There are many elements in the equation of community health and vitality. We need good quality health care. We need relevant, quality education systems. Our social systems have to be functioning at a high level as well. There is also the question of a healthy, diverse economy. Although it could be argued that Kimberley's economy is actually very healthy and very diverse ( I don't quite agree)... some call it Cranbrook, or NWT, or Yukon, or northern Alberta. Many people who call Kimberley home commute daily, weekly, monthly or seasonally to various well-paying jobs away from our small town. I know because I am one of them - I commute to Cranbrook during the workweek, Monday to Friday. It's not all that bad, considering that most of the money does flow back to the community one way or another - not all of it though, I certainly recognize that piece. Given our reality of travel to work, can we actually start to reverse that trend? I say we can and we should consider the shoulder season for starters.
So how can we improve on our situation in Kimberley? How can we make things a bit more diverse and improve the economy? Certainly,one thing that needs work is the shoulder season. Currently, the shoulder season is broken pretty bad and is in need of some serious healing. So how do we go about fixing the shoulder? First of all we need to recognize that there is an amazing (uncommon) culture living in our midst. These are people that have chosen the mountain lifestyle to the corporate lifestyle; growing friendships over bank accounts, and truly living with the four seasons that Kimberley offers. If you are wondering what this (uncommon) culture looks like, please refer to exhibit "A" below:
Dave Quinn is the quintessential (uncommon) culture... AKA : "Dirtbag". In Kimberley, this (uncommon) culture that is actually becoming common, which is a good thing. Many mountain towns the world over had the essence of the Dirtbag, but quickly lost it - for various reasons. The culture is sharing their brilliance with us all, and this is very good for Kimberley. They instill a sense of wonder and vitality to mountain living through their various art forms, whether that be film, photography, spoken word, or even creative entrepreneurial maneuvering - it's all good for all of us. And it's also good for our economy. One event that showcases these brilliant people (I meant that - they are brilliant!) is the upcoming Dirtbag festival. Also, another event that happened in June - the Round the Mountain. These two events are one piece of the formula to fix the broken shoulder.
One of the (many) prescriptions to repair the shoulder season would be to listen (very carefully) to the wisdom of the Dirtbags. Kimberley is very lucky to have them living in our midst - they offer a lot.
Darryl Oakley
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