A colourful garden party dress code; the soothing sounds of cello, violin, and guitar; and sophisticated cuisine: seared scallop with smoked onion jam, goat cheese on a puff pastry, beet tartare, and beef Wellington. All this and more made St’elt’elawtexw — A Celebration of Community an illustrious final ode to the summer season.
On Sept. 14, a collection of local showcases gathered at EcoFarm to enjoy an eventful, yet relaxing evening thanks to the ambiance created by the band. The first showcases I checked out belonged to UFV: Centre for Education and Research on Aging (CERA), Food and Agriculture Institute (FAI), Enactus, Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC), and a student welding venture called Project Python. As someone who doesn’t know anything about welding, I can’t speak on the technical aspects of Project Python, but I can say that it looked as professionally crafted as something you would find at a high end store.
I sampled a roasted beet tart at Little Sprout Café: green pea whipped goat cheese, candied pecans, balsamic, and house-grown pea shoots. It was like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. If you want to feel healthy, I recommend trying this dish. Artisan Sake Maker offered samples of their apple yuzu sake cooler. As someone with a sweet tooth, this was the perfect type of sake for me. I was initially hesitant to appraise the blueberry lavender radler at Farmhouse Brewing Co. because I’m not much of a beer drinker. However, it didn’t taste like beer to me — it tasted like juice — so it exceeded my meagre expectations. The alcohol wasn’t the only effervescent aspect of the event. The people running the Archway Community Services’ Urban Farm showcase were very bubbly, and they graciously housed my many drinks while I toured their idyllic display.
The award procession featured many prominent UFV staff who gave thoughtful speeches for the occasion: acting president and vice-chancellor, Dr. James Mandigo; president and vice-chancellor, Dr. Joanne MacLean (virtually); chair of the board of governors, John Pankratz; vice president of community engagement, Susan Mide Kiss; and associate vice president of research and graduate studies, Garry Fehr. I was pleased with the recognition towards UFV alumni when Tony Dhaliwal, chair of the UFV Alumni Association, presented the UFV Young Distinguished Alumni Award to Eryn Braley.
I was fortunate enough to speak with Susan Mide Kiss about the value of community. “Community engagement is at the heart of UFV’s mission,” said Mide Kiss, “as it embodies our commitment to making a meaningful difference in the communities we serve.” In my opinion, this event was an excellent display of how UFV stays true to its spirit. A local band, Good Medicine Songs, gave such a moving performance that they received a standing ovation. They particularly touched the hearts of the crowd when they made their debut performance of “Love With Pride.” They prefaced the song by saying that they wanted to perform it in light of the theft and vandalism that always seems to occur whenever Pride flags are displayed on campus. Several Ripple Maker paddle awards were handed out to UFV’s donors, and I was blown away by how generous these donors were — total donations were in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Shortly before departing on the shuttle bus, I heard that EcoFarm was offering free ice cream, so I scampered back to get some. That treat was the icing on the cake to an already fabulous evening filled with generosity, respect, and a feeling of shared community among UFV, the greater Fraser Valley region, and beyond. Following the event, Mide Kiss conveyed an invitation: “Whether you are a student, an alum, a staff, a faculty member, an organization, a group in the Fraser Valley community, or someone eager to make a positive impact, there are countless ways for you to get involved. To learn more, please contact us.” Check out the UFV 2023 Community Report on Issuu for more details on this enjoyable evening.
Jade is an English Honours: Creative Writing student. She plans on pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing after graduating from her undergraduate degree. When she’s not in class or studying, she can be found doing karaoke at a local restaurant in hopes of getting noticed and signed to a record deal.
