Hello! Today’s letter opens with a guest post from Jeremy Stewart. Though he no longer lives in Prince George, Stewart helped shape the cultural landscape of the Prince George I know through his work as a musician, festival organizer, poet and generally one of the first people I saw who treated this city as a place worthy of cultural examination and reflection. And his tribute to a now-departed restaurant could apply to many things: The bands, coffee shops, clubs and people who, for a time, define the places we live before they, too, disappear.

Every created thing will some day disappear

By Jeremy Stewart

I first visited Cimo Mediterranean Grill in late 2005 to hear my friend Raghu Lokanathan perform his music there. Chef Wayne had given him a steady gig on Friday nights so people would stay later and drink more. It seemed to work - on us, anyway - and after a few weeks, Raghu decided to change up the show to keep it interesting. Our band The Cottonweeds was formed for that purpose. We played there for a couple of years, and went on to play many other places and have years of good times, but Cimo set off a wave of restaurants booking live music in Prince George, and raised the standard for payment, which meant a lot to many musicians. They also gave us a steep standing discount; I lived on 6th Ave. then, so we were there all the time. It began to displace a certain beloved cafe as "my office."

But it was much more than a venue and an office. Erin and I enjoyed many important occasions at Cimo, including in December 2007, when after dinner, I read her a poem that concluded with a down-on-one-knee proposal. The packed restaurant gave us a standing ovation and Chef Wayne sent us over a bottle of champagne on the house. In fall 2008, when it came wedding time, we held a delightful rehearsal dinner for visiting family there.

After Chef Wayne left Cimo, it wasn't the same, although Chef Ricki did a wonderful job with my penne arrabiata (made "Jeremy style," for which, servers informed us, they had created a button so they didn't have to keep manually entering "extra extra spicy, extra extra garlic" every time). Cimo remained "our place" until we moved away from Prince George, and then became one of the many things we missed about home. When we would visit, we would often dine at Cimo, even after none of the people (or the food) stayed the same.

Every created thing will someday disappear. Many will be good; a few will be truly great; a very few will be special. Cimo was special.

Farewell, old friend!

Jeremy Stewart is a writer and musician who once dropped a piano off a building. His third book, In Singing, He Composed a Song, was shortlisted for the 2022 ReLit Award.

Bonus from Andrew: I found this 2007 Citizen article about the Cottonweeds and their standing show at Cimo:

Quick news:

• Prince George restaurants have until the end of 2024 to make temporary patios permanent.

• The Citizen has published a list of restaurants to get poor health ratings from Northern Health inspectors.

• The city says the Playhouse is safe.

• Valemount is building a new destination ski hill.

• Mayor Simon Yu was interviewed about the city homelessness strategy, and asked to provide an update on his election promise to build emergency housing.

• Crime stats in the city have dropped… but it might just because police and the public are tired of trying to report on them.

• Four elementary schools are getting a combined $1.8 million for HVAC upgrades.

• Flair Airlines reassures customers they can book flights to Tucson, despite one being cancelled unexpectedly last week.

• Mapping old growth in the Prince George region.

• The Gitxsan and Simpcw First Nations sign an agreement with each other in the House of Ancestors.

• Seniors highrise project going to public hearing.

• New exhibit at Two Rivers focuses on Métis experience through the lens of a local artist.

• 3rd Ave in 1963 and 2003:

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