By all accounts, last week’s Association of Kootenay and Boundary Local Governments conference was the best ever. For two and a half days, delegates from the southeast portion of the province were treated to an extremely well organized event that involved the co-ordinated efforts of Town of Creston staff, the mayor and town councilors, and many other community members.
The AKBLG held a conference in Creston once before, but this one was made much more appealing by the upgrades to the community complex and construction and renovations on the local hotel and motel scene. The addition of the Creston Flats Stables on Indian Road is another tremendous asset.
The conference was an excellent mix of work and pleasure, and I shouldn’t go on any longer before I point out that the costs were borne by sponsors and delegate fees. The town’s contribution was entirely in-kind, with the work employees carried out being counted as the equivalent of cash. Workshops, seminars and plenary sessions focused on the business of local government, and on updating and educating members on a myriad of topics.
It was especially gratifying to hear from delegate after delegate, whose comments about the main venue, Creston and District Community Complex, ranged from complimentary to incredulous. It is a facility we have already started to take for granted and it’s good to be reminded that it’s one of the best in the province.
Personally, it was nice to attend a conference in which I wasn’t a participant. As a media representative, I had the chance to take a step back and just take in the activities. I attended one of several tours designed to give delegates some insight into the Creston Valley economy. At Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery, owner Bob Johnson gave guests an excellent tour of the vineyard and winemaking facilities before they were able to sample his wine. Kootenay Meadows cheeses were well represented by Nadine Ben-Rabha, who was also able to promote organic products made at the Harris family farm. Other delegates visited Columbia Brewery, the wastewater treatment facility, Wynnwood mill and Wynnwood Cellars. At Thursday night’s trade show reception, Skimmerhorn Winery, Tabletree and William Tell were also on hand to provide samples of wine and juice.
At the gala banquet that followed, the Creston Room was transformed into a place of beauty by decorating geniuses Tracy Floer and Marilin States. High school students provided table service and a spectacular meal made by a team led by Diane Sutcliffe created considerable buzz.
And the banquet had a tough act to follow. On Wednesday night guests were transported to Creston Flats Stables for a western-themed evening of food, music and entertainment. The latter came in the form of a competition in which six two-rider teams rode horses and separated steers from their pack, by order of numbers taped on their sides. It was a great demonstration of a genuine ranching practice. And it all took place inside a huge 80-by-200-foot building, which also comfortably held tables to seat 200 and a large stage for musicians, as well.
Putting together a conference like this is a massive undertaking. Transportation has to be co-ordinated, the business community has to be brought into the mix, food catering arranged, speakers booked, sound systems organized, musicians hired, print materials created, venues made suitable — the list is almost endless. There are also endless opportunities for things to go wrong, many of which can reflect poorly on the host community. After attending for much of the time, and talking to many visitors, though, it became apparent that any minor glitches were dealt with before they became noticeable. Hoped-for blue skies appeared and if anyone didn’t thoroughly enjoy the conference they didn’t share their feelings with me.
Interestingly, when I talked to Mayor Ron Toyota on Monday morning, we discussed comments that this conference had set a new bar for communities hosting future AKBLG gatherings. He insisted that this was not the motivation of the organizing committee. “We just wanted to show the Creston Valley in a very good light,” he said.
Mission accomplished.
Lorne Eckersley is the publisher of the Creston Valley Advance.