www.kelownacapnews.com • June 26, 2015
❂Discover Summer T3
Downtown Kelowna Association expecting
THOUSANDS OF VISITORS… BY MIKE STRAUSS Summer in the Okanagan is full of a number of fun community events, but few are as well attended as the annual Block Party organized by the Downtown Kelowna Association. This year, the Block Party – scheduled for August 8 from 10 AM to 4 PM – is expected to draw up to 17,000 visitors. “This is the largest event we put on,” says Events Manager Brittany Hansum. “It’s so much fun. We close down Bernard Avenue from Richter all the way to the sails. We have a climbing wall, a bouncy castle, pedal cars, face painting, and much more.” The Block Party also features a variety of other events like a dog agility show, a cheerleading demonstration, and a monster truck show. And with 150 different vendors lined up along the street, it won’t be hard to pick up a piece of memorabilia or grab a tasty bite to eat. Even if you’re not a fan of monster trucks or cheerlead-
for the
Summer Block Party!
LOCAL BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATION IS CREATING A VIBRANT DOWNTOWN WITH EVENTS AND CAMPAIGNS FOR DOWNTOWN RETAILERS, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ORGANIZATIONS, AND RESTAURANTS.
restaurants as possible to open their doors and offer a complimentary sample of food to people who have a Taste of Downtown passport. We print 1500 passports, and anyone who has a passport can eat for free at any participating restaurant.” Watters says that in 2014, twenty-six restaurants participated in Taste of Downtown. The organization deliberately
Association organizes two other major events that Kelownites can enjoy: First Thursday arts and culture celebrations and the Small Shop At Night event. First Thursday is a monthly event organized by the City of Kelowna Cultural Services and the Downtown Kelowna Association. On the first Thursday of every month from 4 PM to 7 PM, Kelowna’s Cultural District
food samples, and free wine tastings, there’s no shortage of things to enjoy at Small Shop At Night. “You’d be pretty amazed at everything that happens Downtown,” Watters says. “Kelowna isn’t a big city. People can walk out their door, walk Downtown, and do anything they want.” But for Watters and Hansum, the best part of Down-
SUMMER BLOCK PARTY • AUGUST 8 • 10 AM TO 4 PM
ing, Downtown Kelowna offers another great event centered around something everyone can enjoy. “We have a restaurant promotion called Taste of Downtown,” says Communications Manager Ryan Watters. “We encourage as many
plans this event for September when the weather is a bit cooler, so participants can walk around and explore a whole variety of restaurants. Some restaurants have reported serving 900 people in a single day. The Downtown Kelowna
hosts a variety of free events – including free wine tastings at the VQA and free admission at the Kelowna Art Gallery. Small Shop At Night sees hundreds of Downtown businesses stay open late and offer exclusive promotions. With live entertainment, free
town isn’t the events or the businesses – it’s the people. “It’s great to hear the story of each small business, and that’s where satisfaction comes from,” Hansum says. “Some of these businesses are very innovative. We love being able to help them succeed.”
June 26, 2015 • www.kelownacapnews.com
T4 D ISCOVER S UMMER ❂
Top Notch
SUMMER CAMP ART ADVENTURES TEAM Registration is underway for the Kelowna Art Gallery’s summer art camps for children. Art Adventures camps are organized for pre-school children ages 3 to 5, and two separate camps are offered for children ages 6 to 8, and ages 9 to 11. Full-day camps, half-day camps, and morning-only “mini camps” are scheduled Monday through
local artists and instructors ensure summer art for kids will be
ones to remember
Friday. Art Adventures begins July 6, and the weekly camp programs run until August 21, 2015. “Art Adventures is primarily about creating a fun, and interactive experience for engaging children and youth with art,” says Renée Burgess, Head of Public Programming at the Kelowna Art Gallery. “We know many of the kids will be tired of classrooms by summer, so we make sure our skilled instructors take the kids out on fun and exciting
off-site trips to inspire their imaginations.” Leading the art camps and excursions to artists’ studios, Kasugai Gardens, Waterfront Park, the beach, and nearby private galleries this year are two local artist-instructors, Emerald Holden, and Laura Wyllie. Holden is thrilled to be returning for a second year. She is a recent graduate from UBCO, having earned her BFA last year. She has lived in Kelowna her entire life and has loved art from a young age. She looks forward to working with children and youth to show them how vast, exciting, and fun art can be. Wyllie graduated from UBCO earning her a BA in Art History and English in 2012. She completed her MA in Art
mixed media, and sculpture, while being inspired by the current exhibitions on view at the Gallery. Scheduled guest artists play a pivotal role at each of the camps, as they share their expertise with the children to help them develop a better understanding of art. In addition, the mini camps offered from July 27 to 31 and August 17 to 21 will offer children the opportunity to add on an afternoon at Bumbershoot Children’s Theatre. Class sizes for all of the Gallery’s camps are limited, allowing for more one-on-one instruction to enrich the experience. All programs highlight skill-building and self-expression, as well as the introduction of new ideas and artistic techniques. In addition to creative
PROUD KIDS SHOWING OFF THEIR ART AT THE WATERFRONT History at Carleton University in Ottawa and has returned to the Okanagan to start a second MA in Education. She looks forward to combining her passion for teaching with her love of art history and sharing it with children and youth this summer. During the camps, children can expect to develop skills in drawing, painting, printmaking,
exploration for participants, Art Adventures offers parents peace of mind that their children will be spending their summer days with their peers in a nurturing and creative environment. For more information, or to register your child, please contact the Gallery at 250-762-2226 or online at www.kelownaartgallery.com.
