THE STEW Magazine 09-12

September 2012 | THE STEW Magazine | PAGE 1

ISSUE 3.9 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | FREE

thetheHomeschoolingHomeschooling

issueissue

Homeschooling 2.0Pages 4 & 5Pages 4 & 5

New ‘Eating Local’columnist Terri Smith5Page 15

Jamie visitsShambhala music festPages 16–19Pages 16–19

Inside:Inside:

| THE STEW Magazine | September 2012

On the Cover:

Our very own Morrigan Sullivan, daughter of Todd and Juli, and constant inspiration to this magazine, is our lovely cover model this month. She relaxes in her crib and fl ips through one of the many texts that she’ll be expected to com-plete before the end of the school year, all as part of a foray into homeschooling.

Well, not really. No one’s expecting her to read much of anything at this point, much less the dozen or so text books that we managed to dig up around the house (how many titles can you name?)

All we really expect of her is to be ador-able, and we think she’s got that about perfected.

In all truth, if Todd could fi gure outa way to teachevery class by using a video game, he probably would.

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School’s In.School’s In.

Here at Th e Stew HQ, home-schooling has been on our mind a lot over the last few months, partly because there’s a little person running around here who might need to get some kind of schooling in the years ahead of her, and partly because home-schooling just seems to be getting talked about a bit more oft en these days.

It’s for that reason that we’ve started putting together our own prototype curriculum for home-schooling.

English: Our reading list will run the gamut from Dr. Seuss to Dr. Raoul Duke (aka Hunter Th ompson), with the occasional aft ernoon spent kicking back with a DVD of one of Shake-speare’s better fi lm adaptations (Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Julietis a likely choice, but we’ve also heard some good things about Titus). Writing assignments will be dictated by the cur-rent month’s theme in Th e Stew Magazine as the student will be expected to write an interesting and educational feature story each and every month.

Math: Aft er a basic rundown on how to use a calculator, this class will likely be replaced with a longer lunch break.

Science: We can learn physics, chemistry, and (sometimes) biol-ogy at the same time, by putting together any number of science experiments that end with things exploding. It’ll be a good idea to keep a fi rst aid kit nearby. Prob-ably also a fi re extinguisher.

Social Sciences: Th e best way to learn about things like psychology and sociology is to immerse yourself in the culture of the society you’re trying to understand. Clearly, in the 21st

century, the best way to accom-plish that is to hang out on the Internet, but the Internet itself is far too widespread and chaotic to eff ectively work for this sub-ject. We need something more focused and more like an actual society, which is why each day we’ll spend 60 minutes playing World of Warcraft . Not only will we be able to experience, fi rst hand, what people are really like when they don’t have to fi lter themselves and be polite to other humans, but we can kill orcs while doing it!

Physical Education: Take this money, run down to the end of the street and get me a mocha

latte, then run it back to me so that it’s in my hands while it’s still hot.

Art: Creativity should be encouraged and nurtured in both children and adults. Th at’s why there will be a 150 minute block set aside each day to play with crayons. Student and teacher can choose between blank paper (for a more freeform design) and available colouring books (if they’d rather focus on perfect-ing their use of colour) for their project. Time will be set aside at the end of the day for admiring each new work of art from where it hangs in the local gallery (also known as the refrigerator).

Field Trips: Th ere are plenty of exciting places in the world for a child to explore, and much to be learned from those explo-ration opportunities. Field trip locations currently under con-sideration are Walmart, the back yard, the movie theatre, the mall, and the pub.

Th is list is obviously a work in progress and is not meant to refl ect how we would actually homeschool another human being, but this seems like a good starting point to build from. If you have any suggestions on how we could improve on this plan, please send an email to [email protected]

Come and homeschool with The Stew MagazineSTOCK PHOTO

LET'S DO SOME SCIENCE According to The Stew Magazine’s curriculum, this is what a suc-cessful science experiment looks like.


Ingredients (or things that helped us get through the last month): Loads of sunscreen; school text books; pens; pencils; binders; paper; a scientifi c calculator (whoever uses all those functions, anyhow? how many do you need? are 412 too many? not enough?); lots of time in the kiddie pool in the front yard; Okanagan fruit; bulk boxes of popsicles; driving to Winfi eld for a friend’s wedding; pretending to be a photog-rapher for a friend’s wedding; home-made ice cream; lots and lots of little mini corn dogs; re-discovering dance music; borrowing the in-law’s car; lending our car to the 21-year-old; Sirius Satellite in the in-law’s car; checking out Playboy Radio on the Sirius radio; air condition-ing; popcorn; early morning Sesame Street; discovering that we actually kind of like Elmo; get up and dance time (anyone who has ever had a musical toddler knows what I mean); the baby’s new ‘get trucking’ move; noticing how fast the kids grow up; the end of summer vacation; second-hand store browsing; fi nding a $5 organ at a second hand store; fi nding the $5 organ is just about in perfect working order; trying to deny the loss of summer; grudgingly acknowledging the inevitability of fall and then winter.

Nutrition FactsServing Size: 20 pgsServings Per Container 1

Amount Per Serving

Calories 0% Daily Value*

Textbooks We’ve got probably about nine of them on the cover, including books on Art, history, abnormal psychology, and even a newspaper stylebook.Shambhala Jamie’s report from this massive music fest arrived a bit larger than we ex-pected, but it’s a heck of a read and defi nitely worth every word.

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Because educationstarts at home.

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New ‘Eating Local’New ‘Eating Local’columnist Terri Smithcolumnist Terri Smith

Page 15Page 15Jamie visits theJamie visits the

Shambhala music festivalShambhala music festival

Homeschooling 2.0Homeschooling 2.0

MEME: Botched Ecce Homo PaintingMEME: Botched Ecce Homo Painting

Eamon wonders Eamon wonders if schools is right if schools is right for everyonefor everyonePage 8Page 8

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BY JULI HARLAND THE STEW MAGAZINE

Times are changing when it comes to educa-tion.

As the world around us gets smaller with help from the internet, and as more and more people work from home, telecom-muting and fl ex-working, it seems that homeschool-ing is in a bit of a boon in the Cariboo.

Once mostly reserved for the religious right and those who live miles away from the nearest building even resembling a public school, homeschoolers are coming from many backgrounds and some are even living in city limits. Th ey are both religious and secular. Th ey gather in groups for kid-to-kid interaction. Th ey support one another. And they can even have access to travel-ling teachers.

It is a far cry from the picture society might paint of the homeschooled child living out in the middle of nowhere, un-socialized, slightly odd, and with a scary knowledge of bible verses and farm lingo. Modern homeschooled children are active, knowl-edgeable, well-adjusted, and plenty social. And they live just down the road.

HOMESCHOOLING 2.0HOMESCHOOLING 2.0CHANGINGCHANGINGTHE FACE OFTHE FACE OFEDUCATIONEDUCATION


We’re pretty sure that ‘dance time’ should be a part of thehomeschooling curriculum, if we decide to go that route.

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Th ankfully British Columbia has the best homeschooling laws in North America, or so says the BC Home Learners’ Association. “In BC we have some of the greatest freedoms to be totally responsible for our children’s educational pro-gramme with the least amount of interference by government or school districts.

“At the same time, home educating parents are free to seek out support from the registering school (whether public, independent, or corre-spondence). Th e choice is yours according to your individual needs. We need to cherish the fl exibility allowed for in the BC homeschooling laws.”

Th at’s high praise from a group made up of homeschool-ers and their families.

Being totally responsible for your children’s educational pro-gramme can sound both excit-ing and petrifying. Registering your child as a homeschooled student does not mean that you need to follow BC government curriculum, if you so choose. All the law requires is that you provide ‘an educational pro-gram,’ the design and admin-istration of which falls to the parents, though the provincial curriculum is available to the homeschooler if they so desire.

According to Dr. Brian Ray, the president of the National Home Education Research Institute, all it takes to home-school your child is time, patience and commitment to the responsibility. He goes on to say, “Th e tutorial method has always been the superior method for educating children. Home schooling epitomizes this method, providing the essentials for success — a close

relationship between the stu-dent and teacher, motivation, fl exibility, and individualiza-tion.”

Jennifer Earnshaw is a young mother of three children who decided last year to home-school her eldest daughter as she began her kindergarten year. Her reason is simple: it just works better for her family.

“My daughter was starting kindergarten and my youngest was still sleeping when it would have been time to go, and then napping when it would be time to take her home. It seemed crazy to change our lifestyle just so that my daughter could go play at kindergarten. And I didn’t agree that a fi ve year-old should be away from home and her family for 7 hours a day.”

Her two other children, aged three and not-quite-two, have been enjoying the process as well. “I wanted to be able to have this as a family time. Th e kids get to do the same things. It is really good to have that family time. I mean she’d prob-ably not even know her brother and sister if she was at school all day. So it is nice to build that sibling relationship.”

For Earnshaw it was about not disrupting her family life at home. For her, homeschooling means that she doesn’t have to wake the baby up fi rst thing in the morning to bundle her and her siblings up to bring her eldest to school. It means that when the baby is napping she doesn’t have to get her up to bundle them all up all over again to pick up her daughter and bring her back home. It means that the kids will be able to avoid the peer pressure groups or feeling bad because they don’t have Nikes (or

whatever it is now). Th ey can develop their own personality and not have to worry about the style of their hair or what they have. Th ey can just be themselves.

