Greg Adams, who moved the huge Sunfest Country Music Festival to the newly constructed, purpose-built Laketown Ranch facility at Meade Creek in 2016, was awarded the title of Citizen of the Year by the Cowichan Lake District Chamber of Commerce in a ceremony on March 9.
Chamber president Jim Humphrey said the award is given to someone who has done some "great thing" or "great project" during the previous year. "It's not a lifetime service award, like the Nichole Stock [award]."
Adams's achievement in bringing his operation to Laketown Ranch "is a huge thing for the Cowichan Lake Community: Areas F and I and the town. I think we are benefiting from it and will continue to profit from it in years to come," Humphrey said.
The former professional hockey player was away at the time of the ceremony, attending the Vancouver Canucks alumni game, but he had the Chamber's Bert Clancy read a statement of thanks to the crowd assembled for the awards night.
Clancy said Adams "is proud to receive the award and is proud to be part of the business community. Tim Hortons and Laketown Ranch are both members of the Cowichan Lake District Chamber of Commerce. He was going to send his son, Chance, to receive the award but he would have to drive up from Victoria, and, as you know, the snow was really coming down so he decided, for safety, not to risk it."