SEPTEMBER 2016
Music, art bring ‘cool vibe’
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CONTENTS Festival of the Grape will draw thousands to Wine Capital
Page 6 PUBLISHER
ABERDEEN PUBLISHING INC. www.aberdeenpublishing.com
EDITOR
RICHARD MCGUIRE reporter@osoyoostimes.com
AD DESIGN
RONDA JAHN production@osoyoostimes.com
SALES
BRIAN HIGHLEY brianhighley@aberdeenpublishing.com
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A walk though history in the Town of Oliver
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Okanagan Art Gallery marks one year in Osoyoos
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’Snowy Joey’ breathing new life into Mount Baldy
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New York Times pays tribute to Spotted Lake
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Music, art add ‘cool vibe’ to Jojo’s Café
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’Dream Team’ promotes Oliver area
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Peachland campground celebrates 60 years
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Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne to play Venables
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Around Town events calendar
“You can learn everything, but if you’re not inherently a happy, enthusiastic, energetic person, then this probably isn’t the right place for you.” - Joanne Muirhead, owner of Jojo’s Café. (Page 14) SEPTEMBER 2016
CONTRIBUT0RS KELSI BISSONNETTE is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Instructor. She has been working in the fitness industry for 20+ years and has owned her own fitness studio.
Music, art bring ‘cool vibe’
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ON THE COVER Joanne Muirhead overcame her fears and opened Jojo’s Café six years ago. Now it’s taking on a new life as a popular venue for music and visual arts in the Osoyoos community. (Richard McGuire photo) Page 14.
We welcome feedback from our readers. Send comments to editor@oksun.ca or mail to Box 359, Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V0, Telephone 250-4957225. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or part by any means without the written permission of the publisher. While every care has been taken with this publication, the author(s) and publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors it may contain. No liability is accepted for any loss or damage resulting from the use of this publication. © 2016 Aberdeen Publishing. We reserve the right to refuse any submission or advertisement. ISSN 2291-2991.
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Sun Sightings Horses round the bend in the sixth and final race at Desert Park in Osoyoos on Aug. 20. This was the fourth year of horse racing since it was brought back in 2013 after a hiatus of more than a decade. This was the only race day this year, but it was well attended, drawing an estimated 1,000 people. (Richard McGuire photo)
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Donald Slimmon and Marie Seckler take a walking tour of Oliver, learning a great deal about its history and people. At one time Oliver’s downtown was at Fairview before the buildings were moved. (Dan Walton photo)
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A walk through history in the Town of Oliver By Dan Walton The Heritage Walking Tour of Oliver gives everyone the chance to step into the past and walk alongside the remnants that have been braided into its history. Before it was the Wine Capital of Canada, what’s now the Town of Oliver was inhabited first by people of the Okanagan First Nation; it was eventually shaped as a colonial community by miners chasing the reverberations from a gold rush; and then further sculpted because of some personal interest from a former B.C. premier. Oliver resident Marie Seckler, who took the tour for the first time last month, said she was most fascinated to learn the community’s downtown once existed in Fairview, and after modest interests in the exploitation of gold had waned, a laborious relocation project was required for the move to its current location. “The movement of the buildings from Fairview down to Oliver and replacing every building had to be done board-by-board and brick-by-brick,” Seckler said. As part of the relocation, “The Blasted Church earned its name because they actually blasted some of the building’s insides to loosen the nails to be able to move the bits and pieces of it – what other city would be able to say that?” By the turn of the 20th century, the community had been contemplating the town’s relocation for years amid the dwindling investment in gold extraction. The lynchpin was pulled in 1902 after a fire devastated the community and burned Fairview Hotel to the ground, and the town’s population collectively decided to centre themselves closer to Tuc-el-Nuit Lake. Seckler visited Fairview and said the foundations and ruins of buildings can be seen, though it requires an automobile since the site is four kilometres from downtown. “It’s amazing the amount of fires Oliver has had,” said local resident Donald Slimmon, who recently took the tour for the first time after living in Oliver for eight years. “And it’s a wonder nothing burned when we had the fire last year, because that was amazing that we didn’t lose anything.” Then a year ago, Slimmon helped convince Seckler that she too should move to Oliver. “The first time I came here to see it, I noticed the people here are so friendly and it’s small enough where you can get around and not have to worry about parking or anything. It gives off a really nice small-town feel.”
She said the major factors in her decision to move to Oliver were the sunny weather, beautiful landscapes and the coziness of the community. “We can wander and look at things, and knowing the history adds a nice solid foundation to exploring where we are.” The tours are guided every day at 1 p.m., starting from outside the visitor’s centre. Seckler and Slimmon were both impressed by how knowledgeable the tour guides were. “They knew an awful lot,” Slimmon said. “I was surprised how much she knew about Oliver, but I guess that’s her job. “They were really interested in sharing the information which was great,” Seckler said. Tours are free for anybody interested, and are sponsored by the Oliver and District Heritage Society and the Oliver Tourism Association.