For other families it is a deep-rooted desire to instill holistic measures into their children, providing them with a more hands-on learning experience which mirrors the family’s own values and ideals. For Tanya Lipscomb, there was no question as to whether or not she wanted to homeschool her children.

“I always knew I wanted to homeschool my children,” says Lipscomb. “Th roughout my years in public school, I noticed some large gaping holes in both the school system and the social interaction.

“Some of these issues in-clude large class sizes, varying intelligence levels, uniform learning (which does not work for many children), cuts in the arts and music, lack of bal-anced nutrition, poor social integration, lack of intergenera-tional socialization, more of a focus on competition and less attention to community AND a severe lack of valuable informa-tion (like gardening, preserv-ing foods, animal husbandry, building homes, creating sus-tainable lifestyles, alternative energy sources, and generally more wholesome living).

“As well, I was raised with-out a TV, and I have found that it has created a social disease amongst so many people, especially the children of our society. It creates huge bound-aries in communication and listening skills.”

Not only does homeschool-ing match her family ideals,

but it fi ts in with her lifestyle, as well. A travelling musician, homeschooling allows her the freedom to do what needs to be done and still have plenty of time to spend with the family.

“One on one learning is much, much more eff ective and effi cient. We can learn the lessons for the day in two hours and still have time to ski, skate, hike, go to the Science Centre, go swimming, camping, etc., any time we like. Th e fl exibility is wonderful. Every school day is diff erent. If we are on the road, then we check out what’s around, go to the local nature conservation area and learn about local plants and animals, learn about local history in museums, check out the art galleries.”

Th anks to homeschooling, the Earnshaw family also has the time to stay involved with extra-curricular activities, and with friends and family. Th eir involvement in gymnas-tics certainly keeps them well socialized, as does play groups, get-togethers, sports, and a variety of other child-centered activities.

Th ere’s no fear of non-so-cialization in either case.

Th ough some of her friends and family may have thought that her kids would “be a little weird”, Earnshaw says that most people think it is okay, and besides, it is something that she wanted to try. And who is better qualifi ed to teach her own kids than her? And the Heritage Christian School, which they are reg-istered through, has a travel-ling teacher that lives right in Williams Lake who is available to them if they should come across anything diffi cult.

For Lipscomb there have been some struggles to main-tain the right to homeschool all of her children, though her challenge is not with the school system, but with a family mem-ber. As a result, her oldest two children are currently enrolled in traditional school and home-school while she is on the road, and she is currently ‘unschool-ing’ her youngest.

Unschooling is a form of homeschooling where educa-tion happens without the use of a schedule, curriculum, testing and grades, more or less. It is growing in popularity with many families who are inter-ested in homeschooling as an organic experience rather than a sense of imposed education. Unschooling is child-led edu-cation, so if the child chooses to go to school, they are still unschooled, as they were not coerced or persuaded to go there, but chose to do so of their own free will.

Th ere are so many stories about and reasons for alterna-tive education these days, it would take many more pages than we have to tell them all. Each family has their own reasons for choosing a more home-based approach to their children’s education. Every child has their own experience.

And perhaps that is a large part of what makes it so ap-pealing. Th e experience is, quite literally, exactly what you make of it.

For information about homeschooling in your area, please contact the BC Home Schooler’s Association in charge of your area. You can check the listings on their web-site at: http://bchla.bc.ca.

[email protected]


BY TODD SULLIVANTHE STEW MAGAZINE

Th is month’s theme was inspired, in part, by our daughter, Morrigan.Coming into the September issue of Th e Stew Magazine, we were hoping we could focus on something educa-tion related, as this month is usually remembered as the month for kids going back to school. I suppose we could have easily looked at the idea of mature stu-dents, people returning to college or university later in life, and could have even spoke on the subject pretty well, as it’s something that Juli has decided to do, but we decided to go in the op-posite direction.

And part of the reason

we chose to do that was because we’ve already been talking about home-school-ing Morrigan.

Now, it’s certainly not a sure thing at this point. Morrigan is only 16 months old, so there’s still plenty of time to decide what systems will provide for her the best environment and the best education, but home-schooling is defi nitely on the table, and it’s something that we’re considering pretty heavily. And so what better way to learn about it than to do a bunch of research on it in order to make a feature story on the subject?

I’m not entirely sure why it is, but homeschooling seems to be a bit more on people’s radar these days. It

could be that more people are actually doing it, or it could just easily be that the same — or even fewer — people are actually doing it, but are simply being more vocal about it. It could be that the Internet, and social media, have allowed for a greater discussion on the subject, and have made the process more transparent and easily understood.

Th ere are plenty of rea-sons for people to home-school. Sometimes there are religious reasons, some-times it’s because of a lack of faith in the school system or disagreement with the curriculum. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of conve-nience if you happen to be living outside the range of bus routes, or don’t want

to subject your child to the lengthy trip into town.

Th ere are no wrong reasons, as long as the child is getting the best education they can at the end of the day.

And that’s pretty much my reason for consider-ing homeschooling as an option. Because I want to make sure that Morrigan has the best education she can get, and has access to the best tools available to her, to ensure that she will have a long, interesting, and satisfying life. And I’m not sure if I can expect the pub-lic school system to give her those tools. An education, yes, certainly, but I some-times think that she’ll need tools beyond that. I want, for example, for her to have

things like creativity and curiosity encouraged and nurtured, and I’m not sure where the best environment for those things are.

And, as I said, the most important thing to me is that she have the best envi-ronment available, wher-ever that might be.

I feel like, now that we’ve put this issue together, we might be a little bit closer to fi guring that out. Th at was, aft er all, part of the reason we did this issue in the fi rst place.

If you want to share your own thoughts on home-schooling, or tell us about your own experiences, send us an email. We’d love to hear about them.

[email protected]

Homeschooling: Doing it all for my baby

BY JULI HARLANDTHE STEW MAGAZINE

Homeschooling is some-thing that has been talked about quite a bit over here at the Stew HQ. With the littlest member of the crew coming up on a year-and-a-half old here soon, it is not going to be too long before we have to start deciding how to deal with her education.

On one hand I think that homeschooling is a fantastic way to have a complete experience with your child. It is something that you share completely with them, all the while

creating a bond that cannot be recreated if they are in school all day.

On the other hand I en-vision a lot of ‘school days’ spent sitting around eating cold pizza and playing video games. Not a fantas-tic education, no matter what your message.

I would love to com-bine home education with learning about food sustainability, complete with a thriving garden and chickens and a cow ... but to be honest I have a bit of a black thumb and I am sure that Todd would throw his hands up at me if I came home with a farm

animal. Nonetheless, it is still an

option that we are leaning towards. In part because of a realistic view of the cur-rent traditional education system with all its faults and foibles. In part because we want to have some con-trol over what she comes across as curriculum, and in part because we want to allow her the freedom to learn in a manner that suits her as opposed to making her fi t into a learning struc-ture that may not be what makes her thrive.

And also because it is just one more reason to spend time watching her

grow and develop into the person she will become before we even know it.

Alternative schooling is becoming so prevalent in today’s society that who knows what the future will bring for traditional school in the fi rst place?

Whatever we decide, we still have a lot of time to weigh the options. And who knows, it could be that aft er all the weighing of options and decision mak-ing that she doesn’t want to stay home in the fi rst place.

Kids — they do have a mind of their own. And that is probably the big-gest reason of all to think

about homeschooling. Because they do have a mind of their own, and it is up to us, their parents, to allow them the space and time to grow and develop their minds in a way that will encourage questions, curiosity, and a sense of wonder about the world around them. Be that at home or in the traditional education system.

Because isn’t a desire to learn about the world around them something that we all can hope for our children, and their children aft er them?

[email protected]

Who’s heading for homeschooling?

SPEAKCall or Fax us: (778) 412-2600

Email us: [email protected]

Find us on the web at http://www.thestew.ca

or Friend us on Facebook!


Botched Ecce Homo PaintingOriginated at: Reddit

On August 21, 2012 the Spanish magazine Heraldo printed a story about a failed attempt to restore a painting which had been do-nated to a church in the town of Borja. An elderly woman, Cecilia Jiménez, was behind the attempted restoration, which can only be described as a spectacular failure.

Th e story (and its accompanying photo) appeared the same day on Reddit under the title, “An old church in Spain needed to restore a worn out painting. Th ey hired the wrong person.”

By August 2, it had become the center point of a Facebook group, which quickly acquired more than 4,000 likes. From there it moved to Tumblr (http://beastjesus.tumblr.com/) and Twitter (https://twit-ter.com/frescojesus), thus pretty much hitting all the sites necessary to be a modern internet meme.

Lost in the humour of the story (and, particularly, the humour of the photos involved) is the sad fact that this irreplaceable piece of art may be irretrievably damaged. Th e church is planning to bring a restoration professional in to see if the damage can be repaired.

