Plenty of fun planned for Interior Logging Association's 67th annual AGM and convention

Photo: Interior Logging Association

The Interior Logging Association AGM & Convention will be held this weekend.

There will be a forest of possibilities in Kamloops this weekend when Interior Logging Association hosts its 67th annual general meeting and convention.

The family friendly event is free and open to the public, and it promises a plethora of fun on Friday (May 2) and Saturday (May 3) at the Powwow Grounds. It serves as a celebration of the forest industry and a showcase of its future.

“Everybody’s welcome, as it’s totally open to the public,” ILA representative Meagan Preston says. “Come down, walk around, enjoy the day. There’s lots to see and do, and you get to see equipment that you wouldn’t otherwise get to see, because it’s usually out in the bush.”

Photo: Interior Logging Association

There will be lots of cool machines to explore this weekend.

The event will feature the second annual Big Truck Show and Shine—it was a success at last year’s ILA convention—as well as a new tree falling competition that will be held virtually, since actual falling trees are not ideal in a space where hundreds of people are walking around. Operators will compete against one another in a virtual logging simulator provided by Inland Truck & Equipment.

While the virtual competition is meant to be entertaining, it will definitely be a show of skill. You can bet the competitors will be giving each other the gears while shifting their virtual gears.

The Big Truck Show and Shine is open to anyone as well, for those who have a sweet looking rig they want to show off to the public.

Friday’s free activities will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Powwow Grounds, while Saturday’s action will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors will be able to enjoy forestry displays and demonstrations, including chainsaw carving by artist Tyler Welfing of Carvewel Creations. Food vendors will be on site, and the ILA’s education van will be present to teach children about the role forestry plays in sustaining ecosystems.

“When people think of forestry and the industry, they think of sawmills and logging and that’s kind of it,” ILA general manager Todd Chamberlain says. “One of the messages we continue to convey is forestry affects so many more businesses than people realize—from grocery stores to restaurants, real estate, fuel, clothing, supplies and services and so much more.

“If people are not working in forestry and gainfully employed, the repercussions of the trickle-down effect can be devastating to any town, small and large.”

The ILA convention will feature a wide range of industry vendors, including Acera Insurance Services, Aspen Custom Trailers, BC Timber Sales, Finning Canada, Waratah Forestry and Kal Tire. Public safety organizations such as the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation and TEAAM Aeromedical will be on hand with information booths and displays.

On the business side of things inside Coast Kamloops Hotel and Conference Centre, Friday’s breakfast will be followed by the AGM and then B.C. Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar’s keynote address at lunch. A dinner and dance will be held Friday evening, with the Shawn Lightfoot Band providing the tunes well into the night.

A silent auction will also be held during the convention, with proceeds benefiting the Ty Pozzobon Foundation. It was created after Pozzobon, who was one of the world’s top-ranked bull riders when he took his own life in 2017 and was later to be the first cowboy confirmed to suffer from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

Friday’s indoor events are open to the public as well, but they require ticket purchases, which can be made here, for admission.

More information about the 67th annual ILA AGM and convention can be found on its website here.

Photo: Interior Logging Association

The ILA education van will offer plenty of learning opportunities.

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