Now everyone wants their own Salmo Dinner Jacket
By Nelson Daily Staff
The Village of Salmo, located on the Crowsnest Highway, was founded as a small mining town near the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway during the gold rush of 1896.
For years, the village has been the butt of jokes, but like a fad that was once thought to be out of the mainstream, staff is using its ironic piece of clothing to showcase Salmo to the world.
The Salmo Dinner Jacket, a plaid lumberjack shirt/jacket, has turned the quiet village into the talk of the province.
Once again, at the 114th Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) in Vancouver, the Salmo Dinner Jacket was again front and center, this time being presented to the current Premier of BC — John Horgan.
“We started by making the SDJ the official work gear of the Village of Salmo staff,” Diane Kalen-Sukra Chief Administrative Officer at the Village of Salmo recently told The Nelson Daily.
“We put them for sale in the Village office and everybody wanted one. Then we posted them online (www.salmo.ca/promotions). Now we are getting international orders.”
Featured in the Urban Dictionary, Kalen-Sukra said the SDJ has helped transform the village into a positive place for people to enjoy.
“Now, everyone is wearing their Salmo Dinner Jacket with pride,” Kalen-Sukra explained.
The SDJ spawned the belief of a little community that could.
“We dramatically turned the Village around from having no financial statements for two years, no central filing system, to a flourishing municipality with over 30 grants in two years over $2 million dollars and award winning work,” Kalen-Sukra.
Along with Premier Horgan, Mayor Stephen B. White, Kalen-Sukra and Steve Dimock presented Nelson-Creston MLA and BC Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Michelle Mungall with their own Salmo Dinner Jacket.
Anyone wanting to join in the fun can contact the Salmo Village Office to place an order.
However, like a new fad dominating the fashion scene, the public is asked to be patient.
“We have had to double our orders as we sell out of jackets before they even arrive,” Kalen-Sukra said.
“The SDJ is a classic.”