MEMEOF THEMONTHMEME [meem] nounAn element of a culture or

system of behaviour passed

from one individual to an-

other by imitation or other

non-genetic means

an image, video, etc. that is

passed electronically from one

Internet user to another

MAGAZINE

THE STEW Magazine is an independently owned and operated monthly arts and lifestyle

magazine published in the Cariboo Chilcotin. All information contained in this magazine is

correct, to our best knowledge, as of press time. Opinions expressed by correspondents and

contributors are not necessarily those of THE STEW or its employees. We reserve the right to

edit letters to the editor for grammar, punctuation, content, or length. All letters must be

signed by the author. THE STEW Magazine accepts no responsibility for correctness beyond

the amount paid for that portion of advertising space occupied by the incorrect item. We

reserve the right to refuse any advertising or editorials submission which we believe to be

inconsistent with the philosophy of this publication.

The contents of this publication are copyright The Stew Magazine 2012.

Question ofthe Month

Todd Sullivan [email protected]

publisher / editor-in-chief

“When I was in the fifth grade I had the opportunity in what

was then called an “Enrichment Program”, which was basically

an optional course that was dedicated to creativity,

imagination, and problem solving. In other words, awesome.”

Juli Harland

sales manager / executive editor

[email protected]

“The best thing, I suppose, is that which I haven’t experienced

yet. Learning is a life-long endeavour, and I look forward to

many journeys into schooling over the next 40 years of my life

— and then some!”

Angela Shephard

fine frugality (crafters beat)

[email protected]

“The best thing I experienced in school was that everything

happened in a scheduled way, rather than the haphazard way

my life outside of school had, as well as the words of

encouragement from a few of my teachers.”

Jamie Horsley

tone soup (music beat)

[email protected]

Carol Davidson

stir (health beat)

[email protected]

Torrey Owen

In My Shoes (city beat)

[email protected]

Natasha Peeman

beautydooz (health & beauty beat)

[email protected]

Terri Smith

Eating Local (food beat)

[email protected]

“The best thing I experience in school was leaving! Well,

actually, my teachers, the good ones. The teachers who were still

excited about teaching taught me to love learning and that has

served me well every since.”

What's the best thingyou experienced

in school?Send your answers to

[email protected]

Michael Jones

One Seoul Searching (overseas beat)

[email protected]

Laura Kelsey

Poetry Editor

[email protected]

“Writing poetry on my math worksheets.”

A petition to keep the failed painting restoration, calling the work “daring”, currently holds more than

22,000 signaures of the 25,000 it’s looking for.

Mick: the wild life and mad genius of Jagger. Andersen, Christopher. 2012.

Call number: 782.4216 6092 JAG

For decades, Mick has jeal-ously guarded his many shocking secrets—until now. As the Rolling Stones mark their 50th anniver-sary, journalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris-topher Andersen tears the mask from rock’s most complex and enigmatic icon in a no-holds-barred biography as impossible to ignore as Jagger himself.

Amy, my daughter. Wine-house, Mitch. 2012.

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Next stop : a son with autism grows up. Finland, Glen. 2012

Call number: 618.9285882 FINNext Stop is a candid portrait

of a differently-abled young man poised at the entry to adulthood. It recounts the complex relation-ship between a child with autism and his family, as he steps out into the real world alone for the first time, and how his autism affects everyone who loves him.

The perfect gentleman : a Muslim boy meets the West : a memoir. Ahmad, Imran. 2012

Call number: 305.697092 AHMBoth deliciously funny and

deeply insightful, The Perfect Gentleman is a beguiling multi-layered memoir that has touched the hearts of readers all over the world. At the age of one, Imran Ahmad moved from Pakistan to London, growing up torn between his Islamic identity and his desire to embrace the West. Join Imran in his lifelong struggle against corruption and injustice, and as he grapples with some of Life’s most profound questions.

Let’s pretend this never hap-pened : (a mostly true memoir). Lawson, Jenny. 2012.

Call number: 070.92 LAWJenny Lawson realized that the

most mortifying moments of our lives — the ones we’d like to pretend never happened — are in fact the ones that defi ne us. In the #1 New York Times bestseller, Let’s Pretend Th is Never Happened, Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suff ering husband, Victor.

Barack Obama: the story. Mara-niss, David. 2012.

Calll number: 973.9320 92 OBAIn Barack Obama: Th e Story, Da-

vid Maraniss has written a deeply reported generational biography teeming with fresh insights and revealing information, a masterly narrative drawn from hundreds of interviews, including with Presi-dent Obama in the Oval Offi ce, and a trove of letters, journals, diaries, and other documents.

Biographies and memoirs you can sink your teeth into at the CRD Library


taste of the

Caribootaste of the

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4th Annual

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2nd Annual &Coming the end of

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This year purchase a “grazing” punch-

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For more information or to

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contact Terri at 250-296-4409

Oh boy, this month’s paper revolves around education. One of my favorite topics. So let’s get to it.

I think it’s fair to assume most of us as children and teenagers attended government funded public educa-tion institutions, also known as schools. Yes? No? Well I certainly did, and the majority of my friends, peers, and even enemies did as well.

Not that I have many enemies at present, but I certainly did in school. I didn’t really want enemies but sometimes we can get a great deal of what we don’t want if the environment is just wrong enough, and the school environment certainly brought out the worst in plenty of young, confused, and insecure people.

If you’re getting the feeling that this column is not going to celebrate the current school system, you’d be right. To be blunt, I have quite a chip on my shoulder concerning the school system. I’m not com-pletely sure what its cur-rent incarnation looks like from the inside, but I’m reluctant to believe it’s been improved that much. The practice of sticking 20 or 30 kids of the same age with vary-ing intelligence levels in one room together and then forcing them to listen to some adult fig-ure is hardly my notion of optimum learning conditions.

It does seem like a great way to indoctri-nate, but not educate. Especially for younger children in the ‘elemen-tary’ schools this seems like a way of steal-ing away part of their childhood by position-ing them into cramped desks in cramped rooms and then forcing vary-

ing subjects into their brains.

In school, children are forced to abide by time schedules not of their own choosing. The days are regimented. Students are told when to arrive, when to leave and what to do while there. They are made to agree with professings of teachers. If students try and decide for themselves when they’d like to come and go, it doesn’t go over that well. If they outwardly dis-agree with teachers they can also be punished in any number of ways, especially if said teacher has authoritarian issues. Less than educating, school seems like an efficient means of cast-ing cogs for the system, grooming future obedi-ent wage slave employes to wilfully obey future corporate employers.

Now another thing the education system seems to do. They lead children to believe school is the most important thing in the world, insisting that if you ‘drop out’ your fu-ture is doomed and the best you can hope for is a life of regret and a career maintaining lava-tories with your tongue.

Schools somehow ‘teach’ you that you’re unable to learn with-out them and that you absolutely undeniably need them if you’re to hope for even a sliver of happiness and success. Schools have a way of

saying “You need me! Without me you are nothing!” Now, doesn’t this sound quite similar to the relationship one has with an abusive, ma-nipulative spouse who imprisons their partner through the use of fear and false-dependency? Just saying.

To be honest, what I consider to be one of the best decisions of my life thus far was finally deciding to stop going to classes in my last year of high school. Yes I dropped out. I love learning, but that dark environment, the cramped walls, the deranged peers, and the twisted teachers just finally took their toll. And leaving was won-derful! I only wish I’d have been wise enough to have gotten out much sooner. But better late than never I suppose.

School took much more from me than it gave, and it left me quite damaged in many regards. What it did provide were feelings of inadequacy, insecu-rity, and fear. It’s taken a great deal of time to work past the negative impact it left on me, a sensitive and caring guy who had to hold back his emotions, hide his identity, and with regularity enter physi-cal combat to defend the safety of his person. That’s not the experi-ence of education any-one should endure.

[email protected]

Traditional school system isn’t right for everyone

By Eamon OwenBy Eamon Owen

In MyShoesIn MyShoes


Your guide towhere to go andwhat to do forthe month of

September

PlayPlay

JULI HARLAND PHOTO

WALL ART Dwayne Davis and his interns Jamie Moore and Miranda Fontaine hard at work on one of their new mural creations behind the WLCBIA in Williams Lake.


Although named on a bit of a whim, the Harvest Festival of Awesomeis still a great time and a fantastic way to try all kinds of local goodies.

Not that we are biased or anything.

HOBBIT HOUSE

392-759971 S 1st AvenueLeanne Kunka

Owner

The building permit is in hand and the work is starting on the soon-to-be-open

juice-bar and coffee house at

WE FINALLY GOT IT!WE FINALLY GOT IT!

One more reason to come in and relax with friends.

54 N Mackenzie AveWilliams Lake

250-398-8983

Tues-Fri 7:30-4:00Sat 9:00-4:00

Café &Catering

o Tk rc ee eG

Real foodfor

real people.

Menu itemswith youin mind.• Gluten-Free • Vegan• Vegetarian • Omnivore

SERVING

SATURDAYS 9am - 2pmSATURDAYS 9am - 2pmJOIN US FOR OUR 2nd SEASON!JOIN US FOR OUR 2nd SEASON!

