12 www.pgcitizen.ca | Wednesday, July 8, 2009 pglife Muscle Run returns after absence Christine Skorepa Citizen staff The 2009 Muscle Run, a fundraiser for muscular dystrophy, will take place Friday to Sunday. The event will begin in Kamloops this year with a meet and greet with the riders and they will travel en masse to Prince George Saturday. Once in Prince George, more than 85 motorcyclists will make their way up to UNBC where a barbecue will be held followed by Four on the Floor providing live entertainment in the cafeteria. There was no Muscle Run held last year because Susan Andrist, the creator and organizer of the event, who has muscular dystrophy, was too ill to hold it. This year Colin Andrews, director for the Prince George Harley Owners Group Chapter 9134, has taken over the organization of the event. Andrews said he decided to start the run in Williams Lake so more riders from the south would participate, and next year he will hold it from Williams Lake to Prince Rupert like it has been in the past. All riders raise funds to be donated to Muscular Dystrophy Canada to help find a cure for the neuromuscular disorder. To date the event has raised more than $60,000 for the cause. "When you put on an event like this, it's like you're reinventing the wheel," Andrews said. "I wanted to open up the event to new people, and this year the ANDREWS Kamloops Fire Department will be joining the ride." Because Canadian firefighters fundraise for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, including their annual boot drive in the fall, Andrist had invited the firefighters to participate in the run each year. Andrews has continued to do so and in each town, including Kamloops, Barrier, 100 Mile House, Williams Lake, Quesnel and Prince George, the fire fighters will greet the riders en route. Andrews said Prince George is the hub of the event and he's got riders from Smithers, Fort Nelson, Chetwynd and other northern towns coming to the Prince George celebration. As a surprise, Andrews has arranged for Fuddy Stunts to appear during the barbecue. Brydon Gardiner will bring his 2006 GSXR 600 and perform wheelies, drifts and other tricks to entertain the crowd. Andrews said the organization of the event took a lot of team work and there are 16 people behind all the effort. "We have worked to organize this event since October and I would like to thank all the volunteers," said Andrews. "I'm pretty excited about the Muscle Run and I am so glad that Susan Andrist will be able to attend the event at UNBC." The bikers will arrive in Prince George about 5:30 Saturday night, the barbecue will begin at 6 and the band will start at 8 p.m. The Harley Davidson Store, 2626 Vance Road, will host a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. Sunday to send the participants back on the road will full stomachs. Road hockey show goes to DVD Frank Peebles Citizen staff The final buzzer has sounded on the top TV hockey show in Canada that didn't involve ice, but there is some overtime to enjoy. A complete DVD package is now available, released on Canada Day exclusively on the Internet. "Road Hockey Rumble" ran for two seasons on the Outdoor Life Network. It was conceived of, and hosted weekly by Mark McGuckin and Prince George's Calum MacLeod. One of their first episodes was shot here in P.G., introducing local residents to the show's concept: two local teams are drafted based on preestablished local rivalries (in P.G. it was loggers versus treeplanters), McGuckin captains one team and MacLeod the other, and the losing host suffers a humiliating and often painful punishment. The series visited 26 Canadian sites, putting each one on the map for that episode. Often there would be celebrity guests join the fray like Olympic curling champion Russ Howard, CFL all-star Tom Canada, four time World's Strongest Man winner Magnus Ver Magnusson, and a bevy of NHLers like Wade Redden, Tyler Arnason, Jordan Tootoo, Eric Belanger, and Duane Sutter. "We had an awful lot of fun doing it, but it is an awful lot less stressful not getting kicked in the nuts for a living," MacLeod told The Citizen. "We dreaded the end of each episode; you definitely wanted to win that hockey game, that's for sure." A change in ownership at OLN meant a change in programming direction for the network, and RHR was left out of the new mix. Rather than whine about it, though, MacLeod and McGuckin are already working on a couple of ideas for new shows, and to bide the time they are hoping the fans of RHR will pick up the DVD package. The four-disc collection includes every episode, detailed commentary, a gallery of still photographs they are openly proud of ("Most producers don't pay any attention to the stills gallery but we did, we're hoping you'll love it," MacLeod said), and more. "Some of the best times I've ever had have been travelling across this country of ours, playing road hockey for a living," Custody disputes study in works Bernice Trick Citizen staff The Northern Women's Centre at UNBC is seeking residents willing to participate in a research study involving local stories of child custody disputes, court involvement, legal aid and other experiences. Sarah Boyd-Noel, NWC co-ordinator, said the study will particularly revolve around factors and situations that "enabled participants to overcome the multiple challenges associated with child custody disputes both in and outside of court." "Our future goal is to create educational resources to assist women and men in resolving child custody disputes, including looking at alternatives to court to achieve successful outcomes. The interviews will be analyzed to provide policy and program recommendations to decision makers in legal and social services." The study is being made possible through funds received from Service Canada, a