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The Grape Stomp at Festival of the Grape is a lot of fun to watch and sometimes the contestants get a little out of hand. Wine tasting, music and other entertainment round out the events. (Richard McGuire photo)
Festival of the Grape will draw thousands to Oliver for wine tasting and lots of fun By Tony Munday Located in the Wine Capital of Canada, Oliver B.C., the Festival of the Grape is an event put on in partnership by the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce and the Oliver Tourism Association with the help of hundreds of volunteers. The Festival of the Grape on Sunday, Oct. 2 is a very popular annual event, attracting thousands of attendees who come to taste the various wines that are on display, enjoy the music played on the grandstand, and either compete in, or watch competitors in the Grape Stomp. In addition to the wine tasting, music listening and grape stomping, local artisans also display their crafts in the Fall Art Show & Sale. This year’s hot live entertainment is by Gary Comeau and the Voodoo Allstars. Gary Comeau is a singer-songwriter and musician of unique diversity and talent. Playing a range of instruments including guitar, mandolin, fiddle and piano, he delivers originally crafted, high energy, New Orleans-style rockin’ roots and blues. Gary 6 www.oksun.ca
Comeau & The Voodoo Allstars were asked to participate in The BC Fire Relief Benefit; a joint production of CBC television and radio. They were featured on Holger Peterson’s Saturday Night Blues; a CBC nation-wide blues show out of Edmonton and are regulars on the West Coast Festival circuit where their live performances are, more often than not, the showcase highlight. FOG is celebrating 20 years this fall and you are invited to join in on the tradition! The event started 20 years ago with a handful of local wineries which has grown to over 50 wineries in attendance. Last year they served an estimated 23,000 tastings of wine to 3,500 people who attended the event. Festival of the Grape volunteers help set up the wine tasting tents, then the wineries bring in their displays and begin creating a friendly atmosphere where visitors can taste the various wine samples and ask questions of the winery staff. The Festival of the Grape begins with a parade where participants honour the amazing wineries. After the grape
This group from Langley, B.C. wore rosé coloured glasses to a previous Festival of the Grape. From left are Michael and Lorraine Griffith and Lynda McGaire. (Richard McGuire photo) festival parade and opening ceremony Bacchus announces that the grape festival is to begin (Bacchus has opened the festival every year). Visitors cheer and then start off to visit the booths of various wineries in the large tents, listen to the feature band or visit the trade vendor booths. As the Festival of the Grape continues, visitors can go on an art walk and view the presentation of arts and crafts on display at the Fall Art Show and Sale. The Festival of the Grape is an event for the whole family, as there is a family area with face painting, activity stations and lots of entertainment for the kids with games, a petting zoo and more. Many vendors and local artisans attend the Festival of the Grape in Oliver to display their items, crafts, art and services. In the trade show area you can find glassware,
jewelry, photographs, wood crafts, art and many other items as you walk through our vendor ally. You will find the next thing you never knew you needed here! In addition to the craft vendors, there is a booth where you can purchase Festival of the Grape souvenirs. Food truck vendors at the Festival of the Grape provide a wide array of food and beverage items. The food items vary in ethnicity, taste and style to suit every palate. If you are looking for something sweet, savory or just some darn good french fries, we have you covered. Join us in celebrating fall harvest and the grape! (Tony Munday is the executive director of the Oliver Osoyoos Wine Association). OKANAGAN SUN • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 7
Painters Michael Jorden (left) and Steve Staresina were instrumental in bringing the Okanagan Art Gallery to Osoyoos a year ago. They’ve seen a four-fold increase in visitors since moving. (Richard McGuire photo)
Okanagan Art Gallery marks one-year anniversary of move to Osoyoos By Richard McGuire If you don’t notice the sandwich board on the sidewalk of Main Street in Osoyoos, you might miss the largest art gallery in town that’s tucked away in former law offices behind the stores. The Okanagan Art Gallery, which moved to Osoyoos from Oliver in August 2015, only has a few feet of frontage – just enough for a doorway leading to a long hallway lined with paintings. But step through that doorway, make your way down the hall, and you’ll come to room after sky lit room – six in total – with walls covered in paintings and other artworks by some of the best artists in the South Okanagan. The gallery is a transplant. For four and a half years, it operated as the Oliver Art Gallery. The move came as artists were negotiating a lease for new space in a former provincial government building in Oliver last year. Talks were taking a long time and there were space limitations. One member of the co-operative observed that the Os8 www.oksun.ca
oyoos Art Gallery was getting much more walk-in traffic than Oliver. Suddenly the idea of moving to Osoyoos was on the table and seemed to make sense. Two of the artists who have been instrumental in launching the new gallery, Michael Jorden from Osoyoos and Steve Staresina from Oliver, both say the move was a good one. Staresina says the number of visitors in the new location has been consistently about a four-fold increase from Oliver throughout the past year. “Osoyoos has a lot more foot traffic, particularly in this block where there are restaurants on both sides of the street,” said Jorden. “It’s en route to the beach and in the winter we have a full town of snowbirds, so all the visitors have been very good for the gallery for the entire year.” The Okanagan Art Gallery is located between Shoe Biz and A New Leaf Tea Room, across the street from Shoppers Drug Mart. It’s close to Jojo’s Café and the Owl Pub. Staresina said many visitors wander across from the Watermark Beach Resort, where they are often staying.
“We also get people coming in from the Okanagan as far as Vernon because they’ve heard about the gallery and they’re interested in art,” said Staresina. “If something catches their eye, they buy it. And if it doesn’t, they come back. We try to have about 25 or 30 per cent of the art change every month.” The gallery is a co-operative with just over two dozen members from across the South Okanagan, with a few from the Similkameen and Boundary areas. Asked to describe the artists, Staresina replies: “Well, there are 25 artists and 25 styles. It’s all the mediums.” In reality, although there are sculptors and a photographer, most of the artists are painters and they lean heavily toward acrylics. Jorden and Staresina, however, prefer to work in oils. “As far as styles are concerned, there’s everything from pure abstract to very representational,” said Jorden. “And pretty well everything in between.” Many of the half dozen or so Osoyoos artists are also involved with Artists on Main and are active with the Osoyoos Art Gallery. Indeed, there’s a spirit of co-operation between the two major Osoyoos galleries, which both have their own distinct roles. “We get referrals from the town gallery and we in turn always mention that there’s another gallery in town,” said Jorden. “It’s a very co-operative relationship.” At the Okanagan Art Gallery, each of the member artists has their own wall space where they display a self-portrait and they change over the other artworks on a regular basis as they see fit. “We exist as a group to enable us as individual artists to invest our time and our money putting art on our own walls,” said Jorden. “We entered this as a business venture. It may be a non-profit, but we’re still a business
venture. You could call it a vanity gallery, but it’s not really. It’s both an opportunity to run a private gallery and to build an art business.” In contrast, the Osoyoos Art Gallery features exhibitions that change roughly once a month, except for the longer summer artisan market. Typically an exhibit there features one or two artists, or possibly a group. When one exhibition ends, it’s replaced by another. Jorden and Staresina say they’ve looked into the possibility of having the co-operative purchase their building, which is ideal with its wall space and skylighting, but weren’t able to reach an agreement. When their lease runs out in two years, they have the option to renew for another three. “I do want this to continue,” said Jorden. The painter, who is in love with Western scenes, makes a regular pilgrimage to Santa Fe, New Mexico. “It’s a town about double the size of Penticton with 250 art galleries,” said Jorden. “Penticton has about four. So it’s the second most popular art destination in the United States, a town of 70,000 people. It got that way because it became known as an art mecca and so art built on art built on art. “I would love to see Osoyoos become an art destination,” he continued. “If we had a third gallery, we had a fourth gallery, it wouldn’t bother me at all.” Art, he said, could become one of the things people think about when they plan their vacations in Osoyoos or plan to stay the winter or simply for a weekend. “The only way that we can contribute to that is to continue to do what we do and try to do it better all the time,” said Jorden. “It means each one of us has to take responsibility for our art and being the best artists that we can be.”