Contact Terri at 250-296-4409to become a vendor or for market info

[email protected] or on Facebook (Oliver Street-Market)

Local food, Artisans, Crafts People,Family Fun, Live Entertainment

Local food, Artisans, Crafts People,Family Fun, Live Entertainment

HERB GARDNER PARK(Across from Safeway, Beside City Hall)HERB GARDNER PARK

(Across from Safeway, Beside City Hall)

OLIVER STREETOLIVER STREET

MARKETMARKET

Micheal Hodgson andthe Williams Lake

Studio Theatre would liketo thank the fine folks at

for all their supportwith this year’s festival

show, ‘Office Hours’

(250) 392-0045 [email protected]

Cameron Self RegisteredShiatsu Therapist

$60 for 60 Minutes$70 for 75 Minutes

2-150B Oliver Street, Williams Lake(Above Woodland Jewellers) Wed. to Sat. by appointment only.

Massage • Zen shiatsu therapyHolistic Energy Therapy

September 1 - 30, Quesnel - Barkerville: Leave the car at home and ride the Barkerville Shuttle. Leaves from Quesnel to Barkerville. Daily morning departures returning to Quesnel at 6pm. Various pickup locations in Quesnel. Weekend Special as low as $20.00 return trip. For more information contact: 1-250-925-0999 or 1-855-991-WEST (9378). www.barkerville150.ca

September 1 - 8, Wil-

liams Lake: Th e Williams Lake ArtWalk is winding down. Wander to each of the 40 locations and if you get to at least 32 of them, and get your offi cial Art-Walk passport stamped, your name goes into a draw that off ers $100 for 3rd place, $200 for 2nd, and $300 for 1st place to use at any of the partici-pating merchant’s. Watch for “Arty Th e Art Walker” around town! Call Willie to fi nd out more 250-398-8826.

September 7, 14, 21,

28, 9:00am - 2:00pm, Boi-tanio Park, Williams Lake: Th e Original Farmer’s Market. Come by for farm fresh food, craft s and entertainment every Friday through to the end of September.

September 7 - 9, Barkerville: 2nd Annual Barkerville Cowboy and Drover Jubilee. Celebrate British Columbia’s rich cowboy heritage gold rush style! Th ree musical venues, a cowboy poetry tent, “Northern Star” ama-teur singing competition and the oldest wooden “Cowboy Church” in BC await you! For more information call Barker-ville at 1-888-994-3332 or visit their website www.barkerville150.ca

September 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 9:00am - 2:00pm, Herb Gardener Park ,Wil-liams Lake: Oliver Street Market. Come for the local farm fresh food and goods, stay for the friendly atmosphere! Watch out for the annual Harvest Festi-val of Awesome/Taste of the Cariboo event planned for the end of September. Come and see what you’ve been missing.

September 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 8:30am - 1:00pm, Helen Dixon Center, Quesnel: Farmer’s Market is still on! Come and check out the fresh produce and

services. For more infor-mation please contact Paul Dumas at 250-747-8543, or check out the website at www.quesnelmarket.com.

September 8, 10:00am - 4:00pm, Arena Banquet Hall, Quesnel: Skate and Equipment Swap! DO-NATIONS of equipment can be delivered to the minor hockey offi ce from August 20th to September 8th as per regular offi ce hours. If you would like to SELL your equipment, you can set up the day of the swap. You will be responsible for your own equipment throughout the day if you choose to sell it. Presented by Quesnel & District Minor Hockey. For more information please contact Laura Hen-der 250 747-4627 or Sam Wright 250 992-5586.

September 8, 7:00pm, Steeped on Reid Street, Quesnel: Open Mic Night! Only 50 tickets to be sold! $10 includes beverage and snack ~free entertainment~ Hosted by Rob Hess. Pre-sign up required for those wishing to perform. For informa-tion please call Naomi at 778-414-1297

September 8, Wil-liams Lake: Th e Dirty Knobby 2012 will be on September 8th in the Mountain House Road area. Th e annual event will

be hosted by the Williams Lake Off Road Motorcycle Association (WLORMA). Open to all ages and skill levels, with more fun and activities planned than ever before. For more in-formation check out www.wlorma.ca

September 8, 6:00pm, Wells Community Hall: Ducks Unlimited Dinner and Auction. Come out for an evening of fun while supporting the Ducks Un-limited Foundation. $40 for a single, and $75 for a couple. For information or for tickets please contact Robin at 250-994-3243.

September 8, Williams Lake - Gavin Lake: It’s the 20th Annual Tour de Cariboo! Williams Lake’s largest fundraising event for Big Brothers Big Sis-ters. All proceeds stay in town to benifi t the many great programs serving the youth of the lake city. Free overnight accommodation for riders. Food, festivities, prizes and more. Many thanks to everyone who works hard each year to put the event together, and to the riders who make it all happen.

September 8, 10am - 3:00pm, Scout Island Nature Center, Williams Lake: Free public play party for all ages on September 8th from 10am -3pm at Scout Island Na-

ture Centre. Play Games, take guided nature walks and try your skill at nature challenges.

September 8, 7:30 - 9:00pm, 108 Mile: 2012 Blues Jazz Concert series ‘Slap Back’ is bringing the Blues back to the Cariboo with Jimmy D Lane Trio at the 108 Golf Resort’s Lotus Club.

September 8 - 9, Stam-pede Grounds, Williams Lake: 36th Annual Har-vest Fair to be held at the Stampede Grounds. Each day starts with Breakfast each morning. Th ere will be: Professional Bull Riding, the Exhibit Hall, music, and many events going on all weekend. Pick up a Fall Fair brochure around town so that you do not miss anything.

September 9, Boitanio Park, Williams Lake: Sco-tiabank and the BC SPCA are hosting its annual Paws for a Cause walk for the animals. Come on down and check out the silent auction tables, dog agility, obedience testing, and more. Furry friends are encouraged to attend. Walk location: Boitanio Park- Pic Nic Shelter. Reg-istration time 10:00 am; Walk start time 11:00am. For more information call the Williams Lake and District SPCA branch 250-392-2179


September 9, 1:00pm, Sylvia’s Cafe: 29th An-nual Jimmy Dunlop Memorial Toy Run. The 29th Annual Toy Run will be leaving from Sylvia’s Cafe (26 miles on the Nazko Hwy) and ride to LeBourdais Park in Quesnel for the pre-sentation of toys to the Quesnel Good Cheer! For information please call Larry at 250-992-3085

September 9, 11:00am - 2:00pm, River Front Trail at the end of Bowron Ave, Ques-nel: Paws for a Cause. Walk with us on Sep-tember 9th and open your heart to thousands of animals across BC in need of your help. Registration starts at 11:00 or Pre Register Online! Walk leaves at 12 (Noon), from the River Front Trail at the end of Bowron Avenue. Face Painting by Dona-tion to the SPCA by Warehouse One the Jean Store Ticket Auction for Pet Prizes, and a Best Dressed Pet Contest!! For more info Please call the Quesnel SPCA at 250-992-7722

September 10, Williams Lake. Sum-mer’s over! StrongStart centres at Marie Sharpe, Mountview and Cata-line Schools reopen on Monday, September 10. Kids 0-5 and their par-ent/caregiver are invited to drop in for free early

learning activities. Call 398-3839 for more info.

September 10, Alexis Creek; 150 Mile House; Wildwood: Summer’s over! Outreach Strong-Start centres reopen on Monday, Sept.10 at Alexis Creek, Tuesday, Sept.11 at 150 Mile House and Thursday, Sept. 13 at Wildwood. Watch for the new Horsefly StrongStart centre opening soon. Kids 0-5 and their par-ent/caregiver are invited to drop in for free early learning activities. Call 398-3839 for more info.

September 12, 1:00pm, Stanley Cem-etery, Barkerville: Stanley Cemetery Workbee by the Friends of Barkerville. Bring wheelbarrows, shovels, garden rakes, hammers. Plans are to install 2x6 boards on posts around cemetery and place more fine gravels on trails, some painting if needed. Please con-firm if attending as will cancel if numbers are too low, need at least 12 people. Please contact

Robin Grady at 250-992-2008 or via email at [email protected]

September 14 to October 27th, Parkside Art Gallery, 100 Mile House. This show will feature the works of three contributing art-ists, Martha Cloudesley, Claudia Ring and Jenny Taylor, whose unique approach to the Fibre Arts will deliver delight and surprises.

September 15, 10:00am, Antique Ma-chinery Park, Quesnel: Antique Machinery Park Appreciation Day. Come out and see what the Antique Machinery Park has been doing this past summer. New exhibits, machinery and so much more. Burgers, hotdogs and corn too! For information please contact Doug at 250-991-8080

September 15 - 16, Likely: The Unlikely Paddlefest & Kayak Celebration - contact Red Shreds at 250-398-7873. If you’re not in on

the fun - you should be.

September 16, 9:00am, LeBourdias Park, Quesnel: Terry Fox Run! Join us for this year’s Terry Fox Run in beautiful Quesnel! Extra Details: Music provided by Heath Onstine. See you there! For more in-formation please contact Geoff Ruffle at ruffleg@

gmail.com

September 16, 10:00am - 2:00pm, Centenial Park, 100 Mile House: Paws for a Cause event. Come enjoy the festivities! Agility demonstration, costume contest, and even nail clipping and ear washing services for your furry friend,

donated by the 100 Mile House SPCA. For more information please call 250-395-5303

September 16, 10:00am, Cariboo Me-morial Complex, Wil-liams Lake: The Terry Fox Run - Cariboo Me-morial Complex starting at 10:00am - for more info call 250-398-7665

For the record, Th e Stew Crew has a rescue cat that they are pretty sure is as old as the pyramids. Best cat ever.

