A very sad social statement and a sign of the times, several long held christmas time local events apparently being canceled due to lack of interest and support. The Winterfest sailpast and fireworks celebration. Also the local Lions club Diamond dinner, as well as the Christmas parties of several local organizations. Bah Humbug!
So who cancelled the Winterfest sail past and the fireworks, do they not owe us the fireworks for the kids due to when they canceled them a few months ago. How about the Christmas parade ?
when you rely on volunteers to do everything, it can get very hard to put on an event.
People don’t like to do work, free. It’s sad, but that’s just how it is.
BTW, Justincase, they don’t owe us anything. 
Sort of how I felt last night. We had our annual Moonlight Madness sponsored by the Chamber. The old lady and her friend decorated the shop to the max, I added spotlights to the Christmas displays in the window and made sure the shelves were stocked to the max and prices cut on most items to LESS than in Prince George.
Not one fucking person showed up.
Nada.
They call it Black Friday here because from then until mid-January the town empties from Friday morning to Sunday night.
I’m a big supporter of the Chamber, but shit… I’ve stayed open every Moonlight Christmas event since 1998 and haven’t made a total of $20 doing so.
As far as the fireworks go, no one has told us that the show is not happening, so before this goes too far, can we not wait for word from Special Events as far as Winterfest goes.
For the Diamond Dinner, it is sad that and event that has happened for so long is not happening this year and I feel sorry for the groups that would have benefited from it. Hopefully the Port Edward Lions who have taken it over for the past few years will be able to figure something out for next year.
[quote=“herbie_popnecker”]Sort of how I felt last night. We had our annual Moonlight Madness sponsored by the Chamber. The old lady and her friend decorated the shop to the max, I added spotlights to the Christmas displays in the window and made sure the shelves were stocked to the max and prices cut on most items to LESS than in Prince George.
Not one fucking person showed up.
Nada.
They call it Black Friday here because from then until mid-January the town empties from Friday morning to Sunday night.
I’m a big supporter of the Chamber, but shit… I’ve stayed open every Moonlight Christmas event since 1998 and haven’t made a total of $20 doing so.[/quote]
Chamber should have to pay the expenses of the shops being open for nothing until midnight… I gave up on shopping in this town a long time ago… I wait until trips away or go to Terrace as often as possible…
The Mall is a waste of time… Safeway and Overwaitea have good service and selection, so food shopping here is fine, but forget the rest for the most part…staff in many places could care less… slow retail is also a sign of the times
As for the sail past, that is sad but another sign of the times… Years ago it was very big but each year it got smaller… will have to wait to hear if fire works are still a go…
Last I heard, which was this morning from a member of the special events board, not only are the fireworks not canceled but they will include the fireworks that were scheduled for Halloween Fest plus an additional couple of thousand dollars worth to make what should be a great show on the waterfront. Last I heard on Sailpast there were about four boats registered and a call on canceling the event will be made Monday or Tuesday after the registration deadline passes.
This thread seems to be drifting from events to shopping so I am posting this for Herbie and wondering if his community is facing this problem.
We get the Quesnel newspaper and a full page ad is telling the residents of Quesnel that for $49.95 they can be bussed from the the downtown Tim Horton’s (you get a free coffee) to the Pine Centre Mall in Prince George and back. You also get a $20 gift card which I am guessing is for any place in the mall. This is happening every Sunday until Christmas.
[quote=“bubbasteve735”]when you rely on volunteers to do everything, it can get very hard to put on an event.
People don’t like to do work, free. It’s sad, but that’s just how it is.
BTW, Justincase, they don’t owe us anything. [/quote]
I have to disagree with you there Bubba as my fella and I and many others do a great deal of work for nada and have fun doing it! I don’t imagine that any hard-working volunteers reading your post would appreciate your sentiment either. On another topic, went to Zellers today, my fella needed a price check on a new printer, well the stupid machines didn’t work so waited in line in the vid. dept, behind a group of total morons, a family with a stroller full of crap and none of it electronics! The cashier said nothing and proceeded to cash her out, a line-up waiting , one guy pissed off as he only wanted to buy batteries and had to have the damn things scanned there. What is wrong with people, so ignorant, go to the regular checkout like everyone else! Inconsiderate little@@#%$ and the cashier should not have allowed it! Wait till the X-Mas rush and customers are trying that one out !!! Just had to vent !!
[quote=“codybear933”]
[quote=“bubbasteve735”]when you rely on volunteers to do everything, it can get very hard to put on an event.
People don’t like to do work, free. It’s sad, but that’s just how it is.
