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Some wishful thinking

Yes, it’s me again, asking for a few holiday wishes for the citizens of Salmon Arm to enjoy in the year to come.

Dear Santa,

Yes, it’s me again, asking for a few holiday wishes for the citizens of Salmon Arm to enjoy in the year to come.

Not sure how much you had to do with it, but I certainly appreciate that left-turn signal light which was installed on the Trans-Canada Highway at Shuswap Street this year. I use that intersection nearly every day and it has made a huge difference to traffic flows into downtown — keeping the driving frustrations and blood pressures of both locals and tourists at much lower levels.

But there still is the matter of that Salmon River Bridge. I’ve been asking for some time to see if you could use a little of your magic to get some improvements to that portion of our highway. It’s really a dangerous spot. (Not sure if you’ve ever had to manipulate your sleigh through there, but it might open your eyes.)

Make sure you keep all the Rotarians in Salmon Arm on your nice list. We want them all to be in good spirits, as they worked very hard fundraising for the children’s playground at Blackburn Park. You should be aware of how much the local kids were enjoying the new equipment, and there’s hopefully more to come as the Daybreak Club is still working to generate funds for the development of a spray park at the site.

The addition of a walking track and stationary fitness equipment is still in the works for Blackburn Park as well, and would provide a tangible and affordable fitness boost for the numerous seniors in the area. So please add that to the wish list too.

Another thing Salmon Arm could really use is improvements to our swimming pool. It’s a nice facility, but aging and in need of some upgrading. Ideally, Santa, we’d love to be able to develop a bigger pool with more amenities — and a switch from chlorine-based disinfecting would be great. Being of the white-haired persuasion, you know how hard those chemicals are on your hair.

I was also wondering about an endorsement deal of sorts. I know you use elves for labour, but what about lending your (considerable) weight to efforts encouraging people to support local merchants? You’ve got a great reputation, Santa. With you as the face of a buy-local campaign, how could it go wrong?

If you could do something about the weather, it also wouldn’t hurt. I know by July, you’re probably basking in a well-deserved rest, but we could use a few more of those spectacularly sunny Shuswap days, with no signs of floods or fires that drive visitors away from our shores — and a special request to keep the skies clear on Roots and Blues weekend. It’s one of the biggest draws of the summer, put on with the effort of so many volunteers. The kiss of sunshine helps ensure big, enthusiastic crowds.

Speaking of volunteers, these are the people who deserve a little something extra in their stockings this year. In our increasingly fast-paced, high-stress world, the people who give so freely of their time are the backbone of our city. They deserve our appreciation.

Merry Christmas.