INDEX

Business. |

Kidsworld promotes family fun

Bob Mackin

News Reporter
bmackin@nsnews.com

BRIAN Freestone has
made a career of solving
summer holiday boredom.

The North Vancouver busi-
nessman is president and produc-
er of Kidsworld Entertainment.

His company has partners!..ps
with a plethora of popular
tourism spots in Greater
Vancouver.

For $30, a child and parent or
guardian get admission to 64

events and attractions —— including Grouse Mountain, Capilano
Suspension Bridge, Maplewood Farm and the Vancouver Art
Gallery —- on designated days between July 1 and Sept. 2.
“We're trying to encourage families to do something as a unit,
rather than sending the kids off to a daycare,” Freestone said.
“When I originally created it, the intent was to link a fun experi-
ence and an educational experience at the same ime.”
Freestonie’s program has been running eight years and has since
expanded to Vancouver Island and Calgary. It began during the

recession of the early "90s.

“Tt was really a prime time to introduce a program that was very
inexpensive and offer families a plan to share experiences together.
We had no idea how it was going to take off, it was such a new

concept.”

1,000 memberships sold out the first year. Freestone has
gradually increased the amount of memberships. He declined to say
how many were sold out this year, though it’s somewhere between

1,000 and 5,000.

‘Too many members, he says, would be a burden for the attrac-
tions who honour the membership buttons.

“The average family goes to 14 events all summer, so that’s the
other elernent. Something that’s not going to create lengthy line-
ups if there were too many members. We could quite literally sell

ens of thousands.”

Freestone is examining expansion to Edmonton, but wants to
find a partner to help launch the program in Seattle.

See Freestone page 18

letiers from the trail

-Sea2Summit challenge continues

. Catharine Warning, owner of Peak
Nutrition of the North Shore Inc. has
embarked with a group of friends on a
training schedule to help them gear up
for the punishing Sea2Summit adven-
ture race which takes place Sept. 9 and
10.

The event, which begins in Deep
Cove, covers 160 km through six stages of
ocean kayaking, hiking and mountain
biking to the finish line in Whistler.

Every month until the race, Warning
will give News readers a little insight
into the rigours of training for the mon-
umental race. .

WELL, it’s that time again.
Another update on the Peak
Nutrition team’s quest for the
Sea2Summit.

It’s been more than a month since
I last updated everyone on the physi-

- cal, mental and financial challenges
associated with training for your first
adventure race. The training contin-
ues, as do the challenges. This month,

T'll tell you a little bit about how
we're progressing and the fun you can
have on, in and under the water.
Probably the most important part
of a team approach to an adventure
race is training together and operating
as a single unit. This has its challenges
for any team, but in the case of the
Peak Nutrition team, we’ve added
another element just to make it inter-
esting — location. We never seem to
be in the same location at once. Due
to physical location, work & other
personal commitments it’s extremely
difficult to train together as a team.
One of our members, Paul Hawmen,
is located in Toronto, while another is
a part-time trip/adventure guide and
a full-time fireman. Combine this with
an entrepreneur (me), and other busy
peuple and you get a scheduling
nightmare that would make any pro-
ject manager or hockey mom cringe.
One solution is e-mail. We use it to
stay in contact, get as many people
together for rides, paddles, hikes or
whatever, Even with e-mail, team
training is like herding cats — diffi-

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NORTH SHORE NEWS COMMUNITY

cult. I’m sure everyone can relate to

Having said that, the team has
made quite a bit of progress. If you’ll
recall, last time I was mentioning the
fact that the problem with mountain

biking is all those damn hills to climb.

I can tell you first-hand that you'd be
surprised what six days a week of
training will do for shaving those
mountains down to size. Not to men-
tion having a bike that fits you proper-
ly. T recently picked up a bike fro.n the
folks at On Top to replace the on?
T've been using to date. [ had nick-
named the old one The Rack because
after a good ride I felt like Pd been
stretched on the rack. My new bike
fits me perfectly and has made a big
difference.

Now back to the team. For a girl
who formerly had trouble grinding
her way up to the 6 km mark on
Mount Seymour without hurling
numerous four letter words at the
mountain, we’ve made serious
progress. Just last week two of us did
the triple crown. Io, that’s not a

“>

ee ‘ . Cn

Sunday, July 23, 2000 — North Shore News — 45

oy :
NEWS photo Terry Peters

KIDSWORLD Entertainment president and producer Srian Freestone offers
an inexpensive, educational and entertaining way fer children to spend
summer holidays with a parent or guardian. .

treatment at one of the local spas —
it’s a ride to the top of all three local
mountains. In one day! This is with-
out the use of a car, truck or any other
assistance than your Jegs and your
bike. It was tough, it was hor and
involved more than a few thoughts
about converting to a more sane sport
like lawn bowling, but we did it. Add
to that rides like the Test Of Metal,
Cheakamus Challenge, and everythin
in between and suffice it to say I think
we have the mountain biking section -
of the race covered.

Now just when you think the
tough part is covered we can talk
about the water component. I never
anticipated getting out of my kayak
after a paddle and having tired legs.
Sure arms, shoulders and back, but
legs? As those of us new to serious
paddling have discovered by using
your legs to brace properly in the
kayak you can end up a little tired at
the end of the day. Just in time for
your next event.

See Team page 30

Couple
enjoy

full life
in Cove

GWYNN and Audrcy
(Ferguson) Jenkins have
blended various inter-
ests into a life of adven-
ture, excitement and

Gwynn was born in 1922
in south Burnaby where he
and his one sibling had a care-
free, healthy and happy youth.

One Sunday in 1936, .
Gwynn’s father took the fami-
ly to the Deep Cove area and
they walked along Panorama
Drive. The spectacular setting
was a feast for their eves and a
tonic for their souls. Noting a |
tot for sale, a day or so later
his father bought the property
for $125 from North
Vancouver District, and in
1945 Gwynn and his father
built the Jenkins home.
Gwynn has lived in this home
55 years now, and the daily
view still thrills him.

After finishing, school in
1940 Gwynn worked for
Hayes Manufacturing in
Vancouver until 1961, when
the Pacific Truck and Trailer | -
Company asked him to join
them. Gwynn did and
remained with them until his
retirement is 1984, Gwynn
designed trucks and estab-
lished good relations with the
customers by travelling
throughout the world visiting
the customers from the. -
designing stage to the opera-
tion stage of the trucks they
purchased. ~ |

Pacific Truck and Trailer
supplied South Affica railroad
with 23 huge traction units,
which lock like trucks. On
one of his eight trips to South
Africa, Gwynn stayed three
months in Johannesburg.

After retiring from Pacific
Truck and Trailer, Gwynn,
under the name of J.C.S.
Consulting, designed cab and
chassis for firetruck applica-
tion. The City of North
Vancouver has a pumper truck
of his design.

Audrey (Ferguson) Jenkins
was born in Toronto in 1920,
one of six siblings. Her family
moved to Montreal, where
she grew up and was educat-

See Cove page 20.

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