The Stoke

The City of Revelstoke has just announced a full ban on outside watering of lawns and gardens until further notice, says Operations Manager of the City’s Engineering and Public Works Department Darren Komonoski.

Effective immediately, only watering by hand is permitted. The use of water for watering lawns and washing cars, driveways and roadways is prohibited.

Thanks for your cooperation, Revelstoke! In order to maintain our mandatory fire flows, these restrictions are currently necessary.

On Monday, August 16, A Chemical Reaction will be played at the Revelstoke Community Centre at 7:00. This award-winning documentary on chemical pesticides is hosted by the North Columbia Environmental Society, the Revelstoke Current, and the Canadian Cancer Society.

The Revelstoke for Haiti Medical Relief Team is kicking their heels together on Friday in a fundraising effort to provide medical assistance in Haiti in November 2010.

Organized by RN Sally Kupp, the Hoe-Down for Haiti takes places on Friday, July 9 from 5 pm - midnight at Three Valley Gap, west of Revelstoke. The night includes a ghost town tour, a barbeque steak dinner, and entertainment in the ghost town saloon. Where else can you get that? There will be door prizes, a contest for the best western costume, a cash bar, and a gambling wheel. Revelstoke Connection is providing shuttle service to and from Revelstoke with a minimum $2 donation, or if you’d like to stay the night, Three Valley Gap is providing rooms at 20% off.

The Revelstoke for Haiti Medical Relief Team is comprised of nurses Sally Kupp, Carmen Holder, Kamla Adam, Andrea Townsend and Jennifer Schott, and EMT Tho Thai. They’d like to thank Three Valley Gap, Revelstoke Printers and Revelstoke Connection for their support with this great fundraiser.

Revelstoke’s Summer Streetfest Festival is back!

The City of Revelstoke and the Revelstoke Arts Council are happy to bring live music to Revelstoke every night from June 27 - August 29. Head down to Grizzly Plaza between 6:30 pm and 9:30 pm every day to hear a huge variety of live tunes.

The Summer Streetfest kicked off on Sunday night with a killer performance by the Revelstoke Secondary School Jazz Band, and last night featured Aspen Switzer. She will be playing again tonight - check out her catchy lyrics and engaging voice.

Here is the full list of summer performers:
June 29: Aspen Switzer
June 30: Roger Marin
July 1: It’s About Time
July 2: Blue Scarlet
July 3: Rocky Mountain Concert Band
July 4: That Girl and Earl
July 5-6: Steve Palmer
July 7: Mike Alviano
July 8: Colin Anthony
July 9: Broken Down Suitcase
July 10: Aileen and the Boys
July 11: Dean Seline
July 12-13: John Hough
July 14: Ryan Donn
July 15: Rippin’ Rattlers
July 16: Sister Girl
July 17: Miles Howe
July 18: Sharon Shook
July 19: Maritime Kitchen Party
July 20: Devon and Kevin
July 21-22: Kenny Halliday is Rod Stewart
July 23: The Rev
July 24: Wheelhouse
July 25: Blackberry Wood
July 26-27: The Doer and the Doddler
July 28-29: Uncorked
July 30: The Rev
July 31: Tanya Lipscomb
August 1: Blind Spot
August 2: Saskia
August 3: Sean Ashby
August 4: Jesse Dee, Jacquie B & Scott Cook
August 5: Jesse Dee & Jacquie B
August 6: Andrew Allen
August 7: Sister Girl
August 8-9: Stuart McLeod is Elvis
August 10-11: Bob Rogers
August 12: Jon and Holly
August 13: Cats and Fiddle
August 14-15: Mat Duffus
August 16: Rippin’ Rattlers
August 17: Heather Blush
August 18: Ben Sures
August 19: Ryan Donn
August 20: Cats and Fiddle
August 21: Miles Howe
August 22: Sharon Shook
August 23: Blackberry Wood
August 24: Cornstarr
August 25-26: Gary Kehoe is Johnny Cash
August 27-28: Swing Cat Bounce
August 29: Maritime Kitchen Party

Invasive plants are the second largest threat to biodiversity worldwide, second only to habitat loss. On Wednesday, July 7 from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, come help restore the native plant ecology in Revelstoke at the first annual community weed pull, hosted by the North Columbia Environmental Society. Learn how to identify invasive plants in our region, and help get rid of these invaders.

You’ll learn to recognize Blueweed (Echium Vulgare) and Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea Maculosa), prolific and noxious weeds that choke out native plants, and impact native wildlife species such as western painted turtles, who can become entangled in the fibrous roots of spotted knapweed.

