Events for 2023 Heritage Week
“Always in All Ways” is the theme of Heritage Week across Canada this year. It invites you to explore your community’s heritage in all the ways that excite you. This could include joining a walking tour, taking part in a workshop or cooking a family recipe at home. Take time during Heritage Week 2023 to celebrate the culture and heritage of the communities that make up the place you call home.
This year’s events include:
Wednesday, Feb. 15
7:00 p.m. Kelowna Canadian Italian Club: talk: “L’ACQUA: The Greening of the Okanagan” Special guests Ian Pooley and Wayne Wilson will talk about how Italians helped “green” the Okanagan. In person at the KCIC Hall and by Zoom. Free event, registration is required: kelownaitalianclub.com /nfiirrigation
Sunday, Feb. 19
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Heritage Week Kickoff at the Kelowna Community Theatre lobby (kitty corner from the Stuart Park ice rink). Some very cool people will be showing off some very cool stuff. There is even a contest to tease your brain. Watch for our volunteers wandering around downtown handing our tickets for free hot chocolate and hot apple cider at the KCT. Visit okheritagesociety.com for more information.
Monday, Feb. 20 Family Day and Heritage Day
10 a.m.– 12 p.m. Sncewips Heritage Museum. Free tours
1 – 2:30 p.m. join us for an afternoon filled with elk calls, cow calls, bull calls, and bugling; presented by Charles Kruger. sncewips.com/workshops
11:00 a.m. the Westbank Museum will be hosting a children’s story time led by local author Marie Jane Martin. Following the story time, we will have a crafting activity during which kids can build their own beaver. Contact the museum for more information: westbankmuseum.com
12 - 4:00 p.m. Okanagan Heritage Museum: “Time Machine!” Go back in time,”‘figuratively,” at gallery stations displaying significant historical time periods connected to the rich heritage of the Okanagan Valley. Free family event: kelownamuseums.ca/event/family-day-time-machine
1 - 4:00 p.m. Lake Country Museum is hosting “Let’s play … Dress up!” This is a free family event. There will be a variety of photo opportunities to capture your family memories, including vintage costumes, craft tables, and learning stations for family fun. lakecountrymuseum.com/events/bc-familyday-lets-play-dress-up. Also free Stroll Guides on Lake Country’s history.
Tuesday, Feb. 21
6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Kelowna & District Genealogical Society’s Claire SmithBurns will give a talk “Have you heard about these Okanagan Resources for your Local and Family History Research?” There are some fabulous resources online and in our Central Okanagan libraries and archives that you may not know exist! This program is presented in partnership with the Okanagan Regional Library. Pre-registration is required. kdgs.ca/updates
Wednesday, Feb. 22
8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Michael Howard of the Central Okanagan Naturalist Club in partnership with the Friends of Mission Creek will lead a walking tour to observe birds along the lower stretch of historic Mission Creek. Registration is required. There are a limited number of spots. birding@okanagannature.org.
1 to 3 p.m. Kelowna & District Genealogical Society will have its “Genealogists in Residence” at the Kelowna Downtown Library, giving advice on starting (or making progress on) your Family History project. This is a free service on a first-come, firstserved basis. No reservation required. For more information: kdgs.ca/genealogist-in-residence/
5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Okanagan Heritage Museum presents “Chief Dan George: Actor and Activist VIP Tour.” Chief Dan George is a historically significant Tsleil Waututh chief who made many important advancements in Indigenous rights and representation in media and song. Tickets are $15. For more information: kelownamuseums.ca
Thursday, Feb. 23
5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Okanagan Military Museum presents “Canadian First World War Service Rifles.” What’s the difference between a Ross Rifle and a Lee-Enfield rifle? Visitors will experience these weapons up close and learn about the effect they had on WWI. $15 per person. For more information check: kelownamuseums.ca
6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Kelowna Museums is offering a virtual talk called “na̓ʔk̓ʷulamən (what we do): syilx Wellness Practices.” Have you heard of “new” terms like forest bathing and eco-wellness? This discussion is led by syilx/ Okanagan Elders and knowledge carriers. $15 per household; registration is required: kelownamuseums.ca
7 to 8:30 p.m. Central Okanagan Heritage Society’s 39th Annual Heritage Awards presentation will take place at Benvoulin Heritage Church (2279 Benvoulin Road). Light refreshments will be available after the presentation. This event is open to all Heritage Week participants as well as the general public. okheritagesociety. com/awards-by-year or email cohs@telus.net for more information.
See all of the Central Okanagan Heritage Week events on Facebook@HeritageWeekOkanagan or OKHeritagesociety.com
“Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration, our touchstone, our reference point, our identity.” UNESCO
Thank you to our great Kelowna business supporters: The Trophy Den, The Daily Courier and Don-O-Ray Farms. The City of Kelowna, the Province of British Columbia and the Central Okanagan Foundation also contribute and play a big part each year. Many thanks to everyone involved!
For 21 years, the Central Okanagan Heritage Society (COHS) has coordinated the events and activities of Heritage Week in the Central Okanagan; we join each year with provincial and national events celebrating Heritage Week across Canada. COHS chairs the local planning committee and works with many community groups which host Heritage Week events: Westbank First Nations’ Sncewips Museum, Canadian Italian Club, Okanagan Historical Society (Kelowna Branch), Kelowna Museums, Friends of Fintry Provincial Park Society, Westbank Museum, Kelowna Tree Protectors, Lake Country Museum, Kelowna & District Genealogical Society, Rutland Residents Association, Kelowna SouthCentral Association of Neighbourhoods (KSAN), Okanagan Regional Library, Friends and Residents of the Abbott Street Heritage Conservation Society (FRAHCAS), the BC Métis Federation and the Central Okanagan Heritage Society.