Talk about putting up a front for the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
Harnessing an estimated five to six metric tons of Western red cedar and the talents of the HGTV Canada show Timber Kings, the Cariboo Regional District formally opened its Cariboo Chilcotin Coast display Saturday in Canada Games Plaza. The centrepiece of the display, part of the Northern B.C. Tourism Plaza, is a wooden gateway that usually in front of Williams Lake's Pioneer Log Homes of BC, the business that is the subject of Timber Kings. Built by the firm for the districts' display at the 2010 Winter Olympics, it's back before the nation as the face of Prince George's southern regional neighbour.
"Every regional district had a tent in Richmond (during the Olympics) so coming from the Cariboo, the regional district wanted to do something special," said Peter Arnold, who attended the event with Pioneer Log Home and Timber King colleague Andre Chevigny.
"It's all bits and pieces from a log yard. Maybe one log is from the Queen Charlotte Islands, another log from McBride, another log from Bella Coola. Three guys, we pounded it out in two (12-hour) days."
The display also features a "signing log" - a carving of a cariboo by the Timber Kings that visitors can leave their mark on.
Al Richmond, the chair of the Cariboo Regional District, said the Kings' gateway and the display were part of an effort to promote "the southern most extremity of the northern region."
"We've got lots to offer - we've got Barkerville, we've got lakes, we've got fishing, we've got skiing, we've got.. log home building," said Richmond, who was in Barkerville period dress to promote one of the region's foremost heritage sites.
Richmond, who is also the director of Area G (Lac La Hache-108 Mile House) presented a ceremonial gift of tobacco to Chief Dominic Frederick of the Lheidli T'enneh, the Official Host First Nation of the Games, on behalf of Chief Mike Archie of the Canim Lake band. Archie, who was representing the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council, could not attend due to a family emergency and Chief Frederick wished him and his family well.
The opening featured a hefty roster of municipal, provincial and federal faces including: Prince George mayor Lyn Hall; Mike Morris, the Liberal MLA for Prince George Mackenzie; Art Kaehn, the chair of Fraser Fort George Regional District; Coralee Oakes, B.C. Minister of Sport and Liberal MLA for Cariboo North; Dick Harris, Conservative MP for Prince George-Bulkley Valley; Bob Zimmer, Conservative MP for Prince George-Peace River; and Shirley Bond, B.C. Minister of Tourism and Liberal MLA for Prince George-Valemount.
The Northern BC Tourism Plaza is supported by: Destination BC; Tourism Prince George; Aboriginal Tourism British Columbia and the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association. It features seven Great Northern BC Roadtrip photo booths. Vistors who share a photo in the booth with the hastag #NBCRoadTrip on Social media can win one of seven grand prizes.
