Westside Daze help celebrate Canada 150
It was a vision of red and white as crowds wore red shirts and hats and waved Canadian flags as they lined the streets of Westbank Centre Saturday morning for the annual Westside Daze parade.
This year, the parade fell on Canada Day giving the crowd an opportunity to show off their patriotism.
Acknowledging the history of Canada goes back more than 150 years, the Westside Celebration Society, the group of volunteers who host Westside Daze, made the theme for this year’s three day free family festival 15 Plus Decades in Canada.
Westbank First Nation Chief Roxanne Lindley was the honourary parade marshal.
Friday evening fireworks went ahead in Gellatly Bay, but crowds were sparse at the lakeshore as Gellatly Road was closed to traffic.
Those who did enjoy the display broke into a spontaneous chorus of O Canada following the spectacular grand finale.
Christy Clark, MLA for Kelowna West, hustled down the parade route handing out British Columbia flags and shaking hands.
The parade attracted people from as far away as Sweden ready to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation.
Brian and Barb Onslow were visiting West Kelowna from Gleniffer Lake, Alberta.
“Canada is an awesome place to live,” said Barb. “We are the luckiest people in the world.”
The pair have traveled extensively throughout Canada.
“We know it’s a beautiful place,” said Brian. “We’ve seen it all”
For 11-year old Paige Bjorgan, the best part of living in Canada is the freedom.
The parade saw local dignitaries and float entries from local businesses and community groups wind through the streets. Those brave enough finished the parade in the Wet Zone, a free for all water fight.
Saturday afternoon saw people flock to Memorial Park beside the Johnson–Bentley pool for the Kids’ Fair and Okanagan Day.
There were plenty of activities to take in — all free.
People could enjoy First Nation dancing, drumming and storytelling on stage and then learn about hunting, fishing and culture in the tepee village.
Kids could find their way through a hedge maze, play games, take the gyroscope for a spin or test their skills on the climbing wall.
At 3 p.m. the giant Canada Day cake complete with a Canada 150 theme, balloons and Ogopogo arrived at Westside Daze by ambulance.
Despite having her right arm amputated above her elbow after a workplace accident in March, baker Anja Duma overcame adversity to create a Canada Day cake with a special Canada 150 design.
Her resilient nature is an inspiration to those around her.
Westside Daze opened Friday evening with a concert under the stars and finished Sunday with a car, truck and motorcycle show and shine and a final evening outdoor concert.