Gazette Monthly | December 2018
President's Message

From our family to yours we wish you the best of the holiday season. The ranch is all battened down for the season with our winters hay under cover and with the grain bin chuck full. This year we are working extra hard on our seniors with new blankets and we have upgraded the barn to provide extra shelter for their comfort.  Last winter we launched a special feeding of a "hot seniors mash" daily and we are continuing that this year. The main herd is in the home pasture and doing wonderfully with the mild weather we have been getting. Thanks to Angela, Steve, Victoria, and Rudy for all their hard work. Nala and the two ranch cats are a big help too.

The forecasters say this will be a mild winter in the west and if the weather so far is any indication they are bang on. They are also predicting an early spring so we will have to wait to see how that works out. Reservations are pouring in everyday and there is no question the ranch will continue to set record guest levels again. Thanks to you, our regular guest, for making the Flying U a part of your life year after year!!     

Hope everybody has a happy and healthy holiday!


John Lovelace 
President and CEO
Flying U Ranch 
Established 1849
and still going strong
Give The Gift of the Flying U This Season 

Gift Certificates are flying off the shelves this month. Just call Victoria and we will send you a personalized greeting with the certificate so you can put it under the tree. Recepients can pick their dates anytime and the best thing is that there is no expiry dates on a Flying U certificate.  But there is more: For the Christmas package, we include a complimentary massage plus there will be a bottle of wine in the cabin when you arrive. 
December News

The Mountain Fever Bluegrass Camp has just confirmed that they are returning to the Flying U in April!

Mountain Fever Bluegrass Camp is a four-day workshop/jam camp at The Flying U. This camp is for people with all levels of musical experience coming together to create acoustic bluegrass music! It's about learning through enabling musicians to play with other musicians! This will contribute to creating music together in a positive, encouraging setting at the Flying U. There will be many opportunities to learn, share, and create music together with long time friends and with brand new friends too.

Visit their website at   www.mountainfeverbluegrasscamp.ca to find out more information and be sure to sign up for the email list to get all the latest news.

Meet Festus 

Named after the famous character on Gunsmoke, Festus is our new mini dump truck. It will be used primarily to deliver cut wood to the cabins plus a dozen other chores around the ranch. It is powered by a mighty 60 hp engine. 



16 New Experienced Trail Horses Coming This Spring 

To meet new guest levels we continue to expand the Flying U herd. We have secured a source from Northern BC of horses that will be perfect for the ranch. These are horses of middle age and are experienced trail horses. The first group of 16 horses will be arriving in the Spring to join their new forever home at the Flying U Ranch. Stay tuned for pictures and bios this Spring.


Behind The Scenes At The Flying U
This month: Meal time!
 
For a century, mealtime at the Flying U has been legendary with su ccu lent local  food lovingly prepared and served up by dinner bell. Today the ranch continues with the tradition. Here is a behind the scenes look at what our guests now enjoy:
 



The kitchen is a large state of the art facility with mammoth-sized walk in coolers and freezers and the latest in kitchen equipment. It's kept meticulously clean and our food is delivered twice a week by refrigerated transport truck. Farm Fresh fruit and vegetables are bought (when in season) daily at the local market. In all, we are set up to deliver 250 meals a day.
 


No expense is spared to deliver the best food to the table .  In fact, the steaks are prime and well marbled, the ribs are premium succulent and delicious and this year our chicken nights featured half chicken BBQ and seasoned with our mouth watering gravy. A feature introduced last summer is our 14 item buffet lunches and our special weekend breakfas t  buffets. If you stay out on an all day ride we pack you a lunch with home made fresh sandwiches fruit and wholesome fruit drink. Desserts are a festival at the U from homemade baking to our guest favourite tiger tail ice cream. 
 
Between meals we have our fresh fruit bar at the refreshment center, and a cookies and treat bar every night. And there is also our 24-hour a day coffee plus tea and hot chocolate table. 
 
But the main ingredient is love and that is delivered up in heaps by Kim and all her staff. That's because these days with so many special diets each guest has to be served with care.
 
We are proud of the succulent and delicious meals we serve up at the Flying U. Big thanks to Kim and all the kitchen staff who work passionately to maintain our heritage. Guests please close your eyes and sit back and dream about summer. Can you hear the clanging of the dinner bell? 

Weddings at The U!

When we decided to offer The Flying U up as a wedding venue, we had no idea the remarkable response we would get. With 2019 nearly booked, we're already taking reservations into 2020.  With very limited availability, don't hesitate in considering The Flying U for your big day!

Contact us for available dates.

SCHOOL PROGRAM

This year we are ecstatic to welcome Windsor House School kids to our school groups. This brings our School Program to a total of five schools and over 200 kids for 2019. Yeehaw!

The Flying U School Program has opened it's gates to over 6000 students in the past 30 years, offering a unique opportunity for children and youth to experience this provinces' rich history through Canada's oldest guest ranch. 

Also for 2019 we've reworked the traditional program to add shorter options and day trips for local schools. We want every student and youth group in the province and beyond to be able to experience the tradition and excitement offered at the ranch.
Important Dates for 2019 

Mountain Fever Bluegrass Camp
April 24 - 28

Spring Wrangler for a week event
April 29 - May 3
**Sorry Fully Booked **

Victoria Day Long Weekend
Great Spring riding, spectacular vibrant green trails 
May 17 - 20

Special Open House with a Surprise Performer
May 18

Vancouver Technical Secondary School Stay
May 20 -24

Windsor House School
May 27 - 31

Duchess Park Secondary School Stay
June 3 - 7

St. Michaels University School
June 14 - 19

Canada Day Long Weekend
Always popular so why not book soon?  
June 28 - July 1

Wild West Adventure Camp
Fun For the Entire Family  
July 1 - 5
**95% booked so think about reserving now **

August Long Weekend 
August 2 - 5
**Sorry this weekend is now fully booked**

Labour Day Long Weekend
Great weather and a fun weekend at the Flying U  
August 30 - September 2

Wrangler Week Group A 
Fence repair, wood cutting,  Fall ranch chores 
October 7 - 11

Thanksgiving Weekend
October 11 - 14
** Sorry this weekend is now fully booked**

Wrangler Week Group B
Final close up of the ranch  
October 15 - 18

RESERVE YOUR STAY TODAY!
THE FLYING U RANCH | W WW.FLYINGU.COM | RESERVATIONS@FLYINGU.COM | 250-456-7717