www.kelownacapnews.com • June 26, 2015
❂Discover Summer T5
EXPECT TO SEE TOP MUSICAL ACTS COMING TO TOWN THIS SUMMER
Coming to Kelowna
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certs are sold out, although a few tickets remain for CedarCreek’s concert series. Pouget says that tickets for these concerts don’t last long, so music lovers will need to act fast if they want to attend one of these shows. “We have less than 100 tickets left for Emerson Drive,” she says, “and the Tom Co-
Din
chrane concert on August 26 is already sold out.” Approximately 50 tickets are still available for the Tom Cochrane concert on August 27. Tickets are available for purchase at www.cedarcreek.bc.ca/events
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into the community.” Pouget notes that every concert requires the work of thirty-five CedarCreek employees, each of whom donate eight hours of their time to assist with the event. CedarCreek is also passionate about supporting the Canadian music industry, and they exclusively host Canadian artists. In the past, CedarCreek has hosted artists like Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, Sam Roberts Band, Michelle Wright, and Chantal Kreviazuk. This year, CedarCreek will be hosting Emerson Drive on July 30 and Tom Cochrane & Red Rider on August 26 and 27 as part of their TELUS Sunset Concerts at CedarCreek Estate Winery series. But they’re not the only winery in town hosting top musical acts this summer. This year, Mission Hill will be hosting three renowned musical acts throughout the summer. On July 24, Grammy Award-winning jazz musician Chris Botti will perform at Mission Hill. That same weekend - on July 26 - Mission Hill will host 14-time Grammy Award nominee Martina McBride. Finally, on August 15, twotime Grammy Award winners The Wallflowers will bring their American-style roots rock to Mission Hill. All three Mission Hill con-
e
MIKE STRAUSS For local music aficionados, summer in the Okanagan means one thing: winery concerts. And this year, CedarCreek Winery in Kelowna and Mission Hill Family Estate Winery in West Kelowna are bringing some of the greatest 1990s and 2000s acts to the Okanagan for an intimate concert series that people of all ages can enjoy. “We only have 400 seats, which makes these concerts very intimate,” says Anahita Pouget, Marketing Manager at CedarCreek Winery. “It’s rare to find a concert where you can be so close to Jim Cuddy or Sam Roberts Band or The Barenaked Ladies. The concert happens in our rose garden amidst the sloping vineyards, with a beautiful lake in the background. There’s nothing like it.” CedarCreek has been hosting concerts for the last twelve years, and since 2004, all proceeds from CedarCreek concerts have gone to the Rotary Centre for the Arts. It’s this fundraising that prompted the City of Kelowna to name CedarCreek Winery one of the top three businesses in Kelowna for charitable giving. “All of our staff volunteer at the concerts,” says Pouget. “It’s really a gift to the eyes and the ears to hear this music, and it’s about putting something back
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June 26, 2015 • www.kelownacapnews.com
T6 D ISCOVER S UMMER ❂
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The Westbank Farmers’ Market will return again this summer, opening on Saturday, June 27, and returning every Saturday until Sept. 12. The farmers’ market will return to the parking lot of Westridge Shopping Centre, at the corner of Main Street and Elliott Road, where it has been located for the last two years. Previous to that, the market was situated outside the Lions Hall until that facility had to be rebuilt after a fire. “Callahan Properties, who owns Westridge, has been very gracious in letting us set up at the mall following the fire and our vendors really like the location as well,” said Betty Hersey, the market coordinator. The 2015 edition of the farmers’ market will feature more than 40 new and returning vendors offering a variety of locally grown produce along with artisans bringing a wide array of unique crafts to showcase.
