I have learned something new (to me, anyway) about the “New Rossland,” and the way it has changed since my youth.
The award-winning local winery cannot get its products listed on the menu of either the ski hill or Redstone.
It isn’t as if there are other wineries, let alone ones that have won awards in both red and white categories, in the vicinity of those businesses, nor that the success of the local economy isn’t critical to the success of said businesses - even if the long term dream is that Rossland becomes some kind of an exclusive destination resort area.
I’m guessing the only reason must be that the snoots operating those businesses, “up there,” will not, constitutionally cannot, bring themselves to acknowledge that anything of excellence can come from down the hill. It isn’t as if those venues don’t serve lots of inferior plonk among their wares.
It didn’t used to be this way. Many of my oldest friends were Rossland kids. Now it seems that for many Rosslanders there is an, “ick,” factor in anything - other, of course, than personal income - that has its origin below the waterhole corner.
We witness, of course, the horror many Rossland parents feel at just the thought of their children travelling down and up the hill - perhaps to be molested or killed in a crash or otherwise have their lives tainted by the lower orders that inhabit the river valley here. Children of less worth - being from that valley - are, of course, encouraged to travel up and down the hill, the better to be uplifted, and perhaps morally improved, by moving among the superior sorts and cleaner air of the mountaintop.
Oh, and populate the underutilized and increasingly decrepit senior secondary school in order that it remain open, so the children on the hill need not even ponder the treacherous trek to Trail.
There are various organizations in the region that, with Rossland input, attempt to promote the area as a good place to visit and live. They should and sometimes do promote the products as well of the facilities and natural surrouindings of the area, as well.
Many, many travellers like to try products, in particular food and wine, of the areas they visit. We all should encourage them - to the benefit of local businesses.
When the largest, “up the hill,” hosts of these travellers won’t even list a local product it sends a poor message about the quality of that product to potential customers. Doesn’t say much positive about the evaluators who awarded gold medals to that product, either.
Everywhere I have been, and that’s a lot of places, I have extolled the virtues of the larger community in which I was raised, particularly the co-operative nature of the citizens and communities involved.
It’s disappointing that nature has devolved in the way it has.
Competition is the, “natural,” state, and rewards the, “winners,” lavishly. People in the, “New Rossland,” should remember, however, that life in a natural state is generally, “Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short,” (T Hobbes).
It’s better if we get along, but it can’t happen unless everybody tries for that.