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Mount Baldy, at nearly 5,700 feet, has one of the highest base elevations in the area and it boasts the most sunshine and lightest powder of any ski resort in the Okanagan. (Richard McGuire photo)
‘Snowy Joey’ breathing new life into Mount Baldy By Richard McGuire For most of the past two years, the Mount Baldy ski resort east of Oliver and Osoyoos has been sitting idle. Sure, many people have chalets there that they use in both summer and winter, many of them using snowmobiles to get onto the hills for a bit of skiing with the lifts not moving. Some do snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. That’s all going to change when Baldy re-opens at the start of December under new ownership and new management. “Snowy Joey” O’Brien, as he’s long been nicknamed, is the resort’s new managing director and he has great ambitions for turning Mount Baldy around, just as he did with two other resorts. O’Brien bought his first ski resort at age 19 from his father, Ski Martock near Windsor, Nova Scotia, and pulled it back from the brink of bankruptcy. Later, he ran Fortress Mountain at Kananaskis, Alberta, turning it around and introducing cat skiing, a way of skiing off the beaten track in deep powder areas with use of a snowcat. Armed with those experiences, full of ideas, and rhyming off numbers and statistics, O’Brien takes on the task 10 www.oksun.ca
with another strong advantage – a solid group of investors behind him who are prepared to spend the money needed to turn Mount Baldy into a successful resort. The group of Chinese-Canadian investors is led by Victor Tsao, a Vancouver lawyer. O’Brien’s first-year goals are modest – to capture 42,000 guest visits of the more than 1.2 million skier days in the Okanagan. He hopes to meet nearly half his target by selling 5,000 season passes and gaining many of the rest through a mix of online marketing and using happy skiers to promote the resort to family and friends. The seasons pass target shouldn’t be hard to achieve, considering that Baldy has priced them jaw-droppingly low, well below prices of other resorts in the area. An adult pass is $199, a youth pass is $99, a pass for children aged six and under is just $25 and seniors 65 and over can ski for $19 a season. And that’s not a misprint. “That’s actually the model they use in two thirds of North American ski resorts,” explained O’Brien. “It’s just somewhat unique for here.” Baby boomer skiers used to ski about 12 times a season, but millennials may only ski 5.5 to 6.5 times a season.
“So to capture them with the pass program, you have to price (correctly),” O’Brien said, adding that some resorts base season pass pricing on five days of skiing. Seniors, he said, love to ski on weekdays, when it’s harder for others to get to the ski hill. Behind this strategy is a desire, at least initially, to focus on the local market where most skiers will come from. O’Brien draws concentric circles on a napkin representing travel times to the resort. One hour, two hours, three hours. With each smaller circle, the number of skiers doubles, he explains. And so too the participation rate as a percentage of the population increases. Although Kelowna may have a larger population base, the travel time of more than an hour means a resort is less likely to attract the day skier who skis on a whim. And distance reduces numbers even more for skiers from farther away, such as the Lower Mainland. O’Brien knows that in order to convert skiers into promoters of the resort, he needs to focus on service delivery. That’s meant getting all the lifts back in service and properly safety testing them. It also means giving a “haircut” to the vegetation that has grown up through years of neglect. This will allow skiing on a base of just 75 centimetres of snow. He plans to do essential fix-ups on the main building, which he euphemistically describes as “having character” – putting enough money into it to make it fully operational in the short term, but not too much, knowing that there’s a new master plan on the horizon that will shape future development of the resort. The new master plan is the key and O’Brien plans to work on it over the next two years as he also concentrates on service delivery. The existing master plan, which is approved by the province, was prepared between 2002 and 2005 and is ambitious, but to O’Brien its focus is all wrong. “It was a real-estate-driven, pedestrian-unfriendly, not very experiential at all master plan,” he said. “It was entirely designed around selling real estate. That’s one of the legacies we have.” Because the core focus wasn’t the ski experience, when the market crashed in 2008, Baldy, like other similarly focused resorts, was in trouble. Its American owners hung on for a while, but after the 2012-13 ski season they shut down, faced with insolvency, and didn’t re-open in 2013-14. In the summer of 2014, Gary Powroznik, of G-Force Group in Vancouver, took over as marketing agent, and tried to find a buyer for the troubled resort. He later became the receiver. Several deals looked promising, but then fell through. In December 2014, a deal was reached with Fred Johnston and Baldy Capital Corporation to operate the hill as they prepared to buy it. Baldy reopened briefly early in 2015, but Johnston was unable to put the capital in place to purchase the resort and satisfy the secured creditor.