3rd Ave. N.,Williams Lake

Next to theWilliams Lake Library

3rd Ave. N.,Williams Lake

Next to theWilliams Lake Library

Soups • Paninis • WrapsHome-made Goodies • Specialty coffees & teas

Soups • Paninis • WrapsHome-made Goodies • Specialty coffees & teas

School’s in session,now it’s back to the grind...

The coffee grind, that is!

(250) 305-2326(250) 305-2326

Made with love.Made with love.

635B Oliver St., Williams Lake

305-6861

Send your students back to schoolknowing they’ll eat well.

Send your students back to schoolknowing they’ll eat well.

www.mmmeatshops.com

Sesame ChickenNoodle BowlSesame ChickenNoodle Bowl

Fettuccine AlfredoFettuccine Alfredo Louisiana StyleChicken WingsLouisiana StyleChicken Wings

Like us onLike us on

M&M Gift Cards — Feed them right!M&M Gift Cards — Feed them right!

998 McKinnon Road (Hwy 97 N.), Williams Lake • (250) 392-5323

New services to add to thoseyou’ve come to love.New services to add to thoseyou’ve come to love.

• Same great style

• Special man cave

for the guys

• All in one great

location, just for you.

MAGAZINE

Connect with us.

www.thestew.ca

www.facebook.com/stewmag

www.twitter.com/stewforthought (the stew magazine)

www.twitter.com/lewzr (todd sullivan)

www.twitter.com/tonesoup (jamie horsely)

The Stew Magazine is online.

Do you know where to find us?


September 22, 11:00am - 4:00pm, West Fraser Timber Park, Quesnel: Imagine the Multi-Center Day. On September 22, 2012 at West Fraser Timber Park we are host-ing a festival which will celebrate art, culture and sporting activities. Th ere will be games, activities, demonstrations, food ven-dors, and entertainment.

Th e Barker Mineral Cake Sale will be served and the door prizes of one ounce of gold, ten ounces of sil-ver, or fi ve ounces of silver will be drawn. Th e festival fi nale will be the Golf Ball Drop in which all the entries from the Shopping Bag sales will be placed in a chute and attached to a helicopter which will hover overhead. Th e golf balls

with be released with the ball landing in or closest to the golf hole located in the hardball fi eld being declared the winner of the $2,000 Travel Gift Cer-tifi cate. Try out one of the skills contests or learn a new activity while listening to some great local artists. For information please email: [email protected]

September 23, 9:00am - 5:00pm, Best Western Tower Inn, Quesnel: Free Sheep and Goat Forum. BC Ministry of Agriculture is hosting a day long Sheep & Goat Forum - Keeping Flocks Healthy. Th e North Cariboo Sheep Breeders Association is assisting on this forum. More details to come. For information please contact Wylie Bys-stedt at [email protected]

September 25, 6:30 - 9:00pm, Central Cariboo Arts Center, Williams Lake: An invitation to join the Cariboo Camera Club: An opportunity for fellowship and learning in the art of photography. Meetings are held at the Central Cariboo Arts Centre (old fi rehall) on the 4th Tuesday of each month, starting at 6:30pm. Features include: Knowl-edgeable presenters, Image clinics with contstructive critiques, Photographic

outings, Monthly digital frame exhibitions, Af-fi liated with the Canadian Association of Photo-graphic Art. For more info, please call Cathie Wright at 250-790-2191

September 28, 5:00pm, Boitanio Park: Take Back the Night! A prevention initiative to raise awareness about Violence Against Women. Th is event is free and open to all members of our community. Join us for the evening walk through Williams Lake as a way for women to “Take Back the Night”. We encourage all members of our community to help recognize this important matter. Please come out to help raise awareness, pro-mote prevention, honor all of the women aff ected by violence, and support families of victims.For more information please call Community Polic-ing, Cariboo Friendship Society, CMHA - Cari-

boo Branch, Axis Family Resources Ltd., Women’s Contact Society or to volunteer please call 250-392-4118.

September 29, 1:00pm to 2:30, Cariboo Memorial Complex, Williams Lake: Th e Cariboo Memorial Complex is hosting a Free Skate starting at 1:00pm - sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Wms Lk

September 30, 9:00am, Dragon Lake Boat Launch, Quesnel: 19th Annual Quesnel Women’s Fall Challenge! Come take part in this Half Marathon, 10k walk or run, 5km walk or run. For anyone ages 6 and up. Register at Ques-nel Arts and Rec centre or online. Cost: Before Sept 16 $25, Regular (Sept 17-28) $30, Late (Sept 29, 30) $40, Post Race Lunch/Awards $15. For informa-tion please go to http://qwfc.wordpress.com

It’s been a number of years since Todd took a road triplooking for photographic inspiration. What did he take

pictures of last time? Power lines. Lots of power lines.

Come be

transformed at our

NEW LOCATION

Come be

transformed at our

NEW LOCATION

383 Oliver St., Williams Lake

250-398-5544

HAIR • TANNING • FULL ESTHETICS • WAXING • BODY PIERCINGPERMANENT MAKEUP • GEL NAILS & SHELLAC

Under Onetrix and sharing space with Cobalt Spa

Lush.More of everything you love to make you feel great and look fabulous!

MAGAZINE

We’re smart. And sexy.

Looking fortreasures

call Penny at (250) 305-2744

If you have antiques, sculptures, or one-of-a-kind pieces that

you’re looking to sell or consign...

collectable art,


Looking to get your copy on the latest edition of THE STEW Magazine? We’re available for pickup in a variety of places

around the Cariboo Chilcotin. Please remember that this list is always evolving, and we’re always looking for new places that our magazine can call home, so if you know of someplace that you think should be a drop-off point for THE

STEW, or if you own a business and you’d like to have a few copies of our magazine on your shelves, plus let us know. You can reach us by email at either todd@thestew.

ca or [email protected].

Locations listed in alphabetical order

100 MILE HOUSE99 Mile Supermarket

A&WAlpine Deli & Sub Shop

Chartreuse MooseChevron

CRD LibraryDairy Queen

DonexHigher Ground Natural Foods

KFCLone Butte General StoreMarcel’s Boulevard CafeNuthatch Book Store

PaninosParkside Art Gallery

PharmasaveSafeway

Save-On FoodsSmitty’sSubway

Tim HortonsVelda’s Pasteries & Desserts

Visitor CentreYummers

150 MILE HOUSE150 Mile Mall

Marshall’s Store

IN LAC LA HACHEFast Trac Gas and Convenience Store

Clancy’s Restaurant

IN WILLIAMS LAKE7-ElevenA&W

Alley KatzAnnie’s Attic

Bean CounterCanadian Tire

Canwest PropaneCariboo Growers

Cariboo Memorial ComplexCariboo Spring

CRD Library (Magazine & News Section)Central Cariboo Arts & Culture Center

Concrete FitnessCool Clear Water

Dairy QueenDandelion Living

Denny’s RestaurantDollar Dollar

Elaine’s Natural FoodsThe Gecko Tree

GreyhoundHalls OrganicsHobbit House

HuskyKaramia’sLD’s Cafe

M&M Meat ShopMcDonald’s

MohawkMountview StoreMovies on the GoNew World CafeOne More SliceThe Open Book

The Overlander HotelQuiznos

Red Shred’sSafeway

Sandman InnSave On Foods

ShellShopper’s Drug Mart

Sight and SoundStarbucks

Station House GallerySubway (Downtown)

Subway (on the Highway)Tim Horton’s

Tourism Info CentreTRU

WLCBIAWomen’s Contact Society

Zellers Restaurant

IN HORSEFLYClarke’s General Store

Cornerhouse CafeThe Post Offi ceRaceTrac Gas

IN MCLEESE LAKECariboo Wood Shop

McLeese Lake General Store

IN QUESNEL7-Eleven (on the Highway)7-Eleven (in West Quesnel)

A&WAroma Foods

Billy Barker Hotel & CasinoBliss

Burger PalaceCarry All BooksGranville’s Coffee

Green Tree Health & WellnessKarin’s Deli

Mac’sMuseum & Tourist Centre

Pier 14Quiznos

Riverside Bistro (West Park Mall)Safeway

Save On FoodsShopper’s Drug Mart

SteepedSubway

Super Suds LaundromatTim Horton’s (on the Highway)

Tim Horton’s (Downtown)

IN HANCEVILLELee’s Corner

IN TATLA LAKEGraham’s Inn

IN BELLA COOLAValley Inn

Coast Mountain LodgeValley Restaurant

Eagle Lodge

StewSpots

CARIBOO CHEVROLET BUICK GMC LTD.

370 S. Mackenzie Ave, Williams Lake1-800-665-2409 | 250-392-7185

DL#5683

Use your new carto get into theto get into the

DL#5683

Get up toGet up to

1,000 Air Miles1,000 Air Miles

Exclusively atExclusively at

with the purchase ofany new or used vehicle.

