Hodge Podge by Charlie Hodge

If you are looking for something to do this weekend then consider popping into the open house hosted by Kelowna-Lake Country Conservative candidate Graeme James. The event is set for this Saturday, April 27, 2013, from 2-5 pm at 3286 Highway 97 North.I’m going because being a starving writer and kicked-to-the-curb politician I could use a free hot-dog.

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Rann Berry is thrilled he will get a chance to dazzle musical fans in an upcoming concert in May. That’s because back in December he briefly thought his life was over.Berry, a popular long-time professional musician in the Okanagan, was involved in a serious car crash around Christmas and at the precise moment of the crash, “I figured it was all over.“I’m a very lucky guy” says Berry who is finally back doing the shows that were cancelled due to the accident. “Sometimes we tend to get caught up in a bunch of worries and concerns with life, but when you get a close call like that it makes you really appreciate things a lot more,” Rann told me earlier this week.Well, music fans are nearly as happy with Rann’s survival as he is and will have a chance to watch his One Hit Wonders show again onMay 11 at the Creekside Theatre in Winfield.His show was touring throughout B.C. from last August until the accident in December, and is now back in full swing.“We had a great time in Nelson and Trail last month, and now I’m really excited to be to performing here in Winfield, my home town”, Berry proudly states. “We’re bringing the full show to the Creekside Theatre, including the eight-piece show band, the Go Go Dancers and other surprises as well,” Rann promises.

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A celebration of life to honour well known Kelowna resident Don Robichaud is set for Friday, May 10 in West Kelowna, B.C.Don was stolen from us in February after a very quick bout with cancer.For further information please email pat.chassie@shaw.ca or telephone250-801-0049.In memoriam donations may be made to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation (directed to Pancreatic Cancer research), and The Red Cross. Donations for Soles for Souls, of shoes in good condition, will also be collected at the memorial.

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I’m not sure if it is simply a passing feeling of nostalgia or remembering when. It could be that like others before me, facing my mortality is inspiring a desire to return to my roots of youth, or perhaps, worst of all, the steroids in my puffers are impacting my brain. Regardless now that the Maple Laughs have done the almost unheard of scenario of making the NHL playoffs I am starting to consider cheering for them again.I am not sure if there is a pill or some sort of therapy program to help me but hopefully someone in Readerland may offer some relief.I turned in my Maple Leaf fan club membership as a young boy when the Leafs trade away Eddie Shack and treated Davey Keon so badly.I sore loyalty to the Bruins at that point (pre Canuck days) and have rooted for them pretty much since then. (Bobby Orr made it hard not to).With the Leafs actually starting to resemble a hockey team again, with Conn Smythe and the Ballards dead and gone, and the arrogant lawyer Brian Burke no longer the manager of the club – perhaps I can start to be-Leaf again.Hmmm, where is that ole flea-bitten Leaf sweater?

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Charlie Hodge is a best-selling author, writer, a current Kelowna City Councillor, and a Director on the Regional District of the Central Okanagan Board. He spent more than 25 years as a full-time newspaper journalist and has a diverse background in public relations, promotions, personal coaching, and strategic planning. A former managing editor, assistant editor, sports editor, entertainment editor, journalist, and photographer, Hodge also co-hosted a variety of radio talk shows and still writes a regular weekly newspaper column titled Hodge Podge, which he has crafted now for 41 years. His biography on Howie Meeker, titled Golly Gee It’s Me is a Canadian bestseller and his second book, Stop It There, Back It Up – 50 Years of the NHL garnered lots of attention from media and hockey fans alike. Charlie is currently working on a third hockey book, as well as a contracted historical/fiction novel. His creative promotional skills and strategic planning have been utilized for many years in the Canadian music industry, provincial, national, and international environmental fields, and municipal, provincial, and federal politics. Charlie is a skilled facilitator, a dynamic motivational speaker, and effective personal coach. His hobbies include gardening, canoeing, playing pool, and writing music. Charlie shares his Okanagan home with wife Teresa and five spoiled cats.

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