CCFP's latest guest is Isaiah Kok.  Though part of the generation zed demographic, Isaiah’s temperament is not characterized by the usual gen z skepticism, but rather, perseverance.  He moved from the lower mainland to the Bulkley Valley at the outset of his high school years – not a small challenge for anyone at that stage of life.  Yet Isaiah found a way to make the valley home, coming to love and appreciate the community as well as the outdoors, and especially the winter season.  As he finished his schooling, he worked on the ski hill, and also made it his playground, mastering both skiing and snowboarding, and then mountain biking in the summer.  His personal motto was “shred and play at Hudson Bay.”  But then he suffered a debilitating stroke in March 2022.  Though recovery is still in progress 2 years later, Isaiah maintains a positive and hope-filled outlook, and with his default perseverance, we will likely see him reach his goal to snowboard again already this winter.  Welcome to CCFP Isaiah!

To call this week's guest a “highflyer” might seem to her an overstatement – Lynn Vancadsand is, after all, a volunteer with aerial search and rescue, which keeps her flying low to the ground as she does her part to bring good endings to tragic situations.  But to those who know her, she puts her heart and mind into everything she does, not so she can achieve high, but rather, to bless others and her community.  Moving here as a youngster from the lower mainland, Lynn and her family have called the Bulkley Valley home for more than 50 years.  She has 37 years of experience in the framing business, owning her own shop since 1991.  Married with four adult children including a daughter-in-law, she and her husband will be flying low to keep up with their new granddaughter who has just moved to our valley.  Welcome Lynn!

Artist, teacher, advocate, friend and family member - this week's guest is Perry Rath.  He has been pursuing projects in a variety of venues, collections and publications.  Doing so has caused him to take not a few different directions, encompassing installations, objects/artifacts, paintings, printmaking, collaborations, and education.  Though having held exhibitions across Canada, and in Australia, India, Germany, Britain, Russia, Hungary and the US, he has made Smithers home and raised his family here over the past 20 years.  An educator at Smithers Secondary School, his email sign-off includes this quote: “Art has the role in education of helping children become like themselves instead of more like everyone else.”  He not only helps many young people take steps towards  careers in the art field, he also works with students as sponsor teacher for social justice and environmental advocacy and the Gender-Sexuality Alliance.  And now through his cabin fever playlist we get yet another creative expression to the way Perry has become like himself.  Welcome Perry!

Calvin Williams, this week's guest, is a registered therapeutic counselor in BC, Calvin has deep roots in this part of the province.  He is Carrier, specifically Natoo, and a member of the Babine Lake First Nation.  Raised in his early years in Fort Babine, he moved to Quick to attend high school in Smithers.  With a 3-year bachelor’s degree from Columbia Bible college in Abbotsford, he served as a youth pastor at Kyah Fellowship in Witset for 9 years. Calvin returned to higher education in 2022 and graduated from Rhodes Wellness College in Vancouver, completing their online counseling certification program this past spring.  His practice is called “Break the Cycle Counseling”, and his dream is to work himself out of the job by offering the right kind of help and providing the tools needed to overcome anxiety and trauma, the two challenges for which he has specialization.  Married with two children, he and his wife live in Smithers and are enjoying the opportunity that comes with their youngest now in grade one, and recently used their new freedom to go out on a date during the school day.  Welcome Calvin!

​This time our guest is Smithers Mayor Gladys Atrill. With increasing complexity and greater scrutiny in the world of public leadership, Gladys serves our valley with an impressive level of commitment. First elected in 2014, she served for 6 years as councilor for the town of Smithers before being elected Mayor in 2020.  In spite of a series of challenges with no small impact on our valley –  the pandemic, homelessness, affordable and availability of childcare, food insecurity, overdose crisis, and wildfire response – Gladys not only continues serving with poise and effectiveness as Mayor, but brings those qualities to bear in other roles as a director to each of BC Transit, the Northern Development Initiative Trust, and the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako.  A lifelong Smithereen, she loves gardening and travelling, and canoeing and cycling when time allows.  She previously worked in teaching and guiding wilderness-based trips, passions undoubtedly borne out of a love for the outdoors that I trust will help her thrive with her 7 songs in a season of cabin isolation.  Welcome Gladys!

