Board News

Crawford Bay Hall Board News - February 2026

By Leona Keraiff

We are happy and grateful to share that local residents, Paula Snow and Kurtis Staven have begun organizing Sunday Markets to be held in our Crawford Bay Community Park. The recently updated William Fraser Pavilion will be the location for handmade goods, services, farm goods, music, food and celebration. The excitement begins in May and will continue weekly until October. Vendors are invited to apply now at https://cbsundays.ca/market OR to email info@cbsundays.ca to find out more details.

Our fabulous Enchanted Playground, also located in the park, is undergoing some changes which should be in place in time for the Markets’ arrival. Lastly, on the topic of our park, a new picnic shelter is being created and built in Creston, by Daiku Woodworks. The enhancements in the playground and the shelter are all part of the ‘Recreational Enhancements in Accessibility For Children’ project generously sponsored by the Columbia Basin Trust.

Since this and future issues of the Kootenay Mainstreet will be available to a wider audience (thank you Dee), I would like to tell you about our Crawford Bay Community Hall (1938 built) Restoration Project. The Crawford Bay & District Hall & Parks Association (CBDHP) has been committed to this project since 2008 when owning the land surrounding the hall became a priority in order to secure grant funds. School District 8 owned the land at the time, with the Crawford Bay Elementary/ Secondary School being physically attached to the hall building. By the way, the CBDHP Association also owns and is the steward of the Community park.

With the exception of the covid years the hall has been used continuously since volunteers built it over a six month period in 1938. Local families’ lived experiences within the hall, community history and East Shore life have all been vibrantly on display through: Fall Fairs, dances, celebrations, meetings, classes, performances, the school lunch program, elections, youth activities, Seniors’ lunches, food hampers, artisan fairs, Santa visits, silent auctions, concerts, Boy Scouts, teas, weddings, funerals, reunions, community dinners, grad breakfasts, Yoga, Chi Gong and countless other gatherings.

Planned upgrades include: new insulated Roof Structure and insulated Foundation, high efficiency windows and doors, BC FireSmart exterior with upgraded insulation, an air-source heat pump and improved ventilation, wheelchair - accessible entryway and patio, enhanced lighting and safety systems. Basically, we need to move this sweet old building into the 21st century.

In 2018, the land surrounding the hall was purchased by the CBDHP Association and fundraising began in earnest. The Columbia Basin Trust was quick to join us and to guide us to where we are today: over $1.9 million dollars secured with $235,000 still left to raise before the shovels can go in the ground. The Clean BC Communities Grant is our largest funder with our share of the project being 35% of the total cost. We have been diligently working towards meeting our obligation for several years now. 2026 is the year to get this done we have decided! The CBDHP Association has been a non-profit Society since 1958 and was recently granted charitable status by the CRA.

If you see the value in Community halls as a gathering place and a venue for nurturing community life please consider donating to our project: e transfer: donate@cbhall.ca OR

please mail a cheque to: Hall Reno Fund, Box 71, Crawford Bay BC, V0B1E0 We have a website with photos and more info: www.cbhall.ca If you so choose your name will be prominently displayed on our donor wall in the new entryway.

As much as we love our phones for communication and information gathering, as a species we humans need to look each other in the eye and embrace on a regular basis. That is the beauty of community parks and community halls. Thank you for your attention. We look forward to seeing you in our community park for the Sunday Markets and at our next community hall event.

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