BTW, Justincase, they don’t owe us anything. [/quote]
I have to disagree with you there Bubba as my fella and I and many others do a great deal of work for nada and have fun doing it! I don’t imagine that any hard-working volunteers reading your post would appreciate your sentiment either. On another topic, went to Zellers today, my fella needed a price check on a new printer, well the stupid machines didn’t work so waited in line in the vid. dept, behind a group of total morons, a family with a stroller full of crap and none of it electronics! The cashier said nothing and proceeded to cash her out, a line-up waiting , one guy pissed off as he only wanted to buy batteries and had to have the damn things scanned there. What is wrong with people, so ignorant, go to the regular checkout like everyone else! Inconsiderate little@@#%$ and the cashier should not have allowed it! Wait till the X-Mas rush and customers are trying that one out !!! Just had to vent !![/quote]
You need to get out a bit more, when shopping in Zellers you frequently hear “attention shoppers the check out in the electronics department is available”. Directing customers in line ups at other cashiers if they wish.
As for Bubba’s comments, she probably isn’t too far off the mark, volunteers in this town are a small but dedicated group, it’s not surprising that volunteer fatigue might set in especially for a town with a declining population base and limited financial resources.
[quote=“codybear933”]
[quote=“bubbasteve735”]when you rely on volunteers to do everything, it can get very hard to put on an event.
People don’t like to do work, free. It’s sad, but that’s just how it is.
BTW, Justincase, they don’t owe us anything. [/quote]
I have to disagree with you there Bubba as my fella and I and many others do a great deal of work for nada and have fun doing it! I don’t imagine that any hard-working volunteers reading your post would appreciate your sentiment either. On another topic, went to Zellers today, my fella needed a price check on a new printer, well the stupid machines didn’t work so waited in line in the vid. dept, behind a group of total morons, a family with a stroller full of crap and none of it electronics! The cashier said nothing and proceeded to cash her out, a line-up waiting , one guy pissed off as he only wanted to buy batteries and had to have the damn things scanned there. What is wrong with people, so ignorant, go to the regular checkout like everyone else! Inconsiderate little@@#%$ and the cashier should not have allowed it! Wait till the X-Mas rush and customers are trying that one out !!! Just had to vent !![/quote]
Zellers has been a disaster for a long time… When you look at the goods some of the stuff is pretty good, but the store is so poorly lead out, and the service is awful. I wish we had a shoppers shuttle to Walmart- Canadian Tire and Staples etc every Saturday for the folks who do not get to Terrace, at a low price.
Service in Terrace is far better, the people working in retail actually like their jobs…
I get out enough “smurfette” thanks and NO, there was no announcement to use the electronics dept. cashout as if that were the case there wouldn’t have been so many pissed off customers and as far as the volunteer comment, yes, I agree we do burn out and if we do, we give it a rest for a while, no problem there but to say people don’t like to work, free, is not true. I am lucky to have great volunteers working for me who appear to be even more dedicated to the work than I am as a paid employee so there should be no blanket statements made, that’s all ! BTW, “northernguy”, great idea, even if only one Saturday a month, would be awesome for those who don’t have the advantage of going down the road when the shopping mood strikes !
[quote=“northernguy”]
Zellers has been a disaster for a long time… When you look at the goods some of the stuff is pretty good, but the store is so poorly lead out, and the service is awful. I wish we had a shoppers shuttle to Walmart- Canadian Tire and Staples etc every Saturday for the folks who do not get to Terrace, at a low price.
Service in Terrace is far better, the people working in retail actually like their jobs…[/quote]
I agree with the zellers set up - it needs a do-over and I wish things would be priced more often. However the service isnt bad. Walmart has the worst service I’ve ever experienced (with the exception of the door greeter) the cashiers are rude, the floor ppl cant be bothered, and the electronics dude was a total jackass.
The more you shop out of town, the worse the local selection gets. Very few items are actually cheaper in Terrace - most local retailers will match the price of terrace flyers - all you have to do is ask.
It nice to go to terrace every once in a while - just to get out of town, its nice to go to smithers for an evening too. But a shuttle every weekend??? why dont you just move there??
[quote=“codybear933”]
[quote=“bubbasteve735”]when you rely on volunteers to do everything, it can get very hard to put on an event.
People don’t like to do work, free. It’s sad, but that’s just how it is.
BTW, Justincase, they don’t owe us anything. [/quote]
I have to disagree with you there Bubba as my fella and I and many others do a great deal of work for nada and have fun doing it! I don’t imagine that any hard-working volunteers reading your post would appreciate your sentiment either. On another topic, went to Zellers today, my fella needed a price check on a new printer, well the stupid machines didn’t work so waited in line in the vid. dept, behind a group of total morons, a family with a stroller full of crap and none of it electronics! The cashier said nothing and proceeded to cash her out, a line-up waiting , one guy pissed off as he only wanted to buy batteries and had to have the damn things scanned there. What is wrong with people, so ignorant, go to the regular checkout like everyone else! Inconsiderate little@@#%$ and the cashier should not have allowed it! Wait till the X-Mas rush and customers are trying that one out !!! Just had to vent !![/quote]
When you’ve worked on the organizer end of things, you get to know a bit about people. Yes, there are some, actually few, who are dedicated and will be there rain or shine. But most people won’t. Some people say they’ll be there, and then they never show up at all. And By the way, I AM a hard working volunteer. I’d be volunteering this year if I could. I’ve been helping with community events since I was about ten years old… How long have you been here again?
