After nearly 25 years in business together, Doug and T.J. Bratt of the Hedley Country Market said a big “thank you” to the people of the community this past Sunday. They invited everyone to the Community Club for a lunch featuring Doug’s popular beef on a bun, plus cake and drinks. A draw for a 32” tv was won by Dian McKusick.

“It all started 25 years ago,” T.J. said. “I bought a little confectionery from Dawn Amos, who still lives in Hedley. We sold meats, bread, milk and other groceries. We also had a liquor outlet. Doug and I met as volunteers at the Community Club 2 years later.”

They became life partners and also business partners. After 10 years they purchased the larger 2 story grocery store directly across the street from the confectionery. They transferred their business activities to the new location, calling it the Hedley Country Market.

Observing them interacting with each other and the appreciative crowd on Sunday, it was easy to conclude they are still very much in love and still having fun.

With diligent attention to details, skillful marketing, hard work and perseverance in good and difficult times, Doug and TJ developed a solid business. Having been at it so long, they decided earlier this year to have someone else take over the enterprise.

Fortunately, Doug’s daughter Viktorya and her husband Mike expressed a keen interest. They are already deeply involved in managing the Hedley Country Market and working to take it to the next level. Doug and TJ will continue to put in a shift at the store as needed. For them, Sunday was an opportunity to show their appreciation and also to celebrate their years of success together.

A substantial crowd showed up in Hedley on November 11th to remember the men and women who served in the military to preserve our freedoms and way of life.  Wreaths were laid by members of  Hedley organizations, all levels of government and various other groups.  It was noted that this is an especially important year because it marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice to end WW I.

The Honour Guard was led by 2 Mounties in red serge from the Princeton detachment.  A member of the Canadian armed forces, Corp. Nick Dechamps (part-time resident of Hedley), served as Parade Marshall.

As in recent years, Graham Gore, pastor of the Hedley Grace Church, was the MC.  He read “In Flanders Fields”, and then read the names of  the 17 young Hedley men whose names are inscribed on the local cenotaph. Thirteen of them died in WWI and four in WW II.

Local war historian, Andy English, spoke eloquently about the experiences of the Hedley men in both World Wars. He made special mention of Jack Lorenzetto  who was conscripted in Feb. 1918 and Thomas Calvert, who served under Sam Steele. Jack was killed by shell fire Sept. 8, 1918 while transporting rations to his comrades on the front line. Thomas Calvert was badly wounded on the night of Nov. 2, 1918 during his battalion’s last battle of the war. He died  Nov. 23, 1918, twelve days after the armistice was signed.  Jack and Thomas were the last two Hedley boys to die as the result of combat in WW I.

One of the highlights of the ceremony was a rendition of “The Honour Song” by Amber Cardenas and Mya Ghostkeeper in the Okanagan language. They accompanied their singing with hand drumming.

A number of members of the Lorenzetto family came from other communities to honour the memory of Jack Lorenzetto.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, a lunch of sandwiches and desserts was served by the ladies at the Hedley Seniors’ Centre.

At sundown 10 local citizens, most from the Hedley Volunteer Fire Department, gathered at the museum. They each rang the bell 10 times for a total of 100, to mark one hundred years since the signing of the Armistice that ended WW I. Taking his turn here is Zion Nimchuk, youngest member of the fire department.

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row,…”

After 4 months of diligent effort by Derrick Bisschop and his crew, Hedley now has a brand new bridge over 20 Mile Creek on Highway 3. “We had good weather and the project progressed smoothly,” said Bisschop, General Manager and Superintendent. “The only significant delay occurred when a main girder didn’t arrive as scheduled. The semi-trailer truck carrying it rolled and the girder fell off. A number of inspections were performed to ensure its integrity had not been compromised. This set the project back 8 days.”

Fortunately, the government inspector granted some grace time. Going over the time allotted for completion would have cost Derrick’s employer, Dorosh Construction, $2500. per day. To make up for as much of the lost time as possible, the crew set up powerful lights and worked well into the night.

