Cherry Fiesta set for Sunday
Big fireworks show to cap Canada Day party in Osoyoos
It’s looking to be a full day of fun this Sunday as all the hard work the Osoyoos Festival Society has undertaken over the last 12 months comes to fruition.
The 70th annual Cherry Fiesta goes sun-up to sundown (and beyond) as Osoyoos celebrates Canada Day.
It all begins at 7 a.m. with the Rotary Pancake Breakfast at Town Square. Your $5 buys more than just pancakes, bacon and all the trimmings. The Rotary Club is involved in some big projects, including providing eye wear for needy children overseas.
The breakfast wraps up just in time for the Cherry Fiesta Parade. The parade will marshal on Nighthawk Drive and head toward Main Street at 11 a.m.
One of Osoyoos’s biggest events, the parade draws thousands of onlookers for the lengthy trail of participating businesses, organizations and municipalities.
At lunchtime, the fun shifts to Gyro Park, where musical and other entertainment will keep you and your family busy through 10 p.m.
On the Gyro Park stage, musical acts this year include Gypsy & the Rose, August Accord, Cindy Doucette, the Real Ponchos, Judy Rowe & the Diamonds, Rebel Luv, Uncorked and the Timber Wolves.
You can also catch a performance by the young stars of Dance Oasis and find craft and food vendors, children’s activities on the beach, and cherry pie-eating and cherry pit-spitting contests.
Up the street at the Osoyoos Legion Hall, check out the beer garden and enjoy some more entertainment. The legion staff will be selling beef on a bun from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Steve Hillis will entertain after supper, serving up his one-man Garth Brooks tribute show. A rock and country dance party follows.
You’ll want to be back at Gyro Park before 10 p.m. That’s when the Cherry Fiesta fireworks — Canada’s largest fireworks show outside Ottawa — end the day with an explosion of light and sound.
The oohs and ahhs get started at dusk. Those with FM radios can tune in to CIRO 106.5 FM for an accompanying broadcast.
Just a reminder: all lanes of Highway 3 (Main Street) through Osoyoos will be closed between Highway 97 and Kingfisher Drive from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. to accommodate the parade.
For more information, visit the Cherry Fiesta’s website at osoyoosfestivalsociety.ca.