❂Discover Summer T7
As well, the market will feature a guest entertainer each week. The Westbank Farmers’ Market was initially established in 2010, and has grown in the years since to become a summer shopping destination for tourists and local residents. Hersey said the idea for a farmer’s market began within the Historic Westbank Association, of which she is a member, a group dedicated to preserving the local history associated with the community of Westbank before it fell under the municipal auspices of the District of West Kelowna. “The vision of mine and others was to come up with an idea that would get people coming back to downtown Westbank and promote it as the centre of our community,” Hersey recalled. “We all love Westbank and its history, and we thought organizing a farmers’ market is a good way to draw people back from the strip malls along
the highway.” Hersey said people will ask how Westbank relates to the rest of what will soon be the City of West Kelowna. “We have a booth at the farmers’ market and we answer that question by saying Westbank was a town established back in 1903, long before the District of West Kelowna came to be. Westbank was never incorporated and remained a rural community within the regional district, but people were still living here and it has its own history. “We are striving to keep Westbank’s identity alive. I was a school teacher here in Grade 3 and 5, and I used to teach our students about the pioneers of our community, the people who came before them and started this place. It’s really something, our history, that should not be forgotten.” The Westbank Farmers’ Market is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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June 26, 2015 • www.kelownacapnews.com
T8 D ISCOVER S UMMER ❂
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Quails’ Gate Winery in West Kelowna will host a Summer ‘Harvest Table’ Dinner on Saturday, July 25, starting at 6 p.m. Building on the success of its Dinner in the Vineyard series, the winery will host an al fresco long-table dinner that combines locally sourced cuisine and world-class wines at a welcoming communal table. The Stewart family, owners of Quails’ Gate, are pioneers of the Okanagan wine region, and their vision for fine dining as part of the winery experience has been actualized during the past decade with the success of their onsite dining facility. As the profile of Quails’ Gate wines has risen internationally, the winery’s Old Vines Restaurant has also attracted attention from food lovers who appreciate the unique synergy of food and wine produced in the same
geographical region. In recent years Old Vines was named one of the Top 20 Winery Restaurants in the World (dailymeal.com), and one of the Best 100 Restaurants in Canada (opentable.com), as well as repeatedly earning medals from Vancouver Magazine for their popularity. The upcoming dinner is a great opportunity to experience firsthand the restaurant’s cuisine de terroir: each dish on the menu will be designed to complement the diversity and styles of the Quails’ Gate wine pairings. Tickets for the dinner are $170 per person, including all wine pairings. Tickets can be reserved online at www.quailsgate.com or by calling either 250-769-4451 or 1-800-420-9263 ext 221. Quails’ Gate Winery is located at 3303 Boucherie Rd.
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www.kelownacapnews.com • June 26, 2015
The Bard comes to the yard
MIKE STRAUSS For most people, studying Shakespeare’s work is a dreaded and distasteful memory from school days gone by. Anne-Marie Holmwood wants to change that. Holmwood, a theatre teacher at Kelowna Secondary School, is directing this year’s Shakespeare Kelowna play – and she hopes that her production will portray Shakespeare in new and exciting ways. “When I approached the Board of Directors, I asked if they’d consider doing a play about Shakespeare that Shakespeare didn’t write. That’s a departure from what they’ve always done.” Holmwood and her production team will be performing The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield. Holmwood characterizes the play as
❂Discover Summer T9
a modern a pleasure to work with. comedic twist Three people are holding of Shakeour attention easily and speare’s beautifully, and absolutely classics. cracking us up. I’ve had “This play lots of people give me a is written for polite ‘oh’ when I tell them people who I’m directing for Shakehate Shakespeare Kelowna – but speare,” she when I tell them what play says. “I’ve L TO R: THOMAS FOURNIER, COLIN DEBOURCIER, MARK REINELT I’m doing, they really want been telling to go.” people that The play kicks off it’s like Monty Python meets Saturday Night with all the pomp and circumstance befitLive meets Shakespeare. This production ting a Shakespeare production, but quickly compresses all of Shakespeare’s 37 plays transitions into a shortened Romeo and Juliet into a single 90-minute show. It’s fast-paced and a modern take on Titus Andronicus and and side-splittingly hilarious.” Othello. Then, the script veers off-course into This three-handed show, Holmwood a zany free-for-all in which the three actors says, uses distinct characters that the audiperform all 16 of Shakespeare’s comedies at ence can easily relate to. An older academic the same time. Act One ends with the actors snob and a younger actor debate the merits realizing they’ve forgotten just a single play – of Shakespeare, with the older wanting to Hamlet. stay true to tradition and the younger desiring The Complete Works of William Shakea more interesting kind of Shakespeare. The speare (Abridged) runs from July 15 to 18 third character, an improv actor, tries to keep and 22 to 25 at the Okanagan Villa Estate the peace but ends up caught in the middle. Winery. Tickets are $30 ($25 for students/ “It’s not very often that you see a seniors) and are available at the Kelowna three-person play with this intensity of work,” Tickets box office at Orchard Park or online Holmwood says. “These actors have been at www.ShakespeareKelowna.org.
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June 26, 2015 • www.kelownacapnews.com
T10 D ISCOVER S UMMER ❂
Bringing together a celebration of
music and art,
the Bottega Festival promises to be one of the
event highlights
in the Central Okanagan this summer.
The festival is the evolution of the Lille Gard Festival held the previous five years, a festival built on the themes of music, arts and entertainment. Taking place July 17 and 18, as with its predecessor, the Bottega Festival will be hosted by the Bottega Farm and Studio, a 13-acre working farm that features a herd of alpacas. JAMES HAYES
The festival will largely be held outdoors on the farm site grounds, with the Bottega Inn itself used for art displays among other activities. “The event itself is largely geared to be outdoors,” said
Michael Donley, helping organize the festival this year. “There will be art on display, and artists will be working on site. We have a line-up of different musical entertainment along with food and beverage vendors Tree Brewing and Streaming Cafe, and the Craisan and Rolling Stone food trucks.” Heading the entertainment ALEX FONG
roster will be Neil Osborne, lead singer of 54/40, and Bill Henderson and Claire Lawrence, who were part of the original Chilliwack band and played together for its predecessor, The Collectors. >>
www.kelownacapnews.com • June 26, 2015
Other performers will include Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, Craig Cardiff, Cecile Doo-Kingue, The Small Glories, Jordan Klassen, Sam Weber, The Trips, Andrew Judah, Paperboy and the Messengers, Ari Neufeld, Windmills and Until Red. Donley explained that Lille Gard’s infancy evolved from a group of artists who knew each other coming together to create the festival, a place for them to come together to celebrate music and art. The duo leading that organizational effort at the time were musician Graham Ord and Nico Voeston, with New Horizons Productions. “Everyone was kind of pooling their resources together to put on the festival,” Donley said. The idea of creating a unique community festival that extended beyond a smaller group of entertainers and artists sharing the same social circles continued to evolve with each passing year. He says the Bottega site is a key part of the festival, offering an escape of the senses from Kelowna’s urban hustle and bustle. “It’s only about 10 minutes out of town, but you are surrounded by forest and it is an actual working farm with the presence of the alpacas,” Donley described. “Your blood pressure literally drops when you are there. It’s a relaxing place to be CRAIG CARDIFF
and an ideal setting for this kind of festival.” As with most community events, volunteers will have much to do with helping the Bottega Festival take place in it first year under a new identity. “It’s a bit of
❂Discover Summer T11
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an unknown because it will be the first time doing the festival to this extent, but as much as there is a low of organization involved in putting it on, we still want it to be a layed-back vibe for the festival, where people can connect and have a good time.” As an added benefit, the charity beneficiary from the festival will be the New Horizon Romania project, an organization serving the disadvantaged through education and medical services in the East European country. “We have picked a different charity every year with the past festivals, and it’s nice to have a festival with a purpose that extends beyond just celebrating arts and culture,” Donley said. “It’s really amazing to have the opportunity to a greater cause
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that can help other people.” The Bottega Farm Inn is located in East Kelowna at 4485 Sallows Rd. For more information about tickets, check out the Bottega Festival website at bottegafestival.com.
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June 26, 2015 • www.kelownacapnews.com
T12 D ISCOVER S UMMER ❂
Go take a hike: Kelowna home to great local parks and trails to explore MIKE STRAUSS Thirty-one different regional parks. Five thousand acres of parkland. Over 120 kilometers of trails ranging from completely flat to 300 feet of elevation gain. And although you won’t find any lions and tigers, you might see a bear or two. It’s not hard to see why the Okanagan is Canada’s most enviable summer playground. James Chester, RDCO Parks Services’ community relations liaison, believes that getting outdoors does more than just keep him fit. “People love hiking because it gets them out into the open air,” he says. “It helps them stay in touch with nature, with the sights and sounds of the Okanagan. It’s about slowing down.”
THE CENTRAL OKANAGAN’S 31 REGIONAL PARKS ARE PRIME TERRITORY FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO STAY ACTIVE, ENJOY THE FRESH AIR, AND GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE LOCAL WILDLIFE.
To that end, the RDCO serves the local population with a variety of programs and events that can help residents to enjoy the local parkland.
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Explore Your Parks is a monthly 90-minute interpretive hike with rotating themes – birding one month, plant identification the next, for instance. Chester says Explore Your Parks is a great program for beginning hikers, while intermediate hikers will prefer the RDCO’s more intensive hiking programs. “We have a program called Take A Hike. It’s a three-hour hike once per month. You get your heart rate up and cover some good distance – about 10 kilometers.” Both programs are free to join – participants need only register through the RDCO Parks Department. The RDCO also offers a variety of children’s outdoor programs, Chester says, including summer nature camps, story time, and special holiday programming. “Our summer nature camps run through July and August for children aged 5 to 7,” he says. “These are week-long camps with outdoor activities like pond studies, nature walks, birdhouse building, and gardening. In July and August we run our Summer Story Time program for children
aged 3 to 5. Summer Story Time is on Tuesdays at 10 AM at Mission Creek Regional Park and Thursdays at 10 AM at Gellatly Nut Farm.” The parks department also offers a variety of family programs. Most recently, the RDCO organized a Father’s Day fishing trip to Shannon Lake. The department is also planning a Teddy Bear Picnic in Lake Country for July 19, as well as a Welcome Kokanee Festival at Hardy Falls Regional Park for August 30. But for James Chester, working in the parks department isn’t about the events – it’s about feeling a connection to this city, this landscape, and this community. “My favourite hike for seeing the Okanagan is the John Stamley Nature Conservancy Regional Park. You have a great view of Okanagan Lake from Peachland all the way to Vernon. The dry ponderosa pine grassland ecosystem is there as well, and you can see the impact from the 2003 fire. It’s both a big picture and a small picture of the Okanagan.” See parks next page.
www.kelownacapnews.com • June 26, 2015
❂Discover Summer T13
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ANGEL SPRINGS • Moderate; 4 km (one way) The trail to Angel Springs is 4 km one way. Though the springs aren’t for bathing, the geological formations and mineral deposits are an interesting sight. The trail-head is located on the east side of Little White Forest Service Road at kilometre four. To reach the trail-head from Kelowna, take K.L.O. Road to McCulloch Road then to June Springs Road follow June Springs Road to Little White Forestry Service Road.
Cars parked less than 3 metres from driveways will be ticketed and/or towed. There is additional parking on Westridge Drive and Stewart Road West.
HIGH RIM TRAIL • Difficult; 55 km – six trail-heads There are six different access points for this trail. The main access from Kelowna is Philpott Road and Highway 33. With six different access points along the trail you can easily break it up into much shorter hikes, varying from 6 to 12 km. The final trail-head in the north is at the Cosens Bay parking lot in Kalamalka Provincial Park. There is close to 700 metres in elevation gain.
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BRANT’S CREEK / GLENMORE VALLEY LINEAR PARK • Easy; 1 km (one way) The park can be entered on Valley Road on the east side of Glenmore Drive, or on the west side of Glenmore Drive on Biggar Road. To enter the park on Valley Road from downtown Kelowna, take Glenmore Drive to Yates; turn right on Yates. There is no parking on Valley Road so you should park on Yates Road and walk around the corner to the bird sanctuary on Valley Road where the park entrance is located. Dogs not allowed
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CEDAR MOUNTAIN PARK - KELOWNA CRAGS • Difficult Head south from downtown on Pandosy Street, which changes names to Lakeshore Road. Stay straight at the fork on to Chute Lake Road. Once on the gravel road, go about 7 km and watch for an old dirt road on the right. Take this road to an old sawmill site and park. About 1/2 km after you cross the creek past the old cabin, cliffs will come into view on your left. You can hike down to the bottom of the cliffs (about 300 feet high). The trail leads up to the cliff top at the north end. Depending on where you left your car, it’s about a 6.5 km walk. The view from the cliff top is beautiful, at about 2,500 feet. This area is very popular for climbing and bouldering.
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Every Swipe Wins MYRA-BELLEVUE PROVINCIAL PARK (CRAWFORD TRAILS) • Moderate to Difficult; Various distances The main access point is off Stewart Road East. From downtown turn right off Hwy 97 onto Gordon Drive then turn right on Casorso Road, through the round about it turns into Saucier Road, follow this until you turn right on Stewart Road East. Please note that due to the fire that went through this area we strongly recommend that you stay on the main trails.
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CRAWFORD FALLS / CANYON FALLS PARK • Difficult; 1 - 2 km - Dogs allowed on leash Crawford Falls is located on Bellevue 2pm, 3pm & 4pm • June 14 • June 28 • July 12 • July 26 Creek. It can be reached by the following: Gordon Drive to Dehart Road; Dehart Road to Crawford Road; Crawford road No purchase necessary. Must be Encore Rewards member to win. Contest conditions • Fridays Wednesdays 1pm -and 5pmpresent & Saturdays 9pm - 1amavailable at G to Westridge Road. Turn on to Canyon SCENIC CANYON PARK Ridge Crescent and finally to Canyon the REGIONAL participation rate at each casino. Gaming prizes are offered in conjunction with BCLC. Skill testing question (LAYER CAKE MOUNTAIN) • Moderate; Falls Court, which is a dead end. You 4 km - Open in spring, summer, and fall will see a Kelowna City Parks trail that Up to $500 USpin • Free Dining • Bonus Ballots • Scratch & Win during daylight hours • Dogs permitted you can follow to a beautiful waterfall. on lease To get to the lower falls takes about 20 Scenic Canyon Regional Park’s parking minutes but is quite difficult. Once there 1300 Water Street lot is located at the end of Field Road. you will see 20 foot falls. If you continue 250-860-9467 Take McCulloch Road to Field Road. about 10 more minutes you will see No purchase necessary. Must be Encore Rewards member and present to win. Contest conditions available at Guest Services. Odds purchase necessary. Encore Rewards member and present to win.isContest conditions available at Guestof winning Services. ana grand instant prizeonkelowna.lakecitycasinos.com are 1:1. Odds grand The parking lot entrance just before the larger falls (40Must feet).be *Before you an instantOdds prize areof 1:1.winning Odds of winning prize depend the participation rate at of eachwinning casino. Gaminga prizes are p offered in conjunction Skill testing required. Qualifying entries be separately activated on all No purchase necessary. Must bewith Encore BCLC. Rewards member and present toquestion win. Contest conditions available at Guest Services. Odds ofneed winning to an instant prize are 1:1. Odds of winning a grand prizedraw depend days on theoffered Gallaghers Golf Coursewith subdivision go, be advised is a very steep,prizes are participation rate atthat eachthiscasino. Gaming in conjunction BCLC. Skill testing question required. Qualifying entries need to tobebe eligible separately activated on all draw days to be the participation rate at each casino. Gaming prizes are offered in conjunction with BCLC. Skill testing question required. Qualifying entries need to be separately activated on all draw days to be eligible for prize. for prize. entrance. This park has many great advanced level hike. Staff are currently features, including geological formations, working to establish a safer trail to the bottom. Hikers should also be aware that cultural sites and rock ovens used by Chinese Labourers. parking is limited in Canyon Falls Court.
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June 26, 2015 • www.kelownacapnews.com
T14 D ISCOVER S UMMER ❂
Local cruise company lets families experience the lake like never before GO WITH THE WIND CRUISES OFFERS A UNIQUE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF OKANAGAN LAKE FOR COUPLES AND FAMILIES.
BY MIKE STRAUSS Captain Al and his wife First Mate Jo-Ann own Go With The Wind Cruises, where for $25 per hour, you can explore the local coves and experience life on the high seas of Okanagan Lake. Al and Jo-Ann specialize in providing educational cruises for couples and small groups. “These are personal cruises, so I don’t mix groups together,” says Al. “I find out what their interests are. If they’re interested in wildlife, I can show them where to look for eagles and bighorn sheep.” Al got his first boat in 1975 from a co-worker at Western Star, where he worked for a number of years. “Another factory worker bought an $800 catamaran,
y a l P & m Swi f ur T o t f r u S m Fro
www.WETS.ca Phone: 250-470-7496
but he didn’t know how to sail. Took his wife sailing in March and ran with the wind.
fires. And although he’s quite a fan of the serenity of sailing, Al isn’t afraid to go on the odd
They came back in and he was towing the boat along the beach with a rope, and she was scolding him.” Captain Al says he found his co-worker’s address in the phone book and visited the house. When the man’s wife answered the door, Al bought the boat from her – for half price. Al and Jo-Ann typically take about 500 to 600 passengers in a given season, most of whom are repeat customers. Cruises range in duration from two to four hours, and Captain Al makes a point of turning journeys into a fun educational experience. “It’s a quiet, informative cruise. We tell people the area’s history. I’ve been here since 1970. I take a lot of photographs, so everyone gets their choice of souvenir postcard and a DVD slideshow that I’ve made.” This souvenir DVD shows photos that capture the history and nature of the Okanagan, from the local parks to the business complexes to the
adventure – especially when there’s a good cause at stake. “We’ve been doing the Variety Club’s Boat for Hope since it started nine years ago,” he says. “The Yacht Club arranges cruises for special needs children and their caregivers. The boats are decorated like pirate ships. A lot of them have water cannons and squirt guns. Everyone dresses like a pirate. The kids all have maps, and they go from one treasure ship to the next.” Each treasure ship contains bags of “pirate loot” – items that have been generously donated for the children. After the kids are done looting, the pirates and marauders face off in a water gun battle in City Park. This year, Go With The Wind Cruises is expecting a busy season. Al says the company already has bookings into September, and their summer season hasn’t even started yet. Locals who want to tour the lake with Captain Al and First Mate Jo-Ann will need to act fast, before that ship sails.
