The valley’s best Thanksgiving Day traditions
Slowly over the years, the Okanagan Valley has been establishing its own traditions for the holiday weekend
Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays of the year. Here in the Okanagan, it’s a very special time. Here are 10 reasons why:
FARMER’S MARKETS Valley Wide
Load up on local vegetables for this weekend’s Thanksgiving dinner at farmers’ markets across the valley.
A Thanksgiving market is being held at Kal Tire Place in Vernon on Monday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be musical guests, a free colouring and squash decorating booth, alpacas and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese, wine and baking.
The weekly Penticton farmers’ market is back today in the downtown from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The last day of the outdoor market this year is Oct. 27. The Penticton farmers’ market has won many awards over the years. The best thing of all for pet owners is well-behaved dogs on a leash are welcomed.
Kelowna’s weekly farmers’ market is also back today at the corner of Springfield Road and Dilworth Drive. The last day of the outdoor market is Nov. 3.
There’s also a municipal election in another 14 days so you will likely bump into some of the candidates running for office.
OKANAGAN FALL WINE FESTIVAL Valley Wide
The 11-day Fall Okanagan Wine Festival is always timed to finish up during the Thanksgiving long weekend.
That way tourists and locals alike have the luxury of a three-day weekend to squeeze as much wine and fun out of the weekend as possible.
Two flagship fest events are this weekend — the second installment of the mass Cropped wine tasting at the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre is tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. There may be some last-minute tickets for $69 at TheWineFestivals.com.
On Sunday, there's a Thanksgiving Brunch at Watermark Beach Resort in Osoyoos. Check on $39 tickets at Watermark.Tickit.ca.
GOSPEL MISSION THANKSGIVING DINNER Kelowna
The Kelowna Gospel Mission is holding its annual Thanksgiving dinner on Monday. The Gospel Mission serves around 1,000 turkey dinners every year to homeless people and those in need.
This year’s dinner will be held at the Gospel Mission on Leon Avenue from noon to 6 p.m. Guests will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal with turkey, ham, vegetables, cranberry sauce and pie. It is open for everyone in the community and is generally the Gospel Mission’s busiest day of the year.
“There’s a lot of working poor in Kelowna — people who just need that little bit of extra help we can provide,” kitchen supervisor Mandy Phillips said in a recent interview. Around 50 volunteers will be serving the Thanksgiving feast.
Meanwhile in Penticton, the Soupateria is anticipating 150 guests for their annual Thanksgiving Day sit-down turkey dinner, Monday, beginning at 11:30 a.m. It’s one of five special dinners held throughout the year. More than 15 volunteers will help serve the meals.
FRUIT/VEGETABLE STANDS Valley Wide
There’s nothing better than going for a drive on a holiday weekend, anywhere in the Okanagan. And, what is a Sunday drive without stopping at one of the hundreds of fruit and vegetable stands — especially as you prepare to cook your own Thanksgiving dinner for family, friends and other loved ones?
Some of our favourite fruit stands — and in no particular order — include: Paynters (West Kelowna), Bears (Keremeos) and Blossom (Summerland).
Happy trails to you.
OKANAGAN MARATHON Kelowna
The Okanagan Marathon is always timed to fall during the Thanksgiving long weekend.
The three-day spread gives competitors from out of town the time to travel to Kelowna to both run and be a tourist.
While the event is named after Sunday’s flagship 42.2-kilometre race, there's also a five-kilometre fun walk-run today and activities for the kids, including a onekilometre walk-run.
Also Sunday, there's a half-marathon and 10-kilometre race. A Sports Expo began Friday night and resumes all day today creating a festival atmosphere around the marathon.
McMILLAN FARMS PUMPKIN PATCH Kelowna
About 10,000 people are expected to visit one of Kelowna's most popular fall attractions, the pumpkin patch at McMillan Farms, on Berard Road.
Of course, there are the orange gourds for sale. Oodles and oodles of them.
But there's also a big corn maze, tractorpulled hay rides, a petting zoo, pumpkin slingshot, and children’s games.
