May 29-31, 2009 

It's all happening right here in the Country Music Capital of Canada

May 29-31, 2009

 President's Message

 As I write this message for our second edition of the Merritt Walk of stars newsletter, a lot has changed since the last edition.
We're happy to finally get the long awaited funds from the Western Economic Diversification Grant.  Big thanks to Amber and Michelle for their hard work in acquiring these funds.  With this money, the Legacy Square development will proceed as planned, the temporary location for the Country Music Hall of Fame will get started and we'll be able to hire some part time staff to assist with these projects.  Also, the Youth-At-Risk program that Michelle has been working on will get an additional boost.
We'll really miss Amber as she has set up home down in  Aussi Land for the next while.  She will continue to help us with some grant writing when she can and will keep in touch by cyberspace.  She will be back for the Gala and Musicfest, though.
The much awaited Hall of Honour plaques have been picked up from their old location in Calgary and they are now in Merritt.  A big thank you to CCMA President, Jacquie Rae Greening, Claude Lelieve and Chris Langhaug for all the hours they put in to the negotiations and to Rick for delivering them to Merritt.  It is a significant turning point in solidifying Merritt's claim to the Country Music Capital of Canada title.  Although the exact location for the Canadian Country Music Hall of Honour  isn't finalized, it is definitely going to be in the city of Merritt!
We've added Nicole Hyette to our talent pool to help us procure memorabilia for the "Hall of Honour". Nicole will be working closely with the CCMA to contact artists and industry to track down materials for display.  A very exciting project! Welcome Nicole!
Plans are well underway for the 6th Annual Gala Weekend May 29-31, 2009.  Robyn has been very busy finalizing the artist line-up.  Make sure you reserve your table well in advance as we expect tickets to sell out fast again this year.  It's sure to be another unforgettable event - although it will be hard to top the entertainment (both planned and unplanned) provided last year.
We are in for a very exciting year again with lots of exciting new projects getting started or moving forward. I believe that if we can continue expanding our circle of friends and doers that this seemingly undaunting task will really start taking shape this year.
I look forward to seeing all at the Gala.
Ron Sanders
President

 

 As a Director and also Chairperson of the Capital Development Committee for Merritt Walk of Stars Society (MWOS), I have had the rewarding pleasure of working with fellow Committee members Ron Sanders, Peter Moyes and Amber Papou as well as the Board and Affiliate Members of MWOS, for over two years now.  We have undertaken many volunteer driven projects prior to and during my time as a Director.

Probably the most exciting project I have worked on, for many years now, is our current Hall of Fame project.  We are, and have been, working hand in hand on this for some time with both the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) and the BC Country Music Associaton (BCCMA). 

To date we have successfully signed a long term agreement with CCMA to take on the responsibility of providing a home for the display and public viewing of CCMA's national collection of Hall of Honour Placques.  There are currently 37 Placques in this collection with many more to come, as they are awarded.

We are hoping to have a decision made soon on a temporary downtown location for the display of the Placques.  This location will also be the temporary home of our new Hall of Fame, as we build our collection of memorabilia. 

We have been involved in negotiations for some time now in an effort to purchase a wonderful collection of memorabilia from the estate of the late Mr. Gary Buck who, with his wife Deb, founded the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Inc. in Calgary.  This collection has been located in a custom building, built and operated by Gary, Deb and many faithful volunteers, on the Stampede Grounds in Calgary.  Our negotiations are continuing with Deb Buck, through her lawyers representing the estate. 

We have recently hired Nicole Hyette, the Executive Director for BCCMA, to assist us in securing items of memorabilia for our new Hall of Fame.  Nicole will be working in cooperation with CCMA and BCCMA representatives to secure new items of memorabilia from Country Music Artists across our great country.

Amber Papou, our very successful grant writer, is currently busy preparing our Business Plan for securing long term Federal and Provincial funding, not only for the temporary Hall of Fame, but for our longer term goal of a permanent 'state of the art' Hall of Fame and Performing Arts Centre, all within the Merritt downtown core area. 

This is an amazing project that can help tremendously with our efforts to attract many new visitors, both from Canada and abroad to Merritt, especially to the downtown area.  As a tourism based project, it will also help transform Merritt into a city with less dependence on resource based industries, as the global fortunes evolve.

I would strongly encourage others to volunteer and become members of our very active MWOS organization.  You may just have as much fun as I am, helping to create a new vibrant Merritt.

Best regards, Chris Langhaug, Merritt Walk of Stars Director

  Merritt Walk of Stars Society Board of Directors