Chamber of commerce gets infusion

By Meg Olson

A revitalized Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce has a new board of directors who are enthusiastically planning a memorable Fourth of July parade.

“Our theme this year is ‘Celebrating your Point Roberts lifestyle;’ whatever is special to you about Point Roberts: kayaking, paddle-boarding, boating, fishing, bird watching, hiking, biking, gardening, backyard parties, etc.” said veteran chamber director Heather McPhee.

A highlight of the parade this year will be the appearance of the Vancouver Police Pipe Band, the world’s oldest continuous serving police pipe band. The band celebrated its 100th anniversary last year with a performance at Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard.

McPhee said they had invited blues musician and actor Jim Byrnes to serve as parade marshal but had yet to receive final confirmation.

A goal of the new chamber board is to get the participation of local businesses and neighborhood associations back to what it used to be. “Maple Beach, Crystal Beach, Freeman’s beach … I remember when all those groups had floats in so I’m after them to get involved this year,” McPhee said. She also hopes businesses take advantage of “a great opportunity to get some advertisement in front of hundreds, if not thousands, of potential customers.”

This year’s parade will also incorporate community service, with volunteers walking the parade route collecting canned and dried food donations from parade goers.

The current chamber board is made up of McPhee, Paulette Ladner, Louise Mugar, Tamara Hansen and Deci Bailey. McPhee said they would be looking for new additions to the board at their annual general meeting in August to increase involvement in chamber activities. “I’d like to get some new insight this year,” she said.