Other fun options than just drinking

Dear Editor:

First let me say I think the basics of one night a week on the beach is a sound idea. However, great care must be taken that it serves the purpose for which it was designed.

If Council wants to do a night out a week for families and kids then drinking has no place in it. It can too easily get out of hand. Penticton should have learned that lesson back when the riots shut us down for a couple of years. Families do not want their life disrupted this way.

So what can we do to make it fun for families? How about takeout food with restaurants advertising specials for that night? Pre-packed picnic delights; some hot; some cold with a good variation in price to include all in Penticton.

Then how about some music? There are lots of musicians not working right now that would love the opportunity: Kyle Anderson or how about some Mexican music? We would need a good sound system that would blast it out over the beach; some musicians have the equipment. Sound carries outside. We used to have entertainment one night a week in the summer in Gyro. There is no reason this couldn’t moved over to the beach.

I am sure many Pentictonites out there could come up with a few ideas for fun on the beach if they we asked.

As for the idea of helping the wineries: The wineries can help themselves. Why can’t they rent some of the empty store fronts to market their wares instead of being constantly pandered to by this council? Retail winery sales should be in town. Wineries should not be using ALR land for retail business or to build 5,000 square foot homes and house weddings; restaurants and other events. Winery store fronts would help Penticton get back on its feet. Drunken beach parties will not.

Penticton bills itself as a family tourist community. We have been proud of that over the years let’s keep it that way.

Taxpayers need a break from this council. Something that council can do for them to show their appreciation for the support they continually are being asked to give the tourist industry.

If Council has to foot the bill for music on the beach once a week they should do so.

At the same time they should clamp down hard on any drinking on the beach. Elvena Slump

Penticton