I never said or even intimated that you were not a hard-working volunteer Bubba as I know that you are as you had stated during the summer for Seafest. I was only disagreeing with your comment that people do not like to work for free. As far as your question regarding how long I have been here, well, 11 years and I have been a volunteer for the last 10 of those but since I am waaaaaaay older than you and have been volunteering since I was 16 with the OPP and the cops in Toronto with street folks then I probably have been doing this for a few more years but that is just age !!
I was refering to Prince Rupert and our activities here. 
[quote=“StackedSports”]
[quote=“northernguy”]
Zellers has been a disaster for a long time… When you look at the goods some of the stuff is pretty good, but the store is so poorly lead out, and the service is awful. I wish we had a shoppers shuttle to Walmart- Canadian Tire and Staples etc every Saturday for the folks who do not get to Terrace, at a low price.
Service in Terrace is far better, the people working in retail actually like their jobs…[/quote]
I agree with the zellers set up - it needs a do-over and I wish things would be priced more often. However the service isnt bad. Walmart has the worst service I’ve ever experienced (with the exception of the door greeter) the cashiers are rude, the floor ppl cant be bothered, and the electronics dude was a total jackass.
The more you shop out of town, the worse the local selection gets. Very few items are actually cheaper in Terrace - most local retailers will match the price of terrace flyers - all you have to do is ask.
It nice to go to terrace every once in a while - just to get out of town, its nice to go to smithers for an evening too. But a shuttle every weekend??? why dont you just move there??[/quote]
The shuttle could be during the holiday season weekly, than once a month… I get to Terrace whenever I want to shop, I am fortunate, but many lower income people do not. I am tired of places like zellers having such a strong hold on the less fortunate…
No many things are not cheaper in Terrace, but there is a far wider range of goods more ranges between high and low end. Even at Liquadation world if you hit it right it’s great… I understand all the bad news regarding Walmart overall, however in the North they are a godsent, value and selection came to the North the likes of which we never saw before… Canadian Tire has a vast selection for people who want something usually a little better than Walmart. I have never experienced bad service in Terrace including at Walmart… Zellers here is the worst Zellers that I have seen management does not give a shit and it filters down the rest of the staff… I won’t shop there unless I am stuck. Bargin Store and Dollar Store while quality is not great at times, the staff are much nicer… Could never take the cold winter of Terrace but for retail, Terrace is the shopping centre for the area…
I would like to start out by making a comment about the original topic of this thread.
I agree it is sad to see a lot of the holiday activities cancelled, or limited due to the lack of ‘whatever’ it is sad.
However, I have not lived in a town where there were so many fireworks. How much are we spending to have a fire works show every other month. We could have a huge show maybe 2 times a year and save our resources…both financial and human.
If by chance the sail past does not happen it will be a shame, but maybe people will still come out and be social, and the spirit of Christmas does not ask for $$ or volunteers if I am do remember correctly.
As far as retail shopping in Prince Rupert, there are a few great stores who really put everything on the line. A bad attitude from a store associate may come from a bad day, from the low pay, from not caring, or it could be because they’re dealing with a bad attitude in their face at that time. I will agree that I have felt like I am not wanted in many stores, but I have felt that way in Terrace, Vancouver, etc.
I try to shop in Prince Rupert. I would however support a shuttle system once a month even to Terrace. Does anyone know how much Greyhound charges to get to Terrace?
Overall we all need to make changes, things seem to be getting worse and worse and no one has good solutions except for bitching and complaining, waiting for someone else to come up with an idea.
[quote=“ratboat4”]I would like to start out by making a comment about the original topic of this thread.
I agree it is sad to see a lot of the holiday activities cancelled, or limited due to the lack of ‘whatever’ it is sad.
However, I have not lived in a town where there were so many fireworks. How much are we spending to have a fire works show every other month. We could have a huge show maybe 2 times a year and save our resources…both financial and human.[/quote]
On your typical year you get 2 show, halloween and winterfest. this past year was different with the torch and the 100th birthday. July 1st fireworks are dependent on federal money. Next year there are only plans so far for the usual two shows as far as I know.
I knew the 100th birthday was special. I didn’t know it was federal money for July 1 fireworks. However don’t they always have a batch of fireworks for the end of cruise ship? Either way do we really need fireworks on Halloween? Money can be put into better places is what I am thinking.