After the weed pull, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District will be providing a free lunch for all participants!

For more information on the Community Weed Pull, please contact organizer Mindy Skinner.

Spotted Knapweed

Blueweed

Looking for some more information on what you can do to help curb our invasive weed problem? Here are some early steps for managing invasive weeds:

• Learn how to recognize invasive weeds.
• Do not plant invasive weeds or their seeds! While some of them might look quite pretty, they contribute
• Pull isolated patches of invasive weeds and safely dispose of them.
• Remove seed heads from larger patches of invasive weeds.
• Make sure to remove weeds from under your vehicle
• Check yourself and your pets for seeds, especially when leaving a weed-infested area

Check out Wassabi Collective tonight at RevFest 2010! They hit the main stage at 11:00 - get your dancing shoes on and get to the music festival when doors open at 5!

Wassabi Collective!

Wassabi Collective, a spicy five-piece from the arty, alternative-thinking small town of Nelson, B.C, Canada has been busy spreading their positive west coast vibes. The band’s sound fuses everything from pop, rock, hip hop, roots reggae, funk, jazz and everything in between, wrapping it all up with their own identifiable twist that has captivated dance floors and won them legions of fans across the country. Together, Melissa Meretsky (vocals& percussion), Brent Hongisto (vocals&guitar), Jimmy Lewis(vocals&drums) Rahj Levinson (keyboards) & Andrew McCormick (bass) are hailed as one of Canada’s best live independent bands, having placed in the Peak Performance Project Top 20, they are ready to take the world by storm. The quintet released their first full-length studio record, “Stories Not Forgotten”, which won Album of the Year at the 2008 BCIMA’s and Melissa took home Female Performer of the Year. (They were nominated in 7 categories in the last 2 years). The band’s music has been featured on the PBS series Roadtrip Nation, they were the #1 ‘On the Verge’ Band in Relix Magazine, have been awarded a People’s Choice Award at the Independent Music Awards and won 4 Toronto Exclusive Magazine Provincial Awards. The band have shared the stage with Bedouin Soundclash, Micheal Franti & Spearhead, K-OS, Femi Kuti, Hot Hot Heat, Randy Bachman, Bassnectar and Adham Shaikh. “Wassabi’s joyous sound takes you on a cosmic carpet ride from satisfaction to pure bliss…THE ULTIMATE FEEL GOOD ELIXIR!” (Exclaim Magazine).

The Revelstoke Music Festival is excited to present RevFest 2010 on Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26 at Centennial Park. The music festival is a fantastic annual event - it brings friends, families and strangers together to dance their hearts out in a spectacular, riverside setting.

With a beer garden, artisans and food vendors, and a ton of great music, it’s a solid weekend that’s sure to please.

The schedule is a super sweet mix of rock, funk, world and ska. On Friday, June 25, the gates open at 5:00 pm. Get ready to get sweaty! Sister Girl hits the stage at 6:00 pm, Old Man’s Beard will get you dancing at 7:00, Earthbound goes on at 8:00, Skavenjah goes live at 9:15, and Wassabi Collective will keep the crowd jumping at 11:00.

Wassabi Collective always gets Revelstoke rockin'!

There’s a full day of music and fun on Saturday, June 26 - Positive Corruption kicks things off at noon, followed by Turtle Mountain at 1:15, Rude City Riot at 2:30, Redfish at 4:00 and Kira at 5:25. Local regular Andrew Allen hits Stage B at 6:40, Greg Sczebel goes on at 8:05, Shane Philip will get everyone stoked at 9:30, and then headliners Econoline Crush close out the festival with a set starting at 11:00 pm on Saturday night.

Headliners Econoline Crush are a killer way to end the show

There’s plenty going on for the kiddies on Saturday, June 26 as well - entertainment by Ishdafish Music and Dancing Bear, and face-painting, t-shirt and book giveaways, and more!

Adult weekend passes are $80, or $45 per day. Children are $40 for the weekend or $20 per day, and kids under 5 are absolutely free! Tickets are available in person or over the phone. Check out the website for more information.

Camping is also available on-site for $15 per day, which includes access to the pool and showers at the Revelstoke Community Centre.

While it may have felt like the start of our summer was slightly delayed this season, the May and early-June rain has been fantastic for the forests, and the temperatures are now starting to soar as the sun shines here in Revelstoke.

While we’re known for winters of deep powder, killer skiing & snowboarding, and world-class sledding, the summers in Revelstoke are incomparable. Hot temperatures from June - September and long daylight hours mean that you’ve always got time to play outside. Your choices are nearly endless - here are a few options to get you going.

