Big Top Time
Circus Gatti: Entertaining families
for more than 50-years
Joe Reporter/Voice photos
A behind-the-scenes look at Gatti Circus prior to the shows. In this photo the rings and props are being setup.
Get ready for the smell of cotton candy and squeals of laughter to flood your senses as Circus Gatti puts on four-shows tonight and tomorrow at Heritage Park .
The Gatti travelling circus has been entertaining families for the last five-decades and features an array of talented performers and their K9 pals that run through a bevy of crowd-pleasing routines.
This circus doesn't have elephants or Circus staff whips up cotton candy prior to the
show Thursday.
lions due to BC's laws but that doesn't matter because the trained dogs are the best in the business and sure to put smiles on kids' faces.
After WWII, US Army Major (ret.) Matthew J. Gatti travelled around the US and Europe producing shows for enlisted men and women and in 1963 he founded the American Continental Circus and the Canadian International Circus which later became Circus Gatti.
As a child, Gatti was raised in a Christian orphanage during the Great Depression and later in life became known for his generosity and philanthropic nature by helping underprivileged children and donating his time and show tickets to charities, hospitals and even to penitentiaries.
There is an evening show tonight at 7:30 pm and two more again tomorrow at 4:15 and 7:30 pm. So if you ever want to see a three-ring circus show, or were considering running away to join one, now's the time. For more information visit their website: www.circusgatti.net
© Copyright (c) The Valley Voice
June 4th 2010
Joe Reporter
Fundraising Outreach
Red Cross support and Awareness
campaign stymied by weather
Joe Reporter/Voice photo
Red Cross canvassers had no luck collecting donations at Five Corners Monday most likely due to severe wind and rain in the Valley.
Red Cross canvasser Bob Cole and a colleague were at Five Corners Monday trying to raise cash for the organization.
"We're doing a support and awareness campaign, that's why we're out here," said Cole.
Cole is from England and is in Canada until the fall on a work visa. He is employed by a company called Public Outreach, which sends people out in the community in an effort to raise funds for the charity-of-the-day.
"We work for a variety of charities and today we're doing support and awareness for the Red Cross," he said. "We tell people about the work the Red Cross does and try and find help, funds basically."
The stormy weather was keeping people inside because by late afternoon, they still had yet to generate any money on Chilliwack's busiest corner.
If you like the work the Red Cross does and would like to donate money visit their website here.
© Copyright (c) The Valley Voice
May 4th 2010
Joe Reporter
A Doggone Good Day
Chilliwack SPCA holds Weekend
For Animals
Joe Reporter/Voice photo
Chilliwack branch manager, Ivanna Ferris, talks with two ladies interested in volunteering.
Gimme shelter. Once a year across the province BCSPCA shelters have open house, last Saturday the Chilliwack branch on Hopedale Rd. had theirs.
There were plenty of volunteers on hand to talk with folks and show them around the facilities which house a med room, staff room, laundry room and various animal pens. Up for adoption were only about six dogs which is a good thing and plenty of cats, kittens and even some birds were available to good homes.
Some of the animals the Greendale shelter houses are involved in cruelty investigations and the rules surrounding dog walking have changed slightly from the way they used to operate. Now anyone who wants to drop-in and take a dog for a walk needs to call first and arrange a time.
It's not cheap to adopt a dog but certainly worth the price. It will cost about $150 to acquire a new best friend and get the animal into a proper home.
Last year the annual open house event raised $20,000 and additionally the branch holds various fundraisers throughout the year such as the Paws For A Cause walk at Fairfield Island in September.
Donations for the shelter are always greatly appreciated if people want to drop off items they accept; Pet toys, Hill's brand canned cat food and dog food, cash for emergency surgeries and other medical supplies, office stationary, linens such as bedding, towels, mats etcetera.
If you would like to become a volunteer, the shelter is always looking for a helping hand or for dog walkers. For more information call 604-823-6612 or visit the SPCA shelter located at 6797 Hopedale Road.
© Copyright (c) The Valley Voice
May 17th 2010
Joe Reporter
Taking A Walk On The
Wild Side
Heron Reserve a natural classroom
Joe Reporter/Voice photos
An interpretive guide leads a class of kids on a walking tour of the Heron Reserve wetlands last Tuesday.
Even the parents got in on the learning at the Heron Reserve last week. The Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve is a 130-hectare site (325 acre) located on the un-dyked floodplain of the Vedder River and the site is known for the breeding colony of Great Blue Herons as well as a wide variety of wildlife and vegetation.
