Aveley Ranch southwest of Vavenby was very busy last week with eco-tours. Forty Grade 1 - 3 students and 11 adults from Raft River Elementary came out on Friday, April 8. It was a cold, overcast day but it did not seem to dampen the students’ enthusiasm. Many of them were looking forward to the hayride.
A lot of tourists arrived on the weekend and many used the concession, which is only available on Saturdays and Sundays.
On Tuesday, April 12, 14 seniors from Clearwater and one from Vavenby came to the ranch. They wanted to see the puppies first and then held the orphan lambs. Some of the women really enjoyed watching Fay spin wool and they all like having tea and scones in the Tea House and getting warm. The seniors all had a lovely time.
Wednesday, April 13, was the ranch’s busiest day but it was well organized and progressed smoothly. A total of 76 Kindergarten to Grade 3 students and 16 adults from Barriere Elementary, three Challengers and two helpers from Clearwater, as well as 17 home schooled children and eight parents from Vernon, Barriere, Louis Creek, and Armstrong all arrived.
A parent from the home-schooled group had been to the ranch before. She’s an on-line teacher for the Heritage Christian On-line School and she sent out invitations to others to join her in coming. It was set up as a learning camp to support home learners and to create a sense of community. The children, who had not known each other previously, certainly got along well. The hayride, cuddling and feeding the orphans, the black lamb, and seeing the ewes were the favorite parts of the tour for the children. All the groups saw the birth of a lamb. Some kids thought it was awesome, others thought it was gross. Previously some of the seniors had mentioned that it must be very hard on the mother.
Easter Egg hunt coming
There will be an Easter Egg Hunt at Aveley on Saturday, April 23. It will cost $7 per child and includes a hayride. The egg hunt for children aged seven to 12 will be at 10 a.m. and for kids one to six at 11 a.m.
Activities winding down
The last aerobics and Pilates classes will be on April 28 at 9:30 a.m. They will restart in September so come out now to get in shape for the summer. And April 26 and April 28 will be the last nights for crib and darts until the fall.
Strong winds cause power outage
On Mon., April 11 strong winds blew a tree down and across a power line on Lost Creek Road. The tree also snapped the power pole off at the bottom. Four residences were without power from 5:50 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. The fire trucks were at the site because the power lines were across the road. Hydo arrived around 6:30 but the back hoe didn’t come until 9:30 to dig a hole for the new pole.