Mount Revelstoke National Park

Mountain Biking
Revelstoke has an extensive trail network throughout the town and beyond, ranging from easy cruisers to technical downhill descents. The paved Greenbelt path that runs beside the Illecillewaet and Columbia Rivers suit a leisurely, scenic ride. If you’re looking for flowy cross country (this is Revelstoke’s bread ‘n’ butter), head on over to Mt. MacPherson, where you’ll find a huge range of (generally intermediate) XC, to the left and right side of the highway. Biking trail maps are available at the Revelstoke Visitor Information Centres at 204 Campbell Ave & 111 MacKenzie Ave, and bike shop staff in town will be happy to share their favourite trails with you. Another great choice for XC riding even closer to town is the system of trails that runs behind the railway museum and over to the Eastern Access Road (commonly referred to as the CP trails). Get in there and start linking up your own great rides!

The incredible Keystone Standard Basin is located 50 km north of town along Highway 23N, and you will see everything from wildflowers to scree fields to snow along the 26km ride. My advice is to give that trail another two weeks or so - it might still be quite snowy. Bring your own bike to Revy, or rent one in town from local bike shop Skookum Cycle & Ski.

Keystone Standard Basin

Fishing
There are some great places to catch fish in Revelstoke - whether that’s fly fishing in secluded mountain lakes, or from a boat on Lake Revelstoke or Arrow Lake. Fish species include trout (Rainbow, Brook, Cutthroat and Bull), Kokanee Salmon, and Ling Cod). A BC freshwater fishing license is required. Check out Revelstoke Fishing Guides for more information.

Rock Climbing
Revelstoke is gaining a reputation as a great sport climbing destination. There are an abundance of sport routes close to town, most with quite short approaches that make climbing accessible before spring even officially starts. A good rule of thumb is that if the pavement in town is dry, the rock is generally good to go. Hundreds of bolted routes of all levels are found within a half-hour drive. Check out the Drive-In crag, south of Revelstoke along Airport Road - there are a handful of great climbs there, including a few beginner trad routes (both 5.8). Shaketown and Begbie Bluffs both found a short drive south along Highway 23. Looking for some multi-pitch? Check out Waterworld, where you can rap down nearly 100 m from the top or approach via boat. You can also find consistent bouldering at Eagle Pass. Check out the latest Revelstoke Rocks by climbing guru Reudi Beglinger for a complete listing of what Revelstoke has to offer.

Climbing at the Drive-In

Hiking
The hiking around Revelstoke is stunning, to say the least. We are surrounded by the Monashee and Selkirk Mountains. A great starting point is Mount Revelstoke National Park, where you can meander along easy, marked trails or hike deeper into the park to Eva and Miller Lakes, or even do an overnighter to Jade Lake. Mount Revelstoke National Park also features the Giant Cedars Boardwalk and Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk hiking trails, taking you through old-growth Western Red Cedars and valley-bottom wetlands.

Eva Lake

Visit the Revelstoke Visitor Information Centre for more information on hikes and accessibility.

Looking down at McCrae Lake

Swimming
There’s nothing better than jumping in a cool lake on a hot summer day. Lake Revelstoke, the reservoir lake located above the Revelstoke Dam, is refreshingly brisk. There are local areas for cliff-jumping and rope-swinging along the eastern flank. Echo Lake, a 5 km drive up the Akolkolex Forest Service Road, is a popular swimming and day-trip destination, but I’ve never seen it get unpleasantly busy, even on the hottest summer day. Fish jump regularly, so bring your road and a floating tube! Easily the most popular swimming hole is Williamson Lake, which also features camping spots and a children’s playground. Williamson Lake is located on Williamson Lake Road, off of Airport Way.

Cliff jumping north of the Revelstoke Dam

What are your favourite summer activities in Revelstoke? Let us know!

The http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=399493821700#!/group.php?gid=209195462673&ref=tsw are back again with another stellar edit. They’ve switched focus to summer, and put together a great video showcasing why Revelstoke would benefit from an official dirt jump park. This video was played for City Council tonight during a presentation by the Revelstoke Trail Alliance, so hopefully Revelstoke can add bike park to its list of summer must-sees.

‘Wood River Wild’ is playing at the Revelstoke Community Centre tonight at 7:00 pm. Admission is free, and the film is brought to you by the North Columbia Environmental Society. The film will be followed by guest speakers James Knoop and Rachel Darvill.

The the environmentally sensitive and historic Wood River, east of Revelstoke, is a proposed Independent Power Project site. Come find out about the status of this major hydro project. For more information on this film or IPPs, email the NCES.

Wood River Wild from Kicking Horse River on Vimeo.