All © ticket hoiders are eligible to win prizes. | The main prize is a return trip for two to Van- couver, $500 spending money ‘and two nights ac- commodation. Derby hours are: July 16 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and July 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weigh in is at the Kitsumkalum Tempo Gas Bar. Tickets on sale at Gemmas, Misty River Tackle Shop, Bert’s Deli, Ken’s Marine, House of Sim- oi-ghets, Kitsumkalum Tempo, North Coast An- glers or the George Little House. Prices are $15 adult, $10 youth 16 and under. 638-7283 DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO .