Keep your eyes on the skies
All eyes will be on the sky on opening day of the 71st Penticton Peach Festival Wednesday.
The SkyHawks Parachute Team is dropping in on Okanagan Lake Park, offering their dynamic aerobatic parachute formation show twice on Wednesday.
“It was their first time at Peach Fest last year and it was a huge crowd favourite, so we are thrilled to have them back doing two drops this time,” said Peach Fest president Don Kendall.
The SkyHawks will perform from noon to 1 p.m. and then from 5 to 6 p.m., landing in Okanagan Lake Park each time.
The team will also be set up in the park at 2 p.m. for an autograph session and to hand out swag to the children.
“I got to jump last year and it is a spectacular view in Penticton, maybe even one of the best views in Canada,” said SkyHawks Capt. John Hart on Friday, after just performing a jump at the Vanderhoof airshow.
While he landed in an open air field in Vanderhoof, the landing is a bit trickier in Penticton.
“We jump from about 6,000 feet and pull our canopies almost right away. There are a few obstacles with the hotel there, and trees and power lines, but we specifically train for this,” said Hart.
The team captain has 800 jumps under his belt and said the team does around 300 training jumps for the shows they take across Canada.
Peach Fest takes place Aug. 8-12 and features headliners like Kim Mitchell, George Canyon, Madeline Merlo and April Wine while also hosting five days of free family fun including a kids’ zone, street hockey tournament, sandcastle competition, the Grand Parade on Saturday morning and the Mega motorcross show along Lakeshore Drive. The carnival will again be set up near Rotary Park.
“We have a great lineup of free entertainment with the likes of Kim Mitchell and the Heroes of Rock, the Country Divas, Madeline Merlo and Lion Bear and the Fox, to name just a few highlights,” said Peach Fest president Don Kendall.
“Nowhere else offers free quality entertainment like this.”
Canadian rock legend Kim Mitchell will open Peach Fest Wednesday night, followed by April Wine on Thursday evening.
He estimates that around 80,000 people took in the festivities last year.
For a full lineup of entertainment, go to peachfest.com.