Invermere, the experience

Theresa Wood is the new events co-ordinator for the District of Invermere

Theresa Wood, pictured here with children at the teddy bear clinic held during Labour Day weekend, is the District of Invermere's new events co-ordinator. — Photo courtesy Theresa Wood

Theresa Wood studied hotel and resort operations at Georgian College in central Ontario, and in 2006 moved from her position at Chateau Lake Louise to B.C.'s Columbia Valley to work at Panorama Mountain Village and Radium Hot Springs Resort.

Earlier this year, when Wood read the job description in the District of Invermere’s ad for an events co-ordinator, she knew immediately that this was the job for her. She was hired in June 2013, and hit the ground running.

A full summer

Wood reports to Chris Prosser, CAO for the District of Invermere, and uses the goals of Imagine Invermere 2030 as a guideline for her proposed events. Once council approves the events and her budgets, Wood will go full steam ahead.

“On Labour Day weekend we did a teddy bear picnic at the beach,” said Wood. “Through the summer I supported other events that were already in the works, but this was the first event here that I planned from scratch. We teamed up with WildSafeBC (formerly Bear Aware), and had old-fashioned family picnic games, a teddy bear clinic for stuffies, and a bear trap demonstration by the conservation officers. The whole event was really fun.”

A woman on a mission

Wood is determined to let the outside world know that Invermere is an active community even during the shoulder seasons.

“I’d like to have one big event per month as well as smaller activities or ongoing programs involving non-profit groups,” she said. “During the first weekend of October we’re having Octoberfest Family Day for the first time. This is a good fit for the Summit Youth Centre, who will be running a portable minigolf game. We’re also organizing a Halloween road race for the 26th of October, right downtown. We’d love to have people from all over the valley join us for that.”

Wood’s personal mission is to produce events and activities in Invermere that compare to those in Banff and Canmore.

“But they will be unique to Invermere,” she said, “because this community is special.”