Ogopogo statue for Peachland may come with complications
Peachland should tread cautiously regarding a proposal for a statue of Ogopogo, a townswoman says.
The legendary inhabitant of Okanagan Lake is connected with Indigenous culture and efforts to use its representation as a tourist draw may not go down well, Taryn Skalbania says.
“‘Ogopogo’ is a colonial construct/myth, borrowing little from syilx traditions and sometimes this nickname is frowned upon by the locals,” Skalbania says.
A town decision to proceed with a statue of Ogopogo, known as N’ha-a-itk to Indigenous people, could be seen as “culturally insensitive or even embarrassing for Peachland”, she says.
On Feb. 13, council heard a presentation from local residents interested in making a large wood carving of Ogopogo. Lee Etherington and Bruce Klippenstein said they would lead fundraising for the project, and hope the town would provide land for what they envision to be a large wood carving.
“The tourist potential is amazing,” Klippenstein said. “You can carve our place in the tourism world by approving this carving.”
Peachland passed a resolution in 2000 declaring itself the Home of Ogopogo, Klippenstein reminded the council members.
The Scottish town that calls itself the home of the Loch Ness monster draws 500,000 tourists a year, Klippenstein said. “And we have advantages over them in terms of weather and all the rest of it,” he said.
As proposed, the sculpture would be about 25 feet long, eight feet high, and situated in such a way that Rattlesnake Island across the lake, said by some to be the creature’s home, is visible in the distance.
Klippenstein said he had contacted the Westbank First Nation, but later explained a formal request for support hadn’t been made yet.
“Our intent has been to approach WFN for support in principle of a N’ha-aitk/Ogopogo statue after Peachland has given their approval in principle,” he said in a letter to The Daily Courier.
“A repeat of the cartoonish existing statue is not contemplated,” he added.
In response to the presentation, council directed town staff to arrange a follow-up meeting with the group and bring a report back at a later date.
Unlike many other towns, Peachland does not have an existing public art collection, perhaps because of a bitter and expensive controversy that erupted many years ago.
In 2004, then-mayor Bob Harriman arranged to bring to town several statues of classical and whimsical creatures, including Howdy Doody and Ogopogo, from the Happy Valley campground in Westbank. It was closing down with the site being redeveloped as the Barona Beach Lakeview Resort.
Harriman’s intention was to place the colourfully-painted pieces around town to enliven the local streetscape and serve as a tourist attraction. But when the sculptures arrived in Peachland, not everyone was impressed, and the pieces, which were subject to some mockery, were put into storage in the municipal works yard while a decision was made on what to do with them.
In the 2005 election, Harriman was defeated, and the new mayor, Graham Reid, and council had no interest in proceeding with the deployment of the sculptures. However, the decision angered the family of Giorgio Barone, who had created the artwork.
The Barone family sued the town for breach of contract. On March 27, 2012, it was announced a settlement had been reached that saw Peachland pay the Barone family $75,000 with a letter of apology.
The settlement was cheaper than gong to court, then-mayor Keith Fielding said. The apology letter said the town’s actions had caused “tremendous emotional upset to the Barone family and has not been respectful of Mr. Barone’s Sr.’s memory and artistic legacy.”