The scenic farm, adjacent to Mill Creek, has been owned by the McMillan family since 1950.
Admission is free, but there’s a small charge for some of the attractions.
It’s delightful for city slickers to wander the farm, take in the activities, and know they’re helping a farming family while enjoying a great agricultural experience. It’s timeless. The farm is open every day this month, Check McMillan Farm’s website for hours.
SCARECROW FESTIVAL Peachland
Peachland’s third annual Scarecrow Festival is a just-for-fun event with a bit of an economic purpose.
It was conceived in 2016 as a way to draw more visitors to the town, which despite its gorgeous lakeside setting becomes a pretty sleepy place outside the busy summer season.
Residents and visitors are encourage to create as many scarecrows as possible, in as many themes and outfits as the imagination can conceive.
Previous collections have included skeletons and firefighters, ghosts and dentists, stethoscope-wearing doctors and purplehaired fashion models.
Iconic fitness guru Richard Simmons has made an appearance, though he was inexplicably hung upside down outside the town’s recreation centre.
Dozens of scarecrows are already up around town, but you can add yours anytime through October. And today, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m, there’s live music, pumpkin decorating, and kids games in Heritage Park on the downtown waterfront.
OKANAGAN VINTAGE FAIR Kelowna/Penticton
Looking for an old typewriter? How about some vintage comics? Jewelry from a bygone age?
Then the Okanagan Vintage Fair, taking place in both Kelowna and Penticton, is for you.
Today’s event at the Parkinson rec centre in Kelowna, from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., features more than 40 tables filled with treasures of yesteryear. There are collectibles, clothing, home decor, small pieces of furniture, vinyl records, and vintage-themed crafts.
Bop to old school music while shopping for that one-of-a-kind vintage find. They don’t make things like this anymore.
Admission is $2, kids under 14 are free. The Okanagan Vintage Fair will also set up in Penticton on Oct. 13 at the Shatford Centre, from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
THANKSGIVING MASTERS SOCCER TOURNAMENT Penticton
There’s a chill in the air but plenty of heat on the pitch for the traditional Penticton Soccer Club Thanksgiving Masters Tournament.
The 39th annual three-day competition is held today to Monday on the long weekend on the pristine pitches of King’s Park in Penticton. The tourney draws teams from all over B.C. and parts of the U.S., with Missoula, Montana among the teams that regularly make the trek to enjoy autumn in the South Okanagan.
The tourney offers 35-plus, 45-plus and 53plus divisions on the men's side, as well as 30-plus and 40-plus on the ladies’ side.
All the action gets going today at 10 a.m. and wraps up with the finals on Monday starting at 11 a.m.
The tourney is always big on social activity with live music and a dance on Sunday night at the soccer club.
MANDATORY TELEVISION VIEWING
OK, the story is set on the American Thanksgiving, but John Hughes wrote and directed the essential Thanksgiving movie, “Planes Trains and Automobiles,” where all Steve Martin wants is to be home with his family for Thanksgiving dinner.
But, along the way, he shares a cab with John Candy and then gets stuck with him for the rest of his journey home.
Contemporary reviews now consider this a film classic.
The final scene, where Martin invites Candy to join his family for dinner, after discovering Candy doesn’t have a home and his wife had been dead for eight years, is a tear jerker for the ages.
Also worth a look, if you can find it on a DVD set somewhere is the classic “WKRP in Cincinnati ” episode “Turkeys Away,” where Mr. Carlson drops live turkeys from a helicopter, unaware they can’t fly. TV Guide named it the 40th greatest single episode of all-time. It’s as funny today as it was back in 1978.
And for Adam Sandler and “Saturday Night Live” fans, don’t forget his “Thanksgiving Song,” where he combines his love of turkey with pop culture (“Turkey in the oven and buns in the toaster, I’ll never take down my Cheryl Tiegs poster.”)
Okanagan Top 10 is a weekly opinion feature which appears Saturdays. Selections are chosen by our editors and reporters. Topics range from politics to entertainment. To comment on this or any other story in The Okanagan Weekend, email valley editor James Miller: james.miller@ok.bc.ca.