7 people who are totally famous in Powell River
Powell River has had its share of exports that captured the attention of the world at large, and this is by no means a complete list. But for the sake of discussion, we thought it would be fun to create a list of people from Powell River who Powell Riverites talk about:
7. Fred Formosa
We hope Fred doesn’t mind that we used his Facebook profile pic.
As a multi-award winning architect and founder of Falcon Homes, Fred’s name is very well known in Powell River circles. In the last 25 years, Formosa has lent his considerable talent to designing some of Powell River’s most elegant (and well-planned, naturally) homes. His cousin, the Mayor, gets more local press, but say Fred’s name in Powell River (he lives in Maple Ridge), and eyebrows get raised.
6. Lindsay Maxwell
Lindsay Maxwell drank Haslam Lake water growing up.
I had no idea who Lindsay Maxwell was before I started researching this article but she’s the real deal. According to IMDB, Lindsay was born in 1981 in Powell River. She is an actress, known for The Butterfly Effect 2 (2006), Good Luck Chuck (2007) and The Killing Machine (2010). See her full bio on IMDB. She has 40 acting credits since 2000. It might not be accurate to say that she’s “totally famous,” but she’s a working actor who’s been in movies people have seen, so it’s safe to say Powell River is proud to call her one of their own. If people are not already buzzing about her, maybe they should be.
5. Brett Harvey
Brett Harvey – Photo courtesy the Warsaw Film Festival
Brett Harvey is totally hot right now. Brett has 17 credits on IMDB, mostly as a director, cinematographer and writer. But he’s most famous for being the Director of hit documentaries like The Union and “The Culture High,” which are winning awards and making it much easier for Brett to get funding to make more movies in the future. Keep an eye on this cat, he’s going places.
4. Karla Welch
When people talk about her in Powell River, they call her Karla Culos. Recently Teen Vogue did a video on Karla, a fashion stylist to the rich and famous, and she was the talk of the town. Watch the video below to hear about the celebrities she’s dressed (yes, she’s the mind behind Bieber’s baggy-crotched pants). There’s also a montage of photos of a young Karla, as she talks about growing up in Powell River and working at her dad’s store, Ken’s Clothes Closet:
Proof that she’s got legit steez: The Alva t-shirt pinned to her studio wall at 4:45 of the above video. *fist bump*
3. Abby Lloyd
You don’t mess with Abby. Photo from SFU.ca
Abby is a Freshman Varsity Wrestler at Simon Fraser University, and she recently won a silver at Nationals. Maybe that sentence should be rewritten. ABBY LLOYD JUST WON A SILVER AT NATIONALS AND SHE’S ONLY A FRESHMAN. None of this will surprise your average Powell Riverite though. Abby was the one who carried the Olympic torch into the Powell River torch relay party before the 2010 Olympics. And everyone knows that she’s won practically every Judo and Jiu Jitsu tournament that Canada has, sparring with people twice her size. Powell River loves their Abby.
2. Brad Bombardir
Photo courtesy the Minnesota Wild
Brad Bombardir is the most successful hockey player to come from a town that prides itself on its hockey players. Drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 1990, Brad went on to win a Cup with the Devils in 2000. Like a true Powell Riverite, Brad invited his friends and neighbours over to play road hockey “for the Stanley Cup” like old times, only he really did bring the Cup.
After that, he wore “the C” as Captain of the Minnesota Wild (pictured above). He retired from professional hockey as a player in 2006, and is now Director of Player Development and Senior director of Community Relations for the Wild. He’s the only Powell Riverite with his name engraved on Lord Stanley’s pail.
1. Dr. Evan Adams
Dr. Evan Adams. Photo courtesy First Nations Health Authority
Of all of the people on this list, Evan Adams might be the most well-liked, and is almost certainly the most deserving. He is one of only two people on this list to have a Wikipedia entry. And what an entry it is! It begins: Evan Adams, “born in 1966 is a Canadian actor, playwright and medical doctor. A Coast Salish from the Sliammon First Nation near Powell River, he is best known internationally for his roles in the films of Sherman Alexie, as Thomas Builds-the-Fire in the 1998 film Smoke Signals and Seymour Polatkin in the 2002 film The Business of Fancydancing.”
But’s just the beginning. There’s more: “Adams has also works extensively with First Nations health programs in Canada, including HIV/AIDS education and alcohol and drug abuse treatment. In 2002, Adams completed a medical degree at the University of Calgary. He completed his residency at St. Paul’s Hospital/UBC (as Chief Resident), a Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, and served as the Deputy Provincial Health Officer with the British Columbia Ministry of health. In April 2007, Adams was appointed the first-ever Aboriginal Health Physician Advisor for the province of British Columbia. On December 1, 2014, Adams became the Chief Medical Officer of the First Nations Health Authority in Canada.”
As local heroes go, you can’t do much better than the likes of Evan Adams, no matter where you’re from.
So who did we miss? I’m sure there are plenty of other buzzworthy folks hailing from the jewel of the Sunshine Coast, so list them in the comments and we’ll compile another list. We appreciate your comments!
Update: It has been pointed out that there are several glaring omissions from this list, perhaps most notably Gary Lupul. We are committed to creating an entirely new list based on your suggestions, but we will be dedicating a special article to Gary. I have looked up to Evan and Gary since I was a little kid.
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