To the extent possible, he hired local workers. The crew, left to right are Derrick Bisschop (Chilliwack), Nick Coops (Maple Ridge), Pat Gartner (Keremeos), Simon Rayner (Princeton), John Moore (Sicamous), Richard Boutet (Hedley). Zion Nimchuk (Hedley) was not working this day.

There was serious speculation by one Hedley resident the bridge construction would be overtaken by cold and snow, and would not be completed until spring.  It could have happened but good weather, a lot of determination and hard work proved him wrong.

It was 7:15 a.m. October 23, 2018 and I was at the reception desk of a medical lab in Abbotsford. The receptionist surprised me when she said, “I heard about the fire in Hedley on the news this morning.” Observing my astonished expression, she said, “The Hitching Post Restaurant burned down last night.”

When Linda and I returned to Hedley later that day, we were dismayed by the blackened ruins of this once iconic restaurant. Several firefighters were still on the scene aiming streams of water at remaining hotspots. We learned the fire had erupted at about 2 a.m.

The Hitching Post had been purchased 6 months earlier by Bill Carmichael and wife, Trisha Mills. It had a solid reputation for excellent meals and attracted many patrons from out of town. For Bill and Trisha, it was an exciting new venture.

In a conversation with Mike Galics at the Hedley Country Market, we learned that the fire had engulfed the building with astonishing speed. He and wife, Viktorya, live on the second floor of the Market which is located kitty-corner to the restaurant. “Viktorya was awakened by Trisha calling for help. She urged me to get up quickly and get a ladder. Trisha & Bill and their dog were trapped on the second floor where they had living quarters.”

Mike was running toward the fire with a ladder, when he passed June Fairweather running toward the firehall to set off the alarm. “As I was approaching the fire,” he said, “the huge front windows exploded and I saw a row of flames racing from the back of the building along the ceiling to the front. I started putting up the ladder, but the building was now almost fully engulfed, electrical wires overhead were popping, and there were explosions inside the building. The heat was so intense I could not hold onto the ladder, so I threw it down. You can’t imagine how fast the fire moved, unless you were there.”

Bill and Trisha were standing on the second floor at the front of the burning restaurant. “Jump!” Mike shouted. They threw their dog down and Mike caught it. Unable to see the ground 20 feet below due to heavy smoke, Bill and Trisha hesitated. “The flames were only seconds away from them. I pleaded for them to jump now!” Feeling the approaching intense heat, and trusting Mike, they abandoned their precarious perch. Bill leaped first and Trisha quickly followed.

Both suffered significant injuries. “The heat was so intense, they would not have survived if we had left them where they landed. Tim and I placed them on a blanket and dragged them away from the fire.” Neighbours brought pillows and blankets to protect them from the night air.

Mike ran to alert Ken, the occupant of the home adjacent to the restaurant. He ran to other homes, advising people to get out, and also move their vehicles. The fire generated a fierce blistering heat and, in addition to attempting to douse the flames, the Hedley Volunteer Firefighters had to protect nearby buildings. Several did sustain some damage, but it could have been a lot more serious.

Three ambulances arrived within about 28 minutes.  Bill is now in the Penticton hospital and Trisha is in a Vancouver hospital. Both will require extensive medical care.

It was a grim night, but people did not just wring their hands and lament the loss.  Doug Bratt of the Country Market arrived at the store and made sandwiches for firefighters, handed out chocolate bars and provided them with bottled water. Peggy Terry opened the Seniors’ Centre at 3 a.m. and prepared coffee for residents looking for a place to congregate and talk. She said, “I pulled a cake out of the fridge, and Cindy Regier brought a banana cake. We kept the Centre open until about 3:00 pm so people had a place to come to.”

Viktorya and her sister Julie have already started a facebook go fundme account, https://www.gofundme.com/the-hitching-post-fire to help Bill and Trisha with immediate expenses. There are also plans being made for a dinner and dance fundraiser in mid November.

It’s a serious setback for Bill and Trisha. It will be important that as a community we let them know they do not have to walk this path alone.

