The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The closing of Snow Lake's Northern Store has brought a bit of business to other outlets in the community. Ken Booth, owner of Northern Books and Crafts, has purchased shelving units from the closed store and now sells a complete line of greeting cards, gift-wrap, and invitations. He says that the increase in traffic is noticeable and he expects it to increase even more once people are aware of what he stocks. Another change is the location of the Liquor Outlet. For years this was, first downstairs and then in the upper portion, of the Northern Store. With its closing several weeks back, the outlet has been relocated in Cornerview Enterprises. In addition to this, several familiar faces have also showed up in the store. I noted both Carolyn Leif and Daphne Penney hard at it down at Cornerview. Both ladies were employed with Northern up until it closed. Several events in the Frontier Games will be held in Snow Lake during the 10 to 12 of February. Grades four to nine divisional students will compete in basketball, badminton, and cross-country skiing while here. The basketball will be held in J.H. Kerr School, the badminton will take place in the Lawrie Marsh Community Hall, and the skiing on area trails. J.H. Kerr will also double as the athlete's village, with the various participants being housed in classrooms during their stay. On the topic of ski trails, several of the numerous systems around the community are open and tracked. The foot of snow that has fallen over the past week has been a welcome sight to most, but particularly the skiers and snowmobile enthusiasts. Skiers and sledders are reminded that it costs money to maintain the trails, and your membership in either of the respective clubs goes a long way in assuring that this is done on a continual basis. In other news, a semi hauling a huge drill and what looked like a bunkhouse drove down the community's Main Street last week. This, coupled with the news that Foran Mining Corporation received government approvals to proceed with the underground development on its North Star Gold Project, has many in the community taking a deep breath of optimism. A recent Foran news release states that Alex MacIntyre and Associates Ltd. will develop the portal and ramp down to the first mining level, where a 10,000-ton bulk sample will be taken along the potential mine's main North Star Vein. The release further stated that this ramp would also give access to the parallel West Vein located 20 to 30 yards west of the North Star Vein. "The decline will provide a jump- start on full mine development, with a production decision, and would form the main entrance into the mine," the release said. Once the portal has been blasted out, a 20-25-man camp will be set up on the property, which is located some 36 km west of Snow Lake. Following portal construction, the mechanics shop, generators and mine heaters will also be set up in the general mine area. The company advises that assay results from sampling this 10,000 ton bulk sample, which will be excavated along a horizontal tunnel in the North Star vein, will determine if Foran will proceed with the next stage of building a mine and milling complex. They feel confident that assay results, as suggested from the 2003 summer drilling program, will be similar as those obtained during the excavation of the previous bulk sample, which gave values of .30 to .40 ounces gold/ ton on undiluted average over widths of 5 to 29 feet. The North Star Vein exceeds 600 feet in length and is open to the south and at depth. "Foran's goal is, with positive results and on schedule permitting, to be in full production at the end of 2004," the news release concluded.
