Penticton Peach Festival, Penticton; Bob Short

ANNOUNCER: From our neighbourhood to yours, this is...

For Accessible Media in Penticton B.C.,
I'm Bob Short.
We're here in the beautiful Okanagan Valley,
one of Canada's great playgrounds,
to showcase the 65th annual Peach Festival
here in Penticton.
Don Kendall is the president of the Penticton Peach Festival.
I don't like using the word "unique"
but Peach Fest has just about become a unique event
because where else can you see
this type of entertainment for free?
And I think that's one of the reasons why the whole area
really embraces Peach Festival.
It's the largest free event of its type in Western Canada.
And we get people coming here every year from Calgary,
Edmonton, Vancouver, Washington State,
who say they plan their vacation around coming to Peach Festival.
It helps the hotels, it helps the restaurants.
I think it's a real boom to the economy here.
And, not only that, but it's something
that's great for families.
And I think that's really what I'm maybe most proud of
is that it's a great family event.
BOB: One of the attractions of Peach Fest
is the West Coast Lumberjack show.
NARRATOR: One of the lumberjacks takes aim and throws a hatchet
in the centre of the target.
FEST MC: Oh, look at that! Startin' off hot, huh?
BOB: Lukas Brown-John is one of the lumberjacks.
NARRATOR: Lukas moves a chainsaw back and forth along a log
making small cuts into the log.
Oh, it's good to kind of, just sort of, come show off,
tell a couple jokes and then go home at the end of the day.
So for sort of a part-time gig, this is a bit of fun stuff.
Get to do some speed climbing and log rolling
and don't really have to worry about being on your
top competitive edge all the time, you know.
BOB: And were you in any way influenced by
Monty Python's Lumberjack Song?
LUKAS: Oh, well, I like to pick wildflowers.
I don't know about the dresses and whatnot.
NARRATOR: Two lumberjacks struggle for balance
as they take part in a log rolling competition.
FEST MC: Oh, watch him, Luke Whoa, oh, no!
NARRATOR: Lukas falls down on the log with a leg on either side.
FEST MC: Oh, I hate it when that happens to a young fella.
Oh, and it's bad.
(Crowd laughing)
Luke, you gonna be okay, buddy?
LUKAS IN HIGH TONE: I'll be fine!
BOB: We asked some of the people
what was they're favourite part of Peach Fest.
For Alanna Cook, it's the atmosphere.
It's just a really positive environment.
And it's really nice to be around people that are happy
It's just the summer and it's great!
BOB: Kirstin Beyer likes the fact the event is family-friendly.
Well, there's a lot going on.
I can see there's lots of stuff for the kids and everything,
and good entertainment. So, yeah, why not?
It's beautiful out right now!
BOB: For Darrell and Debbie Monson,
it's the weather that attracts them.
The weather down here is great.
I'm from Yellowknife, so of course the weather down here
is nice and hot and I enjoy it.
BOB: Volunteer Shayla Ritchie
has fond memories of watching the Peach Fest parade.
Well, I've been going ever since I was born.
This is my 16th Peach Fest.
And every single Saturday at Peach Fest,
which is basically the last day of Peach Festival,
I've always watched the parade.
Either on my daddy's shoulders or sitting up beside him
and just watching all the royalty.
BOB: Watching Lukas the lumberjack goof around on stage,
from Penticton, B.C.,
I'm Bob Short for Accessible Media.
FEST MC: What, you quit? What are you doing?!