Merritt’s second annual Art Walk wrapped up July 31 with live music, creatively-sculpted fruit and the announcement of the month-long event’s winners at the Olde Courthouse Art Gallery.
Twenty local businesses housed works by 21 Nicola Valley artists over the month of July in an effort to develop partnerships between local businesses and their customers, visitors to the city, and local artists.
Local painter Cassandra Dolen scored the top spot in the people’s choice of artist category, followed by Fran McMurchy and Andrew Ruigrok who tied for second, and Silvia Rosenfelder-Schechtel in third.
The top people’s choice award for businesses in the event went to Home Hardware, followed by Baillie House and Brambles in a tie for second, and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in third.
Sheila Marshall won the grand prize draw for a wooden vase created by Ruigrok.
The event was a joint effort by the Nicola Valley Community Arts Council and the Merritt and District Chamber of Commerce.
BC Assessment updating Merritt photos
There’s no need to be suspicious if a van with a camera mounted to the front rolls down your street and snaps a photo of your house between Aug. 8 and 10.
It’s the vehicle that BC Assessment has contracted to photograph 2,178 homes in Merritt to update its database.
The Crown corporation assesses the value of properties in communities across B.C. every year.
This update is part of a regional update to the Thompson-Cariboo photo database, which will also include new pictures of homes in Williams Lake, Ashcroft, Cache Creek and Lytton, among others.
The pictures are used by BC Assessment in its day-to-day operations and will not include information identifying the people who live at the address, a list of frequently asked questions on BC Assessment’s website states.
All photos will be taken from the street and identifiers such as signs for businesses, people on the property and views of the interior of the residence will not be included in the photo or will be scrubbed out.
The agency’s assessments and its photos are made public.
Check BC Assessment’s website for more information on the photo update or to see the full list of FAQs.
The van will be marked with BC Assessment signs on its sides.
Rocket jump cancelled
The record-setting rocket jump scheduled for Sturgis Canada has been cancelled.
California-based daredevil “Mad” Mike Hughes was slated to launch his homemade steel rocket a record-setting 2,000 feet at the Merritt festival site on Aug. 23.
However, a post on Hughes’ Facebook page on July 30 states the Sturgis Canada jump has been cancelled due to a lack of sponsorship and Hughes’ exhaustion.
The news comes about a month after Hughes’ steam-powered rocket crash-landed in Arizona.
Hughes and his crew were preparing for a pay-per-view jump on June 28 when the rocket took off from its launch site unexpectedly.
Hughes was not in the rocket at the time.
He is the current world record holder for the longest jump in a manned rocket — 1,374 feet over the Grand Canyon.
Traditional music fest takes over Princeton
Three days of traditional music kick off on Aug. 15 in Princeton’s town square.
The annual Princeton Traditional Music Festival is a series of free concerts in downtown Princeton, approximately 90 kilometres south of Merritt. 
The music kicks off on the Friday at 6:15 p.m. and concerts continue from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The volunteer-run event features Vancouver-based Balkan Roma band Okestar Šlivovica, which plays traditional Serbian-influenced Balkan Roma brass music popular at traditional weddings and celebrations.
Logan Lake RCMP investigate break-in
Logan Lake RCMP are looking for a man after an elderly couple’s house in Logan Lake was broken into while they were sleeping.
The break-in occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 2. Nothing was taken, but the front door had been opened with significant force, causing damage to the door jamb and frame.
RCMP are now looking for a person of interest who was observed in the immediate area around 6 a.m. that day. His involvement is unknown.
He is described as a white male, 5’10” to six feet tall, between 17 and 25 years old, wearing beige pants, a white camouflage shirt and a ball cap.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Logan Lake RCMP at 250-523-6222 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