“Snowy” Joey O’Brien plans to turn around Mount Baldy, as he did with two other ski resorts, making it a viable all-season resort. (Richard McGuire photo) O’Brien began dealing with Powroznik early in the discussions, but until earlier this summer, the missing ingredient was always an investor with sufficient capital. O’Brien, who has been running an environmental consulting business in Canmore, Alta., admits he had no intention of being in the ski resort business again. “But as the deal came together and the investor group came together, they convinced me to join them, so here I am,” he said. “I’m not complaining about this. The ski business is a passion of mine.” For Osoyoos especially, a successful Mount Baldy would be an important boost to efforts to broaden the tourist season beyond the summer months. Conversely, O’Brien sees extending Baldy’s season as necessary to its success. “You have to get nine months utilization,” he said. “In the ski business in North America, the largest expenditure category right now happens to be in summer business.” Down the road that means installing a snowmaking machine at a cost in the $2 million ballpark in order to extend the season into late October and November, becoming an early-season training location. And it will mean introducing programs and amenities to draw people in the summer. “The good news is when it’s 39 C down here (in Osoyoos), it’s 26 up there,” said O’Brien. “So that’s a selling point.” OKANAGAN SUN • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 11
Spotted Lake, just west of Osoyoos, is said to have 365 mud rings, one for every day of the year. The lake has long been sacred to the Okanagan First Nations. (Richard McGuire photo)
New York Times pays tribute to ‘otherworldly’ Spotted Lake By Richard McGuire Spotted Lake to the west of Osoyoos has caught the attention of the New York Times, one of the top newspapers in the United States. The paper recently ran a story on its website by writer Joanna Klein titled, “The Otherworldly Polka Dots of Spotted Lake.” The lake, which has been considered sacred to the Okanagan First Nations for thousands of years, has more recently fascinated travellers driving west of Os-
oyoos on Highway 3. Its muddy rings rich in minerals form hundreds of pools as the water evaporates in the summer, creating the effect of spots. According to the Okanagan people, there are 365 of them – one for each day of the year. Klein’s article compares Spotted Lake to “a terrestrial analogue for ancient Martian Lakes,” for its particular set of minerals. She says Kevin Cannon, a PhD candidate studying planetary geology at Brown University has studied Spotted Lake’s mineral composition and found it similar to
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Penticton photographer Mike Biden’s book Jewels of the Okanagan includes this aerial photo of Spotted Lake. The book published in 2014 features exceptional landscape photos of the Okanagan from Osoyoos to Vernon. (Mike Biden photo) mineral deposits in what was believed once to have been a lake in Columbus crater on Mars. “Mr. Cannon wasn’t able to make any strong conclusions about Martian climate, but he reminds us that if you can’t make it to another planet, you can feel like you’re on another planet on earth,” Klein wrote. She also points out that like the Great Salt Lake in Utah and the Caspian Sea, Spotted Lake is endorheic, meaning that no water leaves it except by evaporation. The briny pools of Spotted Lake are rich in sulfates, magnesium, titanium, sodium and other minerals. These minerals have healing properties, especially when rubbed on knees and joints afflicted with arthritis, say members of the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB). The lake is on land owned by the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) and it cannot be visited without ONA permission. There is, however, a small pullout beside the highway that affords one of the best views of the lake. Three years ago, we visited Spotted Lake with members of the Osoyoos Indian Band when they visited the lake to make offerings and give prayers for a good salmon run. The saline mud has a strong sulphur odour. It sharply contrasted with the sweet smell of a smudge of sage that an elder offered to the “grandfather” of lakes. The New York Times web article also includes a video taken by a drone flying over the lake in 2014 that shows the lake from a unique perspective. OKANAGAN SUN • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 13
Joanne Muirhead got over her fears and started Jojo’s Café six years ago. Now it’s not just a favourite coffee spot, but is also becoming an important Osoyoos venue for art and music. (Richard McGuire photo)
Music, art add ‘cool vibe’ to Jojo’s Café By Richard McGuire Since it first opened in August 2010, Jojo’s Café on Main Street in Osoyoos has been a popular meeting spot to enjoy a cup of quality coffee or a light meal. It’s a town institution. Recently, however, Jojo’s has become much more – an important venue for live music and a showcase for visual art. On a recent Saturday in August, Jojo’s hosted a soldout solo concert by Gary Fjellgaard, an award-winning, country music singer-songwriter. Four days later, Twin Peaks, an award-winning roots music duo, again filled Jojo’s. Then, the following Saturday, the last of the month, Jojo’s held its monthly night of open mic music and art. Oliver has Medici’s, Keremeos has the Grist Mill, but in Osoyoos, Jojo’s Café has become the spot to see regular live music year round. The café has come a long way from owner Joanne Muirhead’s original idea of a place where she could indulge her love of baking. “When I first started, I thought this is going to be great,” 14 www.oksun.ca
she said. “I’m going to get up in the morning and I’m going to make a batch of cookies, I’m going to make a batch of muffins. People are going to come in and eat them and have coffee and it’ll be nice and slow. And I’ll get to bake all the time.” But that’s not what happened. “Now it’s 16 employees and constant,” she said. “We’re so busy all the time.” Muirhead has been cooking and baking since she was a child, but her initial career path was very different – she worked 10 years as a wildlife biologist. While working for a company in Prince George, she wrote business plans for others, and ended up doing one for a coffee shop. “Never, ever in a million years did I think I was actually going to do it,” she said. “I was terrified. It’s a scary thing to open your own business.” Then one day in 2009, she received a phone call from her sister that changed her life. Their father had collapsed on a hike with a heart attack and died. They were a close family and she was devastated. At first all she felt was grief, but it shook her world and in the end made her overcome her fears.
Gary Fjellgaard, an acclaimed Canadian country singer-songwriter performed at Jojo’s Café recently to a sell-out audience. The café is featuring more and more visual artists and musicians. (Richard McGuire photo) “I learned from that whole experience how much fear was controlling my whole life,” said Muirhead. “I’ve always wanted to do so many thing and I’ve always been so afraid to do them. I don’t have that fear anymore, because I realize it’s just a stupid emotion.” Her father’s death also reminded her that she’s not immortal. “We need to seize every day that we have,” she said. While walking downtown, she saw that an ideal spot for a coffee shop was available and she grabbed it. Muirhead says hospitality has always been at the heart of her business philosophy. “I want to make sure that everybody who walks through the door walks back out happy,” she said. “It’s really as simple as that. Giving people excellent quality, not cutting any corners, being friendly with them and making people feel important and valued.” Her coffee is excellent quality, organic, fair trade coffee purchased from roasters in Vernon and Rock Creek – and brewed strong. “I hate going someplace and you get a stupid weak cup of coffee,” she said. “So we don’t serve weak coffee here. It’s the real McCoy.” Muirhead is also choosy about the staff she hires. She recently ran an ad in the Osoyoos Times headed: “Wanted: Very happy people!”
The ad puts attitude well above experience. “If you have a positive, energetic attitude and if you love to serve people, then we want you,” the ad reads. “The rest … well, we can teach you all that.” Muirhead says this hiring philosophy has led to regular comments from customers about her excellent staff. “You can learn everything, but if you’re not inherently a happy, enthusiastic, energetic person, then this probably isn’t the right place for you,” she said. In the six years that Jojo’s has been open, the biggest change has been the role that music and art now play at the café. These, said Muirhead, are her passion. When an employee suggested concerts, she initially thought she wouldn’t have the time to organize them, but others have stepped up to the plate and done it for her. The concerts actually started about three years ago, but they were less frequent and it started slowly. “We had lots of open mics and we really had fun with it and I loved it,” Muirhead said. “Now it’s turned into a pretty big deal.” Alan Bleiken, who has been booking bands since high school and is one of the Three Amigos organizing Osoyoos Music in the Park, has taken the lead in booking concerts, but others are also involved. Jim Peltier organizes the evenings of visual art and
Continued on Page 16
OKANAGAN SUN • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 15
Continued from Page 15 open mic music on the last Saturday of each month. The open mic nights are free, and concerts, said Bleiken, range in price from free to $20. “The maximum that I will ever do a concert for is $20,” said Bleiken. “The reason for that is I want it to be accessible to as many people as possible.” There’s been a real variety of music, though outside the tourist season Jojo’s has tended toward softer music that’s more accessible to an older population. This means more country, folk and roots music. With more people in town for the summer, Bleiken and others have booked rock, jazz, hip-hop and blues for Jojo’s. “I think it’s a wonderful part of her venue,” said Bleiken. “Joanne is a big supporter of the arts. She’s an artist herself, and she likes to make her venue available to the community for that reason.” Muirhead says the concerts and art add to the atmosphere of her café, but that’s it. “This is not a moneymaker by any stretch of the imagination,” she said. “It’s not done for that purpose at all. The biggest thing is it adds a really cool vibe to my shop, because every time something really neat happens at one of those events, I feel that energy gets absorbed by the walls of the coffee shop.” Watch our video about this story at OKSun.ca.
There are no weak cups of coffee served at Jojo’s Café. (Richard McGuire photo)
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16 www.oksun.ca
‘Dream Team’ promotes Oliver area By Lyonel Doherty Inside the historical CPR Station, originally built in 1923, the Oliver Visitor Centre is a hub of activity - especially during the summer months. Staff and volunteers serve hundreds of visitors each week providing directions, information and recommendations for things to do and places to go in Oliver. The centre is operated by the Oliver Tourism Association (OTA), a notfor-profit organization whose mission is to promote and identify tourism opportunities and activities within the Town of Oliver and surrounding area; Rhoda Brooks, Simi Gill and Caroline Alarie. (Lyonel Doherty photo) encourage and support tourism initiatives; and to develop and market the destination brand of Gill has lived her whole life in Oliver, she admits she has learned much about her community working with Brooks “Wine Capital of Canada.” at the centre. Working hard towards achieving this mission for the “These past four weeks have been an absolutely past 11 years is Visitor Centre Manager Rhoda Brooks. amazing learning experience,” Gill says. “You realize Always ready to greet visitors with a warm welcome how popular little ol’ Oliver is when people from all over and her sense of humour, Brooks takes seriously her job the world come to visit our cute little town.” Gill is also of promoting all things Oliver, all the time. From recombilingual (Punjabi and English) and is learning to speak mending accommodation, restaurants and things to do in French at school. wine country, to promoting local special events to selling Rounding out the tourism team is a key group of merchandise so tourists leave wearing or displaying a friendly and dedicated volunteers who give hours of little piece of Oliver, Brooks and her team of top-notch their time each week to work a shift greeting visitors and volunteers have left a positive impression on thousands promoting what Oliver has to offer in the Visitor Cenof visitors over the years. tre. Under the training and guidance of Brooks, these “It’s easy to sell something you love,” says Brooks with volunteers continue to be an essential part of the Visitor a smile. Centre operation. Due to the increase in visitors during the peak season “The vibe in the centre this year is very positive,” says and the growth of the objectives of the Oliver Tourism Carol Sheridan, a member of the Oliver Tourism AssociaAssociation itself, the Visitor Centre team has also grown tion board of directors. in 2016. Caroline Alarie joined the organization in May “Having Caroline and Simi join forces with Rhoda and as the “outreach coordinator” with the goal of bringing a the volunteers in welcoming visitors to our community is greater presence for the OTA at special events and by geta wonderful thing. We really do have a dream team there ting out and about to talk to people in and around Oliver. right now.” Part of Alarie’s role is to assist with promotion and delivIn addition to their work to provide tourism services ery of cultural, sport and tourism events and services to through the Visitor Centre and outreach locations, staff generate increased tourism to the area. Alarie is bilingual also assist with the preparation and execution of the (French and English), which has brought customer service major special events supported by the Oliver Tourism Asto a new level. Using outreach to build relationships with sociation such as the Half Corked Marathon, Uncork the agricultural workers and Lion’s Park users, Alarie has Sun and the Festival of the Grape. helped create a sense of mutual trust and respect and If you haven’t stepped inside the Visitor Centre to talk ensured that issues have been reported to the appropriate with the staff and volunteers and peruse the incredible local authorities such as bylaw enforcement, RCMP and resources that are available be sure to make the trip; you Parks and Recreation staff when necessary. will definitely learn something new about Oliver. Visit the Simi Gill, a student at SOSS and a candidate for the official Oliver tourism website www.winecapitalofcanada. Oliver Ambassador program, started her summer job at com for an up-to-date event calendar, member directory the Visitor Centre at the end of June, funded in part by and all kinds of information about things to do in and the Canada Summer Jobs grant program. Even though around the Wine Capital of Canada. OKANAGAN SUN • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 17
By Kelsi Bissonnette Health and Wellness Coordinator Watermark Beach Resort
Is the fall a good time to cleanse? Summer fun will be drawing to an end shortly. The yummy barbecue food, the later warm evenings, the drying sun, the rich wines and the go go go energy in the town. Fall is coming and it is the perfect time for a cleanse. cleanse klenz verb make (something, especially the skin) thoroughly clean rid (a person, place, or thing) of something seen as unpleasant, unwanted, or defiling free (someone) from sin or guilt The fall is the time to cleanse all the areas of our lives to improve wellness. From our bodies, to our homes, in relationships, in our careers and in our emotions. The fall brings an abundance of local, fresh and natural foods useful to cleanse. Vegetables and fruits are still in abundance and wonderful to make home-
Wellness Words
Getting to the Physical and Emotional Core … made juices and cleansing smoothies. One of my favourites from the Okanagan Juice Box is the Energy Booster. It is lemon, great to help restore an alkaline state in the body, mint to refresh the body, ginger to heal the body, carrot for essential vitamins and I ask to add a beet for the antioxidants found in the rooty hardy beet. The home is cleansed by decluttering. Removing unpleasant, unwanted items from your home is very cleansing. Donate your items to charity and rid the home of things not being used to bring clarity into the home and organization. Our relationships can be cleansed by removing negativity or guilt from our energy and bringing honesty to any situation. Spend time with people who inspire you, remove any drama from your social circle, only believe what you see and refrain from speaking about others unless it is helpful or with good intentions. Our careers can be cleansed as well. Clean out your work space, delete and remove old files or old emails. Start your fall with new intentions in your ca-
reer, which may include taking on a new course or education to learn more and grow in your career. Start your fall and the change in the season with a cleanse. Speak to health professionals and nutritionists about great food cleansing options. Ask for help from a friend or family to remove the old in your home, cleanse yourself of old habits and unhealthy friends and make way for the new season upon us… In good health, Kelsi Bissonnette
YOGA • PILATES • SPINNING • TRX • STEP • SUP • MEDITATION • WORKSHOPS • RETREATS • WELLNESS
15 Park Place Osoyoos BC 250-689-6020
Sign Up Online
www.osoyoospilates.com Email inquiries contact us wellness@watermarkbeachresort.com 18 www.oksun.ca
MEETINGS
a.m. to 12 p.m. at Osoyoos Baptist Church (lower level). We are a support group interested in eating healthy and losing weight. New members welcome. For more info, call 250-4950410.