The 100 tickets to the Hedley Museum’s annual Harvest dinner were again eagerly snapped up by people anticipating a great meal. Held at the local Seniors’ Centre last Friday evening, the event attracted locals and a number of out of towners. One contingent from Keremeos arrived well before the doors opened. They seemed not to mind waiting outside. The turkeys, hams, mashed potatoes, gravy, desserts, and much more were mostly prepared by very willing Hedley ladies and several men. Five portable steam tables were supplied by the Nickel Plate Restaurant. Approximately a dozen ladies were on hand attending to last minute details and serving the food. The generous helpings surprised some guests. Definitely a night for a long walk to burn off an abundance of calories after the meal.

This summer Linda and I have enjoyed conversations with a number of individuals who lived here in their childhood and teen years. They wanted to come back to explore their roots. Fortunately, many aspects of the roots still exist.

In spring Jim and Doug Cade visited in our home. (Click here to read their story https://livingsignificantly.ca/2018/03/18/boyhood-adventures-hedley/)  . Jim quite casually mentioned that their friend Bill Bradley had lived in our home in his early years. I called Bill, who lives with his wife Diana in Summerland. He and Diana accepted our invitation to visit. They did come and Bill toured his former home, pointing out a variety of changes, especially in the bathroom. We recorded that conversation as well. ( See https://livingsignificantly.ca/2018/05/30/bill-bradley-growing-hedley/). At the Hedley Museum we met Gwen Erickson Fraser and I did an interview with her. https://livingsignificantly.ca/2018/07/15/recollections-hedley-1940s/ There were also others with whom we had less formal contacts.

These individuals are fortunate. Although several businesses and a few homes have burned, for the most part the community they grew up in is still very much recognizable. Our visitors from the past have been happy to tell us about the buildings that burned, and who owned them.

Several weeks ago we received an e-mail from Diana Bradley. She was planning a family gathering in Hedley to celebrate Bill’s 80^th birthday. She had booked the entire Hedley Inn & Hostel. She had also arranged for a Saturday evening dinner at the Hitching Past. A visit to the Hedley Museum was in her plans. 

In her e-mail she asked if they could assemble in front of our home for a family photo session. We didn’t need any persuasion.

It was a happy, smiling gang that arrived. They seemed pleased to be checking out the little town where Bill enjoyed many youthful adventures. For Bill introducing his family to his roots was evidently a positive experience. As they were about to leave Hedley he said, “next time I’ll come back sooner.”

We look forward to having more oldtimers explore their roots in this former gold mining boom town.

A drenching downpour Saturday afternoon caused concern for organizers of the Community Club’s annual street dance in Hedley. The skies cleared though and Scott Avenue became crowded with people ready to party. “We sold 150 tickets last year,” Lindsey Fairweather said. “This year we had 170 tickets and they were all snapped up.” In addition to local citizens, people from outside the community were present in large numbers.

It was a community effort according to an obviously pleased Mike Galics. “A lot of people helped to make it a success.”

As in past years, Doug Bratt was at the barbeque applying his special brand of culinary magic, serving up crowd pleasing chicken. Hedley ladies contributed an array of sumptuous salads. Performing on stage were the vibrant, energetic Timbre Wolves.

This innocent appearing shed has attained a local history which I feel is worth recording, some of it going back well into the last century. An earlier owner of the property on which it was located used an oil burning stove for heat in the house. The oil was stored in a 45 gallon drum which was kept in the shed. Possibly at the same time, but maybe in subsequent years, the shed also held a washer and dryer. When Angelique Wood purchased the property at least a dozen years ago, she housed her egg laying chickens in it. She was generous, and at least a few neighbours benefited.

“When the egg laying became sporadic,” she said, “I changed the purpose of the shed to a home for my 2 dogs.” The windows became an “art gallery.”

The shed became a reason for rancor and criticism of Angelique. She had moved it onto the road allowance and a few individuals in town pounced on this as an opportunity to undermine her reputation. She had won the election for Area G Director, and they may have resented this. They may also have disliked her political views. Because the shed was at least partially on the road allowance, it was an easy lightening rod for their discontent. For some years, a number of people have stored unlicensed vehicles on the road allowance in front of their properties. This never became a similarly contentious issue.

Wanting to remove this source of irritation, Angelique and her partner Travis decided to dismantle the shed this weekend. Undoubtedly, everyone will now be happy.