Busy brewer far from banished at Paradise awards

By Mark Squibb

The Town of Paradise hosted its annual municipal awards show last week, honoring residents young and young-at-heart across a number of categories.
This year the Town introduced two awards to celebrate members of the arts community.
Vikki Parnam was awarded the inaugural Inspired Artist of thew Year award. Parnam hosts a number of events in Paradise, from after-school programs to interactive children’s activities. Summer Bennet was awarded the inaugural Performing Artist of the Year Award. Bennett has won multiple awards including MusicNL’s Indigenous Artist of the Year and a NL Arts & Letters award, and was named Top Teen in CBC’s National Searchlight Competition. Her music has been enjoyed all the world over. Bennet donates 50 percent of her music revenue to local charities through Scilly Cove Records and volunteers regularly with the Janeway.
The Junior Male Athlete of the Year Award was accorded to multi-sport athlete Gavin Baggs. In 2024, Baggs claimed national silver medals in both para hockey and track. He also played for the 2024 Team Canada Para Hockey team and netted a goal for the team.
Junior Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to Avery Durdle. A star on the baseball field, Durdle struck out 10 batters at a national competition and went a perfect 10-for-10 during the NL Summer Games. Avery also captains the Paradise Intermediate team, which claimed this year’s tier 2 championship title.
Paradise Running Club co-founder and Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association Hall of Fame inductee Keith Glynn was named Male Athlete of the Year, while champion powerlifter Lisa Froude was named Female Athlete of the Year. Froude will compete with Canada’s national bench press team in Norway later this year.
Trampoline coach Steve Nolan was named Coach of the Year. Athletes coached by Nolan competed in some of the country’s most prestigious trampoline events this last year.
In the Business Awards category, Banished Brewing was awarded the Business Excellence Award in the category for firms with 15 Employees or over. The brewery doubled production on a number of brews over the last year, hosted over 35 events, helped support over 50 sports teams, and was named the exclusive brewer of the 2025 Canada Games.
CakeyHand Desserts, which in five short years has opened two storefronts, a food court booth, and a dessert vending machine, was awarded the Business Excellence Award for firms of 15 employees or fewer.
Score Canada Ltd. was awarded the Innovation and Resiliency award. The company recently expanded its emissions elimination capabilities and introduced Long Service Awards to honour dedicated employees.
Nora Lynch was named Youth of the Year. Lynch is a decorated skater and also coaches other skaters, volunteers, tutors, and serves on school clubs. She also recently received a Memorial University Scholarship.
The Paradise Centennial Lions Clubs, which hosted a number of community events throughout the year, was named the Volunteer Group of the year.
Lastly, Judy Sparkes was named both Volunteer of the Year and Citizen of the Year.
A veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, Sparkes is also a member of the Paradise Centennial Lions Club. She founded the Circle of Life/Little Lions Program to connect seniors with new moms and their babies, coordinates the Healing Rhymes for Veterans program, and volunteers for programs such as the School Breakfast Program and Ronald McDonald House.