Appreciation shown for a tag at the Salmon Arm Skatepark continues to warm Alison Linden's heart.
Since being shared on the Shuswap Everything Friendly Goes page on Facebook in late June, Douglas Christie's photograph of what he called "Amazing art work at the skateboard park" has garnered several hundred positive responses, including comments such as, "What an incredible piece of art, jealous of this kind of artistic talent, great job to the creator," and "When 'tags' are done to this level, it becomes art. Great work by whom ever did this."
Painted on the half pipe next to the skateboard memorial to , the colourful wildstyle tag of the word "HUMOR" is accompanied by a tribute, explaining the artwork is in loving memory of Victor Peter Birkhiem 鈥� Linden's father.
Birkhiem, who passed away at age 85 on Jan. 6, 2025, was a long-time Salmon Arm resident. He was a woodwork teacher at the original J.L. Jackson school on Shuswap Street and coached the school's girls volleyball team. He was a volunteer firefighter who also kept active by curling and playing hockey with the Salmon Arm Oldtimers. He was also a father figure and mentor to Linden's two sons 鈥� the youngest, E., being the mural's creator.
Linden lives in Langley, but since January has been staying in Salmon Arm with her mother Judy. She said a celebration of life had been planned for May 18 but had to be postponed. As they had that weekend off, Linden picked up her sons and brought them back to Salmon Arm and the four of them had their own solemn celebration.
"My youngest one disappeared for a couple of hours each day and then he came and picked me up one day and took me to the skatepark and showed it to me before we left town," said Linden in an Aug. 22 interview 鈥� the day that would have been her parents' 61st wedding anniversary. "I was just tickled that he did that."
When her boys were younger, Linden, a single mom, said her parents would often visit them in Langley and "help us out however we needed it."
"But it was more than that 鈥� it was the time they spent together," said Linden, noting how each summer her sons would take turns coming to Salmon Arm for a couple of weeks to hang out with her parents.
Linden said E. started skateboarding and then, to her initial dismay, began tagging.
"But then he actually became a really good artist and he鈥檚 actually known," said Linden, noting E. was chosen to take part in the recent Never Grow Up Graff Jam in Vancouver, an event in memory of Trey Helten, a former artist and advocate for people living rough.
Linden said Judy was also "tickled" by her son's mural, and that he would dedicate it to Victor who was also a fan of his grandson's art.
"He was so proud of him," said Linden. "All he ever said was, 'You little monkey, don鈥檛 get caught.'"
After the mural was done, Linden expected negative feedback. She saw nothing until Christie's post.
"Then all of a sudden there it was, and there are so many positive comments鈥�," said Linden. "The last time I looked there was almost three hundred "likes" and "loves," no angry faces and all of the comments were positive. One fellow even explained who Victor Birkhiem was and made nice comments."
Victor was born in Drumheller, Alta., and graduated from high school in Chase. He went to school in Nanaimo and became a mechanic. After working in Salmon Arm for several years at a dealership, his future father-in-law, Gus Tweeddale, the Industrial Education teacher at J.L. Jackson Secondary, urged Victor to take up teaching. Victor attended BCIT and UBC to obtain a Bachelor of Education Degree and went on to teach Industrial Education, first in Prince George and then in Salmon Arm.
Linden is grateful to everyone who has shared their appreciation for E.'s memorial to her father and his grandfather.
"Oh my God, I got good chills through my spine thinking, 'Oh wow, finally,'" said Linden, describing what she felt when she first read the comments to Christie's post. "Not that we expected anything, but there it was. I read through them and kept checking them every day and I was just overwhelmed with all of them all being positive comments and conversations."
