Nicola Valley Artisan of the Month – Jeff Bloom

MERRITT — Jeff Bloom is an active volunteer for the arts council and one of the authors with books in the gift shop.

Born and raised in Kamloops, BC, Jeff has spent his entire life residing in the Thompson and Nicola Valleys.

His free time is spent playing baseball, hunting, fishing, and hiking.

He taught elementary school for 47 years and during his entire career, he has entertained his students with stories from his youth, including their favourites about his childhood pet crow, Squawker.

Squawker is featured in three of his books, which are all available in the Nicola Valley Gift Shop.

NVAC | Arts Council

Jeff also played professional baseball for the Montreal Expos before they moved to Washington to become the Nationals.

Squawker isn’t Jeff’s first book, he also conceived, coordinated, compiled and edited A Taste of the Valley with Nicola Valley students, seniors, and as a geocaching anthology

Squawker was Jeff’s pet crow as a child, and each of those stories is based on true events.

Jeff worked as a national level judge, and head judge, at trampoline competitions. He is also a geocaching and fly-fishing enthusiast and his love for the outdoors is palpable in his storytelling

Anyone can stop by the Art Gallery & Artisan Gift Shop and check out Jeff’s books.

You can also check out his website by clicking here