The AMCS Annual General Meeting was held on September 7th at the Jamie Soule Memorial Park Pavilion and was very well attended. Community members were treated to lively music provided by Smokey Wine, a local band from Penticton. 

It has been a very busy year for the Society. A huge thank you to all Board Members for their contributions. Below are some of the highlights for 2025 year to date.

Society Internal and External Communications

The board recognized the need to update our internal and external communications and online presence. The following initiatives were completed.

•  A switch to Google Workspace for Non-Profit Societies to create, collaborate on and store documents, host society email, hold online meetings and bring all business activities into a single location. 
• Redesign and launch of a new Society Website giving it a much-needed refresh. This included using the AMCSBC.CA domain name as the Society did not own the ANARCHISTMOUNTAINCOMMUNITYSOCIETY.COM domain.
• Creation of “The Peak” Newsletter, which is distributed in two different versions, one for Members and one for Non- members. The new newsletter greatly enhanced our ability to communicate Society information and assist the AMFD and AMFRS in sharing news in a cohesive format.

All these changes have streamlined our operations and have reduced overall costs in order to provide more benefits to the Society and our Membership. Our next undertaking is to install the Anarchist Mountain Webcam that will provide real time views of Osoyoos and the surrounding areas…. Provided there is no fog.

Changes to Membership

The Board reevaluated our basic membership program and recognized the opportunity to provide additional membership classification reflecting the changing environment and to provide value to both the member and the Society as a whole. New classifications now include Regular, Business and Associate Business Memberships. This has increased our revenue from membership and sponsorship which helps to offset costs to our membership when putting on community events.

To provide more value for our Membership, a “Business Discount Sponsor” program was implemented which allows our members to present their Membership cards for discounts at select local area businesses. So far, we have eight business who are enrolled and we anticipate this number will grow over the next year.

Events

Music was brought back to the Mountain in May as over 100 people were entertained by 3 bands and enjoyed wonderful food served up by the Weinery. Additionally, the Society hosted the annual BBQ on the Mountain at JSMP where it was originally held in 2008. Based on food safety guidelines, the Society served a beef brisket meal rather than the traditional potluck. The BBQ attendance exceeded our expectations with 140 people. By all indications it was a great success, and we'll strive to make it even bigger and better next year. 

Finances and Membership

The Society is in the best financial position in years driven by an increase in membership from a total of 77 in 2024 to 101 YTD 2025. Additional funds were received through donations and grants. The Board will continue to develop strategies to increase membership, access grants and receive donations.

Projects and Facilities

In 2024/25, the RDOS provided a total of $95,000 from gas tax funds to the Society for infrastructure development. This paid for completion of projects at JSMP including construction of the pavilion and upper parking lot, repair of the park road and landscaping of the park gathering area. Deer Valley Holdings was the general contractor and Greg Anderson was the project manager for the pavilion construction. Other valley and local contractors were hired along with help from community volunteers to complete the park projects. RDOS continues to provide an annual JSMP maintenance fund.

In October, a concrete apron will be poured around the front and side of the pavilion and a 10’x20’ patio will be poured behind the pavilion. This will improve safe access and usage of the pavilion and easier maintenance. A snow rake will also be installed over the back door. Horseshoe pits are almost complete.

The issue of pumping water to the pond adjacent to the park continues to be evaluated. The pond is situated on land of private property owners with only a very small piece on RDOS park land. Water has not been pumped into the pond in the past two years with significant decrease in the water level.

Volunteers

The Board would like to acknowledge all our volunteers who have given so much of their time in the past year to help enhance our community. They are the reason we can continue providing programs and events to our membership. We would also like to acknowledge Gloria Pura who has agreed to take on the role of Volunteer Co-ordinator.  Please consider putting your name forward or encourage someone you may know to reach out to the Society and explore some of the volunteer opportunities available. 

Elections were held with the following individuals being elected to the AMCS Board.

• Dean Stevenson – President
• Wendy Shah – Vice President
• Christina Brooks – Secretary
• Sandra Newfield – Treasurer
• Michelle Stebnicki - Director

The Board would like to thank previous Board members, Maya Alonso and Jo-Anne Emery for all their contributions to our community. Their hard work, knowledge and skills will be missed going forward.