Grandmothers for Africa meetings are the 2nd Wednesday of the month, 1 p.m. at the Osoyoos United Church.
Ken Thibault at 250-495-3936. AA meetings every Monday 7 p.m. St. Anne’s Catholic Church. Every Friday 7 p.m. St. Christopher’s Anglican Church. Call Louise 250-495-1627.
Osoyoos Elks #436, 2nd Wednesday meet at 7 p.m., Elks Hall, 8506 92 Avenue. Call Annette at 250-495-6227 or
O’s Own Writers meet the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 2 p.m. at the Osoyoos Arts Centre. New members welcome. Call Jody 250495-2170.
OLIVER THEATRE
Osoyoos Photography Club meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday in Room 3 upstairs at the Sonora Community Centre. Informal meet at 6:30 p.m. regular meeting at 6:45 p.m. For more information 250-495-4960 email: osoyoosphotoclub@gmail.com.
Regular Showtimes Sun. – Mon. – Tues. – Thurs…7:30 p.m. Fri. – Sat………….……….7:00 & 9:00 p.m. (unless otherwise stated)
Enjoy your evening out, taking In a movie at the Oliver Theatre!
September, 2016 Programme Visit Our Website
Phone 250-498-2277 Oliver, BC
Sun. – Mon. – Tues. Sept. 18 - 19 – 20
www.olivertheatre.ca
Sat. - Sun. – Mon. – Tues. Sept. 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 Showtimes on Sat. @ 7:00 & 9:00 p.m. Showtimes on Sun. – Mon. – Tues. @ 7:30 p.m.
The Multiple Sclerosis group meets the second Thursday of the month at 10 a.m. at the Interior Health office, 4816 89 Street, Osoyoos. Call Ron at 250-498-4372 or Donna 250-4955001.
(Regular Showtimes)
Oliver & Osoyoos Search & Rescue. 7 p.m. every Thursday. 100 Cessna St., Oliver (beside the Air Cadet hangar) www.oosar.org.
Frequent coarse and sexual language.
Thurs. - Fri. Sept. 22 – 23
Coarse and sexual language.
Thurs. - Fri. – Sat. Sept. 8 - 9 - 10
Showtimes on Fri. @ 7:00 & 9:20 p.m.
Osoyoos Quilters meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at the Elks Lodge, 8506 92 Ave. at 9:30 a.m. Call 250-4952254 or 250-495-4569 for more info. Evening quilting every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. Patricia at 250-495-7769. Double O Quilters Guild meets on the 2nd Monday of the month, September through May. 9:30 a.m. at the Oliver Community Hall. Contact Lynda at 250-498-8804.
Violence.
Sat. - Sun. - Mon. - Tues., Thurs. - Fri. Sept. 24 - 25 - 26 - 27, 29 - 30
May frighten young children. There will also be a matinee of this show on the Sat. at 2:00 p.m. All seats $6.00 for the matinee. at 2:00 p.m. All seats $6.00
Communities for Kids Osoyoos Table Meeting. 3rd Monday of month 4 p.m. at Sonora Community Centre. 250498-8433 for info.
Sun. – Mon. – Tues., Thurs. Sept. 11 - 12 - 13, 15
Closed
Fri. - Sat. Sept. 16 - 17
Parkinson’s Support Group meets on Monday from 1 - 3 p.m. at Sunnybank Lodge in Oliver. Call Maureen at 250495-7978 for more info. Toastmasters... “Where leaders are made”. Drop in any Tuesday 7 p.m. at 5876 Airport St. in Oliver. Contact Shauna 250-485-8465 or meandwine@gmail.com. T.O.P.S. meets every Thurs. at 10
Violence.
Subject to Classification
Programme Subject To Unavoidable change without notice
OKANAGAN SUN • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 19
Todd’s Tent Town owners Jeff and Jean Todd are pictured left circa 1956. At right are present owners of Todd’s RV & Camping, Graham and Kelly Todd, in 2016. (Contributed photos)
A panoramic view of the campground operated by the Todd family for 60 years. (Contributed photo)
Peachland campground, Todd’s, celebrates 60 years of tradition By Craig Gilbert Sixty summers of love have left their mark on Peachland, Todd’s RV and Camping and the 30,000 or so people who lay their heads to rest in the historic lakeside campground each year. Recently, Graham and Kelly Todd celebrated the diamond anniversary of the family business that started life as Todd’s Tent Town with one customer who “cleared his own lot” in 1956. 20 www.oksun.ca
In the 1970s and ’80s, Jeff and Jean Todd were seeing about 2,000 campsite-nights per season. Today, Graham and Kelly have 11,000 campsite nights per season, March to October, with an average of three people per site. It’s reasonable each spends the equivalent of about $10 per day in town. When Graham starts the bookings in January, he starts at the top of his seniority list of long-time campers when he’s assigning time blocks (many stay about three weeks at a time), so the regulars get their favourite spots.