Jackson Powers is our guest this time.  Ontario born and Bulkley Valley raised, Jackson is a Gen Z student hockey goalie venturing further into the world through academic athletics.   Choosing hockey over basketball to seek higher development as a keeper, he moved in his teens from Smithers to Prince George, tending goal for 2 years for both the Caribou Cougars and North Central Bobcats.  He then joined the Fort St. John Huskies, whose junior team and system were a great fit for 4 seasons.  After the pandemic put a dent in momentum, the team won two league and one runner up championships, and a provincial title in 3 years.  Perhaps most noteworthy, the Huskies had 38 and 35 game winning streaks respectively in their past two seasons, during which Jackson earned goalie of the year and playoff MVP awards. Jackson is now moving to Wisconsin, where he has a scholarship at Marian University to play at the US collegiate level.  His inspiration comes partly from BC- born former Montreal Canadien Carey Price, so much so that Jackson even named his cat after the recently retired goaltender.   Welcome to CCFP, Jackson!

This episode's guest, Rolanda Lavallee, has lived all over the province of BC.  Born in Victoria, she was raised on Vancouver Island, in Richmond, Golden, and Terrace, before finishing her teen years in Rosswood.  Now living in and enjoying the quiet life of Granisle, she is well-familiar with the views and vistas of the Bulkley valley, as she commutes daily to Smithers to work for School District 54.  Having been a custodian, and then a union president, she now is Transportation, Safety, and Custodial Manager for School District 54.  She calls herself a bit of warrior for social justice.  But surely it is more than a bit - in 2022 she received a Premier’s Award for Excellence in Education.  Her nominators deemed her support for the student Gender-Sexuality Alliance in both Smithers and Houston schools as brave and exceptional.  Married, with two adult kids, Rolanda sees herself also as a sci-fi nerd, and recently took up dart throwing, taking in the therapeutic benefits of taking a sharp pointed object and launching it towards a target.  Rolanda, welcome to CCFP!

This week's guest is the Honourable Member of Parliament, Taylor Bachrach. He has represented the riding of Skeena-Bulkley Valley since 2019. Before federal politics, Taylor established a communications business, and served as a local leader in northwest BC, first as municipal councilor for the Village of Telkwa and then 8 years as mayor of the Town of Smithers. Born in a cabin east of McBride and raised in the small community of Dunster, Taylor is a true blood northern BCer. He and his wife Michelle have 2 daughters and make their home here in Smithers. A passionate advocate for cycling, Taylor can, on special occasions, be seen high flying on a penny farthing sporting a bow tie and bowler hat. When finding the time, he also plays recreational hockey, and recently completed another 5-day solo canoe trip from the Kispiox Valley to Terrace, keeping water travel in his repertoire of going from point A to B, along with flying and Via Rail roading as a Member of Parliament.  Glad to have you on Taylor!

Enjoy this week's episode with guest Daniel Imhof. Born in Switzerland, Daniel has called the Bulkley Valley his home and made his mark here since he was a youngster. Though not without also leaving his mark well beyond this area after initially leaving home for university studies. His mark – or many of them - came primarily on soccer pitches: he is a former professional soccer player, first playing in Swiss Super League, later in Germany’s top tier Bundesliga, while getting notice from clubs in the Scottish and English premier leagues. By the conclusion of his career, he had played in 345 professional matches, and – perhaps most gratifying to his Canadian fans, 37 matches for this country’s national team, including 13 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. A husband to Pamela, father to three kids, Daniel now is a business owner, running Dan Sports with Pamela on Main Street here in downtown Smithers, while satisfying his competitive and soccer passion and giving back to the community through coaching and running an annual summer soccer clinic for youth. Welcome Daniel!

Marisca Bakker is the guest on CCFP this time. She has called the Bulkley Valley home for some time now, originally planning for a 1 year stint. Since that first step, she has continued her work as a journalist, gotten married and had 3 children, and recently took on a business venture, acquiring a camping and RV Park in Telkwa. Her weekly column in the Interior News called "The Sticky Files" does a great job in helping us see how she ponders keeping it all together with a healthy perspective. Welcome to Canadian Cabin Fever playlist Marisca! Her extra download is a news app for the simple device she's allowed to have so she can play her songs. She wants a view of the Hudson Bay Mountain, including the ski runs, and gets to take along a massage chair as her luxury item.

Guest Trever Morris of Smithers joins host Kenneth Vander Horst.  He’s a resident of Smithers, a father of 3, a financial advisor and business owner, published author of children’s books, vocalist on one of his church worship teams, board member at more than one non-profit organization. He wants a view of Hudson Bay Mountain, and his choice for a download is the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. The luxury item he gets to take with him is an acoustic guitar, since he'll finally have time to learn how to play a musical instrument. Enjoy!

Our pilot episode with guest Pamela Haasen of CICK Smithers Community Radio.  The second half of the pilot includes some extra songs of the host's choosing, and the inspiration behind the podcast.