Last year, Ricky and Shanlee Letendre moved to Hazelton to live closer to family and friends and to have easy access to outdoor adventures with their daughter and two dogs. They purchased a building in the tourist area of Hazelton, one block away from the Skeena River, and created an event hosting venue named The Hazel Branch.
“The Hazel Branch has a uniquely comfortable and homely feel, with all the handcarved woodwork giving it lots of character,” said Shanlee Letendre. “It is currently being contracted to the Salvation Army, who has set up a food bank out of the restaurant space. We also have an AirBnB available for our carriage for guests who want to stay and experience the life in Old Hazelton.”
With a fully certified commercial kitchen and comfortable seating for 60 people, The Hazel Branch is an ideal location for parties, wedding receptions, conferences, corporate events, intimate concerts, birthday parties and any other gathering that clients might need.
Soon after opening The Hazel Branch, the Letendres joined the Love Northern BC community by submitting their application to join Love The Hazeltons. For a one-time $100 fee, they received a professional photoshoot of The Hazel Branch, a professionally written business description and a webpage on lovethehazeltons.com – find their profile here: https://lovenorthernbc.com/community/hazelton/business/the-hazel-branch/
Beyond offering a new event venue to the community, Shanlee is a certified dance instructor who is certified by the Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association in ballet, jazz and modern. She also recently became a certified Acro Arts 1 instructor. Shanlee is sharing her skills with the community by offering an array of dance classes for all ages at the Upper Skeena Recreation Centre (USRC).
“Starting up a dance program at the USRC has been amazing, my students and their families seem really excited and enthusiastic about the dance classes I offer,” said Shanlee Letendre. “I have had a lot of interest in my Ballet classes, as well as Hip Hop. I also offer Jazz, and Adult Cardio. I teach students as young as three for my preschool classes, after-school classes for both elementary and high school students, as well as adult classes which have the option of drop-in. Once the dance program becomes more built up, I would like to offer Modern/Contemporary, Tap, and Acro. The staff at the USRC have been greatly supportive and work generously with me to making the dance program grow.”
Northern Development invested in the development of the USRC, with a $250,000 grant from the Economic Diversification Infrastructure program for the facility’s construction, and $125,000 for equipment acquisition through the same funding program.
While relatively new to Hazelton, the Letendre family is creating a positive impact in the community through their new business, The Hazel Tree, and by offering new recreational opportunities to residents through Shanlee’s dance classes.