#1 Mackenzie Avenue NorthWilliams Lake

250-392-6113

At the foot of Oliver Street

Open Mondayto Saturday

10:00am to 5:00pm

Station HouseStation HouseGalleryGallery

The Gift

September 7–29, 2012Ed & Marta Deak share with you

Now in, just in time for school, Station House Gallery 12X12 Book Bags for Under $20! Show your support of the arts with this stylish bag, printed right here in town. Available at the SHG Gift Shop.

Box 224Forest Grove, BC

V0K 1M0

Steve & Astrid Roy250-397-4103

Williams Lake’s Year-Round Local Food Co-OperativeThe non-profit store is on the corner of Third and Oliver St.

Williams Lake’s Year-Round Local Food Co-OperativeThe non-profit store is on the corner of Third and Oliver St.

CaribooGrowersCaribooGrowers

(250) 398 6583 or (250) 267-00 10Dwayne Davis www.davisarts.caI know, I know, I’ve

mentioned it before, but I feel I have to say it again: You can make anything that you can buy in a store from scratch. You may need to buy an item or two, and when you’re broke, you can’t always have a well stocked pantry. But if you want things that you see in the store, you can usually find a copy-cat recipe for it.

Sometimes people want to have a salad, but they only have enough money for the lettuce and not the dressing. Well, you can turn that into a salad with items that you might have on hand! I’m including prices next to each item as a breakdown of what they cost you. This recipe also assumes that you bought a container of parmesan cheese, lemon for the dried rind, and lemon juice, all on sale.

Caesar Salad Dressing Mix

1tbsp of grated dried lemon peel (assuming 3/$1 sale) $0.33

¼ tsp garlic powder $0.02

½ tsp pepper $0.021 tsp oregano leaves

$0.031 tsp thyme leaves

$0.036 Tbsp grated Parme-

san cheese $1.80½ tsp salt. $0.01Mix these items

together, and sore in a Ziploc bag, with as much air removed from the bag as possible. When you wish to make your salad combine:

¼ cup of the previ-ously made mix (ap-proximate total for mix alone is $2.24)

½ cup olive oil (ap-proximately) $0.44

¼ cup lemon juice (assuming that you saved the juice from the one lemon you previ-ously used) free.

Using a fork, blend well, or place into an old lidded jar and shake until well mixed. This recipe makes two 1-cup bottles of the salad dressing, at a total cost of $3.12 or $1.56 per bottle. I know, you can buy a bottle of dress-ing for about $2, but is it worth it? If you have the ingredients on hand, you don’t have to go out and pay for it, and it takes a total of ten minutes to whip it up. And it’s better for you!

You can save money by doing it yourself with more than just food too. Maybe you need laundry soap, or deodorant, or maybe even bug spray. The cost of buying these things can become a huge cost over time, but by buying just the in-gredients to make these items you can save a lot of money!

[email protected]

Salad dressing on the cheap

By Angela ShephardBy Angela Shephard

FineFrugalityFineFrugality

Some might say the other alternative is to skip the salad completely, but that doesn’t sound

like a very healthy option.


1050 S. Lakeside Drive, Williams Lake • 250-392-3303

Mon-Wed 8am to 8pm • Thur-Fri 8am to 9pmSat 8am to 6pm • Sun 9am to 5pm

It’s all you need.

Did you know...?Did you know...?Proper organizational skills in the home and office allows

you to not only find what you need quickly, but can save you

precious time to spend on friends, family, and yourself,

increase your productivity so you can work smarter, not

harder, and lighten your overall mood and reduce stress by

making things manageable and balanced.

Good thing Canadian Tire has storage and organizational

equipment to make your life a little more cheery.

Proper organizational skills in the home and office allows

you to not only find what you need quickly, but can save you

precious time to spend on friends, family, and yourself,

increase your productivity so you can work smarter, not

harder, and lighten your overall mood and reduce stress by

making things manageable and balanced.

Good thing Canadian Tire has storage and organizational

equipment to make your life a little more cheery.

cold hands in the water washing off the viscera of a winter spent underwater in the darkthe bone ache of afterwardcold eyes on a horizon half hidden with cloudingers drip – droplets fallingfrom hands held just so above the water I watch I don’t get soaked by wavesblindsided by weatherhooked off the earth from above by some sharp implementI’m freezing onshore spine a column of rocks stacked and shaken all dayby the rattle of the boat motorI’m in love with the elementthe elemental the element the edges of the elementswhere they meet: rock and water, water and airthis is not wave spray, it’s rainclenched toes in my gumbootsthere was bound to be retributionif the sun comes out can I take credit?wash the knife edge free of bloodthe curve of tempered steel and leatheryou did the dirty workand we ate like kingsthe clouds broke eventually and turned the lake blackthe

bone

ach

e of

afte

rwar

dBY

GIL

LIA

N W

IGM

OR

EFR

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KYW

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LF

Gillian Wigmore is an accomplished poet who has an absolutely beautiful reading voice. Listen for her on the CBC.


We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Michelle Daymond for writing our Eating Localcolumn all these months — it was great having you as part of Th e Stew Crew, Michelle.

We’re looking forward to seeing what Terri will bring to this space in the months to come.

955E South Mackenzie Ave,Williams Lake | 398-WINE(9463)

We’re proud to be an exclusive member of the RJS Craft Winemaking Academy, a designationhonouring excellence in the craft of winemaking

www.croftsbrewing.com

Oktoberfest beer is now in!Oktoberfest beer is now in!Why not start the

celebrations early?

From September 17 to October 21,

every time you purchase a Glad Hatter

Wine Kit you will receive a

for $25 against any

order over $50.

$25 M&M Meat Shops Cash Card

From September 17 to October 21,

every time you purchase a Glad Hatter

Wine Kit you will receive a

$25 M&M Meat Shops Cash Cardfor $25 against any

order over $50.

Beers: 3 Weeks

Ciders & Coolers: 4 Weeks

Wines: 4 to 8 weeks

250-398-28991-888-498-2899

107 Falcon Drive, Hwy 97, WLCheck us out on Facebook!

We have a huge new

shipment of organic

handmade / carved earringsPLUS organic feather Earrings

in all shapes, colours, and sizes

New Line of Body products,

100% natural, no synthetic

dyes, colours or fragrances.

Nutrient-rich krill oil is

thought to be more powerful

that traditional fish oilThe nutrient profile of krill oil

supports cardiovascular health

and optimal brain function

[email protected]

Hello everyone. Many readers may already know me from the Oliver Street Market and Cariboo Grow-ers’ Cooperative, and even from Michelle’s articles, but for those of you who don’t, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Terri Smith and I am one of your local farmers at Road’s End Vegetable Company. I am very honoured to be taking over Michelle’s column on local food and hope to be able to fi ll her shoes.

Food is my passion. I have always eaten, of course, but it wasn’t until we began working on farms in preparation for beginning our own farm that I really fell in love with food — the fl avours, tex-tures, colours, smells, and tastes of freshly harvested food are beyond compare. Eating is one of the things we all must do and how we go about it may be one of

the most important deci-sions we make on a daily basis.

Our decisions sur-rounding food aff ect not only our own health but also the health of our community, the health of the land we live on, and the health of the planet as a whole. Author Michael Pollan, in the documen-tary Food Inc. speaks of how it may seem that our society has a cheap food system, but that the reality is that we actually have an incredibly expensive food system, in which the costs are hidden.

While the dollar value of any particular item may be low, the environmental, social, and health costs are oft en extremely high.

When we choose to eat local, we are not only putting money back into the community in which we live, we also get the

best-tasting, healthiest food available (thereby reducing future health problems), we reduce the amount of fossil fuels that must be used to ship food the great distances which have be-come standard, and we get to know our farmers (who are, I must say, some pretty interesting characters)!

Change is not easy. Th ough I was raised on a cattle ranch near Williams Lake, where most of our food came from our land, when I moved away to Vancouver all of my food came from the grocery store. I thought that I couldn’t aff ord organic, and was also suspicious of what the heck an “organic” label meant anyway. But little-by-little I made the changes that eventually led me back to my hometown to supply as many people as I can with the option of fresh, local, healthy food.

My decision to become a farmer has defi nitely not brought me fame and for-tune; however, I have found that while I make less money than ever before I eat better than I ever have and consequently I feel bet-ter than I ever have. Eating is no longer just something that has to be done a few times each day. Obtaining food, preparing it, cooking it and sitting down with friends or family each day to share a meal is not only important, it is also fun.

As a beginning farm, we have not yet built the infrastructure to store food for winter, so when the season is done we must buy most of our food from somewhere else. By reprioritizing I have found that while right now I live within the lowest income bracket, I can still aff ord to eat healthy, tasty food. If an organic farmer can

aff ord to eat organic food, so can you.

It has been almost four years since I returned to Williams Lake and in that short time I have watched the local food system change and grow more than I could have imag-ined. Th ere are now many other young farmers like us just beginning to come onto the scene. In my opinion it’s not a moment too soon.