Angling to get your family near the top of the list? Those campers have been returning for half a century without fail, and there are more of them every year. Some of the youngest children are fifth-generation campers, so it might be easier to buy a new Ferrari with no purchase history whatsoever. Good luck. In its early days, Todd’s was a fishing camp. “There would be boats lined up all along the shore waiting to go out Kokanee fishing in the morning,” Graham recalled. Graham and Kelly run the grounds, but Todd’s is actually also owned by his siblings Kevin, Barry and Raymond Todd, Glenna Messer and Maureen Mackenzie. As the same people kept coming back to the same place, friendships and romances started to develop. “There are a lot of good friends here,” Graham reflected. Added Kelly: “You can look at when the babies were born and figure it out: That was at Todd’s!” It’s due at least in part to the family-oriented feel the Todds try and maintain throughout the campground. They have a staff of 10 on during the busy season, but are often out and about on the grounds themselves. Kelly said it’s important since as the ones taking the bookings earlier in the year, they are the contact point for most campers. Two of their four children married campers themselves. “It’s summer loves that continue year after year, and they end up together,” Kelly said, smiling at Graham. “I was a camper.” Scott Keen can remember belly flopping from the end of the dock as a five-year-old. He’s been coming back to the same site near the entrance to the grounds since 1963. On Wednesday, he was there with his wife, Sonia and daughter, Holly. Now a 26-year-old Grade 2 teacher, Holly is a third-generation camper and actually worked there for three summers as a teen. Scott pointed out that counting those three solid summers and two
weeks per year for the rest of her life, Holly has spent two full years stomping the terra at Todd’s. Having the summers free to return may have played a part in her career choice. “You feel a connection to a place you come back to every year.” Phil Chernoff of Calgary has been coming back to Todd’s for 37 years. He discovered it while staying at a now-defunct campsite nearby. His then-toddlers wandered into the grounds, and he rushed in to retrieve them, thinking it was a rough, bikerinfested hazard for the kids. “I looked around and thought, ‘hey, this is a pretty nice place,’” he said. Now, his wife Betty points out, their three great-grandchildren are fourthgeneration campers. “We came here because we got treated better,” Betty said, recalling an anecdote from decades past. The couple tends to pick a lot of fruit and can it during the summer, and they had bicycled from Todd’s to the downtown for supplies like sugar and jars. Their eyes were bigger than their baskets and as they were figuring out how they were going to get the supplies back to camp, a woman pulled up and asked where they were headed. Without identifying herself, she said she knew where the campsite was, and could run the supplies up for them. “I said as she drove away, ‘you know, she could leave the country with our supplies and we’d never know!’” Betty said, turning to Graham. “You know who it was? It was your mom. What an impression to leave on a person.” Graham confirmed his dad did the yard work but his mom was the “social butterfly” who helped the community at Todd’s become more than a group of people who happen to be parked in the same stand of trees. “She had a love for people,” Graham said. “She always liked talking to them, and meeting people from all over. She’s been gone 14 years now and she left big boots to fill.”
Coping with common skin conditions Acne Acne is most common in teenagers and is caused by overactive sebaceous glands. Creams and lotions with benzoyl peroxide, salicylic Greg Wheeler, acid, glycolic acid Pharmacist or sulphur are available through Remedy’sRx without a prescription. For serious acne, antibiotic lotions may help. Rosacea It’s not yet known what causes rosacea, a skin disorder that causes your face to become redder and appear inflamed. If it becomes severe, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics to reduce inflammation. Eczema Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, features small, itchy bumps and is most common in babies and small children. It is best to stay away from creams, ointments, soaps or anything that will irritate the skin. A doctor will prescribe corticosteroids or antihistamines if necessary. Psoriasis Psoriasis is a severely itchy, chronic skin condition. There is no permanent cure, but there are many creams and lotions available, including coal tar, that help. Talk to your Remedy’sRx pharmacist or doctor about other treatments such as topical steroids, ultraviolet B light and calcipotriene. These common skin conditions can affect the quality of your life. Ask your Remedy’sRx pharmacist for help coping with them.
105-291 Fairview Rd Oliver
250.485.4007
OKANAGAN SUN • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 21
Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne to play Venables By Dan Walton When rock ’n’ roll was brand new – before it was butchered by synthesizers, cookie-cutter songwriters and televised karaoke contests – boogie-woogie pianist Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne was one of the first to figure out the formula. And after more than 50 years as an active musician, his music never submitted to the pressures of pop culture. Wayne will be performing Oct. 7 at the Frank Venables Theatre in Oliver. As a boy in the 1950s, his talent began to unravel within the most genuine of rock ’n’ roll incubators – a church choir in the Southern United States. “Rock ’n’ roll was almost like a swing dance, the way it started off. It was a dance that was played to blues, just a little faster,” he said. “My brand of blue is kind of a mixture of ’40s and ’50s types of piano rockin’ blues. Has a little taste of New Orleans, west coast, Chicago blues. Not very many guys around actually playing it that are alive, it’s something that is sort of historical.” Rock ’n’ roll easily established its own brand in America during the 1950s, but it wasn’t long before the genre underwent irreversible changes as it was popularized in European culture, and Wayne said North America’s talent pool largely gravitated towards the British Invasion. “A lot of musicians changed,” he said. “Jimi (Hendrix) went over there and started playing totally different music than when he was playing in America, when he was playing behind Little Richard.” But Wayne’s style wouldn’t be swayed by any external influence. “The British Invasion didn’t affect my community, and it definitely didn’t affect the blues community,” he said. “It just wasn’t my thing. It had to do with – I was raised in a black community, and the black community wasn’t really into The Beatles.” Even though mainstream rock ’n’ roll was bending towards its European influences, the blues was still front and centre thanks to other popular bands like the Rolling Stones, whose songs were a play on the Chicago blues scene, said Wayne. Experiencing parallel success during the 1960s was the music of Motown, and that’s what had the strongest impact on Wayne during those times. “I was playing parties in L.A., and in my part you played Motown if you wanted to get hired. You could play a Beatles song or two, but the influence was more Motown; more soul music than rock ’n’ roll.” Wayne’s admiration for soulful music was steeped into him every Sunday from a young age. There both was a guitar and a piano in the house he grew up in, “But I raised on gospel music so the piano was more favourable to learn to play,” and he hasn’t 22 www.oksun.ca
Kenny Wayne stopped slamming keys since the age of eight. Once he was 16, after eight years of practicing with the youth choir, the music he was making began to feel like rock ’n’ roll. “We call it happy blues. It’s up, and it’s happy,” he said. “It the same as gospel music, just with a different subject – one’s about Jesus, one’s about a girl. It just depends on what happens in your life. It’s rejoiceful.” There’s a silly saying Wayne enjoys, that the genre of blues had a baby and it was rock ’n’ roll. “Everybody you’ve ever heard playing rock ’n’ roll or soul or funk or hiphop – they got it all from those gospel churches. With that style, it wasn’t difficult to go from one to another, because basically it’s playing pretty much the same.” What he has brewing for his next show in Oliver is a tribute to Fats Domino, and Domino’s songs are very similar to Wayne’s original compositions. “It’s up, it’s happy, it’s memorable. I like the New Orleans styles, it’s almost like Mardi Gras; it’s up, it just makes everybody feel good. I love that kind of music that reminds you of outdoor parades. To me, it’s outdoorish type music where it involves family, kids, old and young people, and they’re all outdoors having a good time. And New Orleans music is kind of like that.” The outdoor/parade atmosphere is in contrast to the indoor nightclub setting, which offers a different and sophisticated flavour of the blues, but Wayne says New Orleans blues is much more lively, and that’s how he likes it. “I wanna get people up and enjoying themselves.” Wayne will be joined on stage in Oliver by bass player Russell Jackson, who spent nearly seven years touring the world in BB Kings band. Their performance is happening at the Frank Venables Theatre on Oct. 7 and begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $35 and can be purchased online at venablestheatre.ca.
SEPTEMBER Saturday Market on Main until the end of September. Osoyoos Town Square 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Locally made produce, arts, crafts, breads, wineries, cideries and distilleries. Fun for the whole family. The Front Street Gallery presents Ann Jevons’ ‘Pandora’s Box’ Aug. 26 – Sept. 8. Gallery located at 60 Front Street, Penticton and is open Monday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Blood donor clinics at the Penticton Seniors Drop-in Centre at 2965 South Main Street. Sept. 7, 8 and 9 from 1:30 - 5:30 p.m. Download the GIVE BLOOD APP, book online at www.blood.ca or call 1-888236-6283. Check your eligibility to donate. 50+ basic beginners line dancing. Oliver Senior Centre, Sept. 8. 1 p.m. $2 members $3 non-members. Guest Artist Larry Liss’s “B.C. Scenes” shows at the Front Street Gallery from Sept. 9 to 22. Join the artist at the opening on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. The gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the show and is located at 60 Front Street in Penticton. Reflective Presence, an exhibition of Lisa Martin’s work, runs at the Osoyoos Art Gallery from Sept. 10 to Oct. 1. The gallery is located at 8713 Main Street, Osoyoos, and is open Tuesday to Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. The Summer Artisan Market at the Osoyoos Art Gallery ends Sept. 5. The Rotary Club of Osoyoos is holding Lobster on the Beach on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. at Gyro Park. Tickets have already sold out, but you may find someone with extras.
Liquidity Wines is having a free artist lecture. This is a unique opportunity to hear internationally acclaimed Canadian artists discuss their work, what inspires them, and describe their creative process. Next lecture is Saturday, Sept. 10 at 3 p.m. 4720 Allendale Rd., Okanagan Falls. Reserve your space by calling 778-515-5500. Parkinson SuperWalk is the single most important provincial and national awareness and fundraising event for Parkinson Society British Columbia (PSBC). Oliver Community Centre, 6359 Park Drive, Sunday, Sept. 11. Registration: 9 a.m. walk starts at 10 a.m. 1 or 5 km. routes. Contact: Tracey 250-498-4562. The Front Street Gallery is holding Welcome Week from Sept. 12 to 17 to welcome four new resident artists: Alexey Gammer, Lorie Meyer, Lynn O’Brien and Victoria Rodgers. Meet the new artists and see the wide range of art displayed. The gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the show and is at 60 Front Street in Penticton. Rock Creek and Boundary Fall Fair runs Saturday, Sept. 17 to Sunday, Sept. 18 at the fairgrounds in Rock Creek. The event will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Rock Creek Women’s Institute. This is one of the last “true” country fairs. The Terry Fox Run for Cancer Research in Osoyoos takes place Sunday, Sept. 18. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. and the run starts at 9 a.m. in the back parking lot of the Sonora Community Centre. A Contract Bridge Tournament is being held Thursday, Sept. 22 at St. Stephen Parish Hall in Summerland from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Register with partner by Sept.
15. Call Terry at 250-494-3466 or st.stephensummerland@shaw.ca. $15 includes lunch. Guest Artist Eleanor Kingston’s “Close to Home” shows at the Front Street Gallery from Sept. 23 to Oct. 6. Join the artist at the opening on Saturday, Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the show and is located at 60 Front Street in Penticton. Freak’n Farmer Obstacle Race takes place Saturday, Sept. 24 at Covert Farms Family Estate. The course is designed to pay homage to the tasks that farmers have to do. It’s held at the beautiful organic farm and winery just north of Oliver. The event run from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information and to sign up, visit covertfarms.ca/freakn-farmer/. Wine Country Racing Association drag racing takes place at the Richter Pass Motorplex (Osoyoos Airport) on Sunday, Sept. 25. Gates open at 9 a.m., driver registration is 9 a.m. to noon, time trials are 10 a.m. to noon and eliminations are 1 to 4 p.m. times are approximate. Admission is $10. Free for children 12 and under accompanied by an adult. Fall Art Show and Sale at the Oliver Community Centre, 6359 Park Dr. Saturday, Oct. 1 3 – 9 Admission by donation. Sunday, Oct. 2 noon – 5 p.m. Admission with Festival of the Grape ticket. Festival of the Grape celebrates its 20th anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 2 from noon to 5 p.m. at Oliver Community Park. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the gate. Grape Stomp, Kids Zone, wine tasting with more than 50 wineries and live music by Gary Comeau and the Voodoo Allstars.
OKANAGAN SUN • SEPTEMBER 2016 • 23
O l i v e r F e st i v
Celebrating 20 Years!
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Gr ape T he
Presenting Sponsor
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Sunday, October 2nd 12pm - 5pm
Art Show & Sale • Grape Stomp • Kid’s Zone Wine tasting with over 50 wineries Food Trucks • Trade Show Live Music by Gary Comeau and the Voodoo Allstars Oliver Community Park| 6359 Park Drive | Oliver BC
Tickets: $25 in advance | $30 at the gate
available online www.oliverfestivalofthegrape.ca Oliver Visitor Centre - 6431 Station St Oliver
available Oliver Shoppers Drug Mart - Oliver Place Mall at Imperial Office Pro - 8510 Main St Osoyoos 24 www.oksun.ca