The reserve features over 100 Great Blue Heron nests, salmon spawning channels, 9 km of walking trails, an observation tower and bird blinds where you can watch these majestic creatures up close and personal. Inside the beautiful Interpretation Centre Kids and parents check out snake skin Tuesday.
is a live nest cam,
wildlife information displays and a collection of preserved animals including beavers, hawks and others.
The site is wheelchair friendly and folks can take a guided or self-guided walking tour of the site and you can pick up a little souvenir of your day there in the gift shop.
For more information visit www.chilliwackblueheron.com
© Copyright (c) The Valley Voice
May 28th 2010
Joe Reporter
Big Top Time
Circus Gatti: Entertaining families
for more than 50-years
Joe Reporter/Voice photos
A behind-the-scenes look at Gatti Circus prior to the shows. In this photo the rings and props are being setup.
Get ready for the smell of cotton candy and squeals of laughter to flood your senses as Circus Gatti puts on four-shows tonight and tomorrow at Heritage Park .
The Gatti travelling circus has been entertaining families for the last five-decades and features an array of talented performers and their K9 pals that run through a bevy of crowd-pleasing routines.
This circus doesn't have elephants or Circus staff whips up cotton candy prior to the
show Thursday.
lions due to BC's laws but that doesn't matter because the trained dogs are the best in the business and sure to put smiles on kids' faces.
After WWII, US Army Major (ret.) Matthew J. Gatti travelled around the US and Europe producing shows for enlisted men and women and in 1963 he founded the American Continental Circus and the Canadian International Circus which later became Circus Gatti.
As a child, Gatti was raised in a Christian orphanage during the Great Depression and later in life became known for his generosity and philanthropic nature by helping underprivileged children and donating his time and show tickets to charities, hospitals and even to penitentiaries.
There is an evening show tonight at 7:30 pm and two more again tomorrow at 4:15 and 7:30 pm. So if you ever want to see a three-ring circus show, or were considering running away to join one, now's the time. For more information visit their website: www.circusgatti.net
© Copyright (c) The Valley Voice
June 4th 2010
Joe Reporter
Tip Toeing Thru The
Tulips
Raising funds for the hospice and
Cancer Foundation
Joe Reporter/Voice photo
A youngster picks tulips in the rain at the Bloomz & Herbz Tuesday. The annual event called "Tulipmania" raises money for the Chilliwack Hospice Society and BC Cancer Foundation and is on now until April 18th. Admission is $3 per person and flowers start at $2 for 5. The location is open from 10 am to 5 pm weekends and weekdays from noon until 8 pm. Closed Mondays. The tulips are located at 5135 Ferry Rd. in Rosedale. See the community events for special dates until the 18th.
© Copyright (c) The Valley Voice
April 7th 2010
Joe Reporter
Joe Reporter Archive
Chilliwack Flightfest 2009
Boss, zee plane! Zee plane!
August 30 2009
The Joe Report
photos Craig Hill/Valley Voice
A classic bush plane was just one of dozens on display at the Airshow in Chilliwack this weekend.
Flights of Fancy
Chilliwack Airport was flight deck for dozens of planes of every size and shape from scale model electric planes to the big boys toys during this year's 2009 Flightfest. Some even looked like they were out of this world with props where they weren't supposed to be and wings at the oddest angles. Old classic planes and small Cessna planes not much larger than the seats inside and others with names like "Trojan Hoss" and "Pussycat".
Included at the show was a Snowbirds mobile flight simulator which puts people into the cockpit of a CT-114 Tutor jet where riders can feel the g-force and experience something they might not be able to again. Another interesting site to see was the "Extreme 3-D Helicopter" show where operators of these larger style scale model hobby aircraft wowed the crowds by performing stunts which included flying backwards.
More Air
Show photos in our gallery here
© Copyright (c) The Valley Voice
Birds Of A Feather
Sometimes don't flock together
Staff/Voice
Joe Reporter/Voice photo
A pair of geese soar by on their way to a landing at the Heron Reserve last week.
Those
Hectic Herons
"Hectic Herons" is Sunday, 2 pm at the Reserve. Folks are invited on a leisurely guided walk and see the heron colony up close and watch over 200 Great Blue Herons courting and working on their nests.
The Great Blue Heron Reserve is located at 5200 Sumas Prairie Rd., on the south end of Sumas Prairie Road on the Vedder River dyke. For more information call the Interpretive Centre 604-823-6603 or e-mail here.
© Copyright (c) The Valley Voice
March 26 2010
Joe Reporter