Peachfest perfect

One of the things we enjoy about presenting our weekly “Okanagan Top 10” list is that it instantly sparks conversation and debate, not to mention the occasional letter to the editor.

Back on Feb. 16, when our staff penned a list of the valley’s 10-best multi-day festivals, there was absolutely no debate from anyone when the Penticton Peach Festival was included.

There it was alongside Kelowna’s Center of Gravity, the Armstrong IPE and the Vernon Winter Carnival.

The 71st annual Peachfest is now a memory. Held last week, it was five days of free, family entertainment.

The music was great, the sandcastle contest nifty, and the parade on Saturday morning is Vancouver-caliber.

When talking about Peachfest, we need to go heavy on the word “family” — you won’t find an alcoholic beverage at any of the venues or events. It even concludes Sunday morning with a parade, especially for children.

Canadian country music star George Canyon told the crowd Saturday that he loves being invited to Peachfest because it’s an event “all about family.”

Like Donny and Marie Osmond, this year’s musical line-up was a little bit country and a little bit of rock-and-roll with Canyon and Madeline Merlo representing C&W and Kim Mitchell and April Wine classic rock.

Organizers again featured a lot of local musicians and it’s nice to see them edging closer to the coveted 9:30 p.m. time slots.

Penticton — and the entire Okanagan for that matter — has a lot of great festivals and special events. Peachfest clearly belongs on the ‘A’ list. Thanks to the committee, David Kampe from Peters Bros, the hundreds of volunteers, corporate sponsors and the City of Penticton for another amazing event. Thanks to the citizens of Penticton for tolerating some inconvenience and traffic delays. We look forward to next year’s Peachfest. —James Miller

Valley Editor