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Recreation
MAP: Best spots for winter activities in Vernon
TOP PLACES FOR TOBOGGANING, SKATING, SKIING, SNOWSHOEING AND ICE FISHING LAID OUT ON A MAP VERNON - The winter playground of the North Okanagan awaits. The region might be known for its beaches, hiking trails and parks in the summertime, but it has just as much outdoor fun to offer in the colder months. Icy...
City of Kamloops may consider adding another sheet of ice after packed schedule for recreation groups
KAMLOOPS - Administrators at the City of Kamloops have managed to accommodate all recreational groups in need of ice time, although the schedule remains packed after one rink closed indefinitely earlier this year. Civic facilities manager Jeff Putnam says even though peak skating times were already booked by the summer, he’s happy to report all...
Questions arise over new Vernon arena cost, location
VERNON - Building a new arena in Vernon hasn’t even gone to referendum yet and is already generating concerns. Local officials are currently waiting for the province to sign off on a borrowing referendum to decommission the Civic Arena and add a second ice sheet at Kal Tire Place — a process that has been...
Ongoing delays for new Vernon ice sheet costing taxpayers: Mayor
VERNON - Red tape continues to delay a borrowing referendum for a new ice rink in Vernon. The North Okanagan Regional District still doesn’t have authorization from the provincial government to hold a referendum asking voters to borrow up to $13 million to decommission the aging Civic Arena and build a second ice sheet at...
Things to do in the Okanagan before they close for the season
VERNON - So much to do, so little time. Mere weeks remain before a number of Okanagan attractions close down for the season — and that means you’ve got to get moving, or wait until next year. The Kalavida Surf Shop in Vernon closes its doors for the season on Oct. 4, although special arrangements...
Marina proposal on Sugar Lake has locals asking questions
CHERRYVILLE - Concerns are brewing around a marina proposal and what it will mean for Sugar Lake. Sugar Lake Developments Ltd. has applied to the province for permission to replace an existing wooden dock with a new 30-slip marina on Sugar Lake, just north of Cherryville. The proposal has some locals fearing impacts on the...
New Vernon sports track opens this Friday
VERNON - Locals will get their first chance to check out the new sports track by Okanagan College this week. A soft opening is set for this Friday, Aug. 28, for the Greater Vernon Athletics Park. Regional district staff and volunteers will be at the park from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. to welcome visitors...
Maintenance work to shut down Vernon pool
VERNON - Only a few more days are left to visit the Vernon pool before it shuts down for a month of maintenance work. The annual aquatic centre shutdown will start Monday, Aug. 24 and last until Sept. 21. This year’s closure will be an extra week long so recreation services can replace the flooring...
More to Three Blind Mice than biking, but that’s important, too
PENTICTON - The city and region have 20/20 vision when it comes to seeing recreation opportunities in the Three Blind Mice area. City of Penticton Communications Officer Simone Blais said the city has identified the area, located at 1400 Riddle Road, as an area of potential for sport and recreational use. The Penticton and Area...
New Okanagan disc golf course lands in Vernon
VERNON - You’ve got your putting and your driving Frisbees, your heavy ones and your sleek, thin ones, and now fans of the popular sport of disc golf — and curious newcomers — will have a scenic, and best of all, free, course in Vernon to fling them on. It’s all happening on a city-owned...
If floating the river in Enderby is on your summer bucket list, do it sooner than later
ENDERBY - Extremely low water levels could cut the summer tubing season short on the Shuswap River in Enderby. Madison Giesbrecht, program manager for the Shuswap River Ambassadors program, which monitors river conditions and provides information to user groups, says river levels are about a month ahead of schedule, and particularly low at that. “We...
Unusual bike cruises down Vernon train tracks
VERNON - At first glance, it looks like an ordinary bike. But there’s something different about this particular two-wheeler, that much is clear from three pole attachments jutting out horizontally from the bike. The odd contraption, spotted on the railroad by Kal Beach in Coldstream, is made to run along train tracks. What is it,...
Mixed views on proposed Shuswap River boating restrictions
VERNON - There’s been plenty of interest in proposed boating regulations on the Shuswap River, though it's still to early to tell which side of the debate the majority lands on. The North Okanagan Regional District has so far received 1,065 electronic surveys, plus 118 paper copies submitted in response to the proposed changes, which...
Being dismissed from Silver Star feels like ‘something precious to you being taken away’: Canadian Ski Patroller
CANADIAN SKI PATROL STILL LOOKING FOR ANSWERS VERNON - Sadness, anger and confusion are some of the emotions members of the Canadian Ski Patrol are feeling after finding out they aren’t being asked back to Silver Star Mountain next winter. Volunteers from the Canadian Ski Patrol can be found on many ski hills around the...
Vernon recreation fees going up
VERNON - Residents will notice new prices when they pay for recreation services, but a Vernon councillor insists the fee increase is a reasonable one. The cost for rentals, programs and recreation services is going up 2.6 per cent this year. Coun. Catherine Lord says the increase is needed to cover rising operational costs. “It’s...