www.kelownacapnews.com • June 26, 2015
â?‚Discover Summer T15
Recreational park with
something for everyone Rolf and Kathrin von Andrian brought their family to the Okanagan region in 2012 and it was love at first sight. As an active family, their commitment to the outdoors soon gave them ideas on how they might share this wonderful, natural experience with others. The end result of that idea search was the creation of the Myra Canyon Adventure Park, 4429 June Springs Rd., situated along the border of the Myra Bellevue Provincial Park. That location is right at the edge of the Myra Canyon with its famous trestles is an ideal starting point for many activities. Together with their four kids, they own and operate the park. Many local Kelowna people might know our location. It was in the media for years with so many nasty stories. A local group of weirdos kept RCMP busy for years: Shootings, burnt down RVs with a dead woman, underground container as grow ops, people hunt-
ing trespassing hikers with heavy guns, threatening neighbours, buried ammunition, underground storages and endless garbage. But that is all ancient history now. The von Andrians have developed a recreational park that includes a variety of activities such as climbing, slack lining and disc golf in a natural environment setting. The Kinder Course offers a family activity, a series of rope harnessed obstacle challenges attached to trees with safety netting below all the obstacle elements. These netted courses feature scaled and themed challenges that allow kids and their parents to climb, swing, traverse and zipline without specialized staffing or equipment beyond wearing a safety helmet. For the more adventurous, the ropes and challenge course options looking out over Myra Canyon under the supervision of trained guides and the proper safety equipment.
More Fun, More Sips, More Better Fun day excursions including a barrel room tour (not offered on all tours), over 16 sips of exceptional Okanagan wine, a lunch stop (regular menu at own expense) plus complimentary drinks & chocolates!
Book your tour in any one of 8 regions today uncorkedokanagan.com
June 26, 2015 • www.kelownacapnews.com
T16 D ISCOVER S UMMER ❂
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To set the stage for this story, we should first establish that Wilkins served 20 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. He said he joined the army because the circus didn’t come to his town. He was joking of course. His military service actually BY ROB LINDSAY started with the army and ended When I first talked with several years later fighting in Patrick Wilkins – the owner, Afghanistan with the Royal operator and tour guide from Canadian Air Force. There, at Custom Sidecar Tours in Kelow- Kandahar Airbase, he worked as na – I immediately liked the guy. an avionics technician servicing His passion for the Okanagan unmanned aerial surveillance was evident in the way he spoke drones. He was deployed for about the scenic, rolling beauty a total of 156 days straight, of the Okanagan wine country. under constant threat of attack, shelled intermittently by a largely unseen enemy force. It was, to say the least, a stressful posting for Wilkins. When he returned back home to Canada, Wilkins quickly realized he wasn’t the same man that left for Kandahar five and a half months earlier. SIDECAR ADVENTURE ENTHUSIASTS ROB LINDSAY AND He had developed CHRISTY PHILLIPS GEAR UP FOR A SIDECAR WINE TOUR a serious case of post- traumatic stress. His passion for motorcycles That diagnosis essentially ended and sidecars was even more his military career. His wife pronounced. Wilkins had been Dorothy recognized the change riding motorbikes since he was in him too, and encouraged him an 11 year old growing up on to face the challenges head on. the Canadian prairies. The feelShe made sure he got the help ing of riding on the open road, he needed, and they mutually knees in the breeze, with the decided to move from Edmonwind whistling past his helmet, ton to the Okanagan Valley. afforded him a certain sense of They made Kelowna their new freedom he had never before home. imagined. Little did he know In September, 2013, a visit that nearly three decades later from Steve Jack, one of Patrick’s he would need to turn to that service buddies from the Calove of motorcycle riding to help nadian Forces, changed his life heal from the deep and personal forever. scars of war. “At the time I was doing
www.kelownacapnews.com • June 26, 2015
PATRICK WILKINS photography, and as you know, there are tons of wonderful photographers out here. I didn’t want to compete in that type of market because I suffer from post-traumatic stress,” he said. “I needed to find something where I could work with small groups of people and do something that I love. When Steve came here we were just sitting on the deck drinking wine, like everyone does around here, trying to figure out how to make our fortune. All of a sudden Steve said, ‘There’s an Australian guy I saw on PBS who was doing motorcycle wine tours with a sidecar. Why don’t you try that?” It was like a light bulb of inspired thought turned on above
