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This presentation is aimed at parents, teenage youth and any concerned community members interested in learning more about local drug trends, the impact drugs have on our community and what the public can  to to help police eradicate drug activity from their neighbourhoods.

This free presentation takes place on Thursday, May 17, in the Correlieu Secondary School gymasium at 6:30pm.

Do you have questions about your health? Want to know about local services?

Find out the answers at the Quesnel Health and Community Services Expo, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday March 31 at the Quesnel & District Arts and Recreation Centre. Visitors will be able to sign up for comprehensive health screenings, listen to talks by experts, or ask questions about improving health and wellness at a number of exhibitor booths.

John Mellencamp, named 'the poet laureate of the interstate' by Cam Fuller writing for The Saskatoon Star Phoenix, brings his No Better Than This Tour for a cross Canada trek, from west to east, over the course of five weeks starting mid June. The tour starts in British Columbia and continues east, including concert performances in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Over the course of the past two years, the tour has crisscrossed the United States, played dates in Ireland, England, Germany, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland and Italy. Last year the tour played twelve Canadian dates, that trek notable for both enthusiastic audience response and capacity crowds. The new dates are a reflection of the success of that earlier leg of the tour. His long-time touring band including Michael Wanchic (guitar), Andy York (guitar), Miriam Sturm (violin), John Gunnell (electric and upright bass), Dane Clark (drums and percussion) and Troye Kinnett (accordion/keyboards) will be on hand for the upcoming NBTT Canada dates.

Success By 6® is receiving a new investment of $3.4 million from the Ministry of Children and Family Development for early childhood development opportunities for young children throughout the province.

As announced at an event with community partners in Quesnel, the funding will go toward high-quality, community-based programs dedicated to providing children in B.C. with a good start in life. Funded programs include literacy, nutrition, children’s play, parenting skills development and cultural programs. The latest provincial investment comes from within the ministry’s existing fiscal plan.

Mark your calendar – one of the community’s most anticipated winter events is just around the corner. We’re in a deep freeze now, but why not celebrate a true Canadian winter by taking part in the fourth annual Quesnel Winter Carnival? This celebration of all things winter takes place at the West Fraser Timber Park on Saturday February 4 starting at 1:00pm.

The Winter Carnival encourages active living through cold-weather sports. And there’s a wide variety of sports for you to try this year. Come out and cross-country ski, snowshoe, toboggan, or skate – you can even borrow equipment if you don’t have your own. A new event this year is frisbee golf – take your best shot at coming in under par in this unique take on a centuries-old favourite.

Residents and businesses in the Cariboo Chilcotin still have time to take in one of the open houses to “talk trash” this month.

Join us in Wells this evening at the Community Hall, 6 p.m. or tomorrow evening, Thursday, October 20 at the Baker Creek Community Hall, 7 p.m. If you haven’t had a chance to attend any of the sessions, you can still have your say online. The online survey will remain open until October 31.

Do you know a difference maker, an individual who is a shining example of an ordinary person with an extraordinary story of determination, excellence and teamwork; someone you feel has helped make Quesnel and the north Cariboo a better place to live?

If so, you are encouraged to nominate that individual to complete the final leg of the Rick Hansen Man in Motion 25th Anniversary Relay when it visits Quesnel on March 22, 2012. The individual will have the honour of carrying the Rick Hansen medal onto the stage during the End of Day Celebration held at the Spirit Square.

(Rick presents the 25th anniversary medal to the first medal bearer of the relay. Photo taken from the Rick Hansen Foundation website)

Good fortune "definitely living" at Barkerville’s 13th annual Mid-Autumn Festival

Barkerville, BC, August 17, 2011 – In Chinese culture, certain numbers are deemed lucky based on the Chinese word their name sounds closest to. In Cantonese, for example, the number two is a homophone of the Chinese character for "easy," so the number two is considered to be auspicious. Likewise, the number three sounds similar to the word for "life," and the number eight is so synonymous with "fortune" or "prosperity" that a telephone number with all its digits being eights once sold for USD$270,723.00 in Chengdu, a southwest Chinese city.

Add up all three of those digits and you get thirteen, which the Chinese – unlike their Western counterparts - consider to be a lucky number indeed. The number one sounds like the word for "definite" in both Mandarin and Cantonese; the number three, like "living," or "birth." As a result the number thirteen, which is pronounced "shisan" in Mandarin, can mean "definitely vibrant," "assured growth" or "definitely living."

The community’s arts and culture will be on display during the second annual Open Doors event on Sunday, Aug. 21 from noon to 5 p.m. This free event, co-ordinated by Quesnel and District Leisure Services, features 13 sites of cultural interest, complete with interpreters, photo displays, artists, musicians, authors and more.

Guides to help plan your route for the day are available at the Quesnel and District Museum and Archives, the Quesnel Visitor Centre and at the Quesnel and District Arts & Recreation Centre. You can also download a brochure at www.quesnelmuseum.ca/SpecialEvents

Take a cast of 10 living historians. Have them tackle a 40-plus kilometretrail through the rugged Cariboo Mountains. Pit them against narrow alpine paths, mosquito-infested swamps and an extreme climate where one minute you're trudging through snow, the next, blazing sun - all while using nothing but 19th Century gold rush-era equipment.

Oh, but make sure they're still able to post to Facebook.

Welcome to the 1861 Gold Rush Pack Trail Ride, a rollicking recreation of the opening chapter of the Cariboo Gold Rush. On August 3, 10 members of the R.E. Living History Group (RELHG) assembled at the Weaver Creek Trailhead in Keithley Creek and embarked on their historic quest.

Photo: Members of the R.E. Living History Group (pictured here during the 2009 recreation of the 1859 "McGowan's March") set off for the 1861 PackTrail between Keithley Creek and Barkerville on August 3.