federal initiative, that allows the hiring of a summer student researcher through the NWC. Student researcher, Vienna Bouillon, will conduct interviews throughout July, and all information gathered will be strictly confidential. Those interested in taking part in the study can contact Bouillon at 250-960-5632, e-mail skauge@unbc.ca or fax 250-960-5617. The NWC's mandate is: "a non-profit organization on UNBC campus committed to supporting, educating and advocating for the diverse needs of women in northern British Columbia. We are dedicated to providing a 24-hour safe space for women and furthering gender equality". btrick@pgcitizen.ca Calum MacLeod, right, and Mark McGuckin, the stars of Road Hockey Rumble, were filming in the UNBC Courtyard during a visit to Prince George in July 2006. Citizen staff photo MacLeod said. "Putting the DVDs together brought up lots of memories, lots of which we couldn't mention on the commentary, but it felt great and made us laugh to no end." To ratify their RHR endeavour in the mainstream, the show picked up two 2008 Leo Awards (Best Music, Comedy, or Variety Program or Series; Best Screenwriting in a Music, Comedy, or Variety Program or Series) beating out "Corner Gas" in the process. MacLeod said he was stunned to beat out Brent Butt and company, and is looking at Butt's example now that his show is also finished. Butt has a new show in mind as well, but its launch was delayed due to TV industry constraints brought on by the slow economy. "It is a bad time to be between projects, I'll admit that, the TV industry is in as tough a spot as the newspaper industry is. It's not easy at all but we're getting through it," MacLeod said. "With the de- lay in Brent Butt's show, I mean, if there is ever a guy who should be automatic, it's him. He's a licence to print money. But TV people these days, when you meet with them, they look nervous." MacLeod was briefly back in Prince George last week, but only in passing. He and his fiance, a girl from Quesnel whom he met while they were at university together, attended her grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary at a Francois Lake resort. He hopes to be back to the ol' hometown soon, but if there is any road hockey involved it will be a pickup game without any cameras in sight. The complete RHR experience is available at www.roadhockeyrumble.com where you can also learn about an online auction for one of very few game-worn RHR jerseys (autographed) worn by the hosts. The proceeds from the auction go to Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca No exotic animals taking part in circus Citizen staff Contrary to flyers distributed throughout the community, there will be no exotic animals performing during the Jordan World Circus on July 18 at CN Centre at 3 and 7 p.m. There will be no elephants and no bears appearing and there will be no elephant rides. According to Delisa Jordan, the mailers were printed with the incorrect information and she apologizes for any confusion. Jordan World Circus acknowledges the City of Prince George has an Exotic Animals bylaw that limits the appearance of exotic animals. Tickets for the Jordan World Circus are on sale at Ticketmaster outlets, and the CN Centre box office, Studio 2880 or by calling 250-614-9100 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca. Puppeteers to perform Bernice Trick Citizen staff A group of high school girls from Caroline, Alta. will visit Prince George to share their ministry of golden rule values and positive living through the age-old art of puppetry. The six junior high school students aged 12 to 15 years dedicate a week of their summer holidays to tour various communities to provide a free event for children and families. Following visits to Kelowna and southern B.C. communities, they will make their final stop here to perform their songs and skits at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Fort George Park at the covered picnic site. The troupe is hosted by the Church of the Nazarene Upper Room Christian Fellowship ministry which meets at ArtSpace. For more information call Pamela at 250-564-6213. Blood donor challenge on now Bernice Trick Citizen staff Today's launch of Sirens for Life blood donor drive is an effort by emergency personnel to save lives in a different way. The third annual challenge encourages Prince George firefighters, police, ambulance, search and rescue professionals to roll up their sleeves to give the gift of life through to Sept. 3. Tamara Sweet, community co-ordinator with Canadian Blood Services, reports a need to collect 20,000 units of blood in B.C. during July and August to meet demand. To book appointments to give blood at the clinic, 2277 Westwood Drive (beside Arby's) call 1-888-2366283 (2 DONATE). All residents are invited to participate in the challenge by crediting their favourite emergency group with their donation of blood. RCMP dispatcher Crystal Mackill will be the first to extend her arm today at 11 a.m. As mother to 16-month-old Wyatt, Crystal knows how precious the donation of blood is to sustain life. At two-weeks old, Wyatt had to undergo heart surgery because his aorta and pulmonary arteries were reversed, depriving his body of necessary oxygenated blood. "You can never anticipate your newborn baby going into heart failure and needing major surgery," said Crystal. "I fully believe that without the blood and blood products needed to make his surgery a reality, Wyatt would not be here with us today." Crystal and her husband are regular blood donors, and Wyatt will be with her when she gives the first unit of blood today. The couple are grateful to all donors who contribute to Canada's blood bank and save lives every day. Available at Parkwood Place · 250-564-1718 · www.michaelsjewellers.ca 1-800-818-7728 00651295 00651293