Th e local food network is growing as people begin to care more and more about where and how their food is grown. Over the

coming months I would like to follow in Michelle’s footsteps and provide you, the reader, with more information about who our local farmers are. If you are a local farmer who would like to be featured in this article please give me a call at (250) 296-4409. Th is may seem like a confl ict-of-interest since I am techni-cally the competition, but I am farming because it is what I believe in and I believe it is going to take a great many more of us to build a healthy, sustainable, local food system. [email protected]

A new voice for local, fresh food EatingLocalEatingLocalBy Terri SmithBy Terri Smith


BackgroundWhat makes Shambhala

so unique? Several things: For one, it’s a home-grown festival. Shambhala began in 1998 as a small gathering of about 500 people on the Salmo River Ranch, which operates as a full time cattle ranch when it’s not host to the largest electronic music festival in western Canada. Th e festival is produced by the ranch owners’ three children, making it a true family business.

Th ere are no corporate sponsorships, therefore there are no advertisements on the grounds. Your eyes and brain are free to relax and take in the natural beauty of the grounds and all of the amazing art without the distraction of corporate logos. In fact the one thing I did see with corporate logos on it was a huge discarded Telus advertisement banner that was being repurposed as covering for the documen-tary dome.

I saw it as the artists were painting over it, leaving only the word “art” from “smart.” When it was done I don’t think anyone realized what the past life of the dome’s tarp had been. Th e other key to making the experience unique is that Shambhala is an alcohol free festival. Festival goers are warned when they buy a ticket that no alcohol is allowed on site and as cars arrive at the festival gate they are searched thorough-ly and all alcohol is confi s-cated. Th ere are no bars or beer gardens on site. Th is helps keep the aggressive-ness and douchebaggery to a minimum.

Arrival and SettingWhere is this pace?

What’s it like? Well, let me set the scene for you. Aft er a long drive — all the stories I heard were of people spend-ing anywhere from six to 30 hours on the road, but most trips were in the range of eight to 12 hours — you

arrive at Salmo, BC. Th ere you catch up to the end of the gate lineup.

I was lucky enough to be allowed inside on Tuesday to see the last of the work come together before the gates opened to the public on Wednesday, and thank-fully didn’t have to deal with the lineup. If you would like to avoid the gate lineup as well, simply get involved, either on a working crew or as a volunteer — all workers are expected to arrive before Tuesday morning when vol-unteer orientations happen.

All reports from the gate lineup come in the form of personal horror stories of extremely long waits from those who came unaware. If you would like to be let in on Wednesday, before the party starts on Th ursday, there is a $60 early entry fee, which if I were the paying public, I would absolutely pay for — your pick of the best campsites will make your weekend that much more enjoyable.

Back to that lineup though; It is in that lineup that they search every car for banned substances (the

list of which is available on their website). Once you’re cleared they check your ticket and give you a wristband and send you on your way to fi nd camping. I’ve heard stories that that lineup is so long it generates a party of it’s own. I’ve heard stories of buskers raising enough money for a ticket while sitting alongside the line. Basically, you’ll want to come early, and be prepared to wait long hours.

Aft er fi nally getting through the car search and registration process, we were in! As you come in past the gate, on your right there is a huge open fi eld known as Sunshine Camp. Sunshine Camp is the far-thest away from the action and the cheapest to camp in. Tenting is free through-out all of the camp sites but if you would like to camp with or in your vehicle or RV there is a small fee.

As you travel down the road past Sunshine Camp, further toward the action, you will see signs along the road welcoming you to Shambhala and explaining the peaceful and artistic

intent of the festival and its grounds. It is a message of love and sets the tone of the energy that will permeate the next half week that you will be spending on the grounds.

Beyond that message, you turn the corner around the trees and it opens into another fi eld known as Starlight Camp. Th is camp

is far more desirable as the walk to the grounds is signifi cantly shorter as it backs onto the fenced gates of downtown Shambhala.

As you come down the main road through Starlight camp the road splits and you can turn off to go to downtown, or you can con-tinue on to the gear drop gates of Meta Camp. Meta

We sent Jamie to cover the Shambhala music festivalnot knowing quite what to expect, but we were pretty ecstatic

to fi nd this rather epic report in our inbox.

Juli Harland: LMFAO - ‘Party Anthem’LMFAO - ‘I am Not a Whore’LMFAO - ‘I’m Sexy and I Know it’

Angela ShephardBuffy Sainte-MarieABBAFleetwood Mac

Terri Smith:Hmmm, well, anything by Drum and Bell Tower.

Laura Kelsey:Isaac Smeele - ‘Gin Jar’Year of No Light - ‘Persephone’Ted Neeley - ‘Gethsemane’

MonthlyTHE STEW MAGAZINE’S

MIXMIXThese are the

songs that rocked our

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the last30 days

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Welcome to Shambhala, the city of joy!In the second weekend of August, 14,000 people trek from all over the province, the country and even from overseas to come share in one of the most amazing experiences on the planet.

By Jamie HorsleyBy Jamie Horsley

ToneSoupToneSoup


Camp is tent only camping, it’s free but you gotta pack all your gear in. Th e road through Meta Camp is quite long but as you continue down the road the camping spots seem to get better.

I obviously didn’t follow the road far enough before settling on a site. If I had gone further, I would have found more shady spots amongst the trees and some nice spots right along the river. However some of those spots are very close to the fence that backs some of the biggest stages on the grounds and therefore can be very loud. But you didn’t come to sleep, you came to party, right?

I highly recommend taking the long hike down into the depths of Meta Camp if you’re not camping in your air conditioned RV. If you intend on doing this, the one thing that will make your life easier will be some non-motorized device with wheels, like a wagon, wheel barrow, dolly, shopping cart, or anything that will allow you to push, pull, or drag your gear rather than lift and carry it.

People set up camp sites of all sorts, oft en camping in large groups, sharing supplies and such. Almost every campsite has a name: Camp Bubblez, Camp Renegade, Camp Fuckerd, Kamp Konfused, Camp Bachelor Pad, Super Island Friends and so many more. Th e names serve as a way for friends arriving from other places to fi nd each other and also as a sort of address when inviting new friends back to your camp

to chill out. Some are elabo-rately decorated or even themed, others are nothing more than a tent or two.

If you’re camped out in the fi eld you’ll want to bring your own shade in the form of tarps, awnings, foldout gazebos, or anything else you can fi nd that you can build a shady area out of. You may not sleep much at night and it’s nothing but hot all day long so shade is essential. Th e other thing to keep in mind is the dust. Th is year we didn’t see a drop of rain all week and the vehicles driving up and down the main road kick up a lot of dust, and the closer you camp to the main road the dustier your site

will be. So be prepared for a dusty weekend; bandanas for your face are particularly handy and don’t stake your tent along the road side if you can avoid it.

Aft er I got my camp set up I went to wander around and see the sights. It was Tuesday and the only people on site were crew workers and volunteers. Some of the buildings in the downtown area were still being built. Art was going up all over, some of it even being painted on the spot. Stage crews were hard at work preparing stages and sound equipment and rigging beautiful things into the sky against nothing but the trees. When you

understand how things are normally rigged into the ceiling of a stadium or the-atre, it’s awe inspiring to see these amazing pieces rigged onto the random points of the trees.

When I woke up on Wednesday morning the landscape had changed. Where there was once fi elds with a tent or an RV splat-tered at random in them, now the fi elds were fi lling fast with RVs, vans, busses, tents and other elaborate camp sites. Th e early ar-rivals were trickling in and getting set up. Th e foot traf-fi c along the main road past my site was turning into a steady stream.

I spent the day wander-

ing around, checking out the scene a little more, meeting people and making friends, which is amazingly easy at Shambhala. Every-one welcomes everyone else with open arms and smiles and hugs.

Inside downtown the vendors were starting to get set up. Th ere were a few

permanent installations like the Night Owl Hot Brews coff ee bar and the Tea Tree & Apothecary which both highlight products local to the Kootneys. Most of the vendors were travelling vendors some of which I’ve seen around at other festivals.

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We tried to make it to Shambhala last year as well, but were unable to attend ourselves, and weren’t able to fi nd anyone to attend for us at the

last minute. Th is year we were more on the ball with our planning.

OLIVER GOSSELIN PHOTO

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18


Juli is a big fan of mini donuts, and the mini donuts from Ogopogo Mini Doughnuts sound

like something she’d be pretty crazy for.

Th e ExperienceTh e party begins Th urs-

day, but Th ursday is more of a pre-party with only the two smaller of the six stages open: Th e Rock Pit and Th e Living Room.

Th e Rock Pit is in the downtown core, beside the vendors, so there is always music downtown, through-out the weekend. Th e Living Room stage is on the beach and you’ll hear much more chill sounds coming from the Living Room stage. A lot of reggae can be heard on this stage during the day, but other downtempo sounds are played here as well. It’s at the Living Room where you can jump in the river to cool off and then dance yourself dry, which, in the beating sun, barely takes minutes.

On Th ursday the opening ceremonies were held at the Rock Pit at noon with Luci-terra and Chris Murdoch, a belly dancing circus act that included juggling and contact juggling with gravity balls. Th e girls were beautiful and

graceful and if you’ve ever seen contact juggling, you know how fascinating it can be. Th is guy had ten balls go-ing at once — incredible!

Th at night I partied hard at the Rock Pit with the amazing sounds of Delhi 2 Dublin, Bryx, Science of Defi ance, Th e Librarian, and Mat the Alien. Th en I noticed it was getting really crowded and pushy there and I was ready for a calmer scene, so I wandered over to the Living Room where the music was slightly more chill and there was room to dance. I danced to DJ Dubconscious and then Yan Zombie. Th en it was nearly 4 a.m. and I wandered off to fi nd my tent and get some shut eye.