Patrick’s head. He realized they had just discovered something he could do that combined three of his loves: photography, motorcycles and the beauty of the Okanagan Valley. That little gem of inspiration would lead to the birth of one of the Okanagan’s newest adventure companies, Custom Sidecar Tours in Kelowna. Patrick and Dorothy began researching sidecars and motorcycles to find the best combination to offer a quiet, stable, comfortable ride. They chose to go with the Honda Gold Wing GL1800 and the Champion Daytona 2X2 convertible softtop sidecar with enough trunk space for three cases of wine,
❂Discover Summer T17 to accommodate any bottle purchases along the way. The sidecar itself can accommodate two riders comfortably. “We chose the quieter Gold Wing because we didn’t want our guests to have the Harley Davidson experience with the rumbling growl of the engine. We wanted our guest to have the Okanagan experience,” he said. And that Okanagan experience can be anything you want it to be – and at your own pace. From visiting wineries to stopping at quaint breakfast hideaways, art galleries and everything in between, Patrick and Dorothy can help you co-create the vacation adventure of your dreams. Even area residents can get in on the fun and excitement of sidecar adventuring. “Some of the locals that we’ve taken on tours have said the sidecar adventure
has given them a whole new appreciation for where we live. The same roads they’ve driven countless times begin to take on a whole new meaning,” Dorothy said. “You look at things in a completely different way. You’re low to the ground with the open air all around you. In the fall you can even smell the ripening apples and the blossoms. We have so many different micro-climates you can feel the temperature shift from one spot to another. It’s really quite magical and amazing.” But perhaps the most magical and amazing aspect of Custom Sidecar Tours is the effect it has had on Patrick Wilkins. For a few hours a day when he’s out riding his motorcycle and sharing the Okanagan with his guests, he’s far removed from the stress he felt serving with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. He is free.
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June 26, 2015 • www.kelownacapnews.com
T18 D ISCOVER S UMMER ❂
A musical extravaganza The Delta Police Pipe Band will be one of the headliners at the annual Okanagan Military Tattoo taking place July 25 and 26 at Vernon’s Kal Tire Place. “The directors of the Okanagan Military Tattoo Society are very pleased to have a band of this calibre attend the tattoo,” said OMT society president Norm Crerar. “Following our highly successful inaugural tattoo in 2014,
we promised the public that we would recruit world class bands and performers to future tattoos. Being able to secure a pipe band like the Delta Police Band means we are keeping that promise.” The Delta Police Pipe Band was founded in 1971 and consists of 33 pipers and 22 drummers. The band proudly represents the Delta Police Department and the Corporation of Delta at home
A MUSICAL TATTOO IS A DEMONSTRATION OF MILITARY DRUMMING, PIPING AND SKILLS
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and around the world. The band had the ultimate honour of sharing the stage with Sir Paul McCartney and his band during their On the Run tour in front of 40,000 fans at Vancouver’s BC Place stadium. The band performed Wings’ classic Mull of Kintyre with Sir Paul as part of his encore. The Delta Police Pipe Band has performed at events around the world including 11 sold out shows at the 2009 Basel Tattoo in Switzerland, the Netherlands Tattoo in 2007, Virginia in 2006 and Germany in 2013. The Okanagan Military Tattoo Society is currently in talks with several other regimental bands and both local and international groups, with more announcements on the tattoo lineup expected early in the new year. The Okanagan is home to two kinds of tattoos: The one your father warned you about, and the one with dozens of dancers, drums, bands, bagpipes and kilts all on a single stage. A musical tattoo is a demonstration of military drumming, piping and skills. It’s called a ‘tattoo’ because when the British Army was fighting in Belgium 300 years ago, soldiers were called in from the pubs each night for curfew, or Doe den tap toe, Dutch for ‘Turn off the tap’.
The expression evolved—to tap-too and then tattoo: an exhilarating showcase of military bands, choirs and skills as well as the sounds and dances of today’s finest performers from around the world. It’s a musical extravaganza of pipers, drummers, musicians, military bands, marching troops, multicultural dancers and singers of all ages brought together in an action packed, non-stop choreographed two-hour event. Featuring over 400 performers from all over North America paying tribute to our military past and present. Tickets for the July 25 and 26 Okanagan Military Tattoo are now on sale at the Ticket Seller at 250-549-7469, www. tickeseller.ca. The Delta Police Pipe Band will be one of the headliners at the annual Okanagan Military Tattoo taking place July 25 and 26 at Vernon’s Kal Tire Place.
The Okanagan Science Centre We Make SCienCe Fun For everyone!
Located in Polson Park www.okscience.ca 2704 Highway 6 info@okscience.ca Vernon BC (250) 545-3644