liv-mckinley-daily-courier

Could you live in a little house?

It's a well-designed, well-built, fully detached and stylish 1,100- to 1,250-square-foot two- or three-bedroom home in an upscale lakefront community.

It promises a less complicated, more sustainable lifestyle and the opportunity to connect more with friends, neighbours and the outdoors.

If all this sounds good, then the little houses to be built in the LIV neighbourhood at McKinley Landing could be for you.

This will be Kelowna's first so-called little house neighbourhood, a cluster of 20 Scandinavian-inspired compact homes close to the water, trails and nature.

While small, the design promises modern luxuries like open floor plans, high ceilings and plenty of storage.

The homes, built by Tara Tschritter of Kelowna-based Little House Contracting Co., start at $488,000 and are expected to sell quickly.

Pre-sale appointments begin Nov. 17. Check out LittleHouseCo/Developments.com.

Business excellence awards

Cannabis extraction and packaging company Valens GroWorks was the big winner at the recent Kelowna Business Excellence Awards.

Valens took home the trophy for large business of the year, and CEO Tyler Robson was named young entrepreneur of the year.

The winners in 10 other categories are:

— Business leader of the year: Jeff Stibbard of JDS Mining

— Mid-size business of the year: Hergott Law

— Small business of the year: Peacock Sheridan Group

— Micro business of the year: Serviss Wealth Management

— Technology innovator: Agents of Discovery

— Rising star: Cannary Packaging

— Arts and entertainment: Kelowna Museums Society

— Marketing campaign of the year: Predator Ridge Golf Resort

— Social leadership: Boyd Autobody & Glass

— Not-for-profit excellence: Central Okanagan Community Food Bank.

Mixoff winner

A concoction of Okanagan Spirits BRBN (bourbon-style corn whisky), chai tea simple syrup, lemon juice, Okanagan Spirits blackcurrant liqueur, and plum and sarsaparilla bitters has made Kyle Friesen a winner.

The bartender from Waterfront Cafe picked up both the Judges Choice and People's Choice awards at the recent Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery Mixoff.

Two hundred people and judges attended the event at the Laurel Packinghouse, and voted for their favourite cocktail and best bite.

Chef Rod Butters from Raudz Regional Table won the award for best food with his turkey bacon-wrapped root vegetable torte.

Okanagan Spirits, which has distilleries and stores in both Kelowna and Vernon, organizes the mixoff annually to showcase its products and encourage people to mix its liquors and liqueurs with Okanagan wine, cider and other ingredients to make innovative cocktails.

Steve MacNaull is a reporter at The Daily Courier. Reach him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..