Friday was the day the real party was gonna take off . Fri-day aft ernoon the other four stages opened. Th e Labyrinth was fi rst to open at noon with a rather spiritual ceremony asking the ancient spirits to watch over us and bring us joy and peace as we evoke the fi rst heaven of Shambala,

the city of joy, here on these grounds.

Beyond the Labyrinth stage is a labyrinth of art and quiet spaces each infused with positive energy. In the Labyrinth I found a huge mandala of crystals and semi-precious stones that had been laid out with intent set into every every stone as it was placed. Just standing in front of it, I could feel the energy radiating out of it. Th ere was also a beautiful fountain, kept by a wise woman who had graciously made herself avail-able to listen and share.

Th ere were huge ham-mock nets that could fi t six people at a time and even a Creation Station where people could come and use available art supplies to create their own art. Th e Labyrinth, I realized, is a very spiritual place.

Later the Fractal Forest, the Village, and the Pagoda opened. Th e Fractal Forest stage is set in a rather well treed area. Th e Village is the main stage and has the

biggest fl oor space as well as walkways that are raised a storey or two above the ground that create a balcony-like feeling and look. Imagine an Ewok village that lights up at night with video projec-tion, lasers and neon.

Th e Pagoda is a smallish fenced in area between end of downtown and the back of the labyrinth with a huge pagoda built in it. When you step inside the area and see the huge structure and the paintings on the fence, you get the feeling you’ve found a monastery in an Asian rainforest.

On Friday evening I caught most of Justin Hale’s set. His clever name and equally clever DJing didn’t take much to twist the rubber arms of most of the attendees. From there I wandered to the Village and caught most of the funky house set of Two Timer. Aft er midnight, I went to the Pagoda and found myself absolutely trippin’ balls at the amazing sound and lights. I stayed and had my mind blown to the sounds of Wax Romeo and then Claude VonStroke. Th ose two sets were by far the most amazing that I saw all week. Look those guys up online.

Th en it was over to the Village to be sure not to miss out on the biggest name of the night, quite possibly the weekend: Datsik. Datsik’s a Kelowna local boy that loves to pump out the hardcore dubstep. While the ravers bounced and nodded to the hard dubstep breaks, I let fl y the hair and headbanged like it was a metal show. I had such a blast, you have no idea. Headbangin’ to the electronic

music — who’d’a thunk it? I’ll admit, I have a hard

time listening to a whole Datsik album in my living room at mid volume, but I rocked out to the whole hour and a half set. Now I truly understand what this dubstep stuff is all about.

When the next artist, Bare, came on I tried to walk away but when the beat dropped I found my feet turning on their own and leading me back to the dance fl oor. But when the ambu-lance pushed its way into the crowd and the room to dance was lost, the mood and energy sorta died for me and I wandered away. I headed to the Living Room stage, looking for a calmer vibe, and found it. I caught the last of Leif’s set and fell in love with the groovy, downtempo sound of a guy called Snail Rider. I danced there until the sky was fully light and then sleepily wandered back to camp to sleep.

Saturday I took things easy as I was beginning to get sore aft er two days of dancing hard. In the aft ernoon, as I was wandering through downtown, I heard a guy telling stories on the Rock Pit stage. Th e messages in his clever anecdotes struck a chord with me. I had to sit and listen. Th ere was a guy on stage that looked a little like a young Tom Waits poetically ranting about all the things wrong with the modern era, backed by a guitar player that strummed riff s and choruses from clas-sic Americana songs.

Th e poet was Chris Chan-dler and the guitarist was Paul Benoit. I was so moved I

Most surprisingly delicious food vendor award:Ogopogo Mini

Doughnuts.This Vernon

local food cart can be found at many festivals and events around the province, serving up non-greasy and not-over-sugared delicious buttery flavoured mini doughnuts.

These are noth-ing like carnival mini doughnuts. They’re a thousand times better! If you see the Ogopogo Mini Doughnuts truck at an event be sure to try them.

Most amazingly awesome artisan:

Third Eye Pine-cones

They have cre-ated unique pieces of jewelry by cut-ting cross sections of the densest pine-cones in the world, which grow along the coast of Cali-fornia and Oregon, and encasing them in resin.

Some are avail-able with semi-pre-cious stones inlaid into them. They’re so beautiful you have to see them to believe it. cone-sandstones.com at the most.

778-412-2223 | Fax: 778-412-2200 | [email protected]#77B 2nd Avenue North, Williams Lake, BC V2G 1Z3

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September 8th is InternationalLiteracy DaySeptember 8th is InternationalLiteracy DayMake an in-store donation to the Cariboo-Chilcotin Partners for Literacy between September 8-15 and receive a one-use STOREWIDE DISCOUNT card valid until October 15, 2012

Support Literacy in our Community!


Jamie called his trip to Shambhala a life-changing experience,so that’s a pretty positive review.

74 N. Broadway Williams Lake 250-392-4818 • 1-888-504-7727 • [email protected] • www.newwaves.ca

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went and shook Chris’ hand aft er the show (and I still owe him money for a CD he let me have).

Th at evening I caught Shasta and then Briden’s set’s at the Labyrinth. Later I went to the Pagoda to catch Love and Light and made sure I saw Pretty Lights, who would be headlining at the Village the next night but that set would confl ict with others I wanted to see on Sunday.

I’m glad I did. Pretty Lights was awesome and was certainly one of the most talked about names all weekend. When I did cruise past their headlining set at the Village on Sunday, it was packed.

Aft er Pretty Lights, I went and rocked out to Sigma at the Village, and when they dropped the Prodigy remix, I danced so hard I didn’t know I had it left in me until it was over. Th en Dieselboy started. I was exhausted and the hard driving dubstep style bass wasn’t doing anything for me so I went to seek out calmer things. I found calmer things

in the form of my sleeping bag.

Sunday was the last chance to party and also the day that had the most marks on my schedule of artists I wanted to check out. I spent most of the night wandering from stage to stage occasion-ally mustering the energy to dance to the best of the beats.

I began the evening at the Fractal Forest with Neon Steve and then JPod Th e Beat Chef. Th en it was over to the Village to see one of the artists I was most excited for: ill.Gates. He absolutely killed it. He kept the Village packed and jumping for his relatively early and short, one hour set. Aft er that I went to the Pagoda, which was extremely crowded, and checked out Comic Strips, who I thoroughly enjoyed, and Porter Robinson, who was on my not-to-miss list, and Zed’s Dead, who I hadn’t heard of but came highly rec-ommended by many other festival goers.

All three were incredible, but I made sure I dashed out

during Porter Robinson’s set (aft er I heard my favourite song of his) to catch a bit of Th rift works at the Living Room stage. Aft er all that I went to catch some shuteye so I could be up in time the next morning to see and partake in the closing circle at the Labyrinth. I’m glad I did.

Th e PeopleI didn’t really know what

to expect before I arrived at Shambhala. I heard about the festival more than 10 years ago from the hippie friends I had at the time. Over the

years I’ve heard increas-ing reports of “Shambhala changed my life” to the point that it’s almost become a cliche phrase. I’ve also heard increasing reports of the festi-val growing and growing and losing the loving community it was built on.

At night when the party was in full swing, and even throughout the day, you could see all sorts of freaks and weirdos. Th ere were the obvious hippies and forest children, there was the, apparently, relatively new crowd of high-fi vin’ white

guys in their ball caps with their constant calls of, “Yeah buddy!” Th ere were cos-tumes of all sorts. Animals, cartoon characters, movie characters, there was tons of neon and glow sticks and signs and group mascots on sticks. At night it looked like a crowd you might see on the Las Vegas strip.

When I had arrived on Tuesday it was all crew and volunteers that were there. Most of these people had been coming for several years. But all week long, the big question was “How many years have you been com-ing?” and I soon realized that, unlike other festivals, there

were more returning workers and even ticket holders, than fi rst years. I was a Shambhala virgin, but I was by no means an outcast for it. Everyone who found out it was my fi rst year welcomed me with a hug and the promise of the most amazing time of my life.

None of them were wrong. I will be back next year. I think I may get involved working on the Labyrinth.

If you’ve never been, if you enjoy electronic music, if you’re looking for a loving community, you need to experience the joy of Shamb-hala.

[email protected]

Unit 2-11 2nd Ave. S, Williams Lake • 250-392-1920

School’s in, so it’s time to

build immunity!

For all your cold busting and immunity building needs.

OLIVER GOSSELIN PHOTO


go play outside!go play outside!

95 SOUTH 1ST AVE , WILLIAMS LAKE, BC V2G 1H4PHONE: 250-398-7873 | FAX: 250-398-7272 95 SOUTH 1ST AVE , WILLIAMS LAKE, BC V2G 1H4PHONE: 250-398-7873 | FAX: 250-398-7272

DONT FORGETUNLIKELYPADDLEFESTSeptember 15 & 16For information or to register call or comein to Red Shreds

September 15 & 16For information or to register call or comein to Red Shreds

the sunthe sunThere’s still plentyof time to soak upThere’s still plentyof time to soak up

THE STEW Magazine 09-12

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