Get creative at Wilden
Valley Views
Wilden, the Okanagan’s largest master-planned community, is about more than houses.
It’s about life, art, music, food, wine, beer, design and exercise.
As such, the development is hosting its third annual Wilden Creativity Day on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Wilden Presentation Centre and Show Home at 1454 Rocky Point Dr.
The festival isn’t just for residents of Wilden, but for anyone interested in checking out the new show homes and art exhibition, catching some live music, sipping beer and-or wine, eating gelato and-or chocolate or testing an electric bike.
The open show homes are the two newest at Rocky Point by Rykon Construction and buider-developer Wilden.
As well, three show homes in the Skyland neighbourhood will also available for touring.
The art exhibit will feature the works of Penticton photographer and silkscreen artist Rho Shaw, who is the winner of this year’s Wilden Creativity Award.
Additional art on display is from award nominees Pamela Turner, a Kelowna sculptor and printmaker, and Kelowna’s Jackie Deck, an oil painter and sculptor.
The best of the 250 wildlife photos submitted to Wilden’s Wild Kelowna contest will also be on display and the winner will be announced during the festivities.
Singer-guitarist Nicole Holkestad, guitarist Adam Meachem and singer Michael Huber will also perform.
Wander and sample gelato by QB, kombucha from Motherlove Ferments, the OKGN beer by BNA in partnership with Okanagan Lifestyle Apparel, wine from The Vibrant Vine and chocolate by Karat.
Fresh Air Expeirence will also have six Specialized Turbo Vado electric bikes for you to take out for a spin.
Community opening
The Okanagan Centre for Innovation, which already had its official grand opening in April, will have a community grand opening Thursday evening.
It’s a chance for the public to see the seven-storey showpiece building as well as people who work in the building to celebrate.
The event features a reception on the roof top and music in the lobby.
The building is already almost full of tenants such as Bananatag, Accelerate Okanagan, Business Development Bank of Canada, Okanagan College’s digital media lab, Interior Savings Credit Union’s information technology department, Profile Co-Working Club, digital marketing firm Marketer, roof-top restaurant Perch, alternative fuel systems firm Enviromec, Soil Mate, WTFast, Wheelhouse, Valley First Credit Union, Intraline, FreshGrade, Glow Juicery and Blenz Coffee.
Tickets are $45 at bit.ly/communitygrandopening.
Free business licence
The District of Lake Country is offering free business licences to companies in their first year of operation starting 2018.
The deal will save a new business the usual $90 fee.
Lake Country is offering the freebie to invite start-ups to the community and as a way to promote its business-friendly approach after an Open for Business Award from the Union of B.C. Municipalities earlier this year.
Business licence applications are also being processed faster and a survey has been added to all applications so companies can give the district feedback.
IKEA collection
Home furnishing giant IKEA has set up what it calls a collection point in Kelowna.
You can’t shop at the collection point, but you can pick up furniture you bought at IKEA.ca at the collection point at 2255 Norris Road South, just off Highway 97 and Old Vernon Road.
The cost for the shipping to the collection point is a flat-rate $79, regardless of the size of the purchase, be it a single sofa or an entire kitchen.
The average home delivery fee of a shipment from IKEA is $170.
Customers still have the option of home delivery.
The roof tops at 590 KLO Rd. and 4624 Lakeshore Rd. are array with solar panels harvesting the sun and powering the addresses. The building on Lakeshore houses the new Quality Greens produce store and the T-Bones meat market.
The KLO building is the four-storey mixed-use complex that has Worman Construction’s head office on the top floor and Orange Theory Fitness, Bliss Bridal and Boutique Esthetics Lounge at street level.
Worman’s other connections to the projects is that it constructed both buildings and was the catalyst for the solar installations.
“For us, it’s about trying new things and I believe solar energy is the way of the future. It’s the cleanest energy,” said president Shane Worman.
“We do a lot of development. So, if we could try it on one and show to ourselves and our clients it was worth doing, then we’d be onto something new that is a benefit to clients.” Kelowna’s Terratek Solar did both installations. “Shane Worman has always been a leader in the Kelowna development industry and this is just one more example of his dedication to setting new standards for modern construction,” said Terratek owner Landon Aldridge.
The solar installations are expected to provide enough power for both buildings and some extra that can be sold into the electricity grid.
Terratek is seeing increased interest in solar for both commercial buildings and homes.
For homeowners and renovators wanting to find out more, Terratek is putting on an introduction to home solar in the Okanagan information session Sept. 23 from 10 to 11 a.m. on the second floor of the Okanagan Centre for Innovation